Chapter 46: First Meeting with Qian Renxue

Given his cultivation level, he should not have allowed anyone to approach him so closely.

It was simply because his mind had been entirely focused on Li Xun just now, causing him to lower his guard against the surrounding environment.

"Senior, please do not be angry. My elder and I are merely passing through this place, and we had no intention of prying." A bright-eyed, white-skinned, golden-haired maiden appeared before Dugu Bo with light, cautious steps.

The young girl was around eighteen or nineteen years old, blossoming like a flower bud on the verge of fully opening.

Though she still had room to grow, her current visage already revealed an peerless, exquisite beauty.

Behind the maiden stood a robust, red-haired man clad in golden armor. With every movement he made, an oppressive and formidable aura faintly emanated from him.

At the sight of the two, Dugu Bo's gaze turned icy. Soul power surged within his body, and the nine soul rings beneath his feet began to pulse in a slow, rhythmic motion.

This was the most critical moment for Li Xun, yet these two had managed to get this close.

If they harbored ill intentions, the consequences could be unimaginable.

Seeing Dugu Bo react as if facing a formidable enemy, Qian Renxue smiled faintly, "Senior, do not be alarmed. My elder and I are truly just passing by. If we harbored any malicious intent, we would not have waited until now."

As her words fell, the robust red-haired man behind Qian Renxue instantly unleashed his martial soul, and nine soul rings—two yellow, three purple, and four black—suddenly appeared beneath his feet.

This man turned out to be a Title Douro as well, though his soul ring configuration was not as flawless as the Poison Douro's, lacking a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Dugu Bo's heart tightened, his expression growing increasingly stern. He glanced sidelong at Li Xun's condition, then slowly took a few steps back, edging closer to Li Xun.

"Senior, surely you believe us now."

Qian Renxue offered a gentle smile before turning her attention away from Dugu Bo entirely.

Instead, she fixed her gaze upon Li Xun.

*My little junior brother here is growing quite fast...*

Qian Renxue was well aware of Li Xun's innate talent, knowing that even his second soul ring had been a ten-thousand-year one.

Initially, she had been deeply shocked by the feat.

Yet as time passed and their interactions grew more frequent, she had slowly grown accustomed to it.

Over the past two years, whenever Qian Renxue visited the academy, she would mostly converse with Li Xun and Ning Rongrong regarding the situation on the continent and the affairs of the Spirit Hall.

Or so it seemed like mere chatting.

Her true objective, however, was to probe the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's stance on the Spirit Hall and to subtly alter the perspective of the sect's younger generation.

Fortunately, her efforts over the past two years had not been in vain; Li Xun and Ning Rongrong appeared to have let down their guard completely where the Spirit Hall was concerned.

"Little Xue, that child is absorbing a soul ring beyond his limit. Judging by the age of the Azure Vine, it must be close to six thousand years old," the Pufferfish Douro said in a low voice, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Qian Renxue.

At that moment, profound astonishment filled his heart.

To be able to absorb a soul ring from a soul beast nearly six thousand years old for one's third soul ring was something even Little Xue, with her divine-grade martial soul, had never achieved upon reaching level thirty.

Such a person could no longer be called a mere genius.

He was a monster.

"What? Nearly six thousand years..."

Qian Renxue's lovely eyes contracted sharply. Shifting her gaze past Li Xun, she looked at the Azure Vine lying behind him.

Aside from commoners, a soul master's third soul ring was almost invariably a thousand-year one, which was why she hadn't thought much of it upon seeing Li Xun absorbing a thousand-year soul ring.

However, the absorption limit for most soul masters' third soul rings hovered around fourteen to seventeen hundred years.

Even those blessed with extraordinary natural talent could at best push it to roughly two thousand years.

An anomaly like this, directly absorbing a soul ring four thousand years above his limit, had never before appeared on the entire continent.

"A thousand-year second soul ring, and a third soul ring approaching six thousand years... It seems I still underestimated this junior brother of mine," Qian Renxue murmured, withdrawing her gaze and looking back at Li Xun.

If she remembered correctly, Li Xun was only ten years old this year.

With such a rate of cultivation, aside from herself—who possessed a divine-grade martial soul—he must undoubtedly be the fastest on the entire continent.

*If only he could be used by me...*

Qian Renxue's eyes lit up at the thought, a scheme quietly taking shape in her mind.

Dugu Bo had been closely observing the pair ever since their arrival, remaining fully prepared to strike at a moment's notice.

However, a battle between Title Douros would inevitably generate shockwaves that could affect Li Xun.

That was the only reason he had restrained himself and refrained from acting.

When he saw the two whispering to each other before fixing their burning gazes upon Li Xun, his heart tightened.

He had already resolved to unleash his most powerful technique without hesitation to buy time for Li Xun if necessary.

"Hah..."

After remaining in a tense standoff for an entire hour, Li Xun exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes.

A soul beast nearing six thousand years of age had already pushed far beyond the limits of his physical endurance.

Fortunately, bolstered by chakra and his formidable self-healing capabilities, he had managed to endure it, avoiding the fate of having his body ruptured or crippled by the sheer influx of energy.

Even so, his condition was far from ideal. At that moment, his entire body was covered in countless fine, intricate wounds.

These wounds were healing at an agonizingly slow pace, as if they had exceeded the upper limit of his self-healing ability, rendering even chakra largely ineffective.

*I'll need to find a healing soul master to take a look when we get back...* Li Xun thought to himself.

Although the risks this time had been considerable, the rewards were correspondingly immense. His soul power had now reached the thirty-fourth rank.

Furthermore, he had acquired an active extension skill: as long as his soul power was sufficient, he could control his plants to continuously extend outward.

Meanwhile, the passive attributes of his second soul ring had also undergone a massive enhancement through the absorption of the Azure Vine.

*Such a massive improvement must also be partly due to the Tulip of Immaculate and Precious...*

After conducting a brief internal assessment, Li Xun turned his gaze toward the golden-haired maiden and the red-haired man.

He froze upon seeing that both the red-haired man and Dugu Bo had nine dazzling soul rings spinning beneath their respective feet.

"Grandpa Dugu, what is going on?"

"Kid, you've finished absorbing it already?"

Dugu Bo started slightly at the question, letting out a long sigh of relief as his stern expression gradually relaxed. "These two claim they were just passing by..."

Now that Li Xun had successfully completed his soul ring absorption, he no longer had anything to worry about.

Even if a fight broke out, he had nothing to fear.

"Passing by?"

Enduring the dull ache throughout his body, Li Xun slowly stood up and walked to Dugu Bo's side. "Do the two of you require something?"

With a golden-haired maiden accompanied by a Title Douro standing before him, Li Xun already held a faint suspicion in his heart.

However, everything that had transpired between Tang San and the Spirit Hall was merely a microcosm of this vast world, far from revealing the full picture of Douro Continent.

The possibility of wild, unaffiliated Title Douros roaming the outside world could not be ruled out.

"Hehe, my elder and I were passing by this place and happened to witness this little brother absorbing a soul ring beyond his rank, which is why we paused to watch."

"Please forgive our intrusion."

Qian Renxue offered a slight bow, asking a question despite already knowing the answer, "May I ask if this little brother belongs to any sect?"

Realizing that Qian Renxue was feigning unfamiliarity with him, a thought sparked in Li Xun's mind.

Considering the relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, alongside his own future plans, he decided to bring Dugu Bo directly into Qian Renxue's field of vision. "I am Li Xun of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and this is my Grandpa Dugu, the Poison Douro."

"So it is Your Excellency the Poison Douro, please forgive my discourtesy." Qian Renxue bowed to Dugu Bo once more, then introduced herself, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qian Renxue, daughter of the former Supreme Pontiff of the Spirit Hall, and the person beside me is the Spirit Hall's patron elder, the Pufferfish Douro, Ci Xue."

The Pufferfish Douro nodded slightly in acknowledgment toward Li Xun and Dugu Bo.

"Greetings, Miss Qian Renxue, and greetings, Your Excellency Cixue." Li Xun hastily feigned a look of surprise and returned the bow.

To be fair, a portion of his astonishment was genuinely real.

This was because the Pufferfish Douro happened to possess abilities that perfectly countered Dugu Bo. While Dugu Bo was among the weakest of the Title Douros, he at least retained the ability to fight back against most opponents.

Against the Pufferfish Douro, however, he would practically be finished off in an instant.

If Qian Renxue were to harbor murderous intent... A cold surge of vigilance rose within Li Xun's heart.

Upon hearing their identities, the Poison Douro's eyes narrowed slightly. He nodded in silence without uttering a word.

At that moment, the auras belonging to Dugu Bo and Cixue remained restrained yet primed for release, neither side withdrawing their martial souls despite the exchange of pleasantries.