Qian Lingyi was just about to say something more when she noticed her grandmother already returning with the corpse of the Saber-Toothed Light Wolf in hand.
"Grandmother." She quickly ran up to her, calling out sweetly.
"Hehe~ Let's go, Yiyi." Qian Zhiya smiled warmly, then gave a polite nod to Zhu Changhe and the others before pulling Qian Lingyi away from the valley.
Not long after they left, Hong Zhen also came back, dragging the Thornback Boarhog behind him.
The valley was now a complete mess. Aside from the few corpses of the Saber-Toothed Light Wolves that had been caught in the crossfire, the entire riverbed had been blasted into rubble by soul skills.
"Brother Changhe, mission accomplished!" Hong Zhen tossed the half-dead Thornback Boarhog onto the ground. The beast slumped like a pile of mud—its bones had all been crushed by Hong Zhen, and it was on the brink of death.
"Thank you, Brother Hong!" Zhu Changhe beamed with joy and offered his thanks.
"Eh! Why are you being so polite with me?" Hong Zhen waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, let's find a quiet place where you can finish this beast off. The stench of blood here might attract other soul beasts."
The group immediately left the valley and arrived at a nearby stone forest.
"Here should be fine," Hong Zhen surveyed the area and nodded.
"Alright." Zhu Changhe couldn't wait any longer. He summoned his martial soul without hesitation and killed the Thornback Boarhog with a clean strike, then sat down to begin absorbing its soul ring.
While he focused on absorbing the ring, the other three stood guard around him, silently protecting him.
An hour later, Zhu Changhe successfully absorbed his fourth soul ring, and his soul power surged to level 43. This jump in strength was clearly the result of long-term accumulation. He was delighted—not only had he become a Soul Ancestor, but his soul power now once again surpassed his son's. For a proud man like him, being overtaken by his own son was both gratifying and a bit disheartening.
With their mission successfully completed, the group didn't linger and headed straight back to Anyang City.
——
Meanwhile, on the other side of Tianhui Grand Canyon.
Qian Zhiya and Qian Lingyi were also preparing to leave the canyon.
"Grandmother, those two kids around my age we met earlier—what level do you think they were at?" Qian Lingyi had just absorbed the 3,000-year Saber-Toothed Light Wolf's ring and was feeling quite confident. Naturally, her mind turned to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.
"The girl's soul power was around level 35. As for the boy… truth be told, I couldn't see through him," Qian Zhiya said with a tinge of helplessness.
"What? Even you can't tell, Grandmother? Then how strong must he be? Don't tell me he's a Soul Ancestor too? He looks so young!" Qian Lingyi was stunned, her expression filled with disbelief and curiosity.
"With billions of people across Douluo Continent, there's bound to be one or two peerless geniuses. Yiyi, don't get arrogant," Qian Zhiya advised. "You may be the most gifted child in our Qian Clan, but the Qian Clan itself has long fallen from grace. The glory of the so-called Holy Clan is long gone."
"Grandmother, are we really descendants of the Holy Clan?" Qian Lingyi asked. It wasn't the first time she had asked this—she had asked hundreds of times, always hoping to see that proud glow on her grandmother's face when she answered.
"Of course. Our Angel Martial Soul is the proof!" Sure enough, Qian Zhiya began recounting the story of the Angel Clan once again, her aged face lighting up with an unnatural flush of pride.
"Grandmother, I want to travel the world," Qian Lingyi said softly after hearing the tale again. Her bright eyes held a flicker of determination.
"..." Qian Zhiya was silent for a long time before finally nodding. "Alright. Once you reach the Soul Ancestor realm, I will allow you to go. But at that time… you must change your surname."
"Huh? Change my surname? What should I be called then?"
"Take your father's surname—Ye."
——
Back in Anyang City.
That night, in Zhu Ziyang's bedroom, he sat cross-legged on his bed, his consciousness immersed in his spiritual sea, discussing the topic of faith with Electrolux.
"Teacher, do you know anything about faith?" Zhu Ziyang asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely certain," Electrolux replied. "After all, your world and mine are quite different."
"I see..." Zhu Ziyang pondered for a moment before asking again, eyes still full of curiosity. "Still, could you tell me anyway? Maybe it's not so different after all."
"Alright." Electrolux agreed to satisfy his curiosity. "Faith is closely tied to divine status. In our world, there were once two kinds of deities—Rule Gods and Faith Gods."
"Rule Gods are easy to understand. Gods of Light, Ice, Fire—these are all Rule Gods. Their power comes from the laws of nature itself, and their growth isn't bound by anything."
"Faith Gods, on the other hand, are a bit more complicated. Their divine positions originate from the worship of abstract concepts by sentient beings—like the sea, the sky, the earth, or the sun. This worship produces the power of faith, which in turn limits the growth of Faith Gods. Generally, the more worshippers they have, the stronger their power becomes."
"From what I've seen, the Sea God and Angel God in your world are clearly Faith Gods. Their struggle over faith aligns with how Faith Gods operate."
"In my world, the extinction of gods was said to be due to the loss of faith itself."
"That's… incredible!" Zhu Ziyang felt his mind expanding. This knowledge was far beyond his current level, and though it taxed his understanding, it was deeply satisfying.
"Between the two, I would suggest you aim to become a Rule God rather than a Faith God—if you ever reach that point," Electrolux advised.
"Hehe… Teacher, that's thinking a bit far ahead, don't you think? I'm just a little Soul Ancestor. I'm still a long way off from even becoming a Title Douluo, let alone a god!" Zhu Ziyang laughed bitterly.
"That may be, but having a lofty goal can still be a powerful motivator," Electrolux smiled gently. "That said… you've been slacking off on your necromancy training this month, haven't you?"
"R-Really?" Zhu Ziyang chuckled awkwardly. "I'll go cultivate now. Goodbye, Teacher!"
He immediately exited the spiritual sea and resumed his training.
——
During the final ten days at home, Zhu Ziyang spent his time with Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying, and made sure to leave them with some cultivation resources—namely, Essence Gathering Pills.
As the name suggests, Essence Gathering Pills were related to Gathering Pills. In fact, they used the same ingredients, with the addition of Stargrass. Their effects were similar, but Essence Gathering Pills worked for all soul masters below the Soul Emperor level, making them genuine mid-grade pills. Zhu Ziyang managed to refine thirteen and left them all for Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying.
He himself had already stopped using pills for cultivation. Both Mu En and Electrolux had warned him that overuse of pills could wear down his talent. With his potential, relying solely on his own cultivation was more than sufficient. Overreliance on pills would harm his body's meridians and build a dangerous dependency.
He immediately took this advice to heart and ceased using pills altogether—even Jiang Nannan was persuaded to stop.
However, while Zhu Ziyang avoided them, Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying had no reason not to use them. Their talent was average, and the pills could only improve their cultivation. There was no risk of developing any dependency.
On the last day of the break, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan stood at the entrance of North River Village, saying farewell to their parents.
"Mom, Dad, you two should go back. We're off now," Zhu Ziyang waved goodbye.
"Mom, take care of yourself!" Jiang Nannan said to Bai Xinyi.
Soon, the two were out of sight. On the main road, they encountered Xian Lin'er and Cai Meier, who had come to escort them.
"Junior Brother! Junior Sister!" Xian Lin'er called out.
"Senior Sister! Senior Sister!" Zhu Ziyang responded, secretly quite pleased with himself. Being picked up by two Super Douluo—this kind of treatment was hard to beat.
(End of Chapter)
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