Qin Feng watched Qian Renxue engrossed in her cookbook. Noticing the late hour, he considered that staying up too late wasn't good for a young girl's development. After some thought, he decided to prepare a room for her.
As a male—now a tiger after transmigrating—Qin Feng had little experience with girls and wasn't sure about their aesthetic preferences. Did they like mechanical metallic vibes, rustic bamboo charm, or minimalist simplicity? Deciding to go with his own taste, he set to work.
"Take your time with that cookbook—no rush!" he said. "It's getting late, so I'll set up a room for you."
With that, Qin Feng left the main hall for a side wing.
Though the palace was grand, it had few livable rooms. When designing it, Qin Feng hadn't anticipated anyone else living there, so he'd only included two or three bedrooms. He resided in the largest main hall, leaving the two side wings. He chose the one closest to his own for Qian Renxue, so he could hear if she had nightmares and rush to her side. Proximity had its benefits.
In the side wing, Qin Feng tidied up, pulling a spring mattress from his soul-tool storage ring and placing it on a chaise lounge, then adding a light summer blanket suited for the palace's year-round mild climate. After making the bed, he dusted off his hands and surveyed the room.
It was sparsely furnished, but he lacked more supplies for now. I'll add more for her later, he thought.
The side wing was more secluded than the main hall, less bright, with sunlight fading quickly at night and arriving late in the morning. Its dim lighting made it the darkest of the three bedrooms, even with the windows open. To compensate, Qin Feng retrieved four luminous pearls from his ring, using their soft glow as a temporary substitute for soul-tool lamps until he could craft some. He chose pearls with a gentle, eye-friendly blue light to keep the room's ambiance soothing.
His meticulous setup took about half an hour. Satisfied with his work, Qin Feng stepped back to admire it but felt something was missing. Of course—girls love beauty. She needs a mirror.
He selected a spot and pulled a large floor mirror from his storage ring, placing it on the wall facing the bed so Qian Renxue could see herself first thing in the morning.
With everything ready, he went to fetch her.
Back in the main hall, Qian Renxue's bloated stomach had settled after half an hour, and she was bouncing around again. That orange juice really aids digestion, she thought. More astonishingly, she realized that one meal here had boosted her soul power more than a week of cultivation at the Martial Soul Hall.
A week's training might raise her one level, but this meal had pushed her one and a half levels. Now at level 48 Soul Ancestor, she was just two levels from becoming a level 50 Soul King. A few more meals like this, and she'd break through. Then, with a 10,000-year soul beast's ring, she'd be a true five-ring Soul King—at nine years old. A nine-year-old Soul King was unprecedented on the continent, a terrifying feat.
With the Peach Blossom Haven and this tiger, I could reach Titled Douluo by twenty! The thought thrilled her.
Lost in her grand visions, Qian Renxue didn't notice Qin Feng's return. He saw her sitting on a stool, waving her fists and wiggling like a little mascot, and asked, "What's with you?"
Startled, Qian Renxue stopped her childish antics. "Nothing, just excited—I leveled up!" she said. "I'm at level 48 now, only two levels from Soul King. At this rate, a few more days of meals, and I'll be a Soul King. I'm nine years old—a nine-year-old Soul King! Isn't that thrilling?"
Qin Feng was stunned. He hadn't checked her soul power earlier and was shocked to learn she was a level 48 Soul Ancestor at nine. Even Tang San, the so-called "cheat king," was only in his thirties at twelve. Qian Renxue's talent outshone him by miles.
Her potential rivaled or even surpassed the canonical Qian Renxue, born with a divine martial soul and innate level 20 soul power. Realizing he'd taken in a monstrous talent, Qin Feng marveled. What kind of prodigy have I adopted? With this talent, she was destined for Limit Douluo status, perhaps even a shot at godhood—though divine positions also depended on luck and fate.
Tang Chen, another genius, had turned the ordinary Haotian Hammer into the continent's top weapon soul with his Haotian Nine Absolutes and Great Sumeru Hammer. Yet Qian Renxue's talent seemed even greater.
But a puzzle nagged at Qin Feng. With such talent, why isn't she mentioned in the original story? A prodigy like this couldn't be obscure. Ruling out the possibility that "Xue'er" was the canonical Qian Renxue, he theorized she might have died young in the original timeline. That would explain it.
He recalled rescuing her from humans at noon. Without his intervention, she'd likely have been killed or sold to a noble family as a breeding tool for superior heirs. This realization clarified everything.
"Yep, my Xue'er is the best!" Qin Feng nodded, praising her before leading her to the room. "Xue'er, this is your room from now on."