As Qian Renxue stood silently at the edge of the cliff where the mountain winds howled like mourning spirits. The smell of blood lingered faintly in the air.Behind her, nailed to the jagged stone by a golden sword that shimmered faintly under the sun, hung the skewered corpse of Ren Xuan by his own martial soul.
Qian Renxue's expression was calm, yet there was a flicker of reflection in her eyes — not pity, but contemplation."Grandfather," she said softly, her voice carried by the mountain breeze, "I confirmed something new today."
Her purple eyes glinted faintly. "If an Ultimate Douluo with a weapon-type martial soul channels his entire life essence and spirit into his weapon, then even after death... the martial soul remains."
(Author's Note: This phenomenon is canonical, with similar instances appearing in Douluo Dalu 3.)
Without another word, Qian Renxue grasped the hilt of the Xuan Yuan Sword with both hands. Golden light radiated from her palms as her divine aura intertwined with the lingering energy of the weapon.
Then, with a single pull—
Clang!The sword came free, and the lifeless body of Ren Xuan slumped forward, falling to the earth with a dull thud.
The echo of that sound rolled through the mountain valley, heavy and final.
When she turned around, she saw both Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo standing a few paces away, their expressions frozen between disbelief and shock.
"Don't stare at me like that," Qian Renxue said helplessly, giving a faint sigh. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were calm and sharp.
She pointed at the corpse on the ground. "He was gathering all his strength for self-destruction. If I hadn't intervened, this entire mountain range would've been erased. So I used his martial soul to absorb and redirect the explosive energy."
She waved the Xuan Yuan Sword lightly, and the blade hummed with a clear, metallic tone, as if acknowledging its new master. "Now, I have a rather pretty sword," she smiled faintly, "and it's at least at the level of an artifact."
But Qian Daoliu didn't share her levity. His eyes, sharp as they once were in his youth, fixed upon her with a grave expression."Renxue," he said slowly, his voice deep and restrained, "can you first answer me one question?"
Her brow arched slightly. "What is it?"
"Who killed Ren Xuan?" Qian Daoliu asked, each word pressing through the weight of silence. "He was an Ultimate Douluo—one who once stood at the same level as me. Tell me, who did this?"
For a moment, Qian Renxue simply stared at him, an amused glint forming in her golden eyes."Seriously, Grandfather?" she asked lightly. "Are you still going to deny the truth even when it's right before your eyes?"
The old man's face hardened. "Renxue," he said, his voice carrying both warning and concern, "this isn't the time for jokes. What happened here is not trivial"
Qian Renxue, holding the sword, suddenly laughed—a sound that was neither mocking nor lighthearted, but edged with something sorrowful."Grandfather," she said, meeting Qian Daoliu's gaze, "I'm also serious."
Before her words could settle, Qian Daoliu's figure blurred. In a flash of golden light, he appeared right before her, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder.But his palm passed through her as if through mist—her body flickered and vanished, the image dispersing into ripples of golden particles.
The real Qian Renxue appeared several hundred meters away, standing upon a ledge overlooking the vast valley below. Her hair fluttered like molten sunlight in the wind .
'Grandfather, my first, third, and sixth rings have been promoted to divine rings,' her thoughts clear and sharp. 'The cost was immense—a large amount of faith energy.'
She looked down at the Xuan Yuan Sword, her eyes glinting faintly with light.'The reason Ren Xuan could sense my spatial slashes… even though they were hidden under my third ring's illusion… was because of that damn system interfering. Otherwise, he would have died with my first strike.'
A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. 'But you, Grandfather… you cannot bypass my third soul skill—Illusion.'
Qian Daoliu's face remained composed, though his golden aura flickered slightly. He released a surge of soul power, enough to make the mountains tremble and the wind bow in silence."Looks like," he said quietly, "Renxue thinks she has already surpassed her Grandfather."
Golden radiance coiled around his body like the descent of a deity, but Qian Renxue only tilted her head. Her eyes shone faintly purple as she raised the Xuan Yuan Sword and pointed it toward him.
"Let's fight, Grandfather," she said softly, though her tone was cold. "You want me to leave for the Heaven Dou Empire, don't you? Then why do you care so much now?"
Qian Renxue activated Manipulation, to not tell anything happened here to both Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Silently followed by her second soul skill—Emotion Amplifier.Invisible threads of emotion wove through the air, touching Qian Daoliu's heart. The deep-seated regret he had—about sending his granddaughter to the undercover mission—was magnified a hundredfold.
Qian Daoliu's golden aura wavered. His breath hitched as memories flooded his mind: a small girl clinging to his robes, calling him "Grandfather" with innocent joy.
The power that moments ago surged like a tide suddenly pulled back. His shoulders slumped, and his voice trembled faintly."Renxue…"