Guided by Xiao Hong, Zhao Liuyun arrived at the dining hall.
A round rosewood table was already covered with an array of exquisite dishes, the steam carrying an enticing aroma upward.
Only three people were present: the young girl he had seen upon arrival, Ye Wenxi, and a slender, tall woman he had not yet met.
The woman had crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, but her skin was firm; she appeared to be in her forties.
Zhao Liuyun could not sense the depth of her cultivation, which meant she was certainly no lower than a Soul King.
The tall woman and the young girl, who called herself the junior shopkeeper, behaved intimately, sitting close together. This was evidently a family dinner.
To invite me, an outsider, to a family dinner...
Zhao Liuyun's mind raced, and a brilliant smile blossomed on his face.
"Grandpa Ye, you are truly overwhelming me. How could a junior let his senior wait? If you had sent someone to call for me, I would have come immediately."
"Meditation is the root of a Soul Master; one must not disturb it lightly," Ye Wenxi said with a chuckle, beckoning him over. "Come, little Liuyun, let me introduce you. This is my daughter-in-law, Meng Yuan, and this is my little granddaughter, Ye Xiaoya."
"I'm not called Ye Xiaoya! I have a formal name, Ye Lingsi!" the little girl immediately pouted and retorted, her voice crisp and clear.
"Senior Meng, Miss Lingsi," Zhao Liuyun greeted them one by one.
"No need for such formality, just call me Sister Meng," the woman named Meng Yuan managed to squeeze out a slight smile.
"Level 21?"
She asked about his Soul Power level the moment he arrived.
Is this an evaluation?
Zhao Liuyun answered truthfully: "I am Level 21. I absorbed my second Soul Ring less than a week ago."
An investment requires the investor to see value. Although his Martial Uncle's letter had mentioned it, it was never as convincing as a face-to-face demonstration.
With a thought, he proactively released his Martial Soul.
A moon-white giant flower quietly emerged. As the petals unfurled, an ethereal and mysterious pale purple halo flowed between them, and a quiet, elegant fragrance filled the room.
A flash of amazement appeared in the eyes of all three present.
Zhao Liuyun waited for a moment, allowing the floral scent to soothe their minds, before introducing it in a soft voice: "The Martial Soul is named Moonlit Lotus. Its fragrance can calm a person's emotions."
"What a beautiful flower!" Ye Lingsi's eyes widened. She couldn't help but stretch out her small hand, eager to touch the illusory petals.
"Control System?" Meng Yuan asked again.
This was also mentioned in the letter.
Zhao Liuyun nodded. "Control System. My first Soul Skill, 'Stopping Hostilities,' comes from a three-hundred-year-old Man-Faced White-Striped Purple Scorpion. It induces weariness, causing battle intent to fade and fighting spirit to wither."
"Since I was born with mental strength superior to ordinary people, as long as it hits, Soul Masters of the same rank will fall into a deep sleep."
"Use it on me," Meng Yuan said flatly, her tone brooks no argument.
"Uh... may I ask what your cultivation level is?" Zhao Liuyun was a bit hesitant.
"I am a Soul Emperor."
To have reached the realm of Soul Emperor in her forties—such talent already placed her above the vast majority of Soul Masters in the world.
"Senior Meng, then I... shall release it?"
Meng Yuan frowned and gave a light chiding, her tone slightly impatient: "Just do it. Why is a boy almost ten years old so hesitant?"
"First Soul Skill: Stopping Hostilities!"
Zhao Liuyun mentally estimated the standard of a typical Level 20 Soul Master and deliberately restrained his mental power output as he executed his first Soul Skill.
Stunning a Soul Ancestor while being two major ranks lower would be far too exaggerated.
The petals glowed with a shimmering purple light. The purple rays gathered and accurately hit Meng Yuan's abdomen.
Meng Yuan's eyelids drooped slightly, then opened again.
She spoke in a tone that was half-explanation and half-praise: "Quite an excellent control Soul Skill! There are very few among Grand Soul Masters who could resist it. Even a slightly weaker Soul Elder would likely fall unconscious on the spot."
"Are you a Mental System Soul Master?" She noticed the essence of that purple light—it was mental power directed straight at the brain.
"Senior has a keen eye. I am indeed a rare Mental System Soul Master," Zhao Liuyun nodded and continued, meeting their expectations. "My second Soul Skill, 'True Illusion,' originates from a six-hundred-year-old Ghost-Eyed Demon Dragon Spider. It consumes Soul Power and mental strength to manifest physical illusions according to my will."
Both Soul Emperors understood the true utility of a physical illusion that was indistinguishable from reality, so Zhao Liuyun didn't bother adding unnecessary explanations.
"Ghost-Eyed Demon Dragon Spider?" Meng Yuan pondered for a moment. "You mean a Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider, right?"
Zhao Liuyun replied, "It is a Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider, but the one I encountered possessed a dragon bloodline. A dragon's eye with extraordinary power grew between its eight eyes, so I took the liberty of adding the word 'Dragon'."
Meng Yuan was still confused. "I remember the Spirit Hall announced that this species was extinct?"
"Ah?" Zhao Liuyun was stunned. "But I encountered it in the Soul Hunting Forest."
Meng Yuan looked at Ye Wenxi.
"The Spirit Hall did indeed make such an announcement," Ye Wenxi did not deny it. The experience of an elder showed its value now. "However, the physical illusions of the Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider can be maintained for a long time, and they are best at hiding their tracks... Who knows where one might still be hiding?"
"But isn't the Soul Hunting Forest cleared by the Spirit Hall?" Zhao Liuyun asked curiously.
Ye Wenxi countered, "Do you really think the people of the Spirit Hall would exhaust every effort to search every inch of the land?"
Slacking off at work—that must be human nature...
Thinking of this, Zhao Liuyun fell silent.
Ye Wenxi went on to explain the dragon bloodline of the spider Zhao Liuyun mentioned.
"Pure-blooded True Dragons have long vanished from the world. Spider-type Soul Beasts with dense dragon bloodlines are indeed rare. However, Soul Beasts with dragon blood can purify their bloodline by devouring one another. The conversion efficiency between different species is extremely low, but cannibalizing the same species can maximize the growth of one's own dragon blood. To find one in the Soul Hunting Forest... the Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider you encountered likely ate all its brothers and sisters as soon as it was born."
Cannibalism to accelerate growth—like the three Thousand-Jun Ant Emperors Tang San encountered!
Zhao Liuyun suddenly remembered that case. So that was it!
Ye Wenxi looked at him and congratulated him with a smile, "The Ghost-Eyed Demon Spider is merely a high-level Soul Beast, but once it integrates a powerful dragon lineage, it is enough to rank among the top-tier Soul Beasts. Little Liuyun, your luck is very good."
Two Soul Skills with excellent configurations—even after he becomes powerful in the future, they would still be of great use. This was truly not easy for a minor Soul Master from the bottom rungs of society.
A flash of sorrow crossed Zhao Liuyun's eyes. He only sighed lightly and shook his head. "This was... exchanged for me by my mercenary comrades with their lives."
Scars of betrayal can earn some pity, but they also inevitably cause others to raise their guards. Information regarding his External Spirit Bone could not be leaked at all. It was better to use their deaths to temper his mind and display the radiance of his humanity.
"I'm sorry, little Liuyun, Grandpa didn't know..." Ye Wenxi looked apologetic, not expecting a hidden story behind it.
"Big brother, don't be sad," Ye Lingsi noticed Zhao Liuyun's low spirits and comforted him softly.
Zhao Liuyun forced himself to perk up, using a smile to hide the grief between his brows. "It's alright. In the end, it was because my strength was insufficient. If I had been strong enough, all of this... perhaps would not have happened."
He needed to establish an image in front of others. One who values relationships and possesses a firm will in cultivation. He was already someone who valued relationships; he kept everyone who had ever helped him in his heart. This was an excellent character trait, but he needed others to know it.
As for a firm will in cultivation, that went without saying. Zhao Liuyun knew that gods existed. If one does not become a god, one remains an ant forever!
In his previous life, enduring hardship might only lead to enduring more hardship. In the fantasy world of the Douluo Continent, enduring hardship could temper the will and accelerate cultivation. Zhao Liuyun knew his will was not yet tough enough, far inferior to Ji Juechen ten thousand years later. Then he would practice more, grind more!
This also needed to be displayed. For example, the Dragon Blood Tree medicinal bath his Martial Uncle emphasized was to show that Zhao Liuyun practiced hard and had a firm will. If you don't say it, how will others know?
"He is a good child," Ye Wenxi kept nodding.
Valuing relationships reduced the probability of becoming an ungrateful "white-eyed wolf," but tests were still unavoidable. Human hearts are easily tempted by external things and can be assimilated by the environment, falling into depravity quickly—especially for a Soul Master like Zhao Liuyun who struggled up from the bottom.
The Ye family had suffered such losses before. A innate Level 9 genius they had spent great effort to recruit ended up stopping at the rank of Soul Saint. Now, regardless of what your past experiences were, they would observe him for a few months first.
Of course, bloodlines or master-disciple relationships were also indispensable. Without a connection, the Ye family would not invest recklessly. Zhao Liuyun was indeed benefiting from his relationship with his Grand-Martial Uncle, Huang Xin.
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