(A/N: I won't update this daily, but I'll try to update when I can since I missed Douluo Dalu. Can't forget about my roots now, can I?)
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(Inside of Ah Li's Spiritual Sea)
"How can this be possible?!" Bibi Dong said in shock :"Li'er has Martial Soul Compatibility with Xue'er?!" Shock that everyone in the vast space shared. Of everything they had thought of seeing, this wasn't one of them.
Hu Liena covered her open mouth :"My god, this is too shocking! As if he wasn't already talented and monstrous enough, now he has found someone who has Martial Soul Compatibility with him?! And it's sister Xue?!" Before frowning in confusion :"Wait, but if that's the case, then why did nothing happen with the normal sister Xue?"
Qian Renxue's eyes widened at the realization :"No, something did happen! When we met, I did feel something was strange with me. Who would have thought it was my Martial Soul reacting like this."
"What?!" Skydream looked at her confused :"You seriously didn't pay attention to how your Martial Soul itself acted strange?" Earning a glare from her :"Well I'm sorry if I was too stunned and excited to see my dead mother at that moment."
"Oh... ahahaha..." He laughed awkwardly, backing off to hide behind Ice Empress. Who slapped her away with her tail :"Don't get close to me, worm." But to everybody's disappointment —and maybe mild disgust— he caressed the slapped spot lovingly :"Oh, Bingbing, how good your tail feels!"
Ignoring her, Bibi Dong turned to the open space that let them view the outside world :"This is way too important and way too precious of a chance. Li'er —cannot— mess it up!" Hu Liena beside her frowned, somewhat nervous :"Do you think he'll succeed in befriending sister Xue? After all, she was pretty aloof and unapproachable back then, as far as I can remember. At least towards me."
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes :"Oh, please, that was the case whenever I came to the Martial Soul Hall. And you know the reason why. I couldn't stand to see mom treating you like a daughter instead of me. Do you think I would be able to become the crown prince back then if I was how you described me? Politics are all about social skills, you know?
And besides, there's no way past me would let go of this chance. I was greedy back then. Very, very greedy. Especially for seeds like him with a lot of potential. Even if not for having Martial Soul Compatibility with him, I'm 100% sure my younger self would definitely recruit her. And now that she has found out they have Martial Soul Compatibility? She'd cage him if she couldn't recruit him."
"Damn, sister Xue..." Hu Liena frowned, but Qian Renxue shrugged :"I told you, past me was greedy for power. Do you honestly think I'd let go of someone who has Martial Soul Compatibility with me? I would get him on my side by any means possible."
Turning to the screen —feeling weird about seeing a younger version of herself— with a smirk, she continued :"Don't worry, this will work out perfectly as long as Xiao Li doesn't try to actively mess it up. And as far as I know about him and his thirst for power, he won't give up this chance even if his life was on the line."
Hu Liena hummed curiously :"But what Martial Soul can possibly be compatible with the Seraphim Martial Soul, a God Bestowed Martial Soul? Xiao Li's Martial Souls are either insect types or dragon types and... there's..."
Her and Qian Renxue's eyes widened, the latter looking at her mother :"Mom's Martial Soul..."
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(Outside world)
They froze in place, shocked and just staring at each other. It was obvious for both of them that the other had sensed it too. The reaction of their Martial Souls, and the weird sensation of feeling an invisible pull from each other.
"Young miss? Is something the matter?" Porcupine Fish Douluo frowned at her quietness, before glaring at Ah Li :"Kid, you better not have done anything to our young miss, or oh help me god-"
Soul Power surged from him, causing the two to get out of their trance. Seeing he was about to take action, Qian Renxue quickly ordered her bodyguard :"Elder Ci, calm down! I was just surprised for a moment!"
Seeing she was fine, he calmed down and raised an unsure eyebrow :"Are you sure, young miss? If this boy did something to offend you, please don't hesitate to order me to deal with him." He shot a glare at the noiret.
She shook her head :"No, no, it's alright. He didn't do anything to make me mad." Before she smirked at him :"How could he? After all, I was merely shocked by the way our Martial Souls reacted to each other."
"What?!" Their eyes widened, shocked beyond belief. With the immense knowledge they had obtained in the Martial Soul Hall all these years and in their lifetime, of course they knew what she meant. They looked at the boy in surprise, before looking at him as if he was a once in a lifetime treasure.
Smirking back, he folded his arms :"So that wasn't just me falling in love after seeing such a gorgeous girl?" She rolled her eyes with a chuckle, a small blush making its appearance in her youthful face :"Smooth talker I see. I guess you're not just pleasant to the eyes, but also to hearts."
Smiling lightly, he winked :"Glad to hear I'm charming to a beauty like you. Ah Li, a pleasure to meet you." Raising a hand which she shook gently with a smile :"Qian Renxue, pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Smiling charmingly, he gently raised her fingers, bowed slightly and kissed her pretty knuckles :"Fathomless (Ren) beauty and gorgeous like fresh snow (Xue). Your name suits you, sister Xue."
She found herself smiling as he let go :"I can say the same about you, little brother. Beautiful, powerful and capable. Your name has basically been tailor made for you." Chuckling, she rolled his eyes lightheartedly :"Oh, stop it." And somehow, the light blush she caused to appear somehow made him even more charming in her eyes.
Seeing a genius who wasn't so full of himself and appreciated compliments was pretty refreshing. Unlike the children of all those supposed "geniuses" from the big families. 'Oh, well would you look at that?' She mused to herself :'He already has me comparing every guy I've met to him.'
"So what has such a genius like little brother Li coming to the Sunset Forest? From the impressive Soul Power fluctuation I sense from you, I don't think you're here to obtain a Soul Ring." 'Step one of forming a friendly relationship: act friendly and keep a conversation going.'
"Hm, that's right. I've actually been here for a while for training. Fighting against Soul Beast —but not killing them— and trying to survive in the Soul Beast Forest. May I ask what elder sister Xue is doing here? It must be important if you've got such strong bodyguards with you."
"*Smirking* Actually, I'm here to get another Soul Ring. My 7th Soul Ring, to be exact."
"*Genuinely shocked* 7th?! Elder sister, you're actually a Soul Saint?!"
Smirking, she released her Soul Rings. Revealing her optimal Soul Ring configuration.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. Lv 60 Soul Emperor.
His surprise was justified. He knew Qian Renxue was a genius. After all, even in the Angel Clan, she was the biggest genius who had awakened with Lv 20 Innate Soul Power. Although it was true that the Angel Clan members all awakened with an Innate Soul Power of above 10, none of them had ever awakened with Lv 20. Hence why only she had managed to achieve Godhood after the first generation Angel God herself.
He had assumed that she was here for her 6th Soul Ring. And even didn't believe she would be here for her 7th Soul Ring when the thought emerged originally. But hearing she was actually here to become Soul Saint was truly surprising.
He looked at her with genuine amazement :"Wow. And you called me strong. I thought only old people could reach Lv 70, but you look like you're barely 20!" Seeing his amazement, Qian Renxue couldn't help feeling smug. All her life, ever since she started impersonating Xue Qinghe as a child, she never had the chance to show off.
At least to someone young. The only people who even knew about her Soul Power Level and abilities were the old fossils of the Douluo Palace. She never had the chance to show off in front of someone remotely close to her age (21).
So being able to show off in front of Ah Li felt very fulfilling. She felt like a normal person for once, not a top secret spy of one of the most important missions of all time. Especially so since he was so good looking and a genius above geniuses himself. The fact that he wasn't arrogant and agreed with her instead of getting jealous and arguing.
It felt nice. And she found herself smiling genuinely at him :"Little brother Li is exaggerating." But he shook his head :"I never exaggerate anything. If I'm saying something, I'm speaking with logic and facts.
Hell, getting to Lv 50 at your age is already an achievement that will make you welcome anywhere! And you're Lv 70, that's just absurd. I'd consider whoever that told me they're a Soul Saint at your age as crazy if I didn't just see it."
Qian Renxue couldn't lie, she was excited, smug and proud. It was natural, since it was the first time she ever managed to show off. Best part was, the other person wasn't jealous. He only complimented her honestly.
If it wasn't for keeping face, she would break into the widest grin she could make. Unfortunately for her, her excitement was already obvious to the others. She wasn't exactly keeping it hidden after all. The shaky smile she was trying to surpass, the light blush traveling to her ears and neck, the way she leaned to the side and folded her arms, everything from her expression and body language revealed her excitement.
The two elders glanced at each, finding out they both were trying to hold back a smile. They had watched the girl grow up. She was basically like their own granddaughter. So seeing her trying to keep her cool was so darn adorable.
Bibi Dong in Ah Li's Spiritual Sea could completely agree. She couldn't even hold back her smile. She could only hide it behind her hand while her own daughter hid her blushing face in embarrassment. It was no different for the crew. They were all smiling at the cute girl with a tragic past who completely missed out on her childhood.
And Ah Li? As the person who caused such cuteness, he found himself responsible to keep her entertained. And frankly, he couldn't complain at all. She was so adorable he would agree on the spot to keeping her smug and complimenting all day like this. In fact, he had a hard time not petting her golden head and singing praises for her while cuddling her.
But Qian Renxue had to change the subject. It was getting harder and harder to contain herself. She had to save her dignity before it was too late :"Ahem ahem, little brother Li is no pushover either."
When she changed the subject, everybody found themselves disappointed and letting out an aww internally. All good things had to end eventually huh? Even such cuteness. Ah Li found himself disappointed as well, but hid it as he scratched his neck :"Hahahaha, I'm nothing special, elder sister Xue. There's nothing to praise when it comes to me."
She raised an eyebrow :"Quite humble, I see. That's even more praiseworthy. And besides, as much as I can, there's nothing but praises that come to mind when I look at you. Handsome, body that you've definitely worked hard on, and Soul Power fluctuation that I definitely wouldn't see in anyone of the same age as you. Since I've shown you my Soul Rings, would you mind showing yours, little brother Li?"
He smirked and winked :"I wouldn't think of refusing sister Xue." And revealed his Rakshasa Goddess and her Soul Rings. Behind him, the sinister shadow of a ghostly shadow woman appeared, face hidden behind a black veil and emitting an evil aura with glowing blood red eyes.
His 4 originally 1,000,000-year golden Soul Rings which he had disguised as 100,000-year red Soul Rings arose as well, revealing his Soul Power Rank fully, along with the Martial Soul that had originally showed compatibility to Qian Renxue's.