Chapter 66: Reversing Zhu Zhuqing's Brainwashing
"You… why were you being so nice to her?"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled with frustration inside Qi Tian's mind. Watching her sister walk away without being able to retort had nearly driven her mad.
Qi Tian chuckled. "What's wrong with being nice?"
"Of course it's wrong!" Zhu Zhuqing blurted out. "She's my enemy! In six years, we'll face each other in the struggle for succession. If I lose, at best I'll be imprisoned — at worst, I'll be killed!"
"Since we're enemies, why would you treat her kindly?"
Qi Tian shook his head slowly. "No, you're not enemies — you're sisters. Blood thicker than water."
"You're only at odds because the Zhu family got dragged into the Dai family's internal power struggle. That's what forced sisters to turn against each other, turning family bonds into tools of politics."
He looked out toward the courtyard, his voice soft yet firm. "If you ask me, you and Zhu Zhuyun should be standing together — fighting against the Dai Family, not for it. Only then will future daughters of the Zhu family be free from this cursed cycle."
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent. She was only nine years old — and since awakening her martial soul at six, she had been relentlessly indoctrinated with the clan's beliefs.
But Qi Tian's words struck something deep inside her.
She suddenly recalled how things used to be — before her martial soul awakened, before the Dai Family took an interest in her. Back then, her relationship with her sister wasn't bad at all.
Everything changed after her awakening, when her exceptional innate soul power of level seven drew the Dai Family's attention. From that moment, everyone around her had told her she was destined to help Dai Mubai seize the position of Crown Prince.
Her mission, her future, her worth — all tied to someone else's ambitions.
"But… the Zhu family's fate has always been this way," she murmured, her tone distant.
Qi Tian turned toward her reflection in a bronze mirror and smiled faintly. "Just because it's always been that way… does that make it right?"
He stepped into the house, shutting the courtyard gate behind him. As he surveyed the simple furnishings, Zhu Zhuqing remained lost in thought.
After a long silence, she finally muttered, "But the Dai Family possesses the White Tiger martial soul. With our Hell Spirit Cat, we can perform the martial soul fusion technique. Only with that power can we reach the level of a Titled Douluo and secure a place on the continent."
She was still clinging to what she'd been taught — the beliefs drilled into her since childhood. Her worldview couldn't change overnight.
Qi Tian didn't argue. He went to the kitchen instead, gathering firewood and setting up a small flame to melt the whale glue.
As the fire crackled, he spoke again, his tone calm but sharp. "Then tell me — if the Zhu family is so strong, why do you serve as mere vassals? Why not seize power yourselves?"
Zhu Zhuqing replied almost instinctively, "Because the martial soul fusion is led by the White Tiger. Without the Dai Family, it can't be used."
Qi Tian snorted. "That's simple. Just break past the Titled Douluo realm — rewrite your destiny. If the Dai Family refuses to submit, then wipe out every last male heir of theirs and let them taste what your Zhu family has suffered!"
His voice carried a chilling edge of killing intent.
The Dai Family's system of raising its own members like Gu worm — making them devour one another for the throne — was already cruel enough. But dragging the Zhu Family's daughters into it, forcing them to become tools and sacrifices? That was beyond forgiveness.
The imperial family could have simply let the princes fight for the title and only afterward arranged marriages with the Zhu family's chosen heiresses. There was no reason to make the Zhu Family bleed for their schemes.
From Qi Tian's perspective, the Dai Family's methods were unjust, and it baffled him that the Zhu family had never rebelled.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer. She was silent, but not dismissive. For the first time, she was thinking. The seed of doubt had been planted — and at her young age, her mind was still malleable enough to grow new convictions.
Qi Tian didn't rush her. He intended to gradually reshape her mindset — to awaken in her the will to defy fate itself.
"Tch… this fire isn't hot enough."
He fanned the flames, adding more air, coaxing the heat higher. Slowly, the chunk of whale rubber began to soften — its black sheen fading, its texture transforming as the structure melted and light started to pass through.
The once dark mass turned into a translucent, amber-colored gel.
Qi Tian pinched the steaming blob between his fingers and, without hesitation, shoved it into his mouth.
An indescribably fishy, nauseating stench spread instantly — enough to make anyone gag. The molten whale rubber was scorching hot, enough to burn one's throat raw.
But Qi Tian had long grown used to pain; he forced it down with a grimace. Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, was mortified. It was the first time she had ever tasted something so foul — slimy, reeking, and burning all at once.
Her disgust and confusion interrupted her thoughts entirely.
"So disgusting!" Zhu Zhuqing groaned bitterly.
If she had control of her own body right now, she would've spat the whole thing out without hesitation.
"Is this stuff really that effective?" she asked, her tone filled with doubt.
"Of course," Qi Tian replied confidently while swallowing another mouthful of the sticky whale rubber. "Just one piece like this can boost the age limit of your third soul ring by at least two hundred years!"
He spoke through their shared soul connection while continuing to chew the revolting substance.
"Not only that," he added, "but whale rubber strengthens the body. Once it takes effect, your physique will far surpass an ordinary Soul Master. You might even be able to fight across ranks."
After a while, the medicinal power of the whale rubber began to circulate through their shared body.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt heat spreading from deep within her, her skin growing feverish as a strange sensation welled up inside.
For some reason, her thoughts drifted back to that morning — when Qi Tian had helped her bathe. The memory made that same strange warmth resurface again.
Qi Tian, however, was long accustomed to this kind of reaction. Without hesitation, he stepped out into the courtyard and began using the surging heat to temper the body.
"While the medicine's at its peak, start training!" he muttered.
Through his soul connection, he synchronized both bodies — his true self and Zhu Zhuqing's. While his real body trained under the weighted pressure of the Sea Calming Pearl, Zhu Zhuqing's body focused on lighter physical exercises to maximize the effect.
He was getting better and better at managing this one soul, two bodies state.
Still, a thought crossed his mind.
'I wonder… could I extend the Sea Calming Pearl's weight effect to Zhu Zhuqing's body too?'
Driven by curiosity, Qi Tian attempted to link the divine artifact's power through his spiritual connection.
He had already partially refined the Sea Calming Pearl, binding it to his soul.
The moment he focused, he sensed something stir within Zhu Zhuqing's soul — a faint phantom reflection of the Divine Artifact!
"This is… a projected image of the Sea Calming Pearl?" Qi Tian murmured in realization.
"Let's test its effect."
He channeled a thread of soul power into the phantom pearl. Instantly, his body felt heavier — as though a massive boulder had been dropped onto his shoulders.
"It works!"
A grin spread across his face as he used the divine pearl's simulated weight to intensify his training, pushing the body to its limits.
He continued until exhaustion hit, only then retreating to the room to rest.
By now, the strange warmth in Zhu Zhuqing's body had subsided.
She steadied her thoughts, forcing herself to focus. "You mean… I really have a chance to break through to the Titled Douluo realm?"
For generations, neither the Dai nor the Zhu families had ever produced a single Titled Douluo. Yet Qi Tian's confident words and mysterious methods made her heart tremble with newfound hope.
If she truly could reach that realm, perhaps… She could change the fate of her family.
"Of course you can," Qi Tian said matter-of-factly. "You were born with rank-seven innate soul power — that alone marks you as someone destined for the Titled Douluo path."
In later eras, such talent was indeed the foundation for reaching that peak. But right now, soul cultivation methods were still primitive — there was no concept of soul cores, nor advanced techniques to break the next boundary.
If Zhu Zhuqing wanted to truly ascend to that height, she'd have to pour in tremendous effort.
"Really?" she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement. But almost immediately, her expression dimmed. "But… I only have six years left."
"Who told you that?" Qi Tian smiled faintly. "If you need time, you can just disappear into the Heaven Dou Empire. Do you really think the Star Luo royal family can reach you there?"
"And even if you have nowhere else to go, join the Spirit Hall. Once you're under their protection, the Star Luo Empire wouldn't dare lay a finger on you."
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, deep in thought.
If she truly had the chance to break through to the Titled Douluo realm… then perhaps she could follow the same path Dai Mubai took — hide, grow stronger, and one day return to shatter the chains of destiny that bound the Zhu family.
—
End of Chapter