Chapter 9: The Angel Descends, Spirit Hall's Reward
"Xiao Xue, hold Grandpa's hand. We're teleporting over."
Qian Daoliu lowered his head and looked at his granddaughter with a complex gaze.
"Okay, Grandpa."
As she spoke, she blinked her big eyes and tightened her grip on her grandfather's sleeve.
The soft halo originally radiating from Qian Daoliu's body gradually intensified, and he channeled a special power from the Angel Statue located in the Hall of Worship behind him.
Following a mysterious resonance, a gate of light appeared before the two of them.
"Qian Jun, I'll leave the Hall of Worship to you all for the time being."
After stepping into the gate of light, Qian Daoliu's voice lingered faintly in the air.
"Rest assured, Big Brother."
Even though the gate of light had closed, Qianjun Douluo still solemnly patted his chest... In the empty hall, Salas stood quietly, without the slightest hint of impatience.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up at the majestic Angel Mural that occupied the entire wall.
A soft light radiated from the mural, making the massive image of the Angel look lifelike and magnificent, as if a deity had descended to the mortal world.
Hum!
A faint hum echoed through the room as an oval gate of light slowly expanded in front of the Angel Mural.
"This is...!"
Salas was so surprised he was speechless. He knew the Hall of Worship might send someone, but he never expected the other party's arrival to be so extraordinary.
Stepping out of the light gate was a middle-aged man wearing simple yet luxurious white robes. He looked to be only in his forties, but his weathered eyes, full of stories, told anyone who saw him that he was a wise elder who had experienced many years.
By his left hand, he led a little girl who appeared to be only about six years old.
"Greetings, Priest."
Salas stepped forward and bowed deeply. He only knew that those from the Hall of Worship were at least Super Douluo, but he didn't know exactly who they were. Therefore, when facing someone from the Hall of Worship, he treated them all as Priests.
Qian Daoliu naturally did not put on airs or reveal his identity as the High Priest; he simply nodded and said indifferently.
"Rise. Where is the theory?"
Salas hurriedly and respectfully presented Tang Shan's theory.
"Arrange a room for me."
Qian Daoliu was in no hurry to read it; he first had Salas arrange a place to stay.
"As you command. Then your subordinate shall take his leave."
Only after seeing Qian Daoliu nod did he withdraw.
From beginning to end, he never asked who the little girl following the Priest was, showing perfect restraint, even though he already had some faint guesses about her identity.
Qian Renxue also remained silent. Her mother's coldness since childhood had affected her personality. In the Hall of Worship, it was fine, as the grandfathers there had watched her grow up, so she could still show some of her nature as a little girl. Now that she was outside, she subconsciously put on a mask, trying to distance herself from others as much as possible.
Seeing Salas withdraw, Qian Daoliu simply sat cross-legged on the floor and pulled his granddaughter into his arms.
"Xiao Xue, let's take a look at this special Spirit theory together."
The little girl, Qian Renxue, pursed her lips and curiously looked at the sharp, forceful handwriting... "Grandpa, is the age limit for a Spirit Master to absorb a spirit ring really related to physical fitness?"
After reading the entire theory, Qian Renxue asked curiously.
"It indeed should have a significant relationship with physical fitness."
Qian Daoliu's eyes were calm. This theory was indeed special; it clarified some vague ideas he had developed throughout his cultivation.
"Then Grandpa, should I exercise my body as described above to absorb a higher-year spirit ring?"
Qian Renxue's expectant tone undoubtedly revealed her thoughts.
If I can achieve a millennium second spirit ring or even a millennium first spirit ring, I should be able to attract that woman's attention.
"There is no need to exercise."
Qian Daoliu interrupted his granddaughter's fantasy without hesitation. Seeing the disappointed expression on her delicate face, he couldn't help but rub her little head.
"My dear granddaughter, you haven't noticed the key point of this theory. The focus of the theory is never the exercise itself, but that physical fitness is related to the age limit for spirit ring absorption. In other words, as long as your physical fitness is improved, you can absorb spirit rings beyond your level even without exercising."
Seeing Qian Renxue's face brighten, a gentle smile appeared on Qian Daoliu's face.
"Your Grandpa Qian Jun was right. Although the age of a spirit ring can be increased through God Trial, the better the foundation, the more you will gain after the increase. And your grandpa doesn't lack the means to improve physical fitness."
As he spoke, a slight ripple appeared in Qian Daoliu's eyes. With a flip of his hand, he took out a Spirit Bone that radiated a holy aura and was shaped like a human left leg.
"Xiao Xue, this is one of the angel god raiments passed down by our Angel Family. It is a Spirit Bone with an age of 99,999 years. After absorbing it, the enhancement to your physical fitness will be enough for you to withstand a millennium spirit ring."
Faced with such a massive temptation, Qian Renxue instead calmed down.
"Grandpa, didn't you say I should absorb the skull? Why has it changed to the limb Spirit Bones?"
"Sigh! Xiao Xue, have you thought it through? With your Innate Level 20 talent, if you focused on cultivation, you probably wouldn't have much trouble becoming a Spirit Saint before the age of twenty. Why bother coming to the Heaven Dou Empire for some 'Civet Cat for Crown Prince' plan?"
"Grandpa, it's not for Spirit Hall. I know that when I become a God, no one will be able to stop my footsteps. No matter how superior Spirit Hall's plans are, they will only serve as a foil to my future power. I just want to prove to that woman that I will far surpass her in every aspect."
Her delicate face was tense, and her eyes held an unspeakable determination and resolve.
Looking at his granddaughter, who was radiating a cold aura, Qian Daoliu opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, helplessly switching to another Spirit Bone.
It was a complete skull, looking like a miniature skull, but the bright and holy aura it radiated prevented it from looking sinister; instead, it gave off a sense of solemnity.
At this moment, a soft knock came from the door along with Salas's report.
"Reporting to the Priest, the room is ready. Is there anything else your subordinate needs to do?"
Standing up again, Qian Daoliu opened the door and nodded slightly to Salas, who was respectfully waiting for orders.
"Lead the way. Once we reach the room, you may withdraw. Don't worry about us; just carry out your normal duties. We will leave naturally after our business is finished. During this time, just act as if we don't exist."
"As you command." Salas looked at the theory in Qian Daoliu's hand and hesitated to speak.
Noticing his gaze, Qian Daoliu realized he hadn't said how to handle this theory—whether it should be classified as core Spirit Hall data or actively disseminated.
"Publish this theory in our Spirit Hall's Spirit Daily. Give the creator of the theory a reward of ten thousand gold coins."
Hearing Qian Daoliu's instructions, Salas respectfully agreed and led the way.
Thinking about the Spirit theory and looking at the granddaughter he was leading, Qian Daoliu's expression became somewhat strange.
He had to admit that his granddaughter was very much like her mother. One disregarded the kindness of Spirit Hall that raised her and her duties as the Holy Maiden to insist on being in love with an outcast from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who had a flawed theory;
The other disregarded her own extraordinary talent, wanting to become the Heaven Dou Crown Prince to prove herself superior to her mother.
Both were the type to abandon a great situation and the grand Righteous Path, insisting instead on taking the Evil Path.
Fortunately, at most, Xiao Xue was wasting some talent; she likely wouldn't follow her mother's old path.
Looking at the theory in his hand, Qian Daoliu couldn't help but laugh at his own thoughts.
It was impossible for Xiao Xue to be lured away by someone who worked on Spirit theories just like her mother. How could that be possible?
After seeing such a Spirit theory, he didn't believe Xiao Xue would be fooled by anyone else's "Spirit theory."
As for the scholar who published these "three treatises on martial souls," regardless of anything else, judging by the age, he must be over thirty; otherwise, such an achievement would be impossible. Could someone tell him that the person who researched this theory was a child about the same age as Xiao Xue? That was impossible, unscientific, and even more unrealistic... "Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three..."
Tang Shan sat cross-legged on the ground with his short legs, watching with interest as his big brother struggled to complete another Burpee. At this moment, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and tiny grains of salt were visible on his exposed skin, a clear sign that sweat had dried and reappeared multiple times.
The Burpee was known as a fat-burning miracle in Tang Shan's past life. An average person, let alone ten, would clearly feel their heart rate accelerating and blood flow throughout their body suddenly quickening after just five.
This was the origin of its reputation as a fat-burning miracle.
While sweating, the blood flow accelerates, combining internal and external circulation. The body's metabolic rate skyrockets, and weight naturally drops rapidly.
Su Yuntao's Burpee training was naturally not for weight loss, but to train his overall body coordination.
It appeared to be just a combination of squats, frog jumps, and push-ups, but the effect of this combination far exceeded the result of doing a hundred of each individual exercise.
With Su Yuntao's current physical fitness, he could do a hundred of one movement without stopping and only break a slight sweat. But now, after doing just over fifty Burpees, he was already near exhaustion.
Bang!
A loud sound of the door being slammed open interrupted Su Yuntao's movements. He didn't care who had made such a commotion or if the floor was clean; he just flopped onto the ground, panting heavily.
Tang Shan looked toward the sound and saw Su Haichao rushing in excitedly. Seeing this, the sharp-minded Tang Shan's eyes lit up.
"Dad, did it work?"
Seeing the other party nod without hesitation, Tang Shan couldn't help but clench his fist. Seeing his father's appearance, the reward must be substantial. His future was promising, with sufficient starting resources; from now on, it would depend on his own performance.
"Spirit Hall gave ten thousand gold coins. I've already secretly sent people to look for information on Thousand-year Whale Glue. I'm sure there will be results before long."
Hearing this, Tang Shan was a bit surprised. "Dad, aren't you going to get some Whale Glue for yourself?"
Su Haichao shook his head. "Shan Zi, ultimately, this is money you earned yourself. It's Big Brother's good fortune that you're willing to let him use it. As a father, how can I use my son's money? Most importantly, I'm about to achieve a Breakthrough to Spirit Ancestor. A ten-thousand-year spirit ring has the Soul Shock of a Spirit Beast, so a ten-thousand-year fourth ring is clearly impossible. Instead of wasting Thousand-year Whale Glue to increase the age of the spirit ring by a few hundred years, it's better to save it to buy cultivation resources for you two in the future."
PS: Thanks to book friends 52HERTZ929 and dr red k for the recommendation votes. If the author has typos, feel free to point them out.