Seeing Ah Yin sink into confusion and frustration, Qian Xunji smiled slightly, knowing it was time to take advantage of the opening—ahem, no! It was time to take action!
"Actually, if we want to resolve the hatred between humans and soul beasts, we first need to analyze the root of the problem," Qian Xunji said calmly with a smile.
Noticing Ah Yin still seemed puzzled, he continued explaining.
"Some hatred exists for a reason. If we don't try to understand that reason and solve the underlying issues, the hatred will never truly go away."
Then, Qian Xunji began his analysis.
"The reason humans and soul beasts hate each other is because, in the past, when humans were weak, soul beasts preyed on them. Now that humans have grown stronger, they raise and hunt soul beasts instead."
"Whether this is right or wrong is hard to say. It's a messy issue, so let's set that aside for now."
"But currently, the hatred between soul beasts and humans stems mainly from soul masters needing to absorb spirit rings to break through in cultivation."
"And soul bones, which drop from soul beasts, are extremely valuable treasures to soul masters."
"As for soul bones, it's not too big of an issue since, aside from 100,000-year soul beasts, it's all down to luck whether they drop one."
"But with spirit rings, every breakthrough requires one. If we can't change this, the hatred between soul beasts and humans will never go away."
Qian Xunji smiled confidently as he gave his judgment.
"So, to truly dissolve the hatred between humans and soul beasts, we have to address the root of the issue!"
"Qian Xunji! Y-You're so smart!"
Ah Yin was utterly stunned that Qian Xunji had identified the root cause and even proposed a potential solution so quickly. Her blue-silver eyes were filled with admiration and awe as she looked at him.
'Unbelievable… How can someone in this world be so intelligent?'
"Oh, it's nothing, really!"
On the surface, Qian Xunji appeared humble, but inside he couldn't help but complain.
'Smart? I never thought I was especially smart… It's just that everyone in this world is too dumb! Even a food supply ambush plan gets hailed as a once-in-a-millennium strategy.'
'If people are like this, then what do you expect from a not-very-bright plant like you?'
"But this problem still seems really hard to solve…" Ah Yin said, frowning. "Your soul masters have to absorb spirit rings to advance… I don't see how that could change."
After expressing her admiration, she couldn't help but feel troubled again when thinking about the actual difficulty of solving the issue.
"Just finding the right direction is already half the battle won," Qian Xunji said calmly, still wearing his confident, handsome smile.
"In my view, creating harmony and mutual progress between humans and soul beasts isn't impossible."
"As far as I know, when a soul beast sacrifices itself, it can retain its soul within the spirit ring."
"If we could refine the sacrifice ritual so that the soul beast, while becoming a soul ring, could retain its soul in a tangible form within the ring—able to move freely and even assist the soul master in battle…"
"In that case, any soul master who absorbs this kind of ring would be far stronger than ordinary ones."
"Once this method is known, soul masters would definitely choose this path to become stronger!"
"And to walk that path, they'd have to gain the soul beast's approval. That alone would improve human-soul beast relations."
"Of course, this might sound like it only benefits the soul masters—soul beasts still lose their freedom and become bound. There seems to be no benefit."
"But that's not entirely true!"
"In my opinion, aside from long lifespans, soul beasts are inferior to humans in many ways."
"For example, a peerless human genius might only need a thousand years to become a god…"
"But a soul beast needs to endure countless deadly tribulations just to reach 1,000,000 years, and most die before ever achieving that."
"But if my idea becomes reality, and a soul beast becomes the soul ring of a truly talented human soul master…"
"When that soul master becomes a god, and all their rings become 1,000,000-year god rings, wouldn't the souls of those soul beasts achieve that level of cultivation too?"
As Qian Xunji spoke, Ah Yin's eyes widened further and further, full of shock and disbelief.
'Genius! Is this what a real genius looks like?!'
Even after discovering the root of the hatred, she hadn't believed there was a solution. Yet Qian Xunji had somehow found a way forward, starting from the concept of soul beast sacrifice and forging a path through sheer ingenuity.
'Amazing!'
At first, Ah Yin had felt a little resistance and dislike toward Qian Xunji. But after spending this time with him, her feelings had grown complicated.
She was now startled to find that her impression of the Pope had become increasingly favorable!
Aside from that initial confrontation—when he forcibly took her away from Brother Xiao and Brother Hao—she realized she couldn't find anything bad about him.
He was tall and slender, incredibly handsome, always composed, exuding a noble aura.
He even gave off a warm and reassuring light-based energy.
And on top of all that, he supported her ideals and dreams.
And he was so wise!
He found a potential solution to the issue she had struggled with for so long!
Unknowingly, the shadows of Tang Xiao and Tang Hao in her heart had begun to fade.
Replacing them were Qian Xunji's smile, his every word and action, the poetry he recited amidst breathtaking landscapes…
And just now—his sweeping, magnificent vision that had shattered her very understanding of the world.
But Qian Xunji's plan to win Ah Yin over wasn't done yet.
Because of Ah Yin's kind-heartedness, he also planned to take her to visit various villages supported by Spirit Hall.
He wanted her to see with her own eyes—
How he helped commoners, how he held the whole world in his heart!
After all, in a certain sense, women are drawn to strength.
To win over Ah Yin, Qian Xunji was pulling out all the tricks.
Because Tang Xiao and Tang Hao had left a mark in her heart, he had first taken Ah Yin to travel through majestic landscapes, imprinting himself into her memories and dulling the impressions of the other two.
Then, by learning her past, he seized the perfect moment to step in.
He showed support for her ideals, presented himself as a kindred spirit.
Then he displayed his brilliance by easily solving the very problem Ah Yin couldn't crack on her own.
That stirred awe, admiration, and even reverence in her.
Next, he would display even greater vision and moral depth, completely outshining the others in her eyes.
This conquest?
Too easy!
…
Balak Kingdom.
In the year 2620 of the Douluo Calendar, the once-every-five-years Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was once again being held.
After forming the Golden Iron Triangle and spending years roaming the spirit master world—
A soap-opera-tier love triangle had finally developed within the group.
As the eldest brother, Flender had fallen deeply in love with their third sister, Liu Erlong.
But unfortunately, Liu Erlong had fallen for the melancholic and extremely good-at-pretending Yu Xiaogang.
Sadly for Flender, Yu Xiaogang didn't feel the same way toward him.
Otherwise, they'd have a perfect love triangle.
And as everyone knows—ahem—triangles are stable.
To confess his feelings to Liu Erlong, Flender used the occasion of the tournament and invited both Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong to attend.
He planned to confess his love in the midst of this grand event and passionate atmosphere.
But just at that moment, cloaked in a black robe, Bibi Dong entered the Balak Kingdom, leading a few of her Evil Spirit Master subordinates, following the trail she had uncovered.
_____
Translator's Note: I haven't updated this due to having a fever. It also didn't help that the later chapters had a chinese joke regarding Yu Xiaogang's name and I was hesitating on which one to choose for its translation. Anyway, it shouldn't be spoiler to tell you that Yu Xiaogang will have his secret chamber life later on so look forward to it!
I'll try to be more consistent in the updates since although I haven't recovered from my fever yet, but I should almost be recovered. Have a nice day!
Oh, before I forget, when this chapter is released, it should be Monday and the powerstones have been reset. So the 250 powerstones = 1 bonus chapter milestone goal is still applicable so give some powerstones!