Qian Lingyi did not disappoint. After absorbing her seventh soul ring, her martial soul evolved into the final form of the Angel lineage—
the Six-Winged Angel!
"Brother, my martial soul has advanced into the Six-Winged Angel!" Qian Lingyi exclaimed excitedly, running to Zhu Ziyang's side with shining eyes.
Perched on her shoulder was the Blazing Delicate Apricot in its fairy form. The little spirit wore a crimson-golden dress, her wine-red hair cascading down her back, and her golden eyes gleaming with brilliance. As with every other immortal herb spirit soul, her beauty was exquisite—worthy of the title Flower Fairy.
"Excellent! Congratulations!" Zhu Ziyang said warmly, a smile filling his face. "Come, let's leave the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. I have another surprise waiting for you."
"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Lingyi asked eagerly, her expression full of expectation as she gazed at him.
"You'll know soon enough." Zhu Ziyang chuckled mysteriously, slipping an arm around her slender waist. With a thought, the two vanished from the Icefire Well, disappearing from the immortal herbs' sight.
The herbs were left with mixed feelings—envy, jealousy, or indifference. Among them, the Peerless Qiluo Tulip, who had been pretending to sleep, finally opened his eyes, his heart in turmoil.
Outside the Icefire Well, Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi appeared once more.
"Brother, can you tell me now?" Lingyi pressed, her voice tinged with curiosity and anticipation. She was clever enough to know that the surprise was something not meant for outsiders, which only fueled her excitement.
"Yes." Zhu Ziyang nodded, no longer keeping her in suspense. He produced a diamond-shaped crystal, radiating a holy aura of light, and handed it to her. "Here—take this, and press it to your brow."
"What is this?" Lingyi asked, wide-eyed. She could sense the divine, sacred light emanating from the crystal. Though she felt it was no ordinary object, she did not dare think of it in terms of godhood.
"Do as I say. Once it's done, you'll understand," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile, still shrouding the truth in mystery.
"Alright then!" Without hesitation, Lingyi followed his instructions. She placed the Angel God's godhood to her forehead. Instantly, her eyes grew dazed as pure white light enveloped her entire body.
Zhu Ziyang relaxed, leaning against a tree as he watched the scene with quiet anticipation. The glow of divinity signified that the Angel God's inheritance had accepted Lingyi. All that remained was to hear from her what form the divine trial would take.
At last, the light faded. Lingyi emerged, her entire body trembling with excitement. A golden sigil shaped like angelic wings now shone at her brow—the mark of one chosen by a god. She threw herself into Zhu Ziyang's arms, her voice quivering with emotion.
"Brother, how… how can I ever repay you?"
"Haha!" Zhu Ziyang laughed as he held her close. "That's easy—give yourself to me!"
"Alright!" Lingyi answered without a moment's hesitation. "From this day on, I belong to you—body and soul, in life and in death!"
"Enough, enough, I get it." Zhu Ziyang hadn't expected her to confess so boldly, and he smiled helplessly. "I accept your heart. Now, tell me about the divine trial."
Blushing, Lingyi pulled away from his embrace. Whether from shyness or excitement, her cheeks glowed as she said, "Brother, the Angel God's inheritance is the greatest legacy of the Qian Clan. Ever since our ancestor, the second Angel God Qian Renxue, fell in battle ten thousand years ago and the Angel God's position vanished, we dared not call ourselves true followers anymore. Even in ancestral rites, we never dared to worship openly."
"I understand." Zhu Ziyang nodded gravely. From her words, he felt the weight of what the inheritance meant to her family. "Now that you have been chosen, you'll restore your clan's honor."
"Yes! That's why I'm so happy," Lingyi said with a bright smile. "Brother, I don't know how you found this godhood, but I am truly grateful that I met you."
"Then, tell me about the trial." Zhu Ziyang squeezed her hand, urging her gently to share.
"Right!" Lingyi nodded, then explained.
The Angel God's trial was remarkably simple. Because the godhood had been damaged, falling from a first-class to a second-class god position, and its original inheritance had been lost with Qian Renxue, Lingyi's path required only three tasks:
First: Reforge the Angel Soul Bone Set. She would need to gather six soul bones to complete it. This didn't surprise Zhu Ziyang; both his and Jiang Nannan's divine trials had required full sets of bones. Records said the Angel God once wielded a complete set of hundred-thousand-year bones, but they vanished with Qian Renxue.
Second: Reach rank 99 and become an Ultimate Douluo. Without the assistance of divine trial rewards, this would rely solely on her talent and effort. It was challenging but not insurmountable—for the Six-Winged Angel martial soul was among the most gifted and powerful on the continent. As long as she lived, becoming an Ultimate Douluo was almost certain.
Third: Retrieve or recreate the Angel God's divine weapon—the Angelic Sacred Sword. This was the hardest task of all. Whether to recover the original sword or to forge a new one, either path was daunting. Without divine guidance, finding the sword would be like seeking a needle in the ocean, and no one knew if it still existed at all.
Thus, her only viable path seemed to be reforging the sacred blade.
"That's it," Lingyi finished. She smiled, but beneath it Zhu Ziyang could see the flicker of worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "First, we'll complete the first and second tasks. As for the sword, we'll deal with it in time. We have plenty of years ahead of us."
"Mm!" Lingyi's worries melted away at his reassurance, her smile growing radiant.
"Let's start with the first task. Lingyi, how many soul bones do you have now?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Two. One is the Blazing Delicate Apricot's left arm bone, and the other is the Radiant Skylark's right arm bone I got with my fourth ring," Lingyi replied.
"Only two?" Zhu Ziyang said with surprise. "That's not enough. Once we return to the academy, I'll take you to the Treasure Pavilion. We'll find the right ones for you. First, complete the set."
"Alright!" Lingyi agreed readily. "But, Brother… before we return, I want to go home. It's been two or three years since I left. My grandmother must miss me. And… I want to tell her about the Angel God's inheritance."
"I see." Zhu Ziyang thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, I'll go with you. But for now, tell only your grandmother. No one else."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Lingyi exclaimed with joy, not even noticing the caution in his words. "Let's go!"
Overjoyed, she led Zhu Ziyang toward her home in the northern mountains. After a day's journey, they arrived at last.
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