Douluo Continent: The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? A Soul Beast Pagoda!

The anticipation is for a significant leap in strength, but the underlying concern is the practical issue of acquiring spirit rings.

He has no offensive or defensive capabilities.

Entering a soul beast's habitat alone to hunt soul beasts is undoubtedly courting death.

He has to rely on the help of others.

In theory, the Martial Soul Academy will provide assistance to students who have reached a bottleneck in obtaining soul rings. Usually, teachers will lead the students to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Alas, being weak means being controlled at every turn.

Jiang Bai sighed silently in his heart.

The feeling of entrusting one's safety to the arrangements of others is unpleasant, but there's nothing one can do about it.

Becoming stronger takes time, and before you have enough strength, you must learn to make use of the environment and rules.

Moreover, he was only a support role.

I got up and stretched my stiff limbs, and my bones made a slight cracking sound.

Meditation is very effective, but your body needs to stretch after sitting for a long time.

Looking at the sky, it was already evening; time to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

Jiang Bai walked back along the path he had come from.

The road leading from the back hill to the main campus passes a small natural lake with clear water and weeping willows along the shore. The lake shimmers in the sunset, creating a beautiful scene.

However, due to its relatively remote location, it is usually deserted except for the occasional students or young couples who come here for a walk.

While admiring the scenery of the lake and mountains, Jiang Bai's gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure by the lake.

It was a small, huddled figure squatting on the shore, wearing a gray hospital uniform.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down, swaying gently in the evening breeze and shimmering softly in the setting sun.

Judging from her figure, she's a girl.

What made Jiang Bai pause slightly was that he seemed to hear an extremely faint, suppressed sob, intermittent and almost imperceptible if one did not listen carefully.

The girl's shoulders seemed to be trembling slightly.

Could it be... that she's thinking of doing something drastic?

A thought flashed through Jiang Bai's mind in an instant.

Jiang Bai frowned slightly.

He tiptoed and cautiously approached the figure.

Stop a few steps away from the girl, a distance that won't disturb her but will still allow her to hear you.

He cleared his throat and, in a tone as gentle as possible, without any sense of pressure, tentatively asked in a soft voice:

"Um... classmate, are you alright?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the quiet lakeside.

The girl, who was squatting, seemed to stiffen slightly, and her sobs stopped abruptly.

She slowly, somewhat hesitantly, turned her head.

When that tear-streaked face came into Jiang Bai's view, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

The girl's appearance was extremely exquisite, even describable as "perfect".

Her skin was so fair it was almost transparent, and tiny teardrops clung to her long eyelashes, like butterfly wings glistening with morning dew.

Her purple eyes, now glistening with tears, appeared exceptionally clear and bright, yet also carried a deep sense of bewilderment, sadness, and a hint of barely perceptible vulnerability.

With a straight, delicate nose, pursed lips, and a few strands of long, golden hair clinging to her damp cheeks, she looked even more pitiful.

Although she looked young, the temperament she possessed—a blend of nobility, fragility, and fear—was something that could not be cultivated in an ordinary family.

The girl seemed surprised to meet someone here, especially a stranger.

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes. She instinctively wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and tried to stand up. Perhaps because she had been squatting for too long, her legs were a little numb, and she staggered.

Jiang Bai subconsciously took half a step forward and reached out his hand as if to help, but then felt it was too abrupt and his hand stopped in mid-air.

The girl steadied herself, lowered her head to avoid Jiang Bai's gaze, and spoke in a heavily nasal voice, so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"I...I'm fine."

Jiang Bai took out a clean handkerchief from his bracelet and handed it over, his tone still calm.

"Do you want me to wipe it off...?"

The girl looked at the plain handkerchief handed to her, then looked up at Jiang Bai.

The boy in front of her had clear eyes, without the scrutiny, curiosity, or pity she usually saw, only a simple, well-intentioned concern.

She hesitated for a moment, but finally took the handkerchief and said softly, "...Thank you."

She gently wiped her cheeks and the corners of her eyes with a ginger-white handkerchief, her movements somewhat restrained.

The atmosphere became quiet for a moment, with only the sound of the lake water gently lapping against the shore.

Jiang Bai didn't press her to tell him why she was crying, nor did he try to comfort her.

He simply stood quietly to the side, gazing at the shimmering lake, giving the girl some space and time to process her emotions.

After a while, the girl seemed to calm down a bit.

She held the handkerchief in her hand, raised her head again, and looked at Jiang Bai with her purple eyes, asking a question.

"You...you said, a woman, whose child is studying at the academy...if one day she comes to the academy...what would she be there for?"

His voice had a heavy nasal tone, and a hint of trembling and anticipation that he tried hard to suppress but still managed to reveal.

The question came rather abruptly, and Jiang Bai answered it almost without thinking, based on his most basic understanding.

"Of course, we're here to see the children!"

The moment the words left her lips, the girl's slender body trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible arrow.

She had just raised her head slightly, then lowered it again, hugging her knees tightly with her arms and burying her face in her arms.

Then, a more suppressed yet more turbulent sob came out, a kind of desperate, heartbroken whimper, her small shoulders trembling violently.

"..."

Jiang Bai was stunned and momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Did I say something wrong? "Looking after the child"... isn't that the most normal answer?

With golden hair and purple eyes, possessing an extraordinary aura, she broke down in tears when her mother came to the academy not to see her...

Could this be Qian Renxue?!

At the same time, a chill suddenly rose from his tailbone, causing him to shiver unexpectedly.

Sendou Ryu... could he be watching from nearby?

Jiang Bai's scalp felt a little numb.

Just now... I didn't say anything I shouldn't have, did I?

Will he think that I saw his granddaughter looking disheveled, and then... casually chop me into mincemeat?

Jiang Bai was actually half right!

At this moment, in the shadow of the lush canopy of an ancient tree not far from the lake, a figure that almost blends into the twilight stands quietly.

He wore a simple white robe, his long hair was loose over his shoulders, and he looked to be only in his thirties or forties, handsome and dignified.

But those deep eyes held an endless sense of vicissitude and wisdom.

It was none other than Qian Daoliu, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall and a peerless Douluo of level ninety-nine.

He had been secretly following Qian Renxue, and when he saw his beloved granddaughter curled up and crying alone by the lake, his heart ached. Just as he was about to appear and comfort her, he saw another little boy in academy uniform approach first.

Qian Daoliu temporarily suppressed the idea of ​​showing himself.

He wanted to see how this little guy he'd stumbled upon would react—would he approach with ill intentions, or… show a sliver of kindness?

When Qian Daoliu heard Jiang Bai blurt out, "Of course I'm here to see the children," and Qian Renxue's even more distraught reaction, a complex and indescribable pity and helplessness flashed across his eyes.

At this moment, Qian Renxue's crying subsided slightly, but her sobs continued intermittently.

She buried her face in her arms, her voice muffled, filled with endless grievance and confusion, as she spoke haltingly:

"No...she didn't...go to see her daughter...but went to see...her apprentice..."

"..."

It's confirmed, it really is you, Qian Renxue!

Qian Renxue seemed to be immersed in her own world of sorrow, continuing to speak with choked sobs.

"Waaah... I clearly...didn't do anything wrong...why...does Mom...hate me so much..."