Lin Qian hadn't expected to receive a letter from his parents, especially one with blood-red webs covering the envelope, which surprised him even more.
The blood-red patterns on the envelope, fine as hair, wrapped densely around the entire surface.
Lin Qian understood that Ye Nanxin had obtained this letter from his parents and had kept it well-preserved without trying to open it.
This showed the kind of character Ye Nanxin had.
These web-like scarlet patterns, as Lin Qian's master had mentioned, were called the Bloodline Seal. Only a direct descendant of the one who set the seal could open what was sealed by it.
If someone else tried to force it open, on the first attempt the blood-red web patterns on the letter would thicken.
On the second attempt, the blood patterns on the letter would ignite, burning the envelope to ashes and completely destroying it.
Thinking of this, Lin Qian reached out to open the envelope.
As soon as Lin Qian touched the edge of the envelope, the blood-red web-like patterns immediately receded like a tide, retracting to the edge.
In a blink, the blood-red patterns on the entire envelope had completely gathered at the edge, forming a drop of blood at the seam.
Seeing this, Lin Qian could even imagine in his mind a scarlet drop of his father's blood falling from his finger onto the leather envelope, turning into hair-thin blood-red patterns that crawled across the envelope, sealing it tightly.
"What on earth did Mom and Dad write in the letter?" Seeing the bloodline seal fade away, Lin Qian curiously opened the leather envelope.
With just one look inside the envelope, Lin Qian was shocked to find a storage space!
Though the storage space wasn't large, only about the size of a watermelon, it was completely packed.
When Lin Qian saw what was inside, he quickly sealed the envelope, his face, initially startled, quickly regaining its calmness. He left the reception hall and hurried to his courtyard.
Back in his own courtyard, Lin Qian quickly locked the gate, rushed into his bedroom, shut the door tightly, and sat on the bed, drawing the curtains.
After doing all this, Lin Qian cautiously opened the envelope and took out a crystal larger than his head.
This crystal was pure white and flawless, not quite jade, and as soon as it was taken out, Lin Qian felt his pores open, filling his whole body with an indescribable sense of comfort.
A Soul Crystal, this pure white non-jade crystal in front of Lin Qian was unmistakably a Soul Crystal!
A Soul Crystal was formed from soul veins where nature's spiritual energy gathered, containing pure soul power that Soul Martial Artists could easily absorb to aid in cultivation.
Furthermore, Soul Crystals could provide power to arrays, assist in alchemy, artifact refining, and serve as currency among Soul Martial Artists for trading.
One could say that Soul Crystals were indispensable to Soul Martial Artists.
However, due to varying purity, Soul Crystals were classified into different grades, where one hundred Low Grade Soul Crystals were equivalent to one Mid Grade Soul Crystal, and similarly, one hundred Mid Grade Soul Crystals were equivalent to one High Grade Soul Crystal.
Above these, there were Perfect Grade and Absolute Grade Soul Crystals.
According to Lin Qian's master's description, there were legendary Saint Soul Crystals, pure and unblemished, but they were only myths, as no one had ever seen them.
Yet such a mythical Soul Crystal appeared right before Lin Qian, being his parents' legacy.
The crystal in front of Lin Qian was completely pure, without any impurities. The soul power it emitted alone made his entire body comfortable.
Based on his master's description, the Soul Crystal before him, far larger than his head, was genuinely a Saint Soul Crystal.
The standard size of a Soul Crystal was the size of a little finger!
A finger-sized Saint Soul Crystal was priceless; if taken out for exchange, it would be equivalent to a thousand Absolute Grade Soul Crystals, or ten thousand Perfect Grade Soul Crystals, or ten million High Grade Soul Crystals!
And the entire Bashan City was only worth a hundred High Grade Soul Crystals.
But Lin Qian's Saint Soul Crystal could at least be cut into two thousand pieces!
In his previous life, Lin Qian had experienced sudden wealth after receiving a huge inheritance. He didn't expect to experience it once more in this life.
"I thought my parents were just a couple of Soul Martial Artists who were residing with the Ye family, but now it seems it's not that simple." Lin Qian was in a daze as he looked at the Saint Soul Crystal in front of him; the sudden wealth had left him at a loss.
The value of this Saint Soul Crystal was so terrifying that it completely surpassed Lin Qian's understanding.
"Wealth should not be flaunted. No one must know about owning such a large Saint Soul Crystal." Lin Qian took a deep breath and quickly put the Saint Soul Crystal into his mysterious Martial Soul.
Such a massive Saint Soul Crystal vanished into thin air as soon as it was touched by Lin Qian's hands, appearing in his Dantian, disappearing into his swirling vortex Martial Soul.
Yet Lin Qian didn't know that behind his vortex Martial Soul, the huge Saint Soul Crystal suddenly fell into the hands of a man with a bird's nest hairstyle.
The man, seeing the Saint Soul Crystal in his hands, had a twisted face, seeming delirious, laughing and gesticulating wildly: "Hahaha, with this energy body, the Empire's restoration can soon be completed."
The crazed man caressed the Saint Soul Crystal, looking up at the twisted vortex in the void above: "Your Majesty, just a little more patience, a little more patience, and soon we will be able to see your incomparable splendor, kneeling at your feet. Success is almost here, almost here, hahahaha..."
Yet Lin Qian was completely unaware of all this. He likely couldn't even imagine that someone, let alone a madman, existed behind his mysterious Martial Soul!
Lin Qian's attention was now fully focused on the letter paper within the leather envelope.
The letter, pressed underneath the Saint Soul Crystal, had not been seen earlier. Once Lin Qian removed the Saint Soul Crystal, he saw the letter beneath it.
The letter was lengthy and detailed, covering many matters.
After reading the letter left by his parents, Lin Qian let out a long breath, his emotions difficult to settle.
Overall, the letter was divided into two parts. The first part was from his mother, essentially urging him to eat well, dress warmly, and sleep soundly. Though nagging, it left Lin Qian's heart feeling like a warm current flowed through.
What his father left behind, however, seemed much more important.
First, the Saint Soul Crystal was indeed left by his father, to be scraped into powder and soaked for consumption. This would greatly enhance his physique.
After Lin Qian consumed it, his body would have at least the strength of the Nirvana Realm, with a lifespan of five hundred years, enough to wait for their return.
However, Lin Qian's father hadn't anticipated that his son would have an opportunity to cultivate.
Second, Lin Qian's parents were not natives of Qing Province. To cure him of his condition of lacking a Martial Soul, they had to return to their homeland. It could be one or two years before they returned, or it could be decades—there was even the possibility they wouldn't return.
If they didn't return within twenty years, Lin Qian was to live out his life peacefully in the small city of Bashan.
Third, if Lin Qian had another opportunity or eventually succeeded in awakening his Martial Soul, he should refine the Saint Soul Crystal and steadily cultivate, not deliberately trying to find their whereabouts or mention being their son.
When their family was supposed to reunite, they naturally would.
Finally, his father also briefly mentioned something about relics in Bashan.
"Who exactly are they—why can't I say I'm their son?" Lin Qian frowned deeply, clenching his fists tightly. With his tremendous strength, Soul Light appeared, and the letter paper crumbled into tiny pieces.
After reading the letter his parents left, in conjunction with the shocking Saint Soul Crystal, the image of his parents became enveloped in a layer of mist in Lin Qian's memory, unclear.
"No matter what, I will definitely find you," Lin Qian declared resolutely, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. In his past life, he was an orphan; in this life, he absolutely wouldn't allow himself to become one again!
As Lin Qian got off the bed and came to the front of the bedroom hall, his expression suddenly changed.
He was surprised to find that the nature's spiritual energy spewing from his mysterious vortex Martial Soul seemed significantly increased from before!
This surprised Lin Qian. Initially, his vortex Martial Soul would indeed increase the spiritual energy it spewed over time.
However, the previous rate of increase was exceedingly slow—this sudden surge was more like an eruption!
"Why has this Martial Soul suddenly changed?" Lin Qian had always been puzzled by his mysterious Martial Soul; now that it had undergone such a sudden transformation, he had no idea whether it was good or bad.
Lin Qian suddenly thought that after he placed the Saint Soul Crystal into his Martial Soul, this transformation occurred.
"Could the Saint Soul Crystal have stimulated the Martial Soul, leading to its transformation?" Lin Qian speculated, moving his fingers.
Following this, Lin Qian's face showed a hint of joy: "The Saint Soul Crystal itself couldn't be used externally. Refining it for personal use, without sufficient Realm, was even slower than refining High Grade Soul Crystals. Now, this is good; enhancing the Martial Soul increases the spiritual energy more than before, making cultivation easier."
Feeling the abundant spiritual energy within his body, refining his physique and enhancing his soul power, Lin Qian grinned and pushed open the door, walking out.
Leaving the Ye Residence, Lin Qian, clad in a simple robe, strolled along Bashan Street in Bashan City, drawing no attention.
However, once outside Bashan City's gates, Lin Qian veered off the main road and headed into the dense forests on either side. Once he ensured no one was around, he let out a light breath.
Vigorous soul power wrapped around Lin Qian, its hue devoid of impurities. No longer concealed, his Shape Origin Realm Fifth Level power was on full display.
Bang!
Lin Qian's right foot suddenly stomped the ground, and he transformed into a whirlwind, disappearing as dirt flew behind him.
In the dense forest, Lin Qian advanced rapidly and nimbly, constantly dodging trees ahead without losing any speed.
After sprinting forward at full speed for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, his surroundings suddenly opened up, and he arrived at a riverside in the woods at the foot of Bashan.
At this moment, three people had gathered by the river. Among them were two disciples of the Wanxiang Sect residing at the Ye Residence: the brothers Zhao Qiang and Zhao Jian.
Beside them stood a refined young man with a fair complexion, strikingly handsome. If someone from Bashan City were present, they would recognize this handsome young gentleman as Bai Ren, the City Lord's son and the young master of the Bai family—Bashan City's golden boy.
The three appeared somewhat surprised when they saw Lin Qian rush to their side. They turned and bowed to him, even Bai Ren without exception.
"Brother Lin!"
As soon as they spoke, a creaking sound came from the nearby tree.
"Who's there?" Just having arrived, Lin Qian suddenly turned, thrusting out his palm. Soul power shot out of his hand, forming a handprint that hurtled toward the treetop.
Following this, a startled cry sounded, and a petite figure fell from the tree. Seeing who it was, Lin Qian's face twisted into a complex expression, half laughing, half crying: "Ye Lin, you little girl, what are you doing here?"