A Challenge from Qian Renxue!

The golden afterglow of the setting sun spilled across Spirit Hall's towering steps, and.

The blonde girl blocking the way.

Qian Renxue.

Spirit Hall's foremost prodigy and the future inheritor of the Angel God's divine position.

It was the same place. A few days ago, Su Chen had run into her here by chance. They had merely nodded and passed one another, but today, the girl had deliberately waited here.

It was obvious from the gaze that had been fixed on him since her appearance that she had come for him.

What did this mean?

Su Chen was somewhat puzzled.

He turned it over in his mind but could not figure out where he had ever crossed paths with Qian Renxue. He immediately gave her a polite smile and decided to leave.

Yet just as he raised his foot, a fragrant breeze wafted over him, and the girl was already standing before him.

Hmm.

She smelled the same as Bibi Dong.

You mother and daughter are at each other's throats, yet your tastes are surprisingly alike.

The silver-haired youth sighed, simply stopped, and looked into those golden eyes. "Miss, do you need something from me?"

There was no avoiding her. He might as well find out what she wanted.

It could not really be because he had taken her title as Spirit Hall's number one genius, could it?

Qian Renxue should not be that childish.

As Su Chen thought this, the girl spoke coolly. "You're Su Chen, right?"

"Mm."

He nodded.

"Come fight me. I'll suppress my Soul Power to the Soul Master rank."

"Mm?"

The silver-haired youth stared blankly at the blonde girl's utterly serious face.

No.

You really came because of that?

So both mother and daughter's character settings had collapsed together?

Su Chen was truly baffled. Why was every single one of them completely different from what he remembered?

The youth had overlooked one thing.

This was not more than a decade later.

Bibi Dong had not yet been crushed by reality or driven by Spirit Hall's oppressive environment into that madwoman whose heart held nothing but destruction. She still possessed the pride and sharpness of her youth.

And Qian Renxue was not yet the Xue Qinghe who had spent ten years carefully plotting within the palace, slaughtered several princes, and become cold and merciless toward everything.

She was merely an ordinary girl who was somewhat obsessive, competitive, and desperate for someone's acknowledgment.

"Of course, I won't make you fight me for nothing."

Seeming to notice Su Chen's surprise, Qian Renxue spoke indifferently.

The bracelet on her wrist emitted a faint glow. Then, a crystal radiating fluctuations of Soul Power appeared in the girl's jade-like hand.

That was—

Su Chen's dark eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"This is a Three Thousand Year Red Water Snail Soul Bone. Once this battle is over, whether you win or lose, it will be yours."

As Qian Renxue spoke, she casually tossed it to him.

The youth caught it and sensed the gentle fluctuations of Soul Power. He immediately knew it was a genuine Soul Bone. Judging from its shape, it should be a left arm bone.

As expected of Qian Daoliu's biological granddaughter. Her private treasury was truly abundant. She could give away a three-thousand-year Soul Bone just like that...

Su Chen secretly shook his head.

"Are there any conditions?"

He put away the Soul Bone and asked.

As far as research into Natural Energy was concerned, the more of these things he had, the better.

Besides, a three-thousand-year Soul Bone probably meant nothing to this young lady. There would be no problem accepting it.

"There are."

A ripple passed through Qian Renxue's calm golden eyes. She took a deep breath. "I hope His Holiness the Pope can witness this match."

Seemingly worried that the youth would refuse out of pride, she added, "It won't be a public duel. His Holiness the Pope will be the only spectator, at most with Elder Ju and Elder Gui as well."

"And even if you lose to me, no one will blame you."

For once, Qian Renxue offered the youth a word of comfort. Perhaps because she had not said something like that in a long time, a faint blush rose on the girl's exquisite face, warming her icy aura somewhat.

You really are sparing no effort.

Su Chen nodded, both amused and helpless. "No problem. You decide the time and place."

Why would he refuse?

Forget fighting once in front of them. If she were willing to give him a few more Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, he would even put on a show with her over Spirit City.

Su Chen wished opportunities to receive Soul Bones for free would come around more often.

"Good, then it's settled. You look tired too, so get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow at this time, meet me at the First Training Grounds."

When the youth agreed, a trace of a smile actually appeared on Qian Renxue's cool, pretty face. Her gaze toward him became much friendlier, and her tone was no longer as cold as when they had first met.

The blonde girl's smile at that moment was like melting ice and snow, revealing her original brilliance. If anyone else had seen it, they would have been utterly shocked and wondered whether she was still the Great Enshrined Elder's granddaughter, that little block of ice who always looked cold no matter whom she faced.

Though it lasted only an instant, the youth still saw that breathtaking moment.

This really was...

Watching Qian Renxue's slightly buoyant figure disappear into the distance, he suddenly realized that she was only a twelve-year-old girl.

No matter how talented she was, she was still just a child.

A child who, from the moment she was born, had been surrounded by her mother's deeply hateful gaze.

Perhaps beneath her cold shell lay a heart that yearned for her mother's praise.

That was why she wanted to defeat him, who had received the Pope's favor, with equal Soul Power, hoping to gain even a little of that preferential attention.

Su Chen weighed the Soul Bone in his hand, stored it in his Soul Tool, and sighed as he shook his head.

But unfortunately, that was impossible.

Qian Renxue did not know that her very existence was the root of Bibi Dong's pain.

At least eighty percent of His Holiness the Pope's repression, despair, and madness stemmed from her already deceased father.

Every time Bibi Dong saw her, it was no different from tearing open her wounds again.

And now, she had become so close to Qian Daoliu.

Although that might merely have been the girl instinctively seeking warmth due to her loneliness, or Qian Daoliu's deliberate guidance, it had completely shattered the last trace of maternal tenderness in Bibi Dong's heart.

They had gone from biological mother and daughter to mortal enemies.

Was Qian Renxue at fault?

No.

She was only a child. Everything she had encountered and understood had been artificially instilled in her. When Bibi Dong would not explain anything, the only person close to her was Qian Daoliu.

But was Bibi Dong at fault?

No.

After all, from beginning to end, she had only been a victim.

Being love-struck was a sin, but it did not warrant this.

Su Chen shook his head and headed toward the laboratory beneath the fading daylight.

Both Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue possessed the potential to become gods.

And perhaps he could do something regarding the Rakshasa God and the Angel God through them.

It would be far too regrettable for them to keep consuming each other until their relationship became what it would be in the future.

The youth rubbed his chin and pondered slightly, considering whether there was room to maneuver in this matter.

Given Qian Renxue's current status, building a good relationship with her would bring nothing but benefits. He could also make plans for the Heaven Dou Empire in advance.

But the prerequisite was that he could not damage his relationship with Bibi Dong, or he would be putting the cart before the horse.

It was clearly impossible to ease the relationship between the two. He could only think of a way to at least reach a point where interacting with either side would not provoke the other's disgust.