Qian Daoliu's Conviction

"I'm the one who saved your grandson, and this is how you treat your savior?" Lu Leng retorted, though his tone was no longer as confrontational as before.

He had just realized that Demon Bear Douluo was one of Qian Daoliu's men. He only showed Bibi Dong respect on the surface; in truth, he did not care about her at all. If Lu Leng truly provoked him, he might actually do something excessive.

He would not take Lu Leng's life, but to avoid some physical suffering, it was better to back down for now. Even if he did get beaten up, he could always have Xiong Rige beat him back later.

"Grandpa..." At that moment, Xiong Rige stepped forward and tugged at Demon Bear Douluo.

Seeing this, Demon Bear Douluo also realized that without Lu Leng's help, Xiong Rige might have died. His tone softened somewhat, though his words remained as harsh as ever. "Those are two different matters. If you disrespect me, I have to beat you up. At worst, I'll just heal you again afterward!"

"..."

Lu Leng broke out in a cold sweat. This old man really had a terrible temper—and a strong sense of principle, too! It seemed he could not provoke him any further.

"What exactly happened?" Bibi Dong asked at that moment.

Lu Leng stepped forward and explained the entire sequence of events.

After hearing it, Bibi Dong's face turned ice-cold. "Hmph, what audacity!"

She slammed her staff against the ground, and Soul Power immediately surged through the surroundings. The grass and trees stirred without wind. The overwhelming pressure forced Lu Leng and the others back several steps, and they had no choice but to use Soul Power to resist it.

Why was Teacher so furious? Lu Leng wondered. Even if she was angry, there was no need for such an imposing aura. This had clearly gone beyond an unintentionally released pressure.

Demon Bear Douluo also circulated his Soul Power to withstand the pressure, his heart filled with shock. Bibi Dong's strength had already become so terrifying, far beyond his imagination! He could clearly sense that this pressure was aimed at him. Evidently, his earlier words had displeased Bibi Dong.

She was protecting her own!

With that thought, Demon Bear Douluo felt a little regretful. He should not have spoken so harshly.

Before long, news of Lu Leng defeating Jin Zhengyang and killing Zi Qingyang spread throughout Spirit City the following day. At the same time, it reached Qian Daoliu's ears.

Worship Hall.

When Qian Daoliu heard the news, his expression showed some surprise, but he quickly calmed down. Looking at Golden Crocodile Douluo, he teasingly asked, "What do you think of this Lu Leng?"

"What do I think?" Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted. "I look at him with my eyes. How else would I look at him?"

Qian Daoliu was taken aback. "That boy injured your grandson."

"He was simply lacking in skill. There's nothing to say about it. He beat the younger one, so should I, the older one, go seek revenge for him? Besides, he only broke an arm. It isn't like it can't be healed." Golden Crocodile Douluo pursed his lips and spoke indifferently.

Still, the faint bitterness on his face made it obvious that he was somewhat displeased.

"But he also killed your nephew," Qian Daoliu added.

"Hmph! If he hadn't died, I would have killed him myself!" Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted furiously and abruptly rose to his feet. Clearly, he was deeply dissatisfied with Zi Qingyang as well. "If he hadn't been alone and helpless back then, I would never have placed him in Spirit Academy and secured him a teaching position. I thought he would settle down and live peacefully, but I never expected him to do such a thing—using my grandson and trying to kill the Pope's disciple. He deserved to die."

"Still, I truly find it hard to believe that Lu Leng and Hu Liena alone managed to kill Zi Qingyang." At this point, Golden Crocodile Douluo's face was full of astonishment.

When he had first heard the whole story, he had been stunned for more than ten minutes.

"Bibi Dong has taken in quite the disciple," Qian Daoliu sighed. A trace of sorrow suddenly appeared on his face. He did not care much about Lu Leng; he had merely been reminded of Xue'er, who was far away in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue'er had also possessed Innate Soul Power at level twenty. With her talent, she could have been as dazzling as Lu Leng, growing up under the attention of countless people. Yet her birth had destined her to never receive such attention, destined her to walk a path where she would be forgotten by all.

Alas, perhaps fate simply liked to toy with people.

If she could receive even one-thousandth of the affection Bibi Dong showed Lu Leng, she would not have to bear such immense pressure now.

Seeing Qian Daoliu's sorrowful expression, Golden Crocodile Douluo knew that he was thinking of Qian Renxue again.

"That child Xue'er should be coming back after a while, right?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked.

"She probably will. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in over a year." Qian Daoliu's eyes brightened involuntarily at those words.

"What do you mean, probably? Don't you know perfectly well whether she'll return? She might not care about the Pope's birthday, but she still keeps your birthday in mind." Golden Crocodile Douluo said in mockery. Qian Daoliu was no longer young, but whenever it involved Qian Renxue, he acted like a child—especially fond of showing off in front of him.

"Ever since Xue'er became Crown Prince, she has had more and more affairs to handle. Whether she can find the time is genuinely uncertain." Qian Daoliu answered seriously. "Didn't she fail to return for my last birthday too?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression froze at those words. After a moment, he sighed wistfully. "It's just a pity about that child's talent."

"A pity?"

Qian Daoliu murmured, then turned to look at the Angel Statue behind him. His aura suddenly changed. The sorrow on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by blazing fervor in his eyes.

"It will not be a pity. As long as I, Qian Daoliu, am here, I will never let the word 'regret' apply to her!" Qian Daoliu declared domineeringly.

As he spoke those words, the Angel Statue before him flashed with a golden light.

Time passed swiftly, and before long, a year had gone by.

Lu Leng was now nine years old. Over the course of that year, his Soul Power had risen by four levels, reaching level thirty-nine.

During that year, no one dared challenge his top-ranked position, and he held it firmly. Hu Liena, meanwhile, broke through to level forty and began chasing after him with renewed vigor. She won match after match, sweeping aside every opponent, and climbed to second place, once again shocking the academy's teachers and students.

"Ugh, so boring, so dull, so tedious, so annoying!"

Lu Leng sat atop the roof, staring blankly at the moon in the sky, utterly listless.

"What is it? You've been sighing and looking miserable this whole time." Hu Liena sat beside him, gazing toward the same distant place, and asked.

She had noticed Lu Leng for a long time. He was always frowning, and it had been going on for quite a while.

"What do you think we're doing all this for? Every day, we're either cultivating or on the way to cultivate. This same routine day after day is driving me crazy," Lu Leng said irritably.