Qian Renxue's Departure and Hu Liena's Appearance

On the Black Obsidian Martial Arena, Qian Renxue stared blankly at her dissipating golden Soul Power, the pride in her violet, star-like eyes shattering inch by inch.

Her clenched knuckles turned faintly white, an unspoken question lodged in her throat—she, a Soul Elder of over level thirty, had actually been completely suppressed by a single-ringed Soul Master barely above level twenty!

The darkness surging from the World-Annihilating Black Lotus swallowed the sacred radiance and crushed her pride in her angelic bloodline.

One had to know that the Six-Winged Angel possessed the attributes of light and holiness, giving it a natural restraint over dark and evil powers. Otherwise, why had those Spirit Masters of Evil not dared show themselves when Spirit Hall still existed?

There was a reason for that.

And yet now, the power she had always been proud of was completely suppressed by an opposing attribute. If she had not witnessed and experienced it herself, no one would have believed it.

"Xue'er." Qian Daoliu's gray robe swept over the ground, his steady footsteps breaking the dead silence.

His gaze swept over the purple soul ring beneath Lu Jing's feet, which had yet to fade. Undercurrents churned in the depths of his golden eyes. "Absorbing a thousand-year soul ring at level twenty... child, are you truly just a commoner from ten thousand years later?"

Lu Jing calmly met his scrutiny. "I awakened my martial soul at the age of six in a village outside Shrek City."

Then, he deliberately mentioned the wretched state of being hunted down, his joints tightening as he clenched his fist. "If I had someone to rely on, why would I have been forced into the Star Dou Great Forest to flee for my life?"

The words were half true and half false. Being a commoner was true, but even he could not explain the origin of the World-Annihilating Black Lotus. After all, it was one of the Four Great Lotus Platforms of the primordial world. Neither its power nor its quality was something martial souls in this world could compare to.

At that, Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips brushing the golden embroidery at his cuffs as if weighing Lu Jing's words. "Did your ancestors have any martial soul mutations? Did both your parents possess this lotus?"

"I don't know."

Lu Jing shook his head, his black eyes as still as a cold pool. "I'm an orphan."

He knew all too well what the question implied—if he came from some hidden clan, Spirit Hall would naturally need to adjust its strategy for winning him over.

But at this moment, he had to firmly establish himself as a piece without roots.

Though he truly was a commoner and had not lied.

Qian Daoliu suddenly felt relieved.

Whether Lu Jing was concealing something or not, he and Wang Dong'er were like captive birds thrown here by the currents of time and space.

The high walls of the Worship Hall were both shelter and cage, and finding their way home... the corner of Qian Daoliu's lips curved faintly. The hope was slim, exactly as he wished.

"Go rest." Qian Daoliu lightly waved his sleeve, though his gaze fell upon Qian Renxue, whose Soul Power had yet to settle.

After Lu Jing stepped away, the girl suddenly came back to herself. She stubbornly raised her chin, her golden hair lifting in the morning breeze in a resolute arc. "Grandfather, it's time for me to leave."

Three days later, at the main gate of Spirit City.

A gem-studded carriage waited before the white jade steps. Qian Renxue stood by the carriage shaft in a plain dress, stripped of all ornate golden decorations. Only an unremarkable piece of green jade hung from her waist.

She cast one final look toward the spires of the Worship Hall. In the depths of her violet eyes lay the unwillingness of defeat and the sharpness forged through Body Tempering.

At that moment, inside the room.

"Tsk, tsk. A mighty Six-Winged Angel actually got beaten down by a black lotus!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rolled about in Lu Jing's sea of consciousness, his icy-blue phantom flickering brightly and dimly with excitement as he warned, "But, Little Jing, that old man kept asking questions. He's definitely up to no good!"

Qian Renxue, who possessed the Six-Winged Angel martial soul, would eventually become the Angel God. There was no reason Lu Jing, who possessed the World-Annihilating Black Lotus—an even more powerful martial soul—would be unable to become a god.

Besides, with his help now, it could not be easier.

Lu Jing sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, the phantom of the World-Annihilating Black Lotus slowly revolving behind him. "Because he knows we can't return."

That was Qian Daoliu's true source of confidence.

Ten thousand years later, Spirit Hall had become dust in the annals of history. What else could two travelers trapped in the past do but attach themselves to the powers of the present?

Outside the window, the sound of carriage wheels suddenly rolled away into the distance.

Lu Jing walked to the window just in time to see the last carriage vanish into the glow beyond the city gates.

Qian Renxue's probing, the Whale Rubber trade, even that utterly one-sided spar... all of it had been her final moves before setting out on her journey.

And his own path still lay beneath his feet, in this unfamiliar time and space.

"Quit brooding over it!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm interrupted his thoughts. "Hurry up and refine the remaining Whale Rubber! This ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Hall is full of hidden talents. Without strength, you won't even be qualified to be a pawn!"

With that, the black lotus above his head glowed even more intensely, swallowing the youth's figure in silent darkness.

The morning sunlight filtered through the colored glass windows, casting brilliant patches of light across Spirit Hall's polished marble floor.

After breakfast, Lu Jing and Wang Dong'er followed the boundaries Qian Daoliu had set and strolled through the permitted areas.

The two passed through corridors and courtyards, skirted the core area of the Worship Hall, and went past the outer sections of the martial arena and library, covering most of the non-restricted grounds.

As they reached a courtyard planted with white roses, a figure suddenly turned out from the bend in the path ahead.

It was a girl of around six or seven, wearing a well-tailored white dress that fell to her knees, revealing two lotus-root-like calves.

What drew the eye most was her short golden hair, which gleamed faintly under the sunlight and lay softly against her ears.

She seemingly had not expected to run into strangers. Holding several thick books, she froze in place. Her delicate little face carried a hint of shyness and timid restraint, like a small beast that had wandered into unfamiliar territory.

Wang Dong'er halted, her pink-blue eyes narrowing slightly as she swiftly sized the girl up.

She instinctively tilted her head a little and whispered to Lu Jing in a breathy voice only the two of them could hear.

"Little Qing, who is she? Qian Renxue's younger sister? History never recorded that she had a sister!"

Lu Jing was equally surprised. He studied the girl's golden hair, which somewhat resembled Qian Renxue's, though her temperament was entirely different.

He cautiously shook his head, keeping his voice equally low.

"I don't know. The historical records really never mentioned her."

Though puzzled, Lu Jing still took half a step forward, keeping a safe distance as he softened his tone and asked, "Hello. You are...?"

The girl seemed drawn in by Wang Dong'er's beauty and Lu Jing's calm demeanor, and some of her initial timidity faded.

Her fingers tightened around the books, her fair skin flushing faintly pink. Her voice was soft and fine, carrying a childish sweetness. "My name is Hu Liena."

—Hu Liena!

Like a stone tossed into a still lake, that name instantly stirred wave after wave in Lu Jing and Wang Dong'er's hearts!

The girl who would be known in the future as one of the Golden Generation, Bibi Dong's disciple, and Spirit Hall's future Holy Maiden had appeared before them in such a young and innocent form!

Their gazes met swiftly in the air. Without needing words, each could clearly see the understanding and disbelieving shock reflected in the other's eyes.

The girl before them was Hu Liena—the key figure whose fate would become entwined with the Spirit Hall Empire in the histories of ten thousand years later, and whose story would ultimately end with the decisive battle at Jialing Pass!

Her present innocence stood in stunning contrast to the identity with which she would one day command the tides of the world.