Qian Renxue's Departure and Hu Liena's Appearance

On the Obsidian Martial Arts Arena, Qian Renxue stared blankly at her dissipating Golden Soul Power, the pride in her Purple Star Eyes shattering inch by inch.

The knuckles of her clenched fists turned faintly white, an unspoken question lodged in her throat—she, a Soul Elder of more than thirty levels, had actually been completely suppressed by a single-ringed Soul Master of barely twenty-something levels!

The surging darkness of the World-Destroying Black Lotus devoured the sacred radiance and crushed her pride in the Angel bloodline.

One had to know that the power of the Six-Winged Angel possessed the attributes of light and holiness, naturally restraining such dark and evil powers. Otherwise, why had those Evil Soul Masters not dared to show themselves when Spirit Hall still existed?

There was a reason for that.

And now, the power she had always taken pride in had been utterly suppressed by an opposing attribute. If she had not seen and experienced it herself, no one would have dared believe it.

"Xue'er." Qian Daoliu's gray robe brushed over the ground, and his steady footsteps broke the dead silence.

His gaze swept over the purple Soul Ring that had yet to fade beneath Lu Jing's feet, while undercurrents churned in 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. "My Martial Soul awakened when I was six, in a village outside Shrek City."

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

Those words were half true and half false. Being a commoner was true, but even he could not explain the origin of the World-Destroying Black Lotus. After all, it was one of the Four Great Lotus Platforms of the Primordial Era; neither its power nor its quality was something Martial Souls in this world could rival.

At this, Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips rubbing the golden embroidery on his sleeve as though weighing the significance of Lu Jing's words. "Were there any Martial Soul mutations among your ancestors? Did your parents both possess this lotus?"

"I don't know."

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

He understood the implication behind that question all too well—if he came from some reclusive 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 rootless duckweed.

Though he truly was a commoner, so he was not lying.

Qian Daoliu suddenly felt relieved.

Whether Lu Jing was hiding anything or not, he and Wang Dong'er were like caged birds tossed here by a spatial-temporal current.

The high walls of the Worship Hall were both shelter and cage, and finding a way home... the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth curved faintly—hope was slim, precisely 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 took his leave, the girl suddenly came back to herself. She stubbornly lifted her chin, her golden hair drawing a resolute arc in the morning breeze. "Grandfather, it's time for me to depart."

Three days later, outside the main gates of Spirit City.

A gemstone-inlaid carriage waited before the White Jade Steps. Qian Renxue stood by the carriage shaft in a simple dress, all golden patterns and lavish ornaments removed. Only an inconspicuous piece of green jade hung at her waist.

She cast one last glance at the spires of the Worship Hall, her purple eyes holding the unwillingness of defeat and the sharpness tempered through hardship.

At that moment, inside the room.

"Tsk, tsk, a mighty Six-Winged Angel actually got beaten down by a Black Lotus!"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rolled about within Lu Jing's sea of consciousness. His Ice Blue Phantom flickered brightly and dimly with excitement as he reminded him, "But Little Jing, that old man kept asking questions. He definitely isn't up to any good!"

Qian Renxue, who possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, would eventually become the Angel God. Since Lu Jing possessed the World-Destroying Black Lotus, which was even more powerful than the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, there was no reason he could not become a god.

Not to mention that he had Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help now. It could not be any easier.

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

That was where Qian Daoliu's calm confidence came from.

Ten Thousand Years Later, Spirit Hall had already become dust in the History Book. As two travelers trapped in the past, what could they do but depend on the ruling power of the present?

The sound of carriage wheels suddenly rumbled away outside the window.

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

Qian Renxue's probing, the Whale Rubber transaction, even that one-sided sparring match... all of it had been her final moves before embarking on her journey.

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

"Stop brooding over it!"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm interrupted his thoughts. "Hurry up and refine the remaining Whale Rubber! This Hall from ten thousand years ago is full of hidden masters. Without strength, you won't even qualify to be a pawn!"

After saying that, the eerie light of the Black Lotus above his head intensified, swallowing the youth's figure in silent darkness.

Morning sunlight streamed through the colored glazed windows, casting motley patterns 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 areas of the Martial Arts Arena and library, covering most of the non-restricted grounds.

When they reached a courtyard filled with White Roses, a figure suddenly appeared from around the bend in the path ahead.

It was a girl of around six or seven, dressed in a neatly tailored white knee-length dress that exposed two fair, lotus-root-like calves.

Most eye-catching was her Golden Short Hair, which carried a faint sheen beneath the sunlight and rested softly beside her ears.

She seemed not to have expected to run into strangers. Hugging several thick books, she froze where she stood. Her exquisitely delicate little face carried a trace of shyness and timid restraint, like a small beast that had wandered into unfamiliar territory.

Wang Dong'er paused, her powder-blue eyes narrowing as she swiftly assessed the other girl.

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

"Xiao 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 completely different.

He cautiously shook his head, lowering his voice just as much.

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

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

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

Her fingers tightened around the books. A faint flush spread across her fair skin as she spoke in a soft, delicate voice with a childish lilt. "My name is Hu Liena."

—Hu Liena!

That name was like a stone cast into a calm lake surface, instantly stirring waves in Lu Jing and Wang Dong'er's hearts!

The girl before them, who would one day be known as part 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, both could clearly see the realization and incredulous shock reflected in each other's eyes.

The girl before them was Hu Liena—the key figure whose fate would become entangled with that of the Spirit Hall Empire in the History Book of Ten Thousand Years Later, and whose story would ultimately end with the decisive battle at Jialing Pass!

Her present immaturity formed a stunning contrast with the identity she would one day wield to turn the tides.