Hu Liena: N-No...? Master and Disciple...?

"As the Pope of Spirit Hall, I need to maintain the Pope's dignity. There are some things that aren't easy for me to say."

"So, there may be matters that require you... to convey them on my behalf."

Hu Liena's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Things that weren't easy to say?

Things she needed me to convey?

What could those things be?

What words could make someone as supreme as Teacher feel they would damage her dignity?

Hu Liena's mind raced.

To win over a powerful expert, one could offer nothing more than power, status, wealth, or beautiful women.

Power and status? As the Pope, Teacher could promise him the position of Elder King of Spirit Hall. That would not damage her dignity.

Wealth? Spirit Hall was rich enough to rival the world, so that was even less of an issue.

Then... only the last possibility remained.

A beautiful woman?

Hu Liena's cheeks instantly flushed red.

Could it be... Teacher meant...

For me... to go...

Huh?!

Was this why Teacher had specifically brought me along this time?!

Hu Liena felt as though her brain was overheating.

But... it did seem to make sense.

She was the Pope of Spirit Hall's only disciple, the most outstanding genius of the younger generation, and her beauty was among the finest on the continent.

Using her to win over an expert comparable to a god seemed... like a very worthwhile bargain.

For Teacher, for Spirit Hall...

Hu Liena bit her lip. It seemed... not entirely unacceptable.

After all, that man truly possessed a fatal kind of allure.

Wait!

An even more shocking thought flashed through Hu Liena's mind.

Teacher had said... there were some things she wasn't comfortable saying.

If it were merely about sacrificing me, Teacher could have ordered me directly. There would be no need for such hints.

Then... was it possible...

That what Teacher found "hard to say" did not only involve me, but... also... herself?

The moment that thought emerged, it swept through Hu Liena like a prairie fire.

Her cheeks felt scorching hot, and her heart raced so fast it nearly leaped out of her chest.

She secretly stole another quick glance at her teacher.

Teacher remained as dignified, as perfect, as... untouchable as ever.

Master and disciple... and all that...

Th-That wouldn't be appropriate, would it?

Blurred yet thrilling scenes uncontrollably surfaced in Hu Liena's mind.

She shook her head hard, trying to cast out those utterly rebellious thoughts.

Yet the more she suppressed them, the stronger that inexplicable restlessness became.

Skywater City, Skywater Academy.

Shui Bing'er sat in her dormitory, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she looked through the pieces of information being reorganized in the Chat Group.

She could not wait any longer.

Shui Bing'er knew very well that a man like Li Yifei would never lack followers by his side.

He was like a beacon in the night, drawing in every lost ship.

If she did not act now, she feared she would not even have a chance to get close to him.

She was not a princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with an illustrious family background that allowed her to act willfully.

Nor was she Hu Liena, with the Pope as her teacher to support her.

The only one she could rely on was herself.

And Skywater Academy.

Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, and her gaze turned resolute.

She rose to her feet and adjusted her academy uniform. The sky-blue long dress made her seem as cold and pure as an ice goddess.

She walked out of her dormitory without the slightest hesitation and headed straight for the tallest building in the academy.

The Skywater Academy Headmaster's Office.

She would fight for a future, both for herself and for Skywater Academy.

Shui Bing'er stopped before the heavy wooden door and raised her hand.

Her fair, slender fingers gently came to rest against the door.

Li Yifei slowly shifted his gaze back.

His deep eyes calmly watched her.

"As you wish. This is a public area; you don't need my permission."

His voice was flat, without a trace of emotion.

The surrounding gazes, some curious and some probing, all focused on the two of them.

Ye Lingling stared blankly at the scene.

His Highness the Crown Prince was actually being treated so casually by an unfamiliar man.

Another question about Li Yifei's identity arose in her mind.

Xue Qinghe's body tensed in that instant.

He did not turn around, nor did he even spare her a proper glance.

In the calmest tone possible, he had kept her at arm's length.

That sort of disregard was more humiliating than any reprimand.

But she forcibly suppressed the emotions in her heart.

Xue Qinghe pulled out a chair opposite Li Yifei, her movements gentle.

She sat down with a dignified posture, as though she were truly just the Crown Prince who had come to the reading room to read.

She took an ancient book from her Soul Tool and opened it.

Yet her fingers unconsciously clenched the edge of the page.

Li Yifei did not look at her again.

He lowered his eyes, seemingly returning to his previous meditation.

But his consciousness had already sunk back into the Chat Group within his mind.

He sent Qian Renxue a private message.

[Li Yifei: So, what do you want?]

This time, his words were even more direct.

There was no small talk, no preamble.

Qian Renxue's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

[???: Can you tell me in detail about Spirit Hall and the Angel God?]

She sent the message.

This was what she wanted to know most at this moment.

She wanted to know her fate, her future.

[Li Yifei: In detail? Do you have masochistic tendencies?]

Li Yifei's reply carried a hint of amusement.

His words were like an icy blade, stabbing directly into Qian Renxue's most vulnerable place.

Masochistic tendencies?

She sat stiffly in her chair, her fingers gripping the page tightly.

[???: ?]

She replied with a question mark.

A simple symbol, yet it contained all of her confusion at that moment.

Li Yifei sent another message.

[Li Yifei: Do you really want to hear how your Spirit Hall fell from its divine altar into hell?]

[Li Yifei: Or are you merely trying to find a way to break the deadlock?]

Every word pierced the heart.

Each one was like a heavy hammer striking Qian Renxue's heart.

Spirit Hall falling from its divine altar into hell?

It was a future she had never considered, one she had not even dared to imagine.

And he had mentioned "a way to break the deadlock."

A flicker of hope instantly ignited in Xue Qinghe's heart.

[???: You're right. Would you be willing to tell us how to break the deadlock?]

She no longer hesitated or concealed anything.

The honorific "you" revealed her urgency.

[???: As long as you are willing to give us a way to break the deadlock, Spirit Hall and I will certainly...]

She wanted to make a promise.

Countless ornate phrases surged through her mind.

She wanted to use the finest words to describe Spirit Hall's gratitude and repayment.

But she quickly stopped.

She knew that such empty promises meant nothing before this man.

What he wanted was certainly not that.

[Li Yifei: Haven't I already taught you?]

[Li Yifei: First, go kill that Tang Hao who can detonate his soul rings at rank 95. Then kill Tang San and the Asura God behind him.]