Who Cuckolded Whom?

Hu Liena jolted in fright and hurriedly stepped in front of Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong.

"Yan, what the hell are you doing?"

Yan cursed, "Nana, don't stop me. If you're a man, fight me! What kind of skill is it to sneak around behind my back while I'm gone?"

Hu Liena was speechless.

Although the gift in that little box invited all sorts of speculation, it was their first time meeting. Anyone with half a brain would know it couldn't possibly be a ring!

Xie Yue rushed over to mediate. "Yan, that's enough. Who Nana sees and what she does are none of your business. Don't be so sensitive."

Given their life-and-death bond, it would be unrealistic to say Hu Liena had never considered Yan.

It was just that Yan's possessiveness was far too strong, making Hu Liena extremely uncomfortable.

What girl liked being restrained?

It would be a miracle if she gave Yan a pleasant look.

Wu Qi stepped forward and cupped his fists toward Hu Liena. "Sorry, Senior. I've caused you trouble."

"Please accept this gift first, Senior. Another day, I'll treat you to a big meal as an apology for today."

Hu Liena accepted with a smile, then turned her gaze toward Yan, her expression becoming one of disgust and impatience.

Yan immediately grew anxious. "Nana, what's so good about that pretty boy? I—"

"Enough! Yan, are you done yet? I don't want to tell Teacher about what you did, so stop while you're ahead!"

With that, Hu Liena stormed off.

The moment Yan heard Bibi Dong's name, he wilted.

There was no other reason: Bibi Dong's presence was simply too terrifying. Especially when she reprimanded someone, it felt as though one had been cast into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

In that kind of situation, let alone Yan, even ordinary Soul Douluo experts would find it hard to endure.

As for the gift in the little box, it was a dazzling Blue Crystal.

For Qiangu Changkong's family, such a crystal was nothing special, but to Hu Liena, it was an incomparably precious treasure.

After leaving Spirit Hall Academy,

Qiangu Changkong clasped his hands behind his head and teased, "Say, Brother Wu, Senior clearly likes you. Why didn't you just go with the flow? Don't tell me you're afraid of Yan?"

Hu Liena was indeed rather attractive. There was no denying that.

But...

Wu Qi rolled his eyes at him. "Do you know that Hu Liena and Xie Yue have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

This was no secret among Spirit Hall's high officials.

Qiangu Changkong was puzzled. "What does that mean? What does that have to do with you being afraid of Yan?"

Wu Qi said irritably, "Then let me ask you: what are the conditions for using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

As the child of a high official, he knew Soul Master theory concerning Martial Soul Fusion Skills very well.

Suddenly, Qiangu Changkong raised a brow. "To merge completely and without reservation with one's companion... Hiss—they have quite a messy relationship."

The stronger a Martial Soul Fusion Skill was, the deeper the users' understanding of one another.

A married couple was one thing, but siblings...

For a moment, he actually felt some sympathy for Yan. "This guy has a whole Green Grassland over his head, yet he doesn't even know it."

Wu Qi added, "It could also be that Yan put the hat on Xie Yue. You never know."

"Alright, that's enough. Hu Liena gave us important information. Don't gossip about her when there's nothing to do, and especially don't spread it around."

After accepting the gift, Hu Liena took the matter quite seriously.

To prevent Yan from causing Wu Qi trouble, she asked a close friend to deliver a letter to Wu Qi.

In the letter, Hu Liena detailed everything she had seen and heard in Death Canyon, and instructed him to destroy the original after reading it.

At the end of the letter was Hu Liena's invitation.

She said that once Wu Qi finished his training, she would host a welcome banquet for him at the Hall of Souls Grand Hotel.

Wu Qi did not take her invitation to heart, but he remembered the other matters mentioned in the letter.

That night, Azure Phoenix Douluo came to see him.

"Tell me, why are you going to that Land of Deadly Poisons? If you merely want to bring back a Venomous Shining Horn Deer, there's no need to go. Just head to the estate and take Little Deer with you."

Cute things did indeed stir people's desire to possess them.

But risking one's life just to catch a soul beast to keep as a pet was far too unworthy.

Wu Qi shook his head. He had not become so obsessed with playthings that he neglected his ambitions. "Master, the resting place of that unknown powerhouse is somewhere even Grandpa Qian cannot investigate in detail. There must be a great opportunity there."

"Back then, you entered it by chance and came out alive. Could it be understood that the place is friendly toward Soul Masters with the Qing Luan Martial Soul?"

Azure Phoenix Douluo fell into thought.

When he entered it back then, he had indeed encountered little danger and had even obtained quite a few treasures.

Later, Spirit Hall sent people inside, resulting in the deaths of many geniuses. For many years, he had been unable to understand why.

He had clearly encountered no danger, so why did others run into trouble once they entered?

At first, he believed the Underground World had changed during the fifty years in between.

Thinking about it now, Wu Qi's guess did have some possibility.

But in the end, it was still only a guess. Using one's life to verify a guess came at too great a cost.

How could an opportunity to defy fate and change one's destiny be obtained so easily?

After a lengthy lecture, he finally made Wu Qi "give up" the idea of going to the Land of Deadly Poisons.

"Oh, right. The matter of you getting in touch with Hu Liena has already spread among the high officials." Azure Phoenix Douluo waggled his brows.

Originally, no one knew about it. Who would have thought that that fool Yan would investigate Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong's identities all over the academy, making it common knowledge?

Of course, neither Azure Phoenix Douluo nor the Worship Hall's experts had any intention of blaming Wu Qi.

Getting in touch with Hu Liena had naturally been for information about Death Canyon.

Making use of available resources to safeguard one's training was a wise move. Qian Daoliu was more likely to encourage it than criticize it.

Wu Qi explained, "I learned quite a lot from her—"

Azure Phoenix Douluo raised a hand. "You don't need to tell me about it. It's enough that we understand. If you're ready, take Little Deer and set out."

Wu Qi blinked. "Master, are you really giving it to me?"

Azure Phoenix Douluo said irritably, "Little Deer can sense poisons. Keeping it by your side will help you avoid danger. But it is still in its juvenile form, and its blood cannot cure poison. You must not kill it to drain its blood."

Little Deer had accompanied him for a hundred years, and though he was surely tired of "playing" with it, their hundred years of companionship remained. He did not want Little Deer to die.

Wu Qi grinned and promised that he would protect its life.

"You're never serious. If you're ready, go draw a mission tomorrow. Finish your training early, then report to Spirit Hall Academy."

"Advanced Soul Master Academy is an important stage of life for every Soul Master. I'm not worried about your attitude toward learning, but this concerns your qualification to participate in the Soul Master Tournament. You still need to put more effort into it."

Just as I thought.

If nothing unexpected happened, the path Azure Phoenix Douluo had arranged for him was to let him participate in the next Soul Master Tournament as a substitute, accumulating competition experience.

Then, in the Next Next Term's tournament, he and Qiangu Changkong would serve as main players and win the championship for Spirit Hall.