Gaining Benefits

Afternoon.

Inside the Pope Hall.

At this moment, in the center of the great hall, two figures were engaged in an offensive and defensive exchange.

Chen Xing secretly grumbled to himself, knowing full well that this woman wouldn't change her nature so easily!

On the battlefield.

Bibi Dong deliberately sealed off her own soul power and the majority of her physical strength, her pink fists raining down upon the youth like a torrential downpour.

Every punch that landed was accompanied by a dull thud, the sensation of fist meeting flesh clearly feeding back to her.

A flush and a smile, bordering on the pathological, gradually appeared on the woman's originally cold face.

"That's for not learning to be good at such a young age!"

"That's for holding me while you sleep!"

"That's for being full of lies!"

"That's for..."

With every punch she landed, Bibi Dong muttered in her heart.

It was as if she were using these repeated impacts to vent all the pent-up frustration she had accumulated over this period.

Opposite her.

Chen Xing, bearing the brunt of the attacks, could only dodge continuously, or cross his arms in front of his chest to take the hits whenever he couldn't evade.

To prevent Bibi Dong from discovering that the Purple Imperial Bamboo had been imbued with an ice attribute, he didn't even dare to use his martial soul.

He had been relying solely on his physical body and soul power to hold on.

Yet, it was precisely this passive, defensive response that made Bibi Dong enjoy the beating even more.

Until finally, the soul power Chen Xing used for defense was completely exhausted, and Bibi Dong landed a precise punch on his lower abdomen, finally bringing this one-sided "tempering" to an end.

Just like last time.

The youth was sore all over, unable to muster any more strength, and simply lay there on the red carpet.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for air.

"I can't do it anymore, let's take a break."

The youth's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

"Teacher."

"If we keep training like this, you'll ruin my foundation."

"Little brat, you even know about foundations."

Bibi Dong stood before him, looking down at the youth at her feet with a haughty gaze.

It had to be said, this afternoon of tempering had truly been satisfying for her.

What concerned her more was that Chen Xing, now completely drained of soul power and physical stamina, had begun to emit that strange golden energy once again.

Although not as much as the golden light orb from before, being near him still made one feel refreshed and relaxed.

She truly wondered what kind of secrets this kid was hiding.

Bibi Dong flicked her wrist lightly, her storage ring flashed, and a medicinal herb still carrying the scent of fresh soil was tossed onto Chen Xing's face.

"Eat it!"

"It will help you temper your physical body."

A faint earthy scent entered his nostrils, and Chen Xing weakly picked up the herb to examine it carefully.

Although he didn't recognize it, as a transformed plant-type soul beast, he could sense a wisp of pure medicinal power within it, which would indeed help improve his physical constitution.

"Finally, I'm seeing some benefits!"

He had been in Martial Soul Hall for such a long time, and it had been nothing but getting beaten or being on the way to getting beaten.

Now, he had finally seen a tangible benefit.

With the first one, there would eventually be countless more...

Thinking this, the youth's tired little face actually began to grin foolishly.

Once I become strong, the first thing I'll do is give this woman a sword!

Hehehe~

"Eat it already, what are you grinning about?"

"Did I hit your brain too hard?"

His internal fantasies were interrupted by Bibi Dong's voice, which sounded somewhat disgusted.

Watching Chen Xing's expression, she couldn't help but curl her lip.

She knew this brat wasn't normal; perhaps she should go a little easier on him in the future, lest she end up beating him into a fool...

Chen Xing ignored the strange look in the other person's eyes, shook the dirt off the herb, and shoved it directly into his mouth.

The moment it entered his mouth, the herb turned into pure medicinal energy that flowed down his throat and into his stomach.

He didn't know what this herb was called, but its general effect was likely similar to Whale Rubber, just slightly inferior in potency; fortunately, it had no side effects.

Since Chen Xing was a plant-type spirit beast who had cultivated into human form, his absorption efficiency for herbs could reach 100%.

Regardless of the herb, while he might not necessarily know its name, he could distinguish its medicinal properties.

Furthermore, he wouldn't waste a single bit of its medicinal power, and could even actively extract the side effects from the herbs.

These two abilities were quite practical.

Just like that, under the astonished gaze of Bibi Dong, Chen Xing immediately sat cross-legged, using his meager spirit power to channel the medicinal energy into his meridians, gradually absorbing and refining it into his body.

Several days later.

Outside Martial Soul Hall.

A carriage stopped at the entrance of the main hall, and a golden figure slowly stepped out.

The current Qian Renxue had already returned to her female form.

Standing at the entrance of the familiar Martial Soul Hall, she took a deep breath, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

These past few days, the closer she got to Martial Soul City, the more severe the feeling of trepidation in her heart became.

Now that she was about to see that young man, she felt a bit like retreating.

What if she really had fallen for him?

What if that woman, Bibi Dong, had already crippled Chen Xing?

What if...

"Young Mistress, perhaps we should return to the Worship Hall and inform the Great Worship first."

Seeing Qian Renxue standing there for a long while without reacting, She Long, who was by her side, finally couldn't help but remind her.

Her train of thought interrupted, the young girl frowned slightly, her expression somewhat displeased, though she didn't say anything further.

Even if she didn't want to face it, she had to.

Wasn't she the one who came back for him in the first place?

Taking another deep breath, she stepped forward and said indifferently.

"Let's go!"

Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu had known about Qian Renxue's whereabouts several days ago.

This was because not only had Bibi Dong planted eyes on her, but the people from the Worship Hall also sent back intelligence every two days.

This was not only to monitor the progress of the infiltration plan but also to protect Qian Renxue's safety.

At this moment, inside the main hall, the other six worships besides Qian Daoliu were also present.

They had all been summoned by Qian Daoliu, and at this very moment, each of them wore a grave expression.

There was no other reason; Qian Renxue had returned so soon after going back to Tiantou City, so it must be for that matter concerning Chen Xing.

If this incident was not handled well, the relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue could be exposed.

No one could predict what the consequences would be if that happened.

It was possible she would have an emotional breakdown and never trust anyone again.

It was also possible she would confront Bibi Dong face-to-face, causing their relationship to break down completely.

Or even something more serious...

Before long.

Qian Renxue arrived at the main hall as expected.

As soon as she entered, she saw all the worships waiting there.

This scene couldn't help but surprise her.

What was going on? It was one thing for her grandfather to be waiting for her, but why were the others here too, and all of them at that...

While puzzled, she looked at Qian Daoliu on the throne.

"Grandfather, are you all... waiting for me?"

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, feigning anger.

"Otherwise?"

"Since you've rushed back from Tiantou City overnight, you must have some major matter to discuss."

Although he had long known that Qian Renxue had returned because of Chen Xing, he still put on an appearance of being annoyed.

To not execute the infiltration plan properly and instead run to Martial Soul Hall every few days—what kind of behavior was this? It was far too irresponsible.