Qian Renxue?

Qian Renxue knew she was in the wrong, so she lowered her head and knelt halfway on the golden carpet.

"Grandfather!"

"I want to beg you to help me get Chen Xing back."

"As long as you agree to help me retrieve Chen Xing from Bibi Dong, I will listen to you in everything from now on."

As she spoke, there was even a hint of a tremor in the young girl's voice.

Hearing this, everyone present felt their hearts tighten.

The last time the matter of Chen Xing came up, they had barely managed to gloss over it, yet here it was being brought up again.

Moreover, it seemed that if she didn't get Chen Xing back this time, Qian Renxue would likely not let the matter rest.

Qian Daoliu, sitting upon the throne, felt his eyelids twitch slightly. A flicker of imperceptible guilt flashed through his eyes, and even his breathing became heavy.

If he actually had any sway with Bibi Dong, he would have snatched Chen Xing back long ago.

Who didn't know that the boy was a genius? Who wouldn't want to keep him in their own hands?

But the reality of the situation was nowhere near that simple...

Facing Qian Renxue's request, Qian Daoliu could only refuse.

With a tone of feigned anger, he said, "If you are willing to cast the Infiltration Plan aside just for this, then you have truly disappointed me."

"As the Saintess of the Worship Hall and the wielder of the Angel Martial Soul, you are already 15 years old. Must you still act so impulsively?"

"He is merely a talented youth; it is still unknown whether he will even be able to grow into his potential."

"Even if he does grow up, isn't he still a member of Martial Soul Hall?"

Changing his tone, Qian Daoliu's voice became earnest and grave.

It was as if he were entrusting her with some great matter.

"Xue'er!"

"You carry more important responsibilities on your shoulders. Let go of this obsession."

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu slowly walked down from the high platform and came to the young girl's side.

He reached out, intending to pat her shoulder.

But Qian Renxue dodged him.

The young girl's golden eyes were filled with stubbornness as she looked up at Qian Daoliu.

"Grandfather, I only want Chen Xing."

"As for other matters, no matter when you want to tell me, I will not press you for answers."

The words fell.

The vast hall fell into a dead silence, and Qian Daoliu's hand remained suspended in mid-air.

His face, usually as calm as an ancient well, revealed a look of shock.

At the same time, the other six people in the hall held their breath.

It was a simple sentence, yet the amount of information it contained was immense.

It was clear that Qian Renxue had already guessed certain things, perhaps even suspecting the unusual relationship between herself and Bibi Dong.

This child...

Her mind is too sharp!

Everyone present felt a pang of heartache for what Qian Renxue had endured.

She had lost her father at birth, and her own mother viewed her as an enemy; she had never experienced a shred of parental love from childhood to the present.

Only her grandfather had shown her any semblance of care.

But the missing pieces could never be replaced by anything else.

The love of parents is unique...

Now, even though she knew that Qian Daoliu held the information about her parents and refused to tell her, she chose not to force the truth out of him.

Instead, she used it as a bargaining chip to trade for a sense of so-called "fairness."

How could this not be heartbreaking?

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy, and the air was so still that one could even hear the young girl's trembling breath.

Qian Daoliu was stared down by those golden eyes, feeling deeply guilty in his heart.

His old face collapsed instantly, as if he had suddenly aged a dozen years.

On the other side.

Just as Bibi Dong had planned for Chen Xing.

He spent his mornings flipping through the ancient texts treasured by Martial Soul Hall, his afternoons in combat training with Bibi Dong, and his nights replacing sleep with meditation.

In less than a week, Chen Xing could already feel his own improvement.

The most obvious change was that he could now last longer against Bibi Dong, and occasionally even find an opening to land a counterattack or two.

It had to be said that in front of a Peerless Douluo, even if it was just being beaten one-sidedly, the things one could learn were incomparable to anything outside.

Inside the great hall.

Bibi Dong had already reduced some of the restrictions on her physical strength, as she discovered that the brat before her was like a sponge.

He was constantly absorbing combat experience, summarizing, practicing, failing, then summarizing again, and practicing again...

A few days ago, he could only flee in a sorry state when faced with her attacks.

Now, the boy was like a little wolf cub.

If she wasn't careful for even a second, he would take advantage of the gap to land a punch.

That little fist hit her without holding back at all, and it was clear that the brat held quite a lot of resentment toward her...

Take the current moment, for example.

She had just sensed a familiar aura entering her spiritual detection range and was distracted for a split second.

Suddenly, she was struck in the lower abdomen by Chen Xing's small fist.

The pain made her gasp.

This brat, he's really going for the kill...

Fortunately, even without soul power protection, the physical strength of a Peerless Douluo was not something a Soul Elder like Chen Xing could break through.

However, a flicker of anger inevitably rose in Bibi Dong's heart, and unconsciously, the force behind the fist she swung out increased.

Chen Xing was rejoicing at having landed another solid punch on the woman, completely unaware that she had increased her strength.

The shadow of her fist expanded rapidly in his vision; he habitually raised his arms to block, but unexpectedly, a massive force slammed into his lower abdomen.

"Puh-wah~"

The dark green figure flew backward, tracing a parabola through the air before crashing heavily onto the red carpet at the entrance of the Pope Hall.

"Damn it!"

"Teacher, you don't play fair..."

Chen Xing tried to prop himself up with his elbows, only to find that the blow had snapped his ribs and forearm.

The broken ribs pressed against his internal organs, making it hard for him to breathe. Every time he tried to get up, he felt a suffocating tightness in his chest, so he simply lay flat on the ground.

"Who... who told you to get distracted..."

"Serves you right!"

Bibi Dong also realized that the force of that punch had been a bit heavy. A trace of guilt flashed in her eyes, and her voice lacked its usual icy tone.

There was no helping it; she hadn't been paying full attention, and she had been a bit heavy-handed without realizing it.

Fortunately, the brat was quite durable. She would give him an herb later and have a healing soul master come over to treat him; he should be fine.

Thinking of this, she prepared to step forward to check on Chen Xing's injuries.

But just as she took a step, the doors of the Pope Hall were suddenly pushed open.

The evening sunset aligned perfectly with the hall entrance, casting a fiery glow over Chen Xing.

Against the light, the boy saw a familiar figure.

The familiar aura emanating from the person felt somewhat intimate.

"Huh?"

"Qian Renxue?"

Because his forearm was broken, Chen Xing's current posture was somewhat pathetic.

With one hand propping himself up, he tilted his head to look at the newcomer.

This scene completely broke Qian Renxue's composure...

"Chen Xing..."

For some reason, seeing the boy treated in such a way, the girl's eyes turned slightly red.

Unconsciously, a sour sensation welled up in her nose.

The next second, Qian Renxue ran directly to Chen Xing and knelt on the ground.