Bibi Dong, are you senile?!

Bibi Dong, have you gone senile?!

Sigh...

Foolish, truly foolish!

Hu Liena's reaction at this moment fell clearly and distinctly into the gazes of Yue Guan and Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong was rendered speechless on the spot, and Yue Guan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

They were all old foxes; how could they not see what kind of scheme Hu Liena was playing at with this attitude?

Playing hard to get requires the right opportunity to be effective!

To use such tactics on Qian Renyu—is Qian Renyu the type of person who would fall for "playing hard to get"?

Yue Guan felt a sense of regret; suddenly, he didn't know how to lecture Hu Liena, nor did he know how to help her.

If she had simply admitted her mistake honestly, the subsequent result would have been nothing more than a minor punishment.

That kind of handling would have been the most appropriate approach.

To keep acting as if she had done nothing wrong—who exactly is she putting on this show for?

Even Bibi Dong, the former Pope, couldn't gain any advantage when provoking Qian Renyu.

What qualifications does a mere Hu Liena have to play these games in front of Qian Renyu!

Yue Guan felt a mix of anger and disappointment. He used to think Hu Liena was someone destined for greatness, but now he suddenly felt that she was nothing more than this.

Assessing the situation and acting accordingly is the key to survival in the world of Spirit Masters.

Of course, talent is a factor, but in the end, strength is the ultimate deciding factor.

Without sufficient strength, no matter how outstanding one's talent is, one still has to watch others' expressions!

Such a simple and easy-to-understand truth, yet Hu Liena didn't even know how to weigh the gravity of the situation.

Yue Guan felt as if he could already see the limit of Hu Liena's future achievements at a single glance.

Even with high talent and the status of being part of the Golden Generation of Martial Soul Hall.

In the end, she would only ever be just that.

Qian Renyu looked indifferently at Hu Liena's performance.

He felt a sense of disgust at the "teacher-student bond" she was displaying.

She knows about the teacher-student bond now, but in the future, after seeing Tang San become handsome, she would betray her master time and time again—where would that teacher-student bond be then?

Qian Renyu would not try to understand the foolishness of Bibi Dong wanting to carve out an empire for Yu Xiaogang, but he would not ignore the other things Bibi Dong had suffered because of it.

At least...

In his memories, what Hu Liena would do in the future was indeed an act of betrayal toward Bibi Dong.

"Your Excellency, you..."

Seeing Qian Renyu's expression turn strange, Hu Liena's body, which had just begun to relax, became heavy once again.

Qian Renyu smiled coldly and said, "Hu Liena, your tactic of playing hard to get is indeed not bad, and it can barely be considered a clever move."

"But Hu Liena, before you have sufficient strength and status, don't do things where your own cleverness becomes your undoing!"

"If she were still in the position of Pope, and she had also appointed you as the Saintess of our Martial Soul Hall, you might have been able to sit in my current position in the future."

"You can play these mind games, but do you think you have the capability to play them now?"

As Qian Renyu spoke, he reached out his right hand toward Hu Liena.

Bibi Dong snapped to attention. Seeing that Qian Renyu had no intention of stopping, she swung the Pope's Scepter horizontally between Qian Renyu and Hu Liena, blocking the hand Qian Renyu was about to use against her.

"Qian Renyu, I can testify that Nana had an epiphany!"

"As a genius of our Martial Soul Hall, an opportunity for an epiphany is rare and precious. It can accelerate the growth of her strength and is of great use to Martial Soul Hall!"

"Just because she couldn't come to see you immediately for such reasons, you, Qian Renyu, want to punish her ruthlessly? From now on, is no one in Martial Soul Hall allowed to cultivate, and must they wait at all times for your summons?!"

Bibi Dong scolded coldly.

She couldn't be sure how Qian Renyu would deal with Hu Liena.

At least based on the current situation, Bibi Dong saw no sign that Qian Renyu intended to show mercy.

She dared not let Qian Renyu act directly, so she confronted him once again.

While standing in a standoff with Qian Renyu, Bibi Dong looked toward the direction of the Worship Hall.

Taking a deep breath, she put on a facade of knowing nothing and projected her cold voice toward the Worship Hall:

"Grand Pontiff, I do not know why you are willing to relinquish your power to this extent!"

"But Hu Liena is part of our Martial Soul Hall's Golden Generation, one of the holders of the Purple Record Medal, and the core member of our Martial Soul Academy Team for this Spirit Master Tournament!"

"Although you are inside the Worship Hall, I do not believe you are unaware of what happened at the gates of Martial Soul City earlier!"

"Qian Renyu has already thrown away all of Martial Soul Hall's face this time. If our Martial Soul Academy Team is defeated!"

"Grand Pontiff, you should be very clear about how serious the impact will be on our Martial Soul Hall!"

The questioning voice echoed into the Worship Hall.

Unable to use her own status, Bibi Dong threw caution to the wind, elevating Hu Liena's position as much as she possibly could.

In Bibi Dong's view, as long as she could raise Hu Liena's standing, she should be able to turn this major issue into a minor one, and eventually make it disappear altogether.

Spirit masters require cultivation and the constant improvement of their strength; no one can guarantee they have the energy to attend to other matters at all times.

As long as she could stand firm on this point, it would serve as a way to break the current deadlock.

Qian Daoliu's voice did not sound, and Bibi Dong thought to herself that she should be able to suppress this matter, only then meeting Qian Renyu's gaze once more.

Qian Renyu grasped Bibi Dong's current thoughts, his mocking voice ringing out lightly:

"Bibi Dong, have you gone senile?"

"Having sat in the position of Pope for over a decade and presided over several Spirit Master Tournaments, have you completely forgotten the entry rules for the Spirit Master Tournament?"

"Anyone under the age of twenty-five, as long as they are enrolled in an Advanced Spirit Master Academy, is eligible to participate in the Spirit Master Tournament!"

"Others might forget my age!"

"But you, Bibi Dong, could you have forgotten it too?!"

The light voice sounded like a thunderclap.

It seemed as though Qian Renyu was merely speaking in a teasing, mocking tone.

Yet every sentence, every word, now pierced directly into Bibi Dong's heart like steel needles.

No matter how hard Bibi Dong tried to block these sounds out, they vibrated incessantly as if they were ringing directly from her soul.

Bibi Dong's expression stiffened, her heart twitching violently as she looked at Qian Renyu in disbelief for speaking those words.

Once she grasped the meaning behind Qian Renyu's words, her pupils, which had already recovered somewhat, contracted into slits once more.

Qian Renyu's intention was clearly...

Bibi Dong's breathing became chaotic, and the hand gripping the Pope's Scepter trembled slightly.

Hu Liena also snapped back to reality, realizing what Qian Renyu was implying, and her face was left with nothing but horror.

She never imagined that Qian Renyu would have such a trump card regarding the Spirit Master Tournament.

Qian Renyu flicked his finger lightly against Bibi Dong's Pope's Scepter, and once again said with an air of indifference:

"So, Bibi Dong, as for whether the Martial Soul Academy Team has Hu Liena or not--"

"Do you really think that is important?!"