Bibi Dong, Have You Gone Senile?!

That chapter, Bibi Dong, have you gone senile?!

Sigh...

So foolish. Far too foolish!

Hu Liena's reaction was plain as day to Yue Guan and Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong was struck speechless, and Yue Guan couldn't help sighing inwardly.

They were all seasoned veterans. How could they not see what Hu Liena was trying to accomplish with this attitude?

Playing weak to gain the upper hand only worked when the timing was right!

Did she really think that tactic would work on Qian Renyu? Was he the sort who'd fall for it?

Yue Guan felt a pang of regret. Suddenly, he didn't know how to lecture Hu Liena—or how he could help her.

If she'd simply admitted her mistake, the worst that would've happened was a light reprimand.

That would've been the most appropriate outcome.

Instead, she kept acting as if she'd done nothing wrong. Who was she trying to convince?

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

What made Hu Liena think she had the right to play these tricks on him?

Yue Guan was frustrated by how little she seemed to understand. He'd once thought Hu Liena had the makings of greatness, but now he wasn't so sure.

Knowing how to read the situation was essential to surviving in the Soul Master World.

Talent mattered, of course, but in the end, strength was what truly decided everything.

Until you had enough strength, no matter how exceptional your talent, you still had to watch how you treated others!

Hu Liena didn't even understand such a simple principle, or know how to judge what was appropriate.

Yue Guan felt as though he could already see the limits of Hu Liena's future achievements.

Even with her tremendous talent and her status as part of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation,

in the end, she'd amount to little more than that.

Qian Renyu regarded Hu Liena's performance with indifference.

The 'bond between master and disciple' she was displaying now disgusted him.

Now she remembered that bond? In the future, when Tang San grew handsome, she'd betray Bibi Dong again and again. Where would that master-disciple bond be then?

Qian Renyu wasn't going to indulge Bibi Dong's foolish plan to carve out a kingdom for Yu Xiaogang, but neither would he ignore everything else she'd suffered.

At least...

In his memories, what Hu Liena would do in the future would indeed amount to betrayal in Bibi Dong's eyes.

"Your Holiness, you..."

Hu Liena noticed the strange look on Qian Renyu's face. Her body, which had just begun to relax, tensed up again.

Qian Renyu gave her a cool smile. "Hu Liena, your little ploy of playing weak to gain the upper hand is clever enough, I suppose."

"But Hu Liena, until you have enough strength, status, and standing, don't try to be clever. You'll only outsmart yourself!"

"If she were still Pope, and had appointed you Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, you might someday have taken the position I hold now."

"You could play these games if you liked—but do you really think you're in a position to do so now?"

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

Bibi Dong snapped out of it. Seeing that Qian Renyu showed no sign of stopping, she swung the Pope's Scepter between him and Hu Liena, blocking the hand he was about to use against her.

"Qian Renyu, I can vouch for Nana. She was having an epiphany!"

"As a genius of Spirit Hall, Nana's chance to experience an epiphany is rare. It can speed up her progress and greatly benefit Spirit Hall!"

"She merely couldn't come pay her respects at the first opportunity because of that. Are you really going to punish her mercilessly, Qian Renyu? Does that mean no one in Spirit Hall will be allowed to cultivate, and everyone must wait on your orders every moment of every day?!"

Bibi Dong scolded him coldly.

She couldn't tell what Qian Renyu planned to do to Hu Liena.

At least from what she could see, he showed no inclination to go easy on her.

Unwilling to let Qian Renyu act without restraint, she confronted him once more.

As she faced Qian Renyu, Bibi Dong glanced toward the Worship Hall again.

She took a deep breath and, pretending she knew nothing, sent her cool voice in that direction:

"Grand Pontiff, I don't know why you're willing to give up so much authority!"

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

"Though you're inside the Worship Hall, Grand Pontiff, I don't believe you're unaware of what happened earlier at the gates of Spirit City!"

"Qian Renyu has already thrown Spirit Hall's reputation to the winds over this. If our Martial Soul Academy Team loses this tournament—"

"Grand Pontiff, you should know very well how serious the consequences would be for Spirit Hall!"

Her challenge echoed through the Worship Hall.

Unable to rely on her title, Bibi Dong was throwing caution to the wind and doing her best to raise Hu Liena's standing.

She thought that if she emphasized Hu Liena's status, they could turn today's major incident into a minor one, and the minor into nothing.

Soul Masters needed to cultivate and improve their strength. No one could guarantee they'd always have enough energy to attend to other matters.

If she could establish that point, it might offer a way out of their current predicament.

Qian Daoliu didn't respond. Bibi Dong thought she might be able to smooth things over, and turned to face Qian Renyu again.

Qian Renyu saw through what Bibi Dong was thinking and spoke in a teasing, airy voice:

"Bibi Dong, have you gone senile?"

"You held the position of Pope for over ten years and presided over several Spirit Master Tournaments. Have you forgotten all the rules for entering the tournament?"

"Anyone under twenty-five who was enrolled in an advanced Soul Master academy could enter the Spirit Master Tournament!"

"Other people may forget how old I am!"

"But could you, Bibi Dong, forget too?!"

His light words struck like thunder.

On the surface, Qian Renyu sounded as though he were merely teasing her.

But every word pierced Bibi Dong like a steel needle.

No matter how much she tried to shut out his voice, it seemed to reverberate directly in her soul.

Bibi Dong's face stiffened. Her heart clenched violently as she stared at Qian Renyu in disbelief.

Once she understood what he meant, her pupils, which had recovered somewhat, contracted into slits again.

Qian Renyu's intention was clearly...

Bibi Dong's breathing grew ragged. Her hand trembled slightly around the Pope's Scepter.

Hu Liena also snapped back to her senses. When she understood what Qian Renyu meant, horror filled her face.

She'd never imagined that Qian Renyu had another move up his sleeve regarding the Spirit Master Tournament.

Qian Renyu lightly flicked a finger against Bibi Dong's Pope's Scepter, then spoke again as calmly as ever:

"So, Bibi Dong, whether or not Hu Liena is on the Martial Soul Academy Team—"

"Do you really think it matters?