Hu Liena

With the Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament approaching, it was unwise to invite trouble.

The Shrek group entered Spirit City without a trace of fear.

They headed straight for the private residence arranged for them by the tournament committee.

Everyone was building up their strength, preparing for the coming battle to the death.

Inside the Holy Son's residence in the center of Spirit City, only a few steps from the Pope Palace.

The spacious, brightly lit council hall was supported by several massive Coiling Dragon Pillars.

Gu Qing sat casually in the broad chair at the head of the hall.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, carved from premium red sandalwood.

The crisp tapping echoed through the empty hall.

A faint sandalwood fragrance hung in the air.

Outside, heavy footsteps sounded on the white jade steps, loud and unrestrained.

Three young people in the Spirit Hall's specially tailored formal robes strode into the hall.

They were the pinnacle of Spirit Hall's younger generation.

The Golden Generation, upon whom Pope Bibi Dong had placed her hopes.

Yan walked on the left, his red hair like a blazing flame.

His rugged face was set in open defiance.

Xie Yue stood in the middle, tall and straight, a faint, razor-sharp blade aura radiating from him.

On the right, Hu Liena wore a fitted, pale pink outfit.

It showed off her perfect figure to the fullest.

Her short golden hair gave her a crisp, capable look.

Yet her alluring eyes held a hint of scrutiny and disdain.

The three stopped in the middle of the hall. Unlike the other subordinates, they did not bow.

They simply stood ramrod straight.

Their gazes measured Gu Qing on the raised platform from an air of superiority.

The atmosphere in the hall turned oppressive in an instant.

Gu Qing stopped tapping the armrest.

His calm gaze swept across the three self-important prodigies before him.

"You're the Golden Generation His Holiness the Pope is so proud of?"

His even voice spread through the hall, betraying not the slightest emotion.

Yan let out a scoff.

He stepped forward half a pace, lifting his chin high.

"If you know we're the Golden Generation, who are you putting on airs for?"

"Don't think that just because His Holiness the Pope took a whim and made you the Holy Son—"

"you can actually treat yourself as the master of Spirit Hall."

"A pretty boy who climbed to power by relying on a woman thinks he can summon us here?"

Yan's words were cutting.

He showed the newly appointed Holy Son not the slightest respect.

As far as he was concerned, Gu Qing had gotten where he was by currying favor with Bibi Dong.

Someone who had never publicly demonstrated a single impressive victory in Spirit City.

Someone like that did not deserve the Golden Generation's respect.

Xie Yue said nothing.

But his arms-crossed stance said everything.

Hu Liena covered her lips and laughed, her voice like tinkling bells.

Her bewitching gaze roamed over Gu Qing's moon-white robe.

"Your Highness the Holy Son, Yan is a blunt man."

"Please don't take what he said to heart."

"But in the Soul Master World, strength has always been what counts."

"The finals are fast approaching, and we still have to focus on our training."

"If there's nothing urgent, we'll leave you to it instead of wasting our time here."

Her words seemed to smooth things over.

In truth, every line was a jab at Gu Qing, seated at the head of the hall.

The three made no effort to hide their arrogance and contempt.

Gu Qing listened to their jeers, his expression as unruffled as ever.

He did not even change his posture.

He simply fixed his gaze on Yan, the most provocative of the three.

"So strength is what counts?"

"That's true enough."

"It's just a pity that your understanding of strength is far too shallow."

The instant the words fell.

The Soul Power inside Gu Qing erupted without warning.

He did not even need to summon his Life-Type Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

That vast, abyssal pressure alone crashed down on the three in the middle of the hall like Mount Tai bearing down on them.

Yan, still wearing a defiant look, was the first to bear the brunt.

His face turned deathly pale.

It felt as if two mountains had settled on his shoulders.

His knees gave a sharp crack under the unbearable pressure.

"How dare you attack!"

Yan gritted his teeth and roared.

The Flame Lord Martial Soul possessed him in an instant.

Scorching, dark-red flames surged skyward as he tried to break through the pressure with the sheer force of his fire-attributed Soul Power.

But those flames, hot enough to melt steel.

The moment they touched the aura radiating from Gu Qing, they went out as if they had met their natural enemy.

Gu Qing raised his right hand.

He casually pressed it down through the air.

With a muffled thud.

Yan had no chance to resist.

He was slammed face-first to the floor.

The hard granite tiles cracked apart beneath him.

The force pressed his cheek into the rubble, and no matter how he struggled, he could not move an inch.

Xie Yue was horrified at the sight.

He had never expected the refined-looking Holy Son to strike with such ruthless force.

Two blood-red Moon Blades appeared in his hands.

His body blurred into a streak as he lunged straight at Gu Qing.

The sharp blade-light cleaved through the air with a piercing whistle, aimed right at Gu Qing's face.

It was a full-force attack on the level of a Soul King.

Xie Yue held nothing back.

Faced with the fierce attack.

Gu Qing remained seated, without even blinking.

He merely raised his right index and middle fingers.

With pinpoint precision, he caught the descending Moon Blade between them.

The tremendous impact vanished against those two pale fingers like a stream sinking into the sea.

It did not stir the slightest ripple.

Xie Yue's eyes widened.

He gripped the hilt with both hands and tried to pull it free.

But the Moon Blade seemed to have grown from Gu Qing's fingers. It would not budge.

"Too slow, too weak, and full of openings."

Gu Qing uttered the twelve words calmly.

He applied a little force with his fingertips.

A violent countershock coursed along the Moon Blade and straight into Xie Yue's arms.

Xie Yue groaned. His palms split, and blood sprayed out.

He flew backward like a kite with its strings cut.

He slammed into a Coiling Dragon Pillar in the hall.

By the time he slid to the floor, he could barely stand.

In a single exchange, two of the Golden Generation's main fighters had been utterly defeated.

It had all happened too quickly.

Hu Liena, still standing where she was, had not even had time to release her Martial Soul.

Seeing her two companions defeated in an instant.

Hu Liena's pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing quickened.

At last, she realized that the seemingly refined young man before her was a monster of terrifying strength.

Her instinct for survival made her activate her Heavenly Fox Martial Soul.

A fluffy tail swayed behind her.

Waves of pink light spread out from her body.

She tried to use her strongest Charm skill to seize control of Gu Qing's mind.

An unusual glint entered her alluring eyes as she stared straight at the seat at the head of the hall.

"Trying to toy with mental power in front of me? You're asking for death."

Gu Qing snorted.

His vast mental power poured out like a river bursting its banks.

The pink glow shattered instantly before that mental storm.

Hu Liena felt a sudden stabbing pain in her head.

Her Sea of Consciousness had been struck by a violent assault.

Her Martial Soul Possession was forcibly interrupted.

Her vision went black, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the cold floor.

Cold sweat soaked through her pink outfit in an instant.

She gasped for breath, her eyes filled with deep terror.

A deathly silence settled over the hall once more.

Only Yan remained on the floor, struggling feebly.

His breaths came in faint gasps.

Gu Qing slowly drew in his released pressure.

He rose from his chair and walked down the steps, one at a time.

To the three of them, each crisp footstep sounded like the death god coming to claim them.

"Now, do you still think I got where I am by relying on a woman?"

Gu Qing looked down at the Golden Generation, sprawled on the floor.

His voice held unconcealed mockery.

Xie Yue clutched his chest and forced himself to his feet, enduring the pain.

He immediately dropped to one knee.

The ever-proud young man now showed only awe for an absolute powerhouse.

"Your Highness the Holy Son's strength is unfathomable. Xie Yue is thoroughly convinced!"

Yan stopped struggling too.

He managed to roll over and bowed his head, which had been held high until now.

In the Soul Master World, strength was the only hard truth.

The terrifying cultivation Gu Qing had just displayed had shattered their laughable pride.

Hu Liena raised her head and looked at Gu Qing's tall, straight figure.

The terror in her eyes gradually gave way to fervent admiration.

She had always been a woman who admired the strong.

Gu Qing's domineering presence, crushing all opposition with the slightest movement, had deeply shaken her.

"We admit defeat."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Holy Son, for showing mercy."

Hu Liena bit her red lip and apologized in a soft voice.

Gu Qing saw that the three had yielded and nodded in satisfaction.

To bring these three proud pawns under his command, he had to beat them into submission in the most brutal way.

"Get up."

Gu Qing walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Your talents are indeed among the best of your generation."

"But your understanding of Martial Souls is a complete mess."

"Yan, your Flame Lord is a top-grade Martial Soul with both fire and earth attributes."

"Yet in battle, all you know is how to scorch your enemies with fire. You completely neglect the weight and defense that the earth attribute provides."

"Fire borrows the earth's strength, and earth feeds the fire's power."

"Only by combining the two can you unleash twice the power. You can't just charge around like a headless fly, the way you did just now."

Gu Qing's casual pointers struck straight at the fatal blind spots in Yan's cultivation.

Yan's eyes suddenly lit up.

He stood frozen in place, as if waking from a long dream.

The bottleneck that had troubled him for so long had been exposed by a single sentence from Gu Qing.

"Xie Yue."

Gu Qing turned to the white-haired young man beside him.

"Your Moon Blade pursues the utmost sharpness and speed, but your footwork is too heavy."

"You don't generate enough force from your waist when you swing, so you quickly run out of momentum."

"Once someone blocks your first strike, your weakness will be exposed."

"Concentrate your Soul Power in the soles of your feet. Let your body guide the blade, not the blade guide your body."

Xie Yue shuddered at his words.

He immediately closed his eyes, frantically working through the force-generating technique Gu Qing had described in his mind.

The more he thought about it, the more profound it seemed.

His admiration surged like a mighty river.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness the Holy Son. I'll keep your words close to my heart!"

Xie Yue and Yan dropped to one knee at the same time.

Their voices were filled with unprecedented respect.

This time, they were truly convinced.

Gu Qing waved a hand casually.

He signaled for them to leave.

"The finals are about to begin. Go back and carefully reflect on what I told you today."

"If you can't even deal with those brats from Shrek."

"Then you don't deserve to remain in Spirit City."

Xie Yue and Yan didn't dare slack off in the slightest.

After bowing deeply, they hurried out of the hall.

They were eager to return and meditate in seclusion, digesting the valuable lessons they had gained today.

Soon, only Gu Qing and Hu Liena, still slumped on the floor, remained in the hall.

The atmosphere grew somewhat delicate.

Unlike the other two, Hu Liena didn't hurry to leave.

She slowly got to her feet.

She brushed the dust from her clothes.

Her foxlike eyes glistened with moisture.

She gazed unwaveringly at Gu Qing's profile.

His overwhelming strength, and the insight that could transform someone with a few casual pointers—

They had shattered the defenses around Hu Liena's heart.

A fierce desire to conquer him mingled with a sense of submission.

This man was the only one truly worthy of her following—even of her giving him everything.

Hu Liena swayed her slender waist and stepped lightly toward him.

As the distance between them narrowed, the natural, alluring fragrance unique to her Heavenly Fox Martial Soul grew stronger.

This wasn't a Soul Skill she had deliberately unleashed.

It was an instinctive scent her body gave off after her feelings had awakened.

"Your Highness the Holy Son just gave those two pointers. How could you forget Liena?"

Hu Liena's voice was utterly bewitching.

The end of her words rose slightly, carrying an unmistakable note of seduction.

She stopped less than half a foot from Gu Qing.

Then she tilted her head up.

Her fair neck and delicate collarbones were fully exposed.

Her full chest rose and fell gently with each breath.

Even her warm breath brushed clearly against Gu Qing's chin.

She extended a slender finger.

Boldly, she reached to touch the moon-white lapel of Gu Qing's robe.

Her eyes seemed to weave a web, and her watery gaze brimmed with docility and temptation, as if inviting him to take her.

She had absolute confidence in her looks and her charm.

Throughout Spirit City, and even across the entire continent,

countless talented young men were willing to fall at her feet.

As long as Gu Qing was a normal man, he couldn't possibly resist her brazen overture.

But just as Hu Liena's fingertip was about to touch Gu Qing's clothes,

a powerful hand suddenly clamped around her wrist.

It gripped her with tremendous force.

Her body was stopped dead, held an arm's length away before she could press against him.

Hu Liena froze.

She looked up and met Gu Qing's utterly cold eyes.

There was no desire, no infatuation, not even the slightest hint of admiration.

He looked at her as if she were a worthless ornament.

"Put away that cheap trick of yours."

Gu Qing let go of Hu Liena's wrist without the slightest tenderness.

His tone was utterly flat.

"Your Charm might be a trump card against ordinary people."

"But to me, it's nothing more than a tactic a fox in heat uses to hide her weakness."

"If you only want to rely on that body of yours to make a place for yourself in the Soul Master World,"

"then you'll spend your whole life as nothing but a plaything."

Gu Qing's words pierced straight through Hu Liena's pride like a sharp sword.

He reduced the charm she took pride in to nothing.

Hu Liena's face flushed crimson at once.

A flash of hurt and unwillingness crossed her eyes.

Unconvinced, she bit her lip and tried to take another step forward.

"Your Highness the Holy Son, do you really feel nothing for me?"

"As long as you're willing, Liena will be yours from now on."

"Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it willingly."