"Don't call me big sister!"
Qian Renxue was like a little cat whose tail had been stepped on. She instantly bristled.
She glared at Lin Qiu, and at last, she couldn't hold back her tears. They streamed down her fair cheeks.
"Why do you have to call me big sister?"
"You stole my mother. You stole everything that belonged to me. You're a bad person!"
The more Qian Renxue spoke, the more aggrieved she became.
She sobbed, her accusations coming out in fits and starts:
"I clearly... I clearly worked so hard."
"I got up every day before dawn to practice my swordsmanship, until my hands were rubbed raw."
"But Mother never even looked at me."
"And you?"
"All you do is sunbathe or sleep. You haven't even awakened your Martial Soul."
"Why does Mother treat you so well?"
"Why does she give all her love to you?"
The little girl's voice was full of envy and jealousy, as well as deep helplessness.
She truly couldn't understand.
She was a genius with level twenty Innate Full Soul Power, and possessed the god-level Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
In anyone's eyes, she was heaven's favored child.
But in Bibi Dong's eyes, she was nothing but an unwanted burden.
Lin Qiu, by contrast, had easily received the motherly love she had dreamed of.
Seeing Qian Renxue's tear-streaked face, Lin Qiu couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
He knew Qian Renxue's background, of course.
She was a child caught in the retribution for the grievances of the previous generation.
When Bibi Dong looked at Qian Renxue, she saw the humiliation and pain of the past. Naturally, she couldn't treat her kindly.
But for Qian Renxue, that really was too unfair.
Lin Qiu sighed, pulled a handkerchief from his robes, and held it out to her.
"Actually, Teacher has her reasons..."
"I don't need you pretending to be nice!"
Qian Renxue slapped Lin Qiu's hand away, and the handkerchief fluttered to the ground.
She took two steps back, stubbornly lifting her chin as she carelessly wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"I don't need you to comfort me."
"Mother said you're better than me at understanding Strength. I don't believe it!"
Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened.
In her eyes, all she had to do was prove she was stronger than Lin Qiu, prove that he was useless, and Mother would change her mind and see how wonderful she was.
That had to be it.
Lin Qiu must have used some sweet words to deceive Mother.
As long as she exposed him, everything would be all right again.
"Lin Qiu, I challenge you to a duel!"
Qian Renxue cried out.
Lin Qiu shook his head helplessly:
"Xue'er, I haven't even awakened my Martial Soul. How am I supposed to fight you?"
"You're a Soul Grandmaster, and I'm just an ordinary person. It wouldn't look good if people heard you were picking on me."
Qian Renxue clenched her teeth and pulled two wooden swords from the nearby weapon rack.
She tossed one to Lin Qiu.
"I won't use Soul Power!"
"I won't use my Martial Soul either!"
"We'll just compete in swordsmanship and reflexes!"
"If I lose, then from now on, I... I won't bother you anymore."
"If you lose, you have to go tell Mother that you're not as good as me!"
Looking at the wooden sword on the ground by his feet, Lin Qiu couldn't help laughing.
This little girl's competitive streak was frighteningly strong.
He bent down to pick up the wooden sword and casually twirled it.
"If you want to play, then I'll play along."
Seeing this, Qian Renxue took a deep breath, gripped her wooden sword tightly with both hands, and assumed an attacking stance.
Though young, she had received proper training at Spirit Hall, and her form was quite convincing.
Her eyes narrowed. She pushed off with her feet and shot toward Lin Qiu like an arrow loosed from its string.
The wooden sword in her hands whistled through the air as it thrust straight toward Lin Qiu's chest.
The instant Qian Renxue struck.
The system in Lin Qiu's mind let out another piercing shriek.
[Alert! Alert!] [Dao Palace expert has launched a deadly attack on the host!] [This attack contains terrifying power, enough to shatter mountains!] [Host, flee immediately! Host, flee immediately!]
Hearing the system's hysterical warning, Lin Qiu looked at the little girl charging toward him with a wooden sword raised and a serious expression on her face.
He couldn't help wanting to laugh.
Shatter mountains?
That was it?
This system's understanding of power was seriously skewed.
Still, since the system had classified this as a "life-or-death crisis"...
As long as he got through it, he should still get the reward, right?
Lin Qiu had barely raised the wooden sword in his hand. He hadn't even had time to get into a proper defensive stance.
A golden blur was already upon him.
Too fast.
To Lin Qiu right now, Qian Renxue, with her level twenty Soul Power, was moving too quickly to follow.
Even if his mind could react, his still-growing mortal body couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
Smack!
A crisp impact rang out.
Lin Qiu felt a jolt in the web of his thumb, and the wooden sword flew right out of his hand. It traced an arc through the air before landing in the grass some distance away.
Then a gentle but irresistible force pushed against his chest.
Lin Qiu stumbled and fell backward onto a stone bench.
Even though Qian Renxue hadn't used a Soul Skill and had deliberately held back, the gap between a Soul Grandmaster and an ordinary child was still like a chasm.
This was absolute power crushing.
In his mind, the system's alarm grew ever more shrill, as if it were about to blow the top of Lin Qiu's skull off.
[Alert! Alert!] [The host has been gravely injured by a Dao Palace expert! Life in danger!] [Burn your origin immediately and use the Blood Escape Technique to flee!]
Is there something wrong with this system?!
Lin Qiu rubbed his slightly numb wrist, completely ignoring the system's racket.
He looked up.
Qian Renxue held her wooden sword level, its tip less than an inch from his nose.
Most of the anger had faded from the little girl's delicate face.
In its place was bewilderment, along with a trace of poorly concealed panic.
She hadn't expected Lin Qiu to be this weak.
He was as fragile as a sheet of paper, ready to tear at the slightest touch.
For one instant, she had truly been afraid she wouldn't hold back in time and would hurt the boy.
Seeing Lin Qiu sitting there after falling, Qian Renxue instinctively wanted to lower her sword and go check on him.
But then she remembered Mother's favoritism toward him, and the hurt she had just felt. The foot she had started to move forward jerked back.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, doing her best to look imposing.
She raised her chin, her wooden sword trembling slightly as she pointed it at Lin Qiu.
"You lost."
Her voice was clear, tinged with the pride of victory, but not as fierce as before.
Lin Qiu looked at the little girl trying so hard to act like an adult.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell over her, gilding her in a golden glow.
It was the sacred aura brought by the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
One had to admit, Qian Renxue had a truly captivating presence just then.
Lin Qiu blinked, not the least bit downcast by his defeat.
Instead, his mouth fell open slightly, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at Qian Renxue with adoration.
"Whoa!"
"Big Sister Xue'er, that move you just used was so fast!"
"I couldn't even see what happened before you knocked my sword flying!"
Before you continue