The Rebellious Girl! The Qian Family's Greatest Genius? Acting Tough Feels Great for a Moment, but You'll Pay for It Later!

"No, this is on a whole different level."

Qian Daoliu's voice trembled with excitement.

The Angel Martial Soul was not originally the Qian Family's Martial Soul. It was a hereditary Martial Soul bestowed upon the Qian Family by their ancestor after he became the Angel God,

a true divine-level Martial Soul.

And now,

Qian Renxue's Martial Soul had somehow advanced even further.

What did this mean?

Was she destined to surpass the Angel God and become an even more powerful being?

It was so thrilling... so shocking... so unbelievable!

He had thought his granddaughter had become a cripple, but who could have imagined that the tide would turn?

Not only had she recovered,

she had also gained the potential to surpass every ancestor in the Qian Family's history.

For a moment,

Qian Daoliu's fingers trembled slightly with excitement.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Luan Douluo, and the other enshrined elders' eyes shone brightly, too.

They looked at Qian Renxue as if she were some priceless treasure.

They could already picture it:

with her, a true deity would surely descend upon the future of Spirit Hall.

Perhaps even one more revered than the Angel God!

Feeling the long-missed gazes of expectation from the enshrined elders, Qian Renxue grew a little dazed.

She had grown up beneath gazes just like these.

Coddled, the focus of everyone's attention,

everyone had called her the pride of Spirit Hall, the hope of the Qian Family's future.

Then, five years ago, it all came crashing down.

She had fallen into the dust,

and those expectant gazes had turned to disappointment, then indifference, until everyone simply looked away.

So she had fought with all her might, trying to recapture that feeling and earn everyone's approval again.

But now, with that moment finally here,

she found that she wasn't as eager as she had imagined.

She was excited, yes.

But it was like a wave breaking on the shore, only to retreat in an instant and settle back into calm.

Then, unbidden, the image of the man in a black robe embroidered with gold thread surfaced in her mind.

All of this... was thanks to him.

"Congratulations, Young Mistress. Your Martial Soul has evolved further, and you've been reborn!

I presume your old ailments have also healed?

With your talent for cultivation,

and a Martial Soul this powerful—

it seems I'll have to hand back the title of 'the Qian Family's greatest genius' after all."

Qian Ye's voice rang out from the crowd, carrying just the right amount of delight, along with a touch of self-deprecating regret.

Mighty Lion Douluo had stopped the various outsiders from entering, but as Spirit Hall's heir apparent, Qian Ye was naturally exempt.

He stood behind Qian Jun, wearing an impeccable smile.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue furrowed her brow slightly.

For some reason, she had never liked this person much.

It wasn't because he had taken her place. It was an instinctive aversion she couldn't explain.

Qian Ye's words also pulled the enshrined elders' attention away from the evolved Twelve-Winged Angel

and back to a more pressing question.

"Right, Xiao Xue. The Soul Power you were losing before... has it recovered?"

Qian Daoliu asked, sounding a little nervous.

"I'm sure it's recovered!"

Light Feather Douluo cut in, nodding enthusiastically.

"Your Soul Power was definitely draining because your Martial Soul was absorbing energy as it evolved! Now that the evolution has succeeded, it should have returned to normal!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Luan Douluo, and the other enshrined elders all turned to look at Qian Renxue.

The commotion just now had led them to suspect that Qian Renxue might have recovered,

but without a definite answer, none of them felt reassured.

"No."

Qian Renxue settled herself, checked, then shook her head calmly.

"Impossible! That can't be!"

"Xiao Xue, check again, carefully!"

Light Feather Douluo's smile froze, but he pressed on, unwilling to give up.

Qian Daoliu said nothing. He simply stepped forward and placed a hand on Qian Renxue's shoulder,

sending a gentle thread of Angel Divine Power into her body.

Then everyone saw it.

In an instant, Qian Daoliu's face grew several shades paler.

At the sight of his changing expression,

the enshrined elders' hearts sank once again.

An eerie silence fell over the scene.

Qian Ye, standing among the crowd, also put on a grave expression, tinged with disbelief.

But deep down, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The next second, however, he put on a reassuring tone and said:

"I think Senior Light Feather Douluo has a point.

Young Mistress, the strange loss of Soul Power earlier must have been because your Martial Soul was on the verge of its Second Awakening,

far beyond what your body could withstand,

so it began absorbing and siphoning your Soul Power.

Now that your Martial Soul has successfully evolved into the higher-level Twelve-Winged Angel, this problem surely won't happen again.

Just give it some time, and your talent will fully emerge."

Qian Renxue calmly looked at Qian Ye, who was acting as if he had her best interests at heart, and said nothing.

Hearing this, the others were doubtful,

but they went along with the explanation.

"Right, Qian Ye is right. It must be just like that."

Qian Daoliu managed to force a faint smile.

"Xiao Xue, don't worry too much.

A lot has happened tonight, and you must be shaken. Get some good rest.

Tomorrow, we'll examine you thoroughly."

With that, he left with the other enshrined elders, their faces full of reluctance and disappointment, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Qian Renxue stood before the shattered doorway,

recalling the disappointment on everyone's faces and the indifference slowly returning to their eyes.

For some reason—

she felt no fear as she usually would, nor any pressing urge to prove herself again.

Perhaps it was because Ling Xiao had truly kept his promise.

Her Angel Martial Soul had evolved.

And he really did have a way to restore her cultivation.

And so, a thought she had never experienced before, tinged with a hint of rebellion, quietly emerged.

She chose to say nothing.

Over the next few days,

Qian Daoliu and the others summoned Qian Renxue to the Worship Hall every day to examine her body, test her Martial Soul, and ask about her cultivation.

Without exception, the results were just as before.

The enshrined elders had naturally found out that she had gone to Spirit Hall to collect the heavenly treasures, too,

but Qian Renxue brushed them off with a few words each time and never told them the truth.

Every time,

watching them go from full of hope to gradually growing indifferent, Qian Renxue felt a strange satisfaction rise within her.

She knew it wasn't right,

but for some inexplicable reason, she had begun to enjoy this rebellious feeling.

In the past, as Spirit Hall's Young Mistress and Heaven Dou Crown Prince, everyone else could do as they pleased,

but she couldn't.

Ever since she could remember, she had carried the Qian Family's honor and Spirit Hall's future on her shoulders. Not a single day had belonged to her.

And now,

for the first time, she had tasted that long-delayed, uniquely girlish thrill of rebellion.

But acting tough felt great for a moment.

Ling Xiao still hadn't responded to her, and she couldn't help feeling a little unsure.

Besides, Qian Daoliu had said earlier that he planned to strip the Angel God Suit from her.

Because her Martial Soul had evolved, they had put that on hold for now.

But the problem of her vanished Soul Power still hadn't been resolved.

What if Qian Daoliu brought it up again one day, while her biggest support was still sleeping like the dead...

At the thought,

Qian Renxue couldn't help gnashing her teeth in annoyance.