I Bet He Likes Her!

Spirit City, the Great Soul Arena.

Yuan Qi followed Qian Renxue here. He saw her say something to the attendant at the counter, who then stepped out and respectfully led them to one of the Soul Fighting halls.

On the way, Qian Renxue said to Yuan Qi, "Yuan Qi, you've never seen Soul Fighting at the Soul Douluo level, have you? I just asked, and as it happens, two Soul Douluos are fighting here today. I'll take you to watch so you can appreciate battles at this level."

"Sounds good. Sorry for the trouble, Miss Xue'er." Yuan Qi looked at the girl's profile and smiled at her.

Although he was smiling, everyone beneath the Sky Screen could tell that the boy wasn't actually interested in Soul Fighting at the Soul Douluo level. What he was really interested in was...

Such a young man's heart!

Soon, the two entered the advanced Soul Fighting hall with the attendant. They didn't go to the VIP section, but simply found seats in the stands.

After they sat down, Qian Renxue pointed out the two Soul Masters fighting on the arena and introduced them to Yuan Qi. "The one over there is Elder Tuoba Xi. His Martial Soul is the White Armored Earth Dragon. Although its name includes 'dragon,' it isn't actually a member of the Dragon Clan, just a close relative. The other one is Deacon Lor Diarra, whose Martial Soul is the Golden Eagle."

Following the direction Qian Renxue pointed, Yuan Qi looked at the two on the arena and said softly, "Elder Tuoba's Soul Power is stronger, but the other deacon can fly and has the advantage in speed. This should be a drawn-out battle."

"You've got a pretty good eye. That's right, Elder Tuoba's Soul Power is at level 88. He's also the only elder in Spirit Hall who isn't a Titled Douluo," Qian Renxue said.

Yuan Qi nodded. Then his eyes shifted, and he watched the girl beside him from the corner of his eye as she focused on the fight. After a while, he smiled and turned his gaze back to the arena.

Shrek Academy.

"I bet that Yuan Qi likes that Qian Renxue!" Oscar said with a serious expression, pounding his fist into his palm.

"Do you even have to say it? I figured that out ages ago. And it's not just him—I like Qian Renxue too. That girl is way too beautiful." Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes at Oscar, then grinned and wiped the corner of his mouth.

The Sky Screen was showing events from when the previous Pope of Spirit Hall was still alive. They didn't know exactly how many years ago it had been, but judging by her appearance, Qian Renxue had been around thirteen or fourteen at the time, just a little older than Ma Hongjun.

A similar age, a pretty face, and a lovely aura. He was smitten.

Dai Mubai was a lecher too, but unlike Ma Hongjun, he wasn't so blinded by lust that he couldn't think straight. He frowned and scolded him. "Fatty, stop saying things like that. That Yuan Qi clearly has an extraordinary background. Can't you tell? Even the Pope of Spirit Hall is so respectful toward him. He must come from a powerful family—possibly one so powerful we can't even imagine it. He has feelings for the Pope's daughter, and that's bad news for us. After all, Xiao San and Spirit Hall have a blood feud over his mother's death!"

He didn't mention that he was a prince of the Star Luo Empire and that Spirit Hall's power was a bad thing for him. Instead, he brought up Tang San's grudge against Spirit Hall.

That was right. As the Sky Screen revealed more and more of Tang San's past, everyone learned that he was the son of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao. After Tang Hao appeared, Tang San questioned him, and he revealed many things.

Among them was how his wife, Tang San's mother, had been killed.

So Tang San now hated Spirit Hall to the bone. And as his Shrek Seven Devils companions, the rest of them naturally had to treat Spirit Hall as an enemy too.

Hearing Dai Mubai's scolding, Ma Hongjun froze for a moment, but quickly caught on. He hurriedly turned to Tang San and said, "Oh, right, right. This is serious. Third Brother, don't worry. I don't like Qian Renxue anymore. When you go after Spirit Hall for revenge, I'll help you. If we run into her, I won't show her any mercy! As for that Yuan Qi..."

At this, Ma Hongjun scratched his head. "I still haven't figured out who he is. I've never heard of him. And how come both he and Qian Renxue have Innate Level 20 Soul Power? That's ten levels higher than yours, Third Brother!"

Tang San clenched his fists.

That was right. Both of them had Innate Level 20 Soul Power, giving them a higher starting point than him. And since these events had happened in the past, they were older than him now and had spent longer cultivating. If he went after Spirit Hall for revenge and ran into them, then...

No, I'm different from them. They're merely natives of this world, but I'm not. I have the Mysterious Heaven Skill and many other Tang Sect techniques. My Innate Soul Power may be inferior to theirs, but my actual starting point is far higher. When I face them in the future, I'll be the one who wins! Tang San told himself.

Besides...

He stared at the handsome face of the boy on the Sky Screen, his mind full of questions. "Who exactly is that Yuan Qi?"

[The scenes of the two watching the Soul Fighting match didn't last long. The footage seemed to skip ahead, showing them sitting together from several different angles. At last, the match ended with Tuoba Xi's victory.

By then, it had gone from morning to afternoon.

Beneath the setting sun, the two walked out of the Great Soul Arena together. The girl continued showing Yuan Qi around the city, introducing him to various places.

As they passed a small stall selling pastries, she recommended them to the boy. Then she took out some money and bought two, keeping one for herself and handing him the other.

Yuan Qi reached out and took the pastry. He looked at it, then at the girl standing before him, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. He stared blankly for a moment, then smiled beautifully, lifted the pastry to his mouth, and took a small bite, chewing slowly.

"Mmm, it's delicious," Yuan Qi told Qian Renxue.

"See? You can't go wrong with my recommendations," the girl said with a smile.

Not far away, a figure stood in an alley, watching them.

The camera panned over, gradually revealing his face. It was none other than the Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji.

He looked at the boy and girl, then nodded, seeming both relieved and pleased.

Then the scenes began to change rapidly.

Yuan Qi and Qian Renxue sparred in the Mimicry Training Ground.

The two studied how to brew tea together.

The two pored over materials in the library.

Qian Renxue tried on new clothes while Yuan Qi stood beside her, rubbing his chin as he looked her up and down and gave his opinion.

Every scene showed them together, day in and day out. Although the footage kept skipping and changing, everyone could tell that they had grown up together.

Then the Sky Screen suddenly dimmed, and darkness instantly swept over the entire continent.

One second, two seconds, three seconds later, the Sky Screen finally lit up again. A panicked shout came from it.

"Disaster! His Holiness the Pope has been gravely wounded and won't recover. He's—he's passed away!"]