The woman had short yellow hair and a graceful figure. She looked about fourteen or fifteen, and every gesture carried a faint, beguiling charm.
Qin Xuan recognized her at a glance. She was Hu Liena.
As for the two men standing beside her, they had to be Xie Yue and Yan.
"Your disciple pays his respects to you, Teacher!" Once he reached the center of the hall, Qin Xuan bowed. Then he turned toward Hu Liena and the others, feigning confusion. "I presume the three of you are the geniuses said to have the greatest potential in Spirit Hall?"
At Qin Xuan's sudden arrival, a flash of approval crossed Bibi Dong's eyes and vanished. Then she spoke with a touch of sarcasm:
"My good disciple, you still remember that you have a teacher?"
"Since we last met, two whole years have passed without a visit."
Qin Xuan replied with a hint of embarrassment:
"Your disciple has been busy cultivating, so I haven't had time to pay my respects."
"But I've had people secretly keep you informed of everything I've been doing these past two years."
"You little brat, you're barely old enough to be out of diapers, yet you sure know how to talk your way out of anything. I wonder who you learned that from." Bibi Dong laughed and scolded him, then turned her beautiful eyes to Hu Liena and the other two.
"This must be your first time meeting."
"Nana, this is Qin Xuan."
Hu Liena offered a polite greeting. "I've long heard that Teacher's newest disciple is a peerless prodigy. Now that I've met you, I see the rumors were true."
"As for the three of us being the most promising in Spirit Hall, we really can't claim that."
She covered her mouth with a smile, then extended her slender, jade-like hand.
"Hello, I'm Hu Liena, another of Teacher's direct disciples. I hope you'll give me plenty of guidance in cultivation from now on."
"Of course." Qin Xuan extended his left hand and shook hers naturally.
Before Xie Yue and Yan could speak, Hu Liena continued:
"This is Xie Yue, my older brother."
"And this is Yan, my friend."
"The three of us only broke through to Soul Ancestor recently."
"Qin Xuan, what rank is your Soul Power now?"
"I'm at the level-thirty bottleneck." Qin Xuan answered calmly, then smiled. "There's no need to be so formal in private. Just call me Xiaoxuan."
"You're only eight, and your Soul Power has already reached the level-thirty bottleneck!" Hu Liena exclaimed in shock. A faint blush crossed her cheeks, and she murmured, "Xiaoxuan, you can just call me Nana."
Though they had only just met, an air of flirtation had somehow crept into their conversation.
Seeing Hu Liena looking so flustered, Yan snorted. His eyes filled with hostility as he looked at Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan didn't think much of it. To him, it was just an ordinary conversation.
If he knew how vivid Yan and Hu Liena's inner worlds were at that moment, he would have laughed in disbelief.
Hu Liena was certainly beautiful, but compared to Qian Renxue, there was a world of difference between them.
With Qin Xuan's discerning eye, there was no way he would be interested in this little fox.
Hmph, what's so special about him?
My Flame Overlord is every bit as strong as his Nine Nether Evil God Tiger!
One day, I'll show Qin Xuan what I can do!
Yan clenched his fists and swore through gritted teeth.
At the same time, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes and said calmly:
"Xiaoxuan, did you come this time hoping I'd send someone to help you hunt a Soul Beast?"
"Nothing gets past you, Teacher," Qin Xuan replied.
"Very well. I'll go with you in person." Bibi Dong suddenly stood up, a meaningful smile on her face.
When she finished speaking,
astonishment appeared on the faces of Hu Liena and the others.
Bibi Dong was the Pope of Spirit Hall, a person of the highest standing. And yet she was going to accompany Qin Xuan herself to hunt a Soul Beast?
"It's only a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. There's no need for you to go to all that trouble, Teacher." Qin Xuan put on an expression of being overwhelmed by the honor, then privately mulled things over.
As the old saying goes, seeing is believing.
It's been two years, and Bibi Dong has never witnessed the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger's fighting style or abilities for herself.
She's coming along this time mainly because she wants to see what it can do. And, of course, she'll try to sound me out and figure out where I stand.
Bibi Dong put her scepter away in her Soul Tool, then patted Qin Xuan on the head with an affectionate smile.
"Isn't it perfectly normal for a teacher to accompany her disciple to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
She paused. As soon as she realized what he meant, her eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
"You want your third Soul Ring to be a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"
"Mm." Qin Xuan answered with unruffled calm.
"The energy of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring is on a completely different level from that of a mere Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
"Xiaoxuan, you'd better think this through!"
Bibi Dong's expression turned serious, and thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning.
My Twin Spider Emperor is already a top-tier insect-type Martial Soul.
But in both its attributes and its ability to devour, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger far surpasses the Twin Spider Emperor.
That's enough to prove the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger is a god-level Martial Soul—and Qin Xuan has even successfully absorbed two Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
The fact that its very first Soul Ring was a thousand years old is already enough to show that the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger is the most monstrous Martial Soul on the entire continent.
Perhaps Qin Xuan really can absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his third.
Besides, he's always been steady in his actions. He must be confident, or someone with his temperament would never take such a risk.
Nearby, Hu Liena and the others were just as stunned.
Absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his third would be no different from courting death.
But Qin Xuan was the one who had said it, making them reconsider whether it might actually be possible.
After all, who would have imagined that Qin Xuan's first and second Soul Rings were both a thousand years old?
"Xiaoxuan, are you certain you want to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"
"With your talent, there's no need to take such a risk."
"I don't want to see you explode and die."
Bibi Dong furrowed her delicate brows and spoke in a grave voice.
Qin Xuan answered without hurry:
"Teacher, I wouldn't have made this decision unless I was absolutely certain I could successfully absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
"The Nine Nether Evil God Tiger has already given my body tremendous resilience."
"Now, with the amplification of two Thousand-Year Soul Rings on top of that, my body's resilience isn't much weaker than that of an ordinary Soul King."
"And that's not to mention the energy of those two Thousand-Year Soul Beasts that I absorbed with the Evil Emperor Hook."
"So even though my Soul Power is only at rank thirty, my body's resilience and mental strength have already reached the level of a Soul King."
"That's why I'm confident I can absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
After hearing this, Bibi Dong's brows relaxed. She laughed aloud.
"Good! I'll indulge you in this madness just once. Come on, let's head to the Star Dou Great Forest now!"
"Thank you, Teacher!" Qin Xuan bowed respectfully, then said awkwardly, "But I'd like to get this third Soul Ring in the Sunset Forest."
Before you continue