As far as Qin Xuan was concerned, this match had been little more than a game.
He had never considered the Golden Generation his opponents. The three of them were, at most, friends who stood on the same side as him.
Whether he won or lost this Soul Fighting match made no difference to Qin Xuan, but it meant a great deal to the Golden Generation.
If they lost to Qin Xuan in a three-on-one match in front of so many people, wouldn't they be utterly disgraced?
After all, the "Golden Generation" were reputed to be the most talented young people in Spirit Hall.
If the so-called Golden Generation were defeated by Qin Xuan in less than five minutes, what would everyone else think?
And what would become of Pope Bibi Dong's dignity?
Losing face was the least of it. If they actually won the match, it might even leave Hu Liena and the other two with inner demons. They might never have a chance to break through to the Titled Douluo level!
Qin Xuan knew perfectly well which mattered more!
Everyone present was clever, and they could all see that Qin Xuan had deliberately lost the match. They simply hadn't said so aloud.
After all, from Bibi Dong's faction's perspective, the match had ended in a way that was nothing short of perfect.
Meanwhile, the absent-minded Xia Hui saw Song Qingling and Zhu Zhuqing exchanging a knowing look and finally caught on. She murmured,
"I knew it! How could Brother Qin lose a Soul Fighting match with his strength? He must have thrown it on purpose!"
"Forget Nana and Xie Yue for now. That Yan acts like he owns the heavens. Just looking at him annoys me!"
At that, Song Qingling hurriedly covered Xia Hui's soft lips. "Keep your voice down!"
As she warned her, she glanced at Bibi Dong, who hadn't yet gone far.
Xia Hui quickly nodded to show she understood, and Song Qingling then lowered her slender hand.
Bibi Dong seemed to have heard Xia Hui's earlier remarks. She merely turned her head and glanced at Xia Hui and the others. A faint smile tugged at her lips, but she didn't reprimand them.
After the match, Qin Xuan told Bibi Dong that he would be going to the Star Dou Great Forest in a while to obtain his Sixth Soul Ring. Then he led the women away from Pope Hall.
On the way back to Emerald Spring Villas, they chatted and laughed together.
"Brother Qin, I finally understand why you restricted yourself from using your fifth Soul Skill."
"If you'd used it, wouldn't the Golden Generation have lost their ability to fight in an instant?"
Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.
Qin Xuan gave a soft "Mm" and replied calmly,
"My fifth Soul Skill, the Nirvana Evil Thunder Array, is a large-area group-control skill. The chains carry Dark Divine Thunder that can paralyze the body and severely damage the mind."
"If I used that move, I could end the fight in five seconds, but I'd also seriously injure the Golden Generation."
"The finals are only two months away, so I couldn't let the Golden Generation get hurt."
"I see. You really have thought everything through, Brother Qin." Zhu Zhuqing smiled, unable to hide the admiration in her eyes.
This was the second time she had witnessed Qin Xuan's strength.
The first had been in the forest outside Star Luo City, when Qin Xuan had used lotus flames to kill a group of Soul Elders in an instant.
Most women admired strength, and Zhu Zhuqing was no exception.
In short, being by Qin Xuan's side gave her a sense of security she had never felt before, not in all these years.
Song Qingling lightly adjusted her high ponytail and couldn't help sighing.
"Demon Charm is actually very strong. It's just that Brother Qin's Nine Nether Evil God Transformation is far too abnormal, and it happens to counter illusions. That's why Demon Charm was driven back again and again."
"If the three of us faced Demon Charm, I doubt we'd have any chance of winning."
Hearing this, Xia Hui and Zhu Zhuqing both nodded gravely, agreeing with her.
After she finished speaking,
the group fell silent.
The women couldn't help marveling inwardly at the sheer strength of Qin Xuan.
He was only a level fifty-nine Soul King. Once he obtained his sixth ring, wouldn't he be able to challenge a Soul Douluo across a level?
Just before they reached Emerald Spring Villas, Qin Xuan suddenly stopped.
"Zhuqing, you can go back first. I have something to take care of in the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Why don't you let us come with you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"I have some personal business to handle in Heaven Dou City, but..." Qin Xuan paused before continuing. "But bringing one more person won't be a problem. Zhuqing, come with me to Heaven Dou City."
"Okay!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded with a smile, clearly delighted.
"Brother Qin, we want to go too!" Xia Hui tugged at Qin Xuan's arm and gazed up at him with her large, pleading eyes, her voice soft and sweet.
"Xia Hui, pouting won't help. If I'm not taking you along, I have my reasons." Qin Xuan spoke evenly.
"Hmph! Brother Qin, you're no fun." Xia Hui snorted and puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be angry.
"Xia Hui, stop fooling around."
"In that case, we'll head back to the Purple Heaven Sect in the next couple of days."
"The finals aren't far off. We need to train hard. Even with Brother Qin holding down the fort, we can't afford to be careless or underestimate our opponents!"
Song Qingling said with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Xia Hui nodded. "Qingling's right. All right, Brother Qin, I'll stop teasing you. You two go to Heaven Dou City."
"Xia Hui, I'll come find you before the finals!" After a brief farewell to Song Qingling and the others, Qin Xuan led Zhu Zhuqing into a luxurious carriage bound for Heaven Dou City.
Along the way, he took two black demon masks from his storage ring. He put one on himself and gave the other to Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing was clever, and she understood why they needed to conceal their identities.
The feud between Poison Douluo and Spirit Hall was already known throughout the continent.
As the young master of Spirit Hall, Qin Xuan naturally had to keep a low profile when traveling to Heaven Dou City alone.
Although Platinum Bishop Salas was stationed in Heaven Dou City, a mere Soul Douluo still wouldn't be able to protect him.
Several days later,
Qin Xuan and Zhu Zhuqing arrived in Heaven Dou City.
The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was blue—a fine day indeed.
As they walked through the streets, Qin Xuan could clearly see that Heaven Dou City had grown much more crowded.
After all, the qualifying rounds were currently in full swing, and even ordinary people were allowed to watch. Naturally, they had drawn quite a crowd.
Qin Xuan had two main purposes for coming to Heaven Dou City.
First: it was time to give Qian Renxue the Immortal Herb, the Eight Extremes Blazing Sun Flower.
Second: he wanted to visit the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena and see what lineup the Shrek Seven Devils had assembled, so he could get a basic understanding of them.
Since Qian Renxue's true identity was still sensitive, Qin Xuan first had Zhu Zhuqing rest at the hotel, then went alone to a private room in a teahouse.
I trust Zhuqing, but others might not see it that way. It's better not to let Zhuqing learn Xue'er's identity just yet!
As Qin Xuan sat in a sandalwood chair, lost in thought, Qian Renxue pushed open the private room's door and walked in.
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