Refusal

"This... this is actually an Eight-Winged Angel!!!"

The titled Douluo present all gasped in shock.

Far away in the God Realm, the Angel God naturally sensed the evolution of her descendant's martial soul and smiled knowingly.

"Interesting."

With a casual wave of her hand, a strand of pure, primordial Angelic divine power crossed space and projected onto the Angelic statue.

At this moment, Qian Daoliu's hands trembled slightly. He hurriedly took out a crystal ball and, with a light tap of his finger on Qian Renxue's forehead, channeled a wisp of Angelic soul power into her body.

"Little Xue, sense this wisp of soul power carefully, then place your hands on the crystal ball in front of you."

"Mm-hmm, okay."

Qian Renxue steadied herself, closed her eyes again, and felt that sacred soul power, subconsciously pressing her hands onto the crystal ball.

The crystal ball's radiance surged violently, instantly breaking past the tenth-level mark!

"Level Ten!!!"

"Innate Full Soul Power!!!"

Before the crowd could recover, the massive Angelic statue behind Qian Daoliu emitted a brilliant glow. A blinding golden light instantly shot into the brow of the wide-eyed Qian Renxue below.

At that moment, the light from the crystal ball beneath Qian Renxue's hands surged once more, shifting from pure white to blazing gold!

"This is God-Bestowed Soul Power!!!"

"Innate soul power... Level Twenty!!!"

The entire hall fell into a dead silence.

Only Bibi Dong, standing to the side, wore an incredibly gloomy expression.

"Hahaha, Little Xue, it's done. You can open your eyes now." Qian Daoliu's tone was uncontrollably excited.

Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes, a sweet smile on her face. She stepped out of the hexagram formation, the image of the Eight-Winged Angel above her head flickering and vanishing.

She skipped toward Lie Xu, and as she brushed past Bibi Dong, she gave a soft huff. Seeing this, Bibi Dong gripped her scepter even tighter.

"Brother Xu, am I amazing?"

Qian Renxue tilted her head, her large, sparkling eyes gazing at Lie Xu as if she were a victorious general returning from battle.

Lie Xu smiled gently, reached out, and cupped her still-chubby, rosy cheeks. "Amazing. Our Xue'er is the best."

With that, he ruffled her hair.

Just as the two were playing, Qian Daoliu's cold voice drifted down from the steps.

"Bibi Dong, since Little Xue has finished her awakening, why are you still lingering here?"

Bibi Dong tilted her head slightly, looking up at Qian Daoliu on the dais, and let out a cold snort. "There is still one more who hasn't awakened. As the Pope of Spirit Hall, I have the duty and responsibility to care for the talent and growth of the new generation!"

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu had no choice but to let her stay, provided she didn't cause trouble. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Lie Xu.

"Little Xu, it's your turn."

Every eye in the room instantly focused on him. Lie Xu straightened his robes and walked toward the awakening formation step by step.

He knew his moment had arrived.

"Little Xu, you surely understand the process from Little Xue's awakening, so I won't repeat it. Just sense it carefully."

Lie Xu stood in the center of the formation, the surroundings so quiet he could hear his own breathing.

Qian Daoliu formed hand seals, channeling his soul power into the crystal formation.

Light enveloped him.

Lie Xu slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking deep into his soul to sense the tremor within.

In the void, there was no light, no sound—only endless silence.

He did not know how much time had passed when, suddenly—

Hum—!

A bell toll resonated, accompanied by an ancient, desolate lion's roar that exploded from the depths of the void!

Following this, a point of light rapidly expanded in the darkness, and the boundless void melted away like ice meeting boiling water.

Then, nine lion shadows of different colors galloped toward him. Wherever they passed, life bloomed, vegetation grew, and the air filled with the scent of flowers.

The nine lions drew closer and closer, finally merging into one before him, transforming into a massive, golden lion with nine heads.

Majestic, sacred, scorching, and domineering.

The Nine-Headed Lion let out a roar toward the heavens and charged directly into the depths of his soul...

Outside.

BOOM—!!!

The light of the awakening formation exploded!

The crowd watched as the hexagram's barrier dissipated, revealing a massive, golden, nine-headed lion phantom hovering behind Lie Xu, its body wreathed in crimson flames.

Looking at the crowd, an aura of world-dominating arrogance erupted. With a violent lion's roar, a terrifying pressure swept across the entire Offering Hall, forcing every Title Douluo present to manifest their spirits simultaneously!

"What kind of spirit is this?!"

"The pressure is so strong it forced us to fully release our spirits?!"

"This absolutely transcends the category of a god-level spirit!!"

The crowd was shocked, their hearts filled with disbelief.

Lie Yan trembled with excitement; their Lie family had finally produced a prodigy. It had been so long since he felt this exhilarated.

Ten years? Or perhaps twenty...

Bibi Dong's face turned deathly pale, her pupils contracting violently. She stared fixedly at that figure, a stormy sea raging within her heart.

What a truly detestable aura...

Lie Xu slowly opened his eyes. The phantom of the Nine-Headed Lion behind him gradually faded, and the oppression brought by the spirit vanished completely.

Qian Daoliu held the crystal ball, his hands trembling uncontrollably. The shock brought to him today was no less than when he first encountered a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.

"Xiao Xu, come and test your spirit power."

Qian Daoliu spoke gently to Lie Xu, placing the pristine white crystal ball before him.

Lie Xu pressed both hands onto the crystal ball in front of him.

Hum--!

The crystal ball between Qian Daoliu and Lie Xu began to change colors rapidly.

Gray...

Milky white...

Pure white...

Pale gold...

Rose gold...

Gold...

Blazing gold!!!

The spirit power rose along with it.

Level one...

Level five...

Innate full spirit power!!!

The light from the crystal ball continued to surge wildly.

Level eleven...

Level fifteen...

Until it broke through the limit. Qian Daoliu gasped, his voice trembling:

"Innate level twenty!"

"No divine gift! This is entirely innate spirit power brought by the spirit itself!"

Dead silence.

Once again, the entire hall fell into dead silence.

After three seconds of silence, the Offering Hall completely erupted!

"Innate level twenty without a divine gift?!"

"This is absolutely the greatest genius in the history of the Douluo Continent!"

"This child... his future is absolutely limitless!!!"

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, suppressing the raging storm in her heart. She stepped forward, her gaze landing on Lie Xu, her tone carrying an extreme, irresistible authority:

"Lie Xu, I intend to take you as my personal disciple and appoint you as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. The next Pope shall be you."

As these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present changed.

Lion Douluo Lie Yan instantly blocked Lie Xu, glaring at Bibi Dong: "Bibi Dong, don't you dare go too far! You have overstepped your bounds!!!"

At this moment, Lie Xu gently pushed his grandfather aside and stepped forward, facing the cold and stunningly beautiful Pope directly.

His eyes were calm, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

"Your Majesty the Pope's offer is very tempting..."

"However, I refuse!!!"