When Bibi Dong heard the unfamiliar man beside Qian Renxue speak, she finally looked at him properly for the first time.
As expected, this was Qian Renxue's external Martial Soul. It really was exactly like a human.
"Who are you? This is our family business. What makes you think you can interfere?"
Chen Qi looked at her without a trace of fear in his eyes. Back when he'd read Douluo Continent, he'd long wanted to rush in and give the hopelessly love-struck Bibi Dong a thorough tongue-lashing.
Now he finally had the chance. He couldn't let it go to waste.
"I'm Qian Renxue's Martial Soul. She and I are one. Tell me, doesn't that make me part of her? And doesn't that mean I have a say in this?"
Bibi Dong was at a loss for words. There wasn't a thing wrong with what Chen Qi had said. A Martial Soul really was part of a Soul Master's body.
When she didn't answer, Chen Qi kept going.
"You're Qian Renxue's mother. It's bad enough that you've failed to fulfill even the slightest part of your duty as a mother. But now you want to send her undercover, wasting her incredible talent for nothing. That's going too far."
Bibi Dong's expression changed noticeably. Her face flushed red and grew hot. She clenched her teeth and glared at Chen Qi, unable to utter a word.
"I'm telling you, we won't do any damn undercover work. The day my master breaks through to Titled Douluo will be the day you return the position of Pope to the Qian Family."
BOOM!
The immense pressure of a Titled Douluo surged toward Chen Qi like a rising tide.
Bibi Dong was so furious she'd lost the ability to think. All she wanted was to kill this bastard, Chen Qi.
The pressure fell on Chen Qi, but it was like passing through a layer of air. It couldn't stir the slightest ripple.
After giving it some thought, Chen Qi understood what was going on.
He was a Martial Soul, something ethereal and intangible. Naturally, the pressure couldn't affect him. It wasn't as if anyone had ever seen a Soul Master's Martial Soul suddenly collapse during a fight between Soul Masters.
Qian Renxue looked at Chen Qi, who had stood up for her, and felt something she couldn't put into words.
"Bibi Dong, don't waste your effort. Your attacks don't work on me. What I said just now wasn't a warning. It was a declaration. Master, let's go."
With that, right in front of the furious Bibi Dong, he took away one of the most important pawns in her plan.
She wanted to slap Qian Renxue to death along with him, but the last bit of reason she had left told her that she absolutely couldn't.
If the Worship Hall held her responsible, she'd truly be doomed.
"No. I have to keep those old monsters in the Worship Hall in check. Otherwise, my plan will definitely fall apart!"
Bibi Dong decided to hold the Worship Hall at bay for now, then find a chance to repay this humiliation in full.
Outside the Pope Palace, Chen Qi's mind went blank. How had he somehow ended up confronting Bibi Dong?
If that hopelessly love-struck woman flew into a rage, Chen Qi would never make it out of the Pope Palace.
Qian Renxue glanced at Chen Qi beside her, curious about why he'd stood up for her out of nowhere.
"Why did you stand up for me?"
Chen Qi was taken aback.
How was he supposed to know?
He'd just gotten worked up, remembered that scene where he'd argued with San Shao, and acted on impulse.
"Well... um, master, I'm your Martial Soul. I could tell that woman, Bibi Dong, was definitely trying to harm you. Don't fall for her tricks."
Qian Renxue nodded. She now understood very clearly that her Martial Soul's intelligence hadn't simply come about because of a blessing from the Angel God.
Chen Qi's way of thinking was obviously far more mature and steady than hers. A being whose intelligence had only just awakened couldn't possibly know so much.
That meant Chen Qi's identity was far from ordinary. He had to know something. Otherwise, there was no way he could have rejected Bibi Dong so quickly.
And there was yesterday, too. The moment he appeared, he'd identified her grandfather as the Grand Elder.
Qian Renxue didn't believe Chen Qi's claim that he possessed her memories. She and Chen Qi had no connection at all, as if they were two entirely different people.
"Chen Qi, you weren't born from within a Martial Soul, were you?"
Chen Qi, who'd thought he'd successfully covered up his identity, froze.
Had his identity as a transmigrator been exposed?
"Master, what are you saying?"
"Stop pretending. Your behavior has already given you away."
No way. Was she really about to guess that he'd transmigrated?
Chen Qi nervously swallowed. His palms were slick with sweat as he waited to hear what Qian Renxue would say next.
"You must be some subordinate of the Angel God, right?"
Huh?
Seriously, what had she guessed?
Where had this subordinate of the Angel God come from? The Angel God didn't have any subordinates in the original story.
Unless Chen Qi was the Worship Hall's Eighth Elder?
Chen Qi grumbled inwardly. Seeing that it was all a misunderstanding, he decided to play along.
First, he pretended to freeze, then he put on a shocked expression and laughed awkwardly.
"Ah... yes, that's right! Haha, no wonder you're the one our lord chose. You saw through my true identity at a glance."
Seeing Chen Qi admit it so readily, Qian Renxue was overjoyed. She felt like Sherlock Holmes, having guessed the right answer in an instant.
But even though she'd guessed what she thought was the right answer, she didn't feel as happy as she'd expected.
Instead, she felt a little empty.
"Ding! Qian Renxue's favorability has changed. Current favorability: 10/1000."
Chen Qi was the one left confused when he heard the system.
That made no sense.
Qian Renxue was so happy her nose was practically in the air. How had her favorability gone down?
As expected, no one on Love-Brain Continent was normal.
Chen Qi now regretted not paying more attention to Qian Renxue when he'd read Douluo Continent.
If he had, winning her over would've been a breeze.
"Xue'er, there you are. How are things going with your Martial Soul?"
Up ahead, Qian Daoliu noticed Qian Renxue and Chen Qi. He smiled and walked over.
Qian Renxue noticed her grandfather, too. She nodded cheerfully and said,
"Grandpa, Chen Qi and I are getting along great. Nothing unexpected has happened at all."
She clenched her teeth as she said those last three words.
After everything that had happened that day, Qian Renxue had wanted to exorcise her Martial Soul right then and there and send him to keep her father company.
But after learning Chen Qi's identity, she no longer dared to think that way.
Seeing how happy Qian Renxue seemed, Qian Daoliu was so delighted he couldn't stop smiling. He immediately decided to take his granddaughter to obtain her First and Second Soul Rings.
As an Eight-Winged Angel, her attributes were naturally of the light element. The best choice for a light-element Soul Beast suited to a First Soul Ring was, of course, the Light Unicorn.
Light Unicorns were everywhere on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest. They could find one just by wandering around.
On the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest, Qian Daoliu brought his precious granddaughter, Qian Renxue, to search for a suitable Light Unicorn.
Across the stream, a Light Unicorn stood drinking. Its body was snow-white, and a horn on its head gave off a faint glow.
Qian Daoliu spotted it at once, but quickly looked away and shook his head.
"Grandpa, is that Light Unicorn not suitable?"
Qian Renxue had noticed it, too. Seeing her grandfather glance at it and then turn away, she asked in confusion.
"It's only just over a hundred years old. Xue'er, you need to absorb a Soul Ring that's at least four hundred years old, so it won't do."
Qian Renxue nodded at his answer.
According to current theory, the limit for a First Soul Ring was 423 years. A hundred-year Soul Ring was indeed far too weak for Qian Renxue.
Leaves drifted down as a breeze swept past.
Just then, Chen Qi sensed something. He turned around. A much larger Light Unicorn was charging toward Qian Renxue like a mad beast.
"Master, look out!"
Before you continue