Xie Yue Sees Through Hu Liena

Qian Renxue and Tai Yi exchanged a glance, then instantly unleashed their martial souls, each slaying the Radiant Divine Eagle before them.

What followed was quite simple; Qian Renxue and Tai Yi each sat down to begin absorbing their respective spirit rings.

Having undergone Ice and Fire Body Tempering and consumed immortal herbs, the two found the process of absorbing these spirit rings—which exceeded the standard age limits—exceptionally smooth, with not the slightest difficulty encountered.

Soon, both of them easily finished absorbing their fifth and fourth spirit rings, respectively.

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's spirit power rose from level fifty to level fifty-three, while Tai Yi's spirit power increased from level forty to level forty-two.

Once they finished their absorption, Qian Renxue took Tai Yi and left, heading toward the Elder Palace together with Golden Crocodile Douluo.

At that very moment, in a restaurant within Spirit City, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan were eating together.

The three had been enjoying their meal, with Hu Liena and her brother Xie Yue sharing a warm moment, while Yan, off to the side, was dutifully playing the part of a devoted sycophant.

But as Hu Liena turned to glance at the street outside, the harmonious atmosphere of their meal suddenly turned cold.

It was because Hu Liena had spotted Qian Renxue and Tai Yi on the street below.

Or rather, she had spotted Tai Yi; she did not recognize Qian Renxue. However, seeing Tai Yi accompanied by a woman, with the Elder Palace's Second Elder, Golden Crocodile Douluo, leading the way, Hu Liena concluded that the woman must be Qian Renxue.

That was why Hu Liena's expression had turned cold in an instant.

Her sudden change in demeanor was naturally noticed by the two beside her, especially her most loyal sycophant, Yan.

Yan immediately asked Hu Liena:

"Nana, what's wrong? Is the food not to your liking today? Why the sudden change in expression?"

Xie Yue, sitting nearby, also hurriedly asked:

"Yes, sister, what is the matter?"

Hearing them, Hu Liena looked at the backs of Tai Yi and Qian Renxue, then replied:

"It's nothing, I just saw two annoying people."

Hearing this, Xie Yue and Yan noticed that Hu Liena had reacted only after looking out at the street. The next second, both men moved behind her and followed her gaze.

They saw the backs of the three figures.

Xie Yue then spoke up:

"That figure looks a lot like the Elder Palace's Second Elder, Golden Crocodile Douluo. That would mean the man is Tai Yi from the Elder Palace, but I don't know who that woman is."

Hearing Xie Yue, Yan added:

"Tai Yi, I've heard of him. They say the kid has innate level twenty spirit power. What's wrong, Nana? Did this kid bully you? If so, I'll find a chance to teach him a lesson."

To the words of Xie Yue and Yan, Hu Liena replied:

"Sit down, I'm fine. It's just that the woman made my teacher unhappy, which is why I reacted that way when I saw her."

Just then, the three figures disappeared from their sight.

Xie Yue and Yan sat back down and asked Hu Liena:

"Nana, who is that woman? Why would she make Pope Bibi Dong unhappy?"

Hearing this, Hu Liena looked at the two, knowing they would always stand by her side, and said:

"That woman is named Qian Renxue. She has been away executing missions for Spirit Hall for a long time; she was already gone by the time we joined. As for her identity, I asked Elder Ju and Elder Gui, and I only know she is the daughter of the former Pope."

"But whenever my teacher hears the name Qian Renxue, she flies into a rage. I don't know why, though I have my own guesses."

With that, Hu Liena shared her self-assured theory with the two.

After hearing her, both men nodded, and Yan remarked:

"The Pope is so wonderful. That Qian Renxue even abandoned her Spirit Hall missions. If she ever really became Pope, who knows what she would turn Spirit Hall into."

"Don't you agree, Xie Yue?"

Xie Yue did not respond to Yan, but instead said:

"Regardless of what Qian Renxue is like, one thing cannot be changed: she carries the surname Qian. She is the daughter of the former Pope and the granddaughter of the current Grand Elder of Spirit Hall. That is an immutable fact."

At Xie Yue's words, Yan and Hu Liena fell silent. Both understood the implication; Spirit Hall had been passed down for many years, and the position of Pope had always been held by the Qian family. The only exception was Bibi Dong, which only happened because the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, was killed while Qian Renxue was still young; otherwise, the papacy would never have fallen to her.

The next second, Hu Liena stood up as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and declared:

"Spirit Hall needs a capable leader, someone like my teacher, not someone who abandons her duties just to return to Spirit Hall."

Having said that, Hu Liena walked out of the restaurant.

The simple-minded Yan assumed this was merely Hu Liena's disdain for Qian Renxue abandoning her mission and returning to annoy Pope Bibi Dong.

But as her brother, who had grown up with her, Xie Yue naturally saw more. He realized that his sister had developed ambitions for the papacy. He understood it, too; after all, when Qian Renxue was absent, Hu Liena was the first in line for succession, and the Pope treated her like her own daughter.

Given the precedent of the current Pope, Bibi Dong, it was only natural for Hu Liena to harbor such thoughts.

Thinking this, Xie Yue clenched his fists, resolving that if his sister had such ambitions, he, as her brother, would support her.

There was still time before the struggle for the papacy began, so they needed to prepare early by cultivating diligently to improve themselves, so they could fight for her when the critical moment arrived.

Noticing Xie Yue's daze, Yan called out to him:

"Xie Yue, what's wrong with you now? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"

Hearing this, Xie Yue finally snapped out of his daze and said to Yan:

"It's nothing, I just thought of something."

Xie Yue then grabbed Yan and headed toward the training grounds in Spirit City, speaking as they walked:

"Come on, let's go train, we need to practice more."

"Didn't we agree to take a break today? Why are we going to train again?"