Emperor Auspicious Beast!

The golden-haired woman sat upright on a bench. Her simple pale-gold gown made her skin appear as white as snow, while her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

Ordinary ferocious beasts, upon taking human form, all carried a faint but palpable aura of brutality. Yet the woman before them possessed only an innate nobility.

Without a doubt, she was Di Qiu'er, who had cast aside all obsessions from her past and walked the world under a new identity.

Once the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, she was now merely a mysterious powerhouse who had descended into the human world and taken up residence in Donghai City.

Lin Xun's gaze froze slightly, and a subtle tremor stirred within his heart.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast...

He had never expected the family member Gu Yue had brought over to be her. But on second thought, it made sense. The Emperor Auspicious Beast could better conceal her aura in human form, especially with the power of fate aiding her.

Across from him, Di Qiu'er also raised her eyes, her golden pupils quietly settling on Lin Xun.

The youth stood tall and straight, his brows and eyes carrying a lazy, uninhibited air. A careless, faint smile rested on his lips. He appeared relaxed and easygoing, yet his eyes concealed depths of unfathomable calculation.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Xun's face for several seconds, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

After that brief exchange of looks, both were at a loss.

In the end, Di Qiu'er calmly looked away. Her expression returned to its usual cool indifference, without the slightest ripple.

Lin Xun withdrew his gaze as well. For some reason, he kept feeling that there was something off about the way she looked at him, as though it contained something hidden.

But even Gu Yue could not recognize him. How could she possibly recognize him?

It was probably just an illusion.

Just as the hall fell into a brief silence, a cool and authoritative female voice, carrying the pressure of one accustomed to command, slowly rang out from the entrance.

"Today is quite lively."

Everyone turned toward the voice.

A woman in red walked in from the backlight at the doorway. Flame-like long hair cascaded to her waist, and her tall, upright figure was outlined by an exquisite, pure-white gown that emphasized her peerless grace.

Her features were beautiful and refined, but her bearing was sharp and dignified. Every movement carried the majesty of someone in a high position.

She was none other than Leng Yaozhu, the vice master of the Spirit Pagoda, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo.

The moment she stepped into the hall, an invisible pressure gently spread from her. It was not fierce or oppressive, yet it carried the aura of a top-tier powerhouse that brooked no offense, instantly steadying the entire room.

The Soul Masters waiting in the hall for their assessments all held their breath and glanced over. No one dared make a sound.

Leng Yaozhu's gaze swiftly swept through the hall, first landing on Gu Yue and Lin Xun, where it paused slightly.

Then her eyes abruptly fixed on the golden-haired woman seated on the bench. A trace of surprise instantly surfaced in her eyes, and her steps halted unconsciously.

Having stood at the pinnacle of the Spirit Pagoda for a century, Leng Yaozhu had encountered countless powerhouses.

Yet the aura of the woman before her was unlike anything she had ever seen.

She seemed gentle and peaceful, with no sharpness whatsoever, yet her body appeared to bear the flow of fortune across heaven and earth. The purity of her bloodline origin was terrifying.

Even sitting there quietly, she naturally emanated an auspicious Dao aura that blessed all things and turned misfortune into fortune.

What alarmed Leng Yaozhu even more was that when she probed with her spiritual power, it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

As a dignified Super Douluo, she could not see through the other woman's realm or cultivation at all.

This meant that the strength of this seemingly young woman was very likely far beyond her own.

Leng Yaozhu retracted all the pressure around her. The composure on her face faded, replaced by a measure of caution as she slowly walked toward Di Qiu'er.

"Hello. Are you Gu Yue's elder?"

Di Qiu'er nodded faintly. However, she remained seated and offered no unnecessary pleasantries, merely raising a hand to gesture toward the chair across from her.

Leng Yaozhu did not sit down immediately. She stood there, thinking rapidly. The person before her gave her a completely different sort of feeling, but she could not figure out what it was.

"Why aren't you sitting?"

Hearing this, Leng Yaozhu came back to herself and sat down openly. She instantly adjusted her state, regaining the steady bearing of the Spirit Pagoda's vice master, and raised a hand to have two cups of tea brought over.

"Gu Yue's talent is rare in this age. She possesses control over all six elements; among the younger generation, there is no second person like her."

Leng Yaozhu went straight to the point. "The Spirit Pagoda wishes to take her as my personal disciple, and I will personally nurture her. All resources, permissions, and training plans will be provided according to the highest core standards within the Pagoda."

Di Qiu'er lifted her teacup and took a light sip. "State your conditions."

"There are no conditions. Gu Yue's talent is worth the Spirit Pagoda's full investment."

"Things given for free are often the most expensive." Di Qiu'er set down her teacup, her golden pupils meeting Leng Yaozhu's directly. "Master Leng, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and the Spirit Pagoda would never do business at a loss."

Leng Yaozhu fell silent for a moment.

There was no need to beat around the bush when dealing with intelligent people.

"The Spirit Pagoda urgently needs fresh top-tier blood. In recent years, Shrek's high-level combat power has consistently kept us down. We need peerless geniuses of our own. As long as Gu Yue grows smoothly, she is guaranteed to become a Super Douluo in the future, with an even higher ceiling. She may even reach the level of a Limit Douluo or become a Four-Word Battle Armor Master. This is not a transaction. It is an investment."

Di Qiu'er looked at her quietly for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Fine. But I have one requirement. While Gu Yue cultivates at the Spirit Pagoda, she will not be bound by any mandatory missions. You may train her, and she will repay you in the future."

"Deal."

Leng Yaozhu extended her hand. Di Qiu'er glanced at it calmly, then raised her hand and gave it a light shake.

Once everything had been settled, Leng Yaozhu rose and walked over to Lin Xun and Gu Yue, who were waiting nearby. She beckoned Lin Xun over.

When he approached, her tone returned to its usual forceful decisiveness. "Take Gu Yue to the second floor for a full set of basic assessments. Soul power, spiritual power—test everything. The equipment has all been debugged. You'll lead the way and fill out the forms."

So he really had come here to be cheap labor.

Lin Xun got angry for a moment.

Now was not the time to fall out with her. Once his strength had recovered to around seventy or eighty percent, he would definitely settle the score with Leng Yaozhu and make her kneel down and blow God's horn.

And she had to wear black stockings.

For now, this was a strategy of enduring humiliation and biding his time!

"Is there a problem?" Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow slightly as she looked at Lin Xun. She had the feeling that this guy was thinking about something rather improper.

"No problem."

Lin Xun suppressed the complaints in his heart, wearing a harmless smile as he turned sideways and gestured for Gu Yue to follow.

"Let's go, Gu Yue."

After the two left, Leng Yaozhu's gaze fell on Di Qiu'er's elegant, indifferent profile. She deliberately softened her tone, making it sound like casual conversation, though every sentence carried a probe.

"Your strength is profound, and your bearing extraordinary. I have surveyed the great hidden sects and ancient clans across the continent, yet I have never seen anyone like you. May I ask which hidden family you come from?"

Her question was extremely measured.

It gave the other party room to maneuver while quietly defining the scope.

Human Soul Master, hidden power, ancient inheritance.

As long as Di Qiu'er revealed even the slightest clue, Leng Yaozhu could rely on the Spirit Pagoda's century of accumulated intelligence to trace the leads and uncover her background.

On the bench, Di Qiu'er's expression remained placid from beginning to end, without the slightest ripple in her eyes.

"No sect, no school. No world, no clan."

The more she said that, the more it seemed like she was deliberately concealing her family. It looked like she truly came from some ancient hidden clan unwilling to reveal itself.

Leng Yaozhu's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued her questioning, her tone still composed. "I see. But such an incomparably pure bloodline aura could never be forged by an ordinary soul beast. In my view, even the innate foundation of a top-tier ultimate martial soul would fall far short."

She tightly seized upon the core doubt.

Cultivation could be painstakingly trained, temperament could be refined over time, and one's state of mind could be honed. But such a pure bloodline, rooted in one's origin and naturally blessed by heaven and earth, was simply not something an ordinary human Soul Master should possess.

Di Qiu'er raised her eyes and calmly met Leng Yaozhu's probing gaze, her voice even.

"There are countless paths of martial souls in this world. Some cultivate the soul, some cultivate strength, and naturally, some cultivate fate. I was merely born with exceptional fortune, bearing heaven and earth's lingering grace and gathering the aura of passing years. I have no master and no background."

With a single sentence, she lightly covered up every abnormality.

Heaven and earth's lingering grace.

It explained her auspicious aura and pure origin, which far surpassed those of ordinary people, while perfectly avoiding the truth of her soul beast bloodline.

For a moment, Leng Yaozhu was speechless.

She could find no fault, grasp no loophole, and could not even find an opening to continue questioning.

The other party's answer was frank and calm, every sentence reasonable and justified. Yet the more perfect it was, the more wary Leng Yaozhu became.

Born bearing heaven and earth's lingering grace, cultivating the path of fate...

This was no mere hidden expert. She was practically a child favored by heaven and earth.

Seeing the suspicion and astonishment churning in Leng Yaozhu's eyes, Di Qiu'er lowered her gaze slightly and quietly added, "I have no interest in conflict and do not involve myself in worldly affairs. I appeared in Donghai City this time only to protect Gu Yue for a while. Once she has established herself securely, I will return to seclusion. I will not involve myself in any disputes on the continent, nor will I become an enemy of the Spirit Pagoda."

Those words thoroughly put Leng Yaozhu's mind at ease.

No threat, no ambition, no desire for authority, no desire for resources.

Her only goal was to protect Gu Yue as she grew.

The guard and doubt in Leng Yaozhu's heart instantly dissipated by more than half. She nodded slightly, her expression turning somewhat more solemn.

Hidden clans did differ somewhat from the current cultivation world. If they wished to truly nurture Gu Yue's growth, the great powers outside were indeed more suitable.

Besides, the other party's family might not be without other intentions.

"I see. I was presumptuous."

Leng Yaozhu spoke sincerely. "With someone like you protecting her, Gu Yue's future will only be even more limitless. The Spirit Pagoda will also be especially thorough in nurturing her from now on."

Di Qiu'er replied calmly, "There is no need for deliberate preferential treatment. Let things take their natural course. I only safeguard her freedom; I do not concern myself with her future."