As Li Qinglian's words fell,
Even Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan were stunned.
No matter how much Bibi Dong wanted to prevent Li Qinglian from becoming the Holy Son, she did not dare go too far.
After all, she had no nerve to make a six-year-old Li Qinglian fight Xie Yue and the others.
Delaying Li Qinglian's investiture as Holy Son for six or seven years and suppressing the Worship Hall's momentum a little would already achieve Bibi Dong's intended goal.
She merely wanted everyone in Spirit Hall to understand that Pope Hall's authority surpassed that of the Worship Hall.
She understood this perfectly well.
Those old fellows in the Worship Hall were all arrogant and intolerant of flaws.
The Holy Son whom all those worshippers unanimously approved and jointly recommended had to possess talent far surpassing Yan and Xie Yue's. When even her own haughty daughter had personally come forward to support Li Qinglian, she became even more certain of it.
She and Qian Renxue had not spoken in a long time.
But she had once been a young girl herself, and she saw Qian Renxue's fondness for Li Qinglian in her eyes.
Romantic feelings for a six-year-old boy?
There were probably many other things mixed into it.
Still, that was normal.
How could men and women so often fall for each other at first sight? Men looked at beauty, women looked at prospects—it was only natural. Li Qinglian must have had some exceptionally outstanding quality for Qian Renxue to care so deeply about him.
But no matter what, Li Qinglian was only a six-year-old child. No matter how talented he was, he could not possibly be a match for Yan and Xie Yue, who had cultivated for six or even seven more years.
This little brat is far too proud.
Spirit Hall gathers the most gifted Soul Masters in the world. Even if Yan and Xie Yue are somewhat inferior to him, how much weaker could they possibly be?
No matter how great his combat talent is, could he possibly defeat a Soul Elder at this age?
Bibi Dong remained impassive and glanced to her left.
The three most outstanding geniuses under Pope Hall were standing there.
Naturally, Hu Liena stood in the center. As the Holy Maiden personally appointed by her, Hu Liena's long black hair was especially eye-catching in the morning light.
At Hu Liena's side stood two utterly different figures: one calm and cold, standing with his arms folded; the other blazing like fire, eager to fight.
"Brother, it seems Teacher wants you two to step forward."
Hu Liena understood Bibi Dong's meaningful glance and spoke in a lowered voice.
She knew that the struggle over appointing a Holy Son this time was far more than simply about the Holy Son.
It was also a struggle for power between Pope Hall and the Worship Hall!
Back then, Teacher had disregarded everyone's objections and forcibly named her Holy Maiden on Pope Mountain, establishing the Pope's authority.
It was through that incident that Teacher gained a voice in Spirit Hall!
And only after that did Teacher's status in Spirit Hall rise noticeably, while Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo became loyal.
Thus, while this appeared to be about appointing a Holy Son, it was certainly not merely about appointing a Holy Son.
Yet Li Qinglian was only six years old and had only just awakened his Martial Soul, but he was about to become a sacrifice in the conflict between Pope Hall and the Worship Hall.
"I won't do it. Even if I win, it would be humiliating."
"I, Xie Yue, still have some pride."
Xie Yue gritted his teeth as he spoke.
On Pope Mountain, defeating Li Qinglian would please the Pope.
Moreover, his younger sister was already the Holy Maiden, so his chances of becoming the Holy Son would increase.
But this was far too damaging to his character!
The Holy Son position was important, but he did not want to become the Holy Son in this way.
"I'll go!"
"Nana. Once I become the Holy Son, I'll be worthy of you."
Yan snorted coldly and stepped out from the crowd. His fiery red short hair seemed to burn with a faint flame beneath the morning sun.
The way he looked at Hu Liena was fervent and direct.
He had secretly loved Hu Liena for a long time; everyone in Spirit Hall knew it. But he understood that, as he was now, he was not worthy of her.
"You..."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Hu Liena's eyes.
She said nothing and merely looked away.
If Yan became the Holy Son through such means, could she truly like him?
"Your Holiness."
"Since Li Qinglian said he was willing to accept a challenge, I am willing to give it a try."
Just as Bibi Dong was beginning to grow impatient, Yan finally stepped forward.
He strode into the arena with a confident, flamboyant smile on his face.
He stood half a head taller than others his age. The muscles beneath his fitted attire were as sharply defined as cast iron, and beneath his fiery red short hair were a pair of bright, spirited eyes. His whole body resembled a walking blaze.
He knew that as long as this battle satisfied the Pope, becoming the Holy Son would only be a matter of time.
His gaze fell upon Li Qinglian, carrying a faint trace of mockery.
Had Li Qinglian not been so impatient, the Pope would have had no further opportunity to delay things six or seven years later.
At that time, in order to ease relations with the Worship Hall, the Pope would certainly appoint Li Qinglian as the Holy Son. The Pope merely wanted to suppress the Worship Hall and establish her authority. She held no hostility toward Li Qinglian.
But now, Li Qinglian had taken the initiative to step forward, only making the Pope dissatisfied with him.
Such behavior was far too rash.
"Li Qinglian, what do you think?"
Bibi Dong spoke.
Her voice was unhurried, yet it carried an invisible pressure as it slowly descended from the high platform.
On Pope Mountain, countless gazes simultaneously focused on that black-haired child.
As the prospective Holy Son, he had uttered such words himself on Pope Mountain. Even if Li Qinglian wanted to go back on his word by claiming youthful impulsiveness, countless people would still see him as frivolous and unfit to become the Holy Son.
Once Li Qinglian bore such a stain, it would be difficult for him to be appointed Holy Son again.
Countless people looked at Li Qinglian with regret.
Li Qinglian was still too young. He had blocked off his own path.
"No problem. I'm willing to accept his challenge."
"But I want to ask something."
"If I defeat him, can I become the Holy Son?"
"By then, no certain elder will jump out and criticize me again, right?"
The corners of Li Qinglian's lips lifted slightly as he looked toward Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
His calm gaze swept over Bibi Dong before passing over Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
Bibi Dong's expression darkened slightly.
She understood. Li Qinglian's words were clearly aimed at her!
This little fellow was not foolish? Then why had he accepted Yan's challenge?
Bibi Dong could not understand it.
Yue Guan's face alternated between green and white. Being publicly pressed to this extent by a six-year-old child, this Chrysanthemum Douluo truly could not save face.
"Of course not. If you defeat Yan, I will have nothing to say."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stepped forward and spoke bluntly.
He felt like crying without tears.
After today, he would probably bear the infamy of making things difficult for a small child.
He was merely an elder. How could he possibly want to go against the worshippers?
But he was the Pope's subordinate and had to step forward at critical moments to take the blame for his superior.
"Then let us fight."
"I'm actually quite curious about the level of Spirit Hall's younger generation."
As Li Qinglian spoke, his gaze examined Yan.
Yan had fiery red hair, and his entire body seemed to blaze like flame.
Yan was already thirteen years old, a full seven years older than Li Qinglian.
As part of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, Yan's cultivation had also broken through to level thirty-one, making him a genuine Soul Elder.
Yan's talent should be on the same level as Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing among the Shrek Seven Monsters. It's not bad.
Li Qinglian thought to himself.
Tang San was a reincarnator from another world, while Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt her cultivation.
Among the Shrek Seven Monsters, aside from those two, the others represented the standard talent of normal first-rate geniuses on the continent.
Yan's cultivation speed was roughly comparable to Dai Mubai's. His talent was indeed first-rate.
But that was all.
His cultivation was only level twenty-one, but his true body was the Death Divine Tree.
His true combat strength could not be measured simply by his cultivation level.
Before you continue