Six Years to Soul Elder, Life Heart—Is Hu Liena Last in Beauty?

Six years passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Holy Son Palace.

A young man sat cross-legged, having grown far taller than the six-year-old child he had once been.

Black hair fell over his forehead. The childishness had faded from his brows, and his features had gradually become clear-cut and profound.

His eyes were closed, his breathing long and even. Soul power rose and fell slowly around him like the tide.

Suddenly, three Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

Two purple and one black, they cast a cold, dim sheen through the shadowy chamber.

Purple represented thousand-year rings, while black represented ten-thousand-year rings.

For a boy of merely twelve, such a configuration was enough to leave the entire continent stunned.

Yet the changes had not stopped.

Soul power within Li Qinglian suddenly churned violently, like undercurrents surging through the depths of the sea.

His brow furrowed slightly, and a fine sheen of sweat emerged across his forehead.

The next instant, an intense black radiance seeped from his chest, slowly leaving his body and drifting toward the three Soul Rings around him.

His fourth Soul Ring formally condensed.

The black Soul Ring merged among the two purple rings and one black ring, slowly spinning before stabilizing and returning to stillness.

Purple, purple, black, black. Four Soul Rings lined up beneath his feet in sequence.

Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

Twelve years old.

Li Qinglian slowly opened his eyes. The faint golden-white speck deep within his pupils flashed and vanished.

He lowered his head to look at the Soul Rings revolving around him, and a satisfied curve rose at the corner of his lips.

He was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, unlike ordinary Soul Masters. He did not need to hunt soul beasts to obtain Soul Rings.

When his cultivation broke through to the corresponding realm, the origin power of the Death Divine Tree would automatically condense Soul Rings suited to him.

"The first and second Soul Rings are not far from ten thousand years now."

Li Qinglian's gaze fell upon the two dark-purple Soul Rings beneath him.

Thanks to his ability to use absorbed energy to promote the growth of his Soul Rings' age, these two Thousand-Year Soul Rings were already equivalent to roughly nine-thousand-year rings. Before long, they would grow into Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

The strength of his soul skills would always be able to keep pace with Li Qinglian's growth.

Li Qinglian raised a hand and lightly curled his fingers.

The phantom of the Death Divine Tree, black and chilling, gradually became clear. Its twisted branches resembled black jade, with a dark luster flowing through every vein.

Amid those pitch-black, deathly silent branches hung several tender green flower buds.

They were tiny, so tiny that they would almost go unnoticed without close inspection.

Yet they truly existed, like several sparks suddenly lighting up in the night sky, like the first sprout quietly emerging from scorched earth.

That touch of green stood out sharply against the cold, dark backdrop of the Death Divine Tree, yet it strangely brought a faint trace of warmth to that ultimate stillness of death.

Li Qinglian stared blankly at those flower buds for a long time without speaking.

Six years had passed.

Over these six years, he had not rushed to break through to higher realms. Instead, he had chosen to settle himself.

He spent a great deal of time comprehending his own origin, trying to understand the meaning behind death. Death was not merely an ending, nor was it simply deprivation.

It was part of the cycle of all things, an inevitable stage in which the old made way for the new.

Death was not Destruction, but the herald of new life.

When he truly understood this, his martial soul quietly changed.

Those flower buds were the fruits of his six years of cultivation.

The Seed of Life had long since completely fused into his heart, becoming one with it and a part of his body. Li Qinglian named it the Life Heart.

A Death Divine Tree by nature, yet possessing a Life Heart.

Li Qinglian knew that his foundation had been established.

"Life Heart, Pure Heart Eyes..."

"If I had not taken human form, I could never have received such blessings."

Li Qinglian murmured to himself.

As the Death Divine Tree, he would naturally reject other powers.

Yet after cultivating anew as a human, he had instead broken free from the shackles of his original body.

The Dragon Clan's innate bloodline power and the Human Clan's acquired potential for growth were the foundation that had allowed these two races to rule this starry sky one after the other.

And now, Li Qinglian intended to maximize this advantage of the Human Clan.

For a moment, Li Qinglian truly felt that he might have a chance of reaching the level of the former Dragon God.

If he became the leader of the Human Clan and used the flourishing fate of humanity as his foundation, there was no reason a human emperor should be inferior to the Dragon Clan's leader.

The Dragon Clan had already declined and had no chance of rising again. The future of this starry sky belonged to the Human Clan.

"Time to go out for a walk."

Li Qinglian pushed open the gates of the Holy Son Palace.

During his secluded cultivation, maids had delivered food to his room. This was the first time in six years that he had stepped out of the palace.

But this was Spirit Hall, where time seemed to stand still.

Nothing had changed. Even the flowers and grass outside the palace remained just as they had been when he entered seclusion six years ago.

"Spirit Hall may be nice, but living here for too long really is stifling."

"No wonder Bibi Dong was so rebellious in her youth."

"I don't want to stay in this damned place any longer."

Li Qinglian felt uncomfortable all over.

He preferred freedom.

He planned to travel across the continent and, while he was at it, take a look at the Shrek Seven Monsters.

He really was curious what kind of monsters they were for all seven of them to become gods.

He also needed to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest and ask Gu Yuena for a few treasures.

Even the Goddess of Kindness had given him such a lavish gift. Gu Yuena ought to bleed a little too.

"Li Qinglian."

A crisp voice rang out, carrying a touch of delighted surprise.

Hu Liena hurried over to Li Qinglian in a few quick strides.

"Hu Liena? After six years apart, you've become much prettier."

After six years apart, the once graceful young girl had fully blossomed.

Her soft pink hair cascaded to her waist, its ends gleaming gently beneath the sunlight.

Her features were even more exquisite than six years ago. The innate foxlike charm between her brows had not faded in the slightest; instead, it had grown richer with time, like well-aged wine.

The corners of her eyes tilted up slightly. When she looked at someone, it was as though there were hooks in her gaze, effortlessly catching their attention.

She was dressed simply as well: a fitted white short-sleeved shirt on top, outlining her slender waist and perfectly proportioned curves; fitted white trousers below, making her long, straight legs look even more shapely, while the line of her hips formed a full, smooth curve beneath the fabric.

Just standing there sweetly, she was a sight to behold.

Hu Liena hurried over to Li Qinglian in a few quick strides, her pink eyes sparkling with the joy of reunion.

Hearing Li Qinglian's muttering, Hu Liena felt both delighted and embarrassed.

"So you mean I wasn't pretty enough before?"

"I suppose so."

Li Qinglian froze for a moment, then nodded.

Hu Liena was the type whose beauty grew on people.

Six years ago, Hu Liena had not been especially beautiful, nor had she been mature enough.

Now that another six years had passed, her entire face carried the alluring charm of a fox, giving her a fairly striking appeal.

In truth, Li Qinglian was somewhat face-blind. He had no idea whether Hu Liena was beautiful or not.

"Hmph. What do you know? Then tell me, among the women you know, am I not considered beautiful?" Hu Liena's entire face puffed up with anger. She had waited six years for Li Qinglian, and this was what she got?

"Uh... do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"The truth, of course." Hu Liena curled her lips.

At Spirit Hall Academy, she was one of the campus beauties, all right?

Other than Qian Renxue and her teacher Bibi Dong, who dared claim they were definitely more beautiful than her?

"Including you, I only know six women. Uh... you happen to rank sixth."

"You mean I'm dead last!"

Hu Liena's little face instantly turned cold.