Hu Liena's Heart, Yan's Second Challenge

Hu Liena was so furious that her chest heaved.

Her entire face had turned bright red.

Li Qinglian only knew six women? That did not surprise her.

After all, this guy had spent the past six years cultivating in Holy Son Palace. Even when she wanted to play with Li Qinglian, she had not been able to!

But what did he mean by saying that, among the six women he knew, she could only rank sixth?

Dead last!

Hu Liena was starting to doubt herself.

Could it be that she really was not that pretty?

"Then let me ask you! Where would Qian Renxue rank in your eyes?"

Hu Liena put her hands on her hips.

"Fifth, I suppose."

Li Qinglian answered after giving it serious thought.

If even Qian Renxue could only rank fifth, then it was fine.

"What about Her Holiness the Pope?"

Hu Liena asked curiously.

"Fourth."

Li Qinglian answered honestly.

Bibi Dong's looks were no worse than Qian Renxue's. Especially at this stage, before she had been assimilated by the Rakshasa God, she was still very much a woman.

"Teacher, Qian Renxue, and I can only rank fourth, fifth, and sixth. I'm really curious what sort of celestial beauties occupy the top three."

Hu Liena looked at Li Qinglian, her tone carrying a hint of complicated emotion.

Although Li Qinglian was painfully straightforward, she was no longer quite so angry.

At least she knew Li Qinglian was speaking sincerely.

She might have been proud, but she could not possibly think herself comparable to her teacher or Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue surpassed her in every respect, and she knew that full well.

"Celestial beauties? Actually, they really are celestial beauties."

Thinking it over carefully, Li Qinglian realized that was true.

What kind of women did he know?

The Goddess of Life, the Silver Dragon King, the Goddess of Kindness, Qian Renxue, and Pope Bibi Dong.

Two Goddesses, one Silver Dragon King, and Spirit Hall's three most noble women.

Hu Liena was outstanding, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, with an exalted status. Yet compared to any one of them, she still fell far short.

Only then did Li Qinglian realize that he might have been somewhat tactless.

But it was not really his fault. After six years in seclusion, it was already impressive that he could still communicate normally with people.

"What do you think of me, then? Am I really that bad?"

Hu Liena lowered her head, feeling something she could neither describe nor understand.

She knew that there was a huge gap between her, the Holy Maiden, and Li Qinglian, the Holy Son.

"Hm?"

Li Qinglian looked puzzled.

"How could that be?"

"Though the women I know are all exceptional, Nana, you're actually the one I get along with best."

Noticing the change in Hu Liena's mood, Li Qinglian's lips curled upward.

Those three Goddesses stood far above him, whether in status or strength.

No matter how close Li Qinglian was to them, he still felt a sense of distance.

Bibi Dong was the Pope, while Qian Renxue was the future Pope.

To Li Qinglian, they were both too conscious of their status. In other words, they were too reserved. It was boring.

Hu Liena, on the other hand, seemed free of such status burdens. She was more like a normal, youthful, romantic girl.

"Oh."

Hu Liena stared blankly at Li Qinglian.

Her heart began racing helplessly.

She had thought Li Qinglian was too blunt to say anything sweet. Yet all of a sudden, he was so good with words.

"Nana. I've been looking for you everywhere. I didn't expect you to be here."

Yan strode over in great steps, his crimson hair especially eye-catching as scorching heat radiated from his body.

He looked at Hu Liena.

Hu Liena's rosy cheeks carried a shy sweetness he had never seen before, and Yan was briefly stunned.

Men looked their best when they were serious, while women were most captivating when they were shy.

Yet a woman would only reveal such charm sincerely before the one she loved.

Clearly, this pure water lotus was not blooming for him.

"Li Qinglian, when did you come out of seclusion?"

"And Nana, why are you with Li Qinglian? Don't tell me you've fallen for him."

Yan saw Hu Liena's bashful cheeks and the flicker of panic in her eyes, and his face instantly turned pale.

"Yan! What nonsense are you talking about?"

Hu Liena's face immediately flushed red, angry and embarrassed.

She was beginning to hate Yan.

After he said something like that, how was she supposed to face Li Qinglian in the future?

The trace of disgust naturally showing in Hu Liena's eyes deeply stabbed Yan's heart. It also made him even more certain of his suspicions.

"Yan. How could any girl possibly like you when you act like this?"

Li Qinglian had long known that Yan had a crush on Hu Liena.

But now he understood why Yan had never won Hu Liena's affection.

Li Qinglian had thought he was already blunt enough, but compared to Yan, he felt that he should probably count as the considerate type.

"What's it to you?"

"Li Qinglian, I challenge you to a duel!"

Yan snapped.

Losing to Li Qinglian six years ago had already ruined his reputation. Now, the girl he liked had fallen for Li Qinglian too. Li Qinglian's winner-like tone made him extremely unhappy.

"Sure. But you have to promise me that if you lose, you'll stop pestering Nana. All right? What you're doing is pretty pointless."

Li Qinglian said.

He genuinely did not understand it. With Yan's talent, could he not easily find a girlfriend at Spirit Hall Academy? Why keep clinging to Hu Liena?

He was not even that familiar with Hu Liena, but after only a few glances, he could tell there was no chance between those two.

"I..."

"Fine, I agree. But if I win, I want Nana to kiss me."

Yan snorted coldly.

"You're ugly, yet you sure know how to dream big."

"Nana isn't some object that can be used as a wager. I can't agree to that."

"Fight if you want to fight. Forget it if you don't. With your level of strength, you don't even meet the standard to exchange pointers with me."

Li Qinglian rolled his eyes. Yan was really dreaming.

"Pfft."

Hu Liena had been furious, but hearing Li Qinglian's jab, she could not help laughing.

People really should not overestimate these geniuses' emotional intelligence.

They cultivated bitterly all year round until they had practically trained their brains into uselessness.

Bibi Dong's emotional intelligence was not high either, so Li Qinglian was not surprised in the slightest that Yan acted like this.

No wonder Hu Liena fell for Tang San in the original story. He had thought Tang San must have been extraordinarily clever.

Xie Yue sat atop the courtyard wall with his back against a tree trunk, his gaze resting on Hu Liena. Suddenly, he felt that there was something off about his younger sister's feelings toward Li Qinglian.

Yan's emotional intelligence might have been low, but Li Qinglian was not much better.

Li Qinglian had even said that Hu Liena ranked last in looks among the women he knew, yet Nana had not gotten angry.

He suddenly realized something: even low emotional intelligence could be seen as honesty, or even cuteness, when it came from the man a woman loved...

"But if it's Li Qinglian, I have no objections. He's much better than Yan anyway. Besides, Li Qinglian is the Holy Son. The Holy Son and Holy Maiden were meant to be a pair."

"Li Qinglian. I've grown tremendously over these past six years. Among Spirit Hall Academy's younger generation, my individual strength is the strongest. Even Xie Yue and Nana are no match for me when faced alone."

"I have waited six years. Today, I will wash away my humiliation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan deliberately glanced at Hu Liena and flashed what he believed was a sunny, handsome smile.

But Hu Liena did not look at him at all.

It seemed that her eyes could hold only one person now.

She had been talking to Li Qinglian the whole time just now, so she had been too embarrassed to keep looking at him.

Only now did she secretly study Li Qinglian's appearance.