Hu Liena was so angry that her chest heaved.
Her entire face had flushed 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 the Holy Son Palace. Even when she wanted to play with Li Qinglian, she could not!
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.
Was she really 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 guess."
After thinking seriously, Li Qinglian answered.
If even Qian Renxue could only rank fifth, then it was fine.
"What about His Holiness the Pope?"
Hu Liena asked curiously.
"Fourth."
Li Qinglian answered honestly.
Bibi Dong's looks were no less stunning than Qian Renxue's. Especially at this stage, before she had been assimilated by the Rakshasa God, she still possessed a great deal of feminine charm.
"Teacher, Qian Renxue, and I can only rank fourth, fifth, and sixth. I'm really curious what kind of heavenly beauties hold the top three spots."
Hu Liena looked at Li Qinglian, her tone carrying a few complicated emotions.
Although Li Qinglian was painfully straightforward, she was no longer quite so angry.
At least she knew Li Qinglian had spoken from the heart.
She might have been proud, but she could not possibly believe that she could compare to her teacher or Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue surpassed her in many ways, and she knew that perfectly well.
"Heavenly beauties? They really are heavenly beauties."
Thinking it over carefully, Li Qinglian realized that was true.
What sort 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 exalted women.
Hu Liena was exceptional, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, with a noble status. But compared with 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 of seclusion, it was already impressive that he could still communicate normally with people.
"Then what do you think of me? Am I really that bad?"
Hu Liena lowered her head, feeling something indescribable in her heart.
She knew that there was a vast gap between her, the Holy Maiden, and Li Qinglian, the Holy Son.
"Hm?"
Li Qinglian looked puzzled.
"How could that be?"
"Although the women I know are all outstanding, Nana, you're actually the one I get along with best."
Noticing the change in Hu Liena's mood, Li Qinglian's lips curved upward.
Those three goddesses stood far above everyone else, 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 both cared too much about their status. In other words, they were too reserved. It was boring.
Hu Liena, on the other hand, seemed free of that burden of status. She was more like a normal, youthful, romantic girl.
"Oh."
Hu Liena stared blankly at Li Qinglian.
Her heart began racing uncontrollably.
She had thought Li Qinglian was too straightforward to say anything sweet. Yet suddenly, he was so good with words.
"Nana. I've been looking everywhere for you. I didn't expect you to be here."
Yan strode over, his red hair especially eye-catching, his whole body radiating scorching heat.
He looked at Hu Liena.
Her flushed cheeks carried a trace of bashful shyness he had never seen before, and Yan was momentarily stunned.
Men looked best when they were serious, while women were most captivating when they were shy.
But that kind of captivating charm would only be genuinely revealed before the person a woman loved.
Clearly, this pure water lily 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 looked at Hu Liena's shy cheeks and the panic flashing through her eyes. His face instantly turned pale.
"Yan! What nonsense are you talking about?"
Hu Liena's face immediately turned red, both angry and embarrassed.
She was starting to hate Yan to death.
After Yan said something like that, how was she supposed to face Li Qinglian in the future?
The trace of disgust that naturally surfaced in Hu Liena's eyes deeply wounded Yan. It only made him 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 thought he was already straightforward enough, but compared to Yan, he felt he should probably be classified as a considerate man.
"Mind your own business!"
"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 as well. Li Qinglian's tone, like that of a victor, made him extremely unhappy.
"Sure. But you have to promise me that if you lose, you won't keep pestering Nana anymore. All right? What you're doing is pretty pointless."
Li Qinglian said.
He truly could not understand it. With Yan's talent, could he not easily find a girlfriend at Spirit Hall Academy? Why did he keep clinging to Hu Liena?
He and Hu Liena were not even that close, but after only a casual glance or two, 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, but you sure know how to dream."
"Nana isn't some object that can be used as a wager. I can't agree to that."
"Fight if you want to fight. If not, forget it. 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 getting ahead of himself.
"Pfft."
Hu Liena had been furious, but when she heard Li Qinglian's jab, she could not help laughing.
People really should not overestimate the emotional intelligence of these geniuses.
They cultivated bitterly all year round until they practically fried their brains.
Bibi Dong's emotional intelligence was not high either, so Li Qinglian was genuinely not surprised by Yan's behavior at all.
No wonder Hu Liena had fallen for Tang San in the original story. He had thought Tang San must have been exceptionally clever.
Xie Yue sat atop the courtyard wall, leaning against a tree trunk as he watched Hu Liena. Suddenly, he felt that something about his younger sister's feelings toward Li Qinglian was not quite right.
Although Yan had very low emotional intelligence, Li Qinglian was not much better.
Li Qinglian had even said Hu Liena ranked last in beauty among the women he knew, yet Nana did not seem angry at all.
He suddenly realized something: when it came to the man a woman loved, even low emotional intelligence could be seen as honesty, or even cuteness...
"But if it's Li Qinglian, I have no objections. He's much better than Yan anyway. And Li Qinglian is the Holy Son. The Holy Son and Holy Maiden were meant to be a pair."
"Li Qinglian. I've grown immensely over these past six years. In terms of individual strength, I'm the strongest among Spirit Hall Academy's younger generation. Even Xie Yue and Nana would not be my match one-on-one."
"I've waited six years. Today, I'll wash away my humiliation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan deliberately glanced at Hu Liena and flashed what he thought was a bright, handsome smile.
But Hu Liena did not look at him at all.
It seemed that her eyes could only hold one person now.
She had been talking to Li Qinglian the whole time, so she had felt too embarrassed to keep staring at him.
Only now did she quietly begin to study Li Qinglian's appearance.
Before you continue