Lakefront Heart Demons, Senior Sister Reveals Her Feelings!

[Warning lifted.

External mental anchor intervention detected.

Emotional fluctuations tending toward calm...]

Gu Changsheng watched as that head of golden hair glowed softly beneath the sunset, and his own emotions unexpectedly settled as well.

The red warning text in the Myriad Heaven Book was slowly fading away, replaced by a blue prompt.

[High-intensity benevolent Mental Link detected. Maintaining mental stability and composure is recommended.]

Gu Changsheng's heart stirred slightly. He knew Hu Liena was using her own Mental Power to create a temporary haven for him.

The two of them passed through Spirit Hall's grand corridors, avoiding the patrolling guards as they made their way to a secluded spot behind the mountain.

From afar, it looked like a small lake surrounded by towering ancient tombs. Its crystal-clear water reflected the fading glow on the horizon.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air. Hu Liena carried a special aura about her, and mixed with the moist vapor from the lake, it made one feel even more tranquil.

"This was a place Teacher sometimes visited when she was younger. Very few people know about it. Sit down, Junior Brother."

Hu Liena gently took Gu Changsheng's hand and led him to sit on a bluestone nearby. They were so close that Gu Changsheng could clearly hear her breathing.

Hu Liena turned her head. Her seductive eyes were exceptionally clear at that moment as she stared directly into Gu Changsheng's eyes.

"You've known that name for three years already. Is he really that terrifying? Or are you afraid not of him, but of the possibility that you might fail?"

Gu Changsheng fell silent. Her words were like a scalpel, precisely cutting open the most hidden corner of his heart.

That was right. What he feared was not Tang San himself, but that sense of predetermined fate. He had always believed Tang San to be the protagonist of this continent, armed with Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and possessing the potential to become a god.

As for himself, although he possessed the ability to analyze, every step he took was like walking on thin ice.

"Senior Sister... there are some things I don't know how to explain to you. If... I'm only saying if."

Gu Changsheng took a deep breath, his gaze falling upon the tranquil lake as his voice suddenly became lower and hoarser.

"If one day, we have to face a Spirit Hall destined for destruction, what would you do?"

Hu Liena froze slightly, and a cold, beautiful curve lifted at the corners of her lips.

"Someone wants to destroy Spirit Hall? Then they'll have to ask whether Yaomei in my hand agrees!"

She raised a finger and lightly touched Gu Changsheng's brow. A Light Pink glow shimmered at her fingertip.

"Listen, Gu Changsheng. Fate is nothing more than an excuse the strong write for the weak. You are the brain of the Golden Generation, the genius Teacher favors. Tell me... Junior Brother, whom I've watched grow up since childhood."

She spoke the last few words very softly, but they carried even greater importance and tenderness.

"So don't dwell on those illusory endings. If you want to win, I'll win with you. If we lose, then we leave together. Even if he is a god, we'll still try to drag him down with us!"

Gu Changsheng abruptly turned his head and met Hu Liena's gaze, filled with possessiveness.

At that moment, the figure in his mind holding the Trident blurred somewhat. In its place was the vivid, passionate girl before him, willing to weather every storm alongside him.

Gu Changsheng felt the Soul Power within him flow more freely than ever before. The gloom that had always weighed upon his heart seemed to have been torn open by Hu Liena.

He clasped Hu Liena's hand in return. The hesitation in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by a blade-sharp light.

"Senior Sister, thank you."

Gu Changsheng stood and gazed into the distance, toward the moon gradually rising far away. His tone became even firmer.

"I won't fear anything anymore!"

Hu Liena watched his upright back, a trace of relief flashing through her eyes before she quickly resumed her languid, alluring demeanor.

"That's more like it. That's the Junior Brother I knew back then. But... have you found a suitable Spirit Beast for your Third Soul Ring yet?"

Gu Changsheng's body stiffened slightly as he felt the softness behind him. His heartbeat involuntarily quickened, but he immediately calmed himself.

"For my Third Soul Ring, I need a Mental Attribute Spirit Beast capable of distorting perception. I found a five-thousand-year Thousand-Faced Phantom Demon Spider. It can not only restrain the body, but also weave dreams. With it, I'll be able to control the entire field!"

Hu Liena raised her brow slightly at that. A five-thousand-year Spirit Beast was a deadly challenge for a level-thirty Spirit Master.

Yet she did not say anything discouraging. Instead, she merely smiled softly.

"A five-thousand-year Thousand-Faced Phantom Demon Spider? That sounds rather interesting. It seems I'll need to prepare properly for this spirit hunt as well. After all, your Senior Sister is no longer who she used to be. Don't worry, Junior Brother. I won't let you risk your life alone."

Moonlight continued to spill across the lake, making its surface glitter. The silhouettes of the two youths stretched long through the night, as though the gears of fate had begun to turn.

The next morning, in Spirit Hall's grand hall, sunlight streamed through the towering stained-glass windows, casting mottled patches of light across the floor.

Bibi Dong sat upon her lofty throne, still holding the Scepter that symbolized authority. Her deep gaze rested on Gu Changsheng below.

"Nana told me that you wish to go to the Star Dou Great Forest and obtain a five-thousand-year Thousand-Faced Phantom Demon Spider?"

Her voice was calm and without ripples, revealing neither joy nor anger. Yet everyone present knew that a storm often lay hidden beneath her tranquil words.

Gu Changsheng straightened his back without retreating.

"Yes, Teacher. Although my second Soul Skill can interfere with the flow of Soul Power, it lacks a forceful means of control. Against opponents with extreme speed or extreme defense, I need a skill that can directly distort their perception at the mental level."

Watching Gu Changsheng speak so confidently, Bibi Dong recalled how he had helped her analyze formations over the past three years.

He was no longer the sapling that needed her protection. Now, he had grown enough to become a genius Spirit Hall could be proud of—calm, rational, and even somewhat arrogant.

"Five thousand years? For a level-thirty Spirit Master, that is courting death. Once you suffer backlash, you'll either become an idiot or explode to death. Spirit Hall has nurtured you for so many years. If you die..."

Bibi Dong had her own thoughts as well. Just as she was about to continue, Gu Changsheng interrupted her.

"I'm not afraid! I don't want to remain behind others forever. I don't want to be a follower. I want to be strong. I want to be the one who makes the rules!"

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. There was admiration in her expression, along with a trace of complicated emotion.

"What a declaration. The one who makes the rules... Gu Changsheng, my student, come back alive!"

The next moment, she gave a light wave of her hand. A purple token floated down and landed steadily in Gu Changsheng's palm.

Everyone was stunned by the sight. This was Spirit Hall's special command token, an order that could mobilize a Titled Douluo—and she had given it to a ten-year-old child just like that!

Unbeknownst to them, far away in Tiandou City, a blue-clad boy within Shrek Academy suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose.

He looked toward Spirit Hall with extreme confusion.

"Why do I always feel a chill down my back whenever I look in that direction?"