Since the Pope Wanted a Sharpening Stone, the Elephant Armor Sect Would Give Him a Harder One!

The Elephant Armor Sect.

Even after the Red-Robed Archbishop from Spirit Hall had left,

Huyan Zhen and his grandson still felt as though their minds had ground to a halt.

The large chests were right in front of them, yet it all felt like a dream.

Then Huyan Zhen whipped around and fixed Huyan Ye with a stern stare.

"Ye, tell me exactly what happened from beginning to end!"

"Don't leave out a single detail!"

Huyan Ye hurriedly recounted the whole affair.

He confirmed again and again that they had indeed received hints from Spirit Hall's higher-ups.

They had been told to provoke Qian Renchuan as much as possible and put him in his place.

After hearing him out, Huyan Zhen paced the hall with a dark expression, deep in thought.

Suddenly,

he stopped and slapped his thigh.

"I get it! The Pope is using you as a sharpening stone for the Eldest Young Master!"

At last, Huyan Zhen understood.

The Pope thought the Eldest Young Master was too idle.

So he had deliberately found people to provoke him.

To force him to fight, and force him to train!

"And from the looks of it,"

"the Elephant Armor Sect has no choice but to be that sharpening stone."

"The Pope rewarded us. That means he wants us to keep going!"

At the thought of having to serve as Qian Renchuan's sharpening stone again, Huyan Ye's face fell.

"Grandpa, what do we do?"

"I... I can't beat him anymore."

"He sent me flying with one punch without even releasing his Martial Soul. If I provoke him again, I'm just asking for a beating!"

Huyan Zhen glared at him.

"If you can't beat him, find someone who can!"

"Go get your brother!"

"Didn't he just reach Soul Elder?"

"Tell him someone bullied you at the academy."

"Have him go to the academy, find Qian Renchuan, and settle the score!"

Huyan Zhen's voice rang through the hall.

If the Pope wanted a sharpening stone,

the Elephant Armor Sect would give him a harder one!

As long as they didn't kill the Eldest Young Master, the Pope was sure to reward them even more!

Three days later.

Spirit Academy.

The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew.

On the academy training ground,

Qian Renchuan, Qian Renxue, and Huo Yuhao stood side by side.

Across from them stood Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.

Yue Guan wore his usual delicate attire, while Gui Mei was cloaked entirely in black, radiating a cold aura.

Yue Guan smiled at the three children.

"Eldest Young Master, Miss Xue, Third Young Master."

"The Grand Priest is in seclusion and cannot accompany you into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts."

"So His Holiness the Pope sent the two of us in his stead."

"We'll escort you to the Star Dou Great Forest."

Qian Renxue was disappointed that her grandfather could not come, but Yue Guan and Gui Mei were both Titled Douluo. Helping the three of them hunt Soul Beasts around the thousand-year level would be easy for them, so she had no reason to refuse.

"Sorry for the trouble, Elders."

Qian Renchuan, meanwhile, asked with interest,

"Uncle Yue Guan, how long will it take to reach the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"Can we stop along the way and look around? I've heard the scenery is lovely."

"We hardly ever get to leave Spirit City. We should take our time and enjoy the sights."

Both elders froze at his words.

Yue Guan stared at the Eldest Young Master for a long moment before he recovered.

"Eldest Young Master, we're going to hunt Soul Beasts, not on an outing!"

"Anyone going on a Soul Beast hunt would hurry to the Star Dou Great Forest so they'd have more time to find a suitable one!"

"But you want to go sightseeing along the way?"

"What if the delay makes us miss a good Soul Beast?"

Qian Renchuan pursed his lips, unconvinced.

"Uncle Yue Guan, that doesn't make sense."

"The Soul Beasts are in the Star Dou Great Forest. They haven't grown wings and flown away, so what difference does it make when we arrive?"

"Besides, we've barely been outside Spirit City. Now that we finally have the chance, we ought to see the world."

"It's settled. We'll have fun along the way!"

And he meant it.

In the six years Qian Renchuan had spent in this world, he had rarely left Spirit Mountain, let alone Spirit City.

He had spent his entire previous life working himself to the bone.

Now that he had been given another life,

he wanted to travel,

and see what was out there.

Yue Guan was still at a loss for words.

He turned to Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao, hoping the two children who usually trained so hard would object.

But Yue Guan and Gui Mei soon noticed something astonishing.

Miss Xue and the Third Young Master, who had never gotten along with the Eldest Young Master, raised no objections at all.

Qian Renxue stood there with a cold expression, but said nothing.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head, lost in thought, and likewise remained silent.

Both had tacitly agreed!

The two elders were stunned.

Had the sun risen in the west?

These two were usually so obsessed with training that they would squeeze every minute for all it was worth. Yet today they were willing to indulge the Eldest Young Master?

And because Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao had agreed,

their journey to the Star Dou Great Forest took an entirely different turn.

After they left Spirit City, Qian Renchuan asked the carriage to stop whenever they reached a town or came across somewhere interesting.

He would eagerly lead the others around, buy trinkets, sample local specialties, and try famous snacks.

Miss Xue, however, usually stayed in the carriage,

making use of every moment to cultivate her Soul Power.

The Third Young Master tinkered with his metal contraptions inside the carriage, tapping and hammering away.

Even so, the Eldest Young Master dragged both of them out of the carriage several times.

Surprisingly, though the two were somewhat reluctant,

they did not put up much resistance when he pressed them to join him.

In the end, they went along with it.

The three six-year-olds walked side by side down old-fashioned streets and through picturesque countryside, looking remarkably at ease together.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who accompanied them, were astonished.

But beneath their surprise, the two elders felt relieved.

They even began to admire the Eldest Young Master's way of handling things.

After all,

Miss Xue and the Third Young Master usually seemed far too mature and burdened, nothing like six-year-old children.

But when they were with the Eldest Young Master,

they relaxed a little and showed a spark of the liveliness children their age ought to have.