Great Enshrined! Great Enshrined!

Wasn't it just a matter of helping Qian Renxue increase the age of her Soul Rings?

A mere trifle.

A bond of shared interests and mutual benefit like this put Jin Yang's mind much more at ease.

"After you return, I'll arrange for some people to accompany me to the Plant Academy. Then I'll spread the news that I've taken you as my disciple through Spirit Hall's channels."

"After that, no one will dare lay a hand on you again. To touch you will be to make an enemy of all of Spirit Hall-and of me, Qian Daoliu."

Since Qian Daoliu had decided to take Jin Yang as his disciple, he would naturally provide the full measure of protection.

He would like to see who dared set their sights on his disciple.

"Thank you for making these arrangements, Master." Jin Yang understood the deeper meaning behind Qian Daoliu's words and hastily thanked him. "I'll work hard at my cultivation and uphold Spirit Hall's ideals. I will never tarnish your reputation."

Jin Yang knew that Qian Daoliu had taken him as a disciple partly because of his talent and Soul Skills, but to an even greater extent because of Qian Renxue.

If there was a way to improve Qian Renxue's strength before she completed her god trial, Qian Daoliu certainly would not let it slip away.

The Angel God Trial was the Angel Clan's honor and pride, as well as Qian Daoliu's lifelong obsession.

For the sake of Qian Renxue's Angel God Trial, Qian Daoliu would willingly sacrifice even himself.

Still, whatever the reason, Jin Yang now stood in the same camp as Qian Daoliu.

Knowing that was enough.

Once he had grown strong and become a Titled Douluo, what would he have to fear?

Tang Hao? However hard his hammer was, it might not be harder than Jin Yang's fists.

Bibi Dong? He wasn't afraid of her, either.

After the dean brought Jin Yang back to the Plant Academy, the students were immediately organized to hang lanterns, put up decorations, and prepare the venue to welcome their distinguished guests.

Everyone was intensely curious, eagerly guessing just what important figure would be visiting the Plant Academy.

"Hurry up, everyone! We're short on time! You must-absolutely must-take this reception seriously! Hey! Jin Yang! That doesn't go here! It should go over there! Right behind Fang Qiong!"

Yao Zi stood in the middle of the venue, urging everyone to move faster and directing where they placed things, while using her Martial Soul, Red Flame Thorn, to shift large, nonflammable objects.

"Keep it up, everyone! This is the last venue we need to decorate. We have to finish before dinner!"

Yao Zi's voice was loud and strong, brimming with energy.

She truly deserved her place as the Plant Academy's student leader.

Not a single student in the entire Plant Academy could rival Yao Zi when it came to bringing her fellow students together. She was the reassuring anchor for all the academy's students.

Relying on her older brother was merely an excuse Yao Zi paid lip service to. She had truly reached this point because she herself was a warmhearted, upright, responsible, and capable young woman.

If Yao Zi found no better prospects after graduating, the Plant Academy would most likely hire her back as a teacher.

The sun slowly sank, and the sky grew dim. The sunset's lingering red light streamed through the windows onto the auditorium floor.

Everyone finally finished before the dining hall opened.

Yao Zi dismissed the others, wiped the light sheen of sweat from her forehead, and walked slowly over to Jin Yang.

"Thank you for all your hard work, Senior."

Yao Zi smiled happily. "It's only what I should do. I haven't congratulated you yet, Junior. I never imagined you'd actually become a disciple of Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined Qian. That's incredible!"

Yao Zi shared in his pride, her smiling eyes curving into crescents.

"You flatter me, Senior," Jin Yang said modestly.

"No need to be embarrassed. I always knew you were outstanding," Yao Zi encouraged him. "To think I'll be meeting the Great Enshrined soon! I'm so excited-and so nervous!"

Yao Zi's entire family worked for Spirit Hall, so she had grown up hearing stories about it.

She had always revered Pope Qian Daoliu, whom her grandfather spoke of.

Unfortunately, she had never seen Qian Daoliu in person.

Now, thanks to Jin Yang, she would finally get to witness the bearing of Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu for herself.

Yao Zi did not have to wait long. At noon the next day, when the sun blazed overhead,

Qian Daoliu arrived with Golden Crocodile Douluo and a group of Spirit Hall deacons.

Since the dean had already spread the news that Qian Daoliu was coming, the moment there was any movement at Spirit Hall,

the ordinary believers of Spirit Hall throughout Plant City had already gathered nearby.

They wanted nothing more than to see Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu with their own eyes.

Even though they packed the roads so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through, leaving only a narrow passage along the street for Qian Daoliu,

hardly anyone seemed to complain.

After all, who wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of one of Spirit Hall's great figures?

After Qian Daoliu slowly entered Plant City in Spirit Hall's specially made carriage,

thunderous applause erupted at the city gates.

"Great Enshrined! Great Enshrined!"

Everyone was shouting.

Some even began to cry, hot tears spilling from their eyes-all tears of gratitude.

Some of those farther back, desperate to see Qian Daoliu's face clearly,

kept jumping up and down amid the crowd, just to engrave his image in their hearts during that fleeting instant of less than a second.

"It's been so many years since I last came here, yet the people of Plant City are still so enthusiastic," Qian Daoliu remarked to Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"You're welcomed wherever you go, Great Enshrined," Golden Crocodile Douluo said earnestly.

"This is the will of the people! Where their hearts turn, the great tide follows. Seeing a scene like this makes me feel all the more that the continent's sects and great families remain too far removed from the smoke of ordinary hearths."

As Qian Daoliu responded to the crowd's enthusiasm, he stole moments to chat with Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"Are you going to take action?" Golden Crocodile Douluo asked in surprise.

Qian Daoliu shook his head. "Certainly, I could break the deadlock by force, but there's no need. For now, the sects and great families still have their uses.

"They still have quite a few admirers and supporters.

"If I forcibly swept them away, it would easily throw the continent into turmoil, provoking discontent and panic among the people.

"I can save the people from fire and flood, but before they have fallen into those dire straits, I cannot intervene in the chain of cause and effect ahead of time to rescue them from a fire and flood that exist only in my mind."

"You're right, Great Enshrined. I understand now. Only after losing something do people learn to cherish it. Adding flowers to brocade is easy; delivering charcoal in the snow is hard. What we need to do is deliver charcoal in the snow." Golden Crocodile Douluo looked as though understanding had suddenly dawned on him.

Qian Daoliu said nothing more.

Golden Crocodile Douluo would be better off simply doing his job as an enshrined of Spirit Hall.

Although there was nothing wrong with what he had said, it was a far cry from what Qian Daoliu had meant.

From Plant City's gates all the way to the Plant Academy's entrance, the common people's cheers never ceased.

Whether they were laughing or crying, they were all expressing the same feeling.

Gratitude toward Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined.

Soon, the carriage came to a halt outside the Plant Academy.

Students from the Plant Academy were maintaining order, so only when they reached the open space outside its entrance did the deacons responsible for guarding the two Titled Douluo's carriage finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, the people surrounding the carriage to express their gratitude were either low-ranking Soul Masters or ordinary people. If the deacons accidentally hurt or knocked into them, not only would their consciences suffer, but it would also mean they had failed in their duties. A round of punishment would probably be unavoidable.