As for Qian Renxue, Gu Xingzhou was in no hurry to act. At the very least, he could not actually use the Tang Sect Thirteen Needles on her.
He planned to use Qian Renxue to build enormous anticipation among the Douluo Continent's viewers. Only then would they look forward to her next appearance, allowing him to harvest popularity in an endless stream.
Of course, his biggest concern was retaliation from Qian Renxue. With Bibi Dong, he could at least try awakening her maternal love.
But if he offended Qian Renxue beyond reconciliation, staying alive would be difficult. Something like the Tang Sect Thirteen Needles was one thing for an older woman like Bibi Dong, but for an unmarried maiden like Qian Renxue, it was simply too devastating. With her temperament, she would never rest until one of them was dead.
Putting himself in her shoes, Gu Xingzhou would not have been able to stand it either. Only someone like Gangzi could bear that weight.
Still, although he could not use the Tang Sect Thirteen Needles, just taking a look would not be much of a problem. Why pass up a free advantage?
So, after finishing with Bibi Dong, Gu Xingzhou started working on Qian Renxue...
A moment later, he could not help marveling that Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue were indeed mother and daughter.
They truly shared the same lineage.
"Gu! Xing! Zhou!"
Qian Renxue's eyes reddened as she stared fixedly at Gu Xingzhou, shame, anger, and humiliation churning endlessly in her chest.
She stared at the painting, her gaze following Gu Xingzhou's every movement.
Fortunately, Gu Xingzhou behaved himself from beginning to end, never overstepping in the slightest. Yet no matter how careful he was, contact was inevitable. Although that was clearly not her real body, she felt everything as though it were happening to her...
It was like ants climbing a tree, yet at that very moment, she wished the process could last longer. Once it ended, Gu Xingzhou would begin inserting the needles...
She squeezed her eyes shut, yet she could still see everything clearly.
By now, her painted self had already been laid completely bare before Gu Xingzhou... The female viewers across the Douluo Continent were also scrutinizing and commenting on the sight. She could only be grateful that the male viewers could not see it. Otherwise, she might truly have lost the courage to keep living.
Just as Gu Xingzhou picked up the Silver Needle and prepared to begin, the scene in the ink painting abruptly vanished, and an announcement rang out.
[Bibi Dong's "Emergency Rescue Theater" has ended!] [Gu Xingzhou performing the Tang Sect Thirteen Needles on Qian Renxue falls outside the scope of Bibi Dong's "Emergency Rescue Theater." This script will therefore be retained. If Qian Renxue wins a future popularity contest, this script will be included among the available selections.] [The performance has ended. Both actors have been transported back to their locations before the performance!] [The voting phase will now begin!] [Please cast your popularity votes enthusiastically!] [Rest assured, this vote is completely anonymous and cannot be traced!] [Voting must be completed within one minute. Failure to vote before the deadline will be treated as abstention.] [The livestream will tally all popularity votes cast!] [The countdown begins now...]
At the sight of this, the stone weighing on Qian Renxue's heart finally fell away.
But as she read the discussion in the Ordinary Livestream Room, she remained on tenterhooks about her future fate.
[Well, damn. This livestream really knows how to keep us hanging!]
[They actually kept that up their sleeve! If Qian Renxue gets picked next time, I'm definitely voting for it!]
[Hold on. Knowing this livestream's style, the Tang Sect Thirteen Needles will definitely be used to force Qian Renxue to choose another script!]
[There'll probably be an even more explosive script waiting then!]
[Forget Qian Renxue for a moment. Who do you think will win this contest?]
[I wonder if Bibi Dong will kill Gu Xingzhou, or spare him out of affection for her son?]
[Hard to say. Those were the Gang Sect Thirteen Needles, after all!]
[???]
[Isn't it the Tang Sect?]
[Does it make a difference? Besides, Tang San is Yu Xiaogang's direct disciple. Shouldn't the Gang Sect outrank the Tang Sect?]
[Awesome. Makes perfect sense!]
[The countdown has ended!] [The results of this round will now be announced!] [Gu Xingzhou received 50 million popularity votes for this performance!] [Bibi Dong received 45 million popularity votes for this performance!] [A total of 95 million people across the continent voted. The remaining 5 million abstained!] [Winner of this round: Gu Xingzhou!] [Randomly drawing a reward...] [The loser, Bibi Dong, will now enter the punishment phase!] [Randomly drawing a punishment...] [The Fanfiction Livestream has currently accumulated 354 million popularity. Upon reaching 1 billion, the livestream can level up again and unlock brand-new features! Please cast your popularity votes enthusiastically!]
"Looks like everyone was willing to give me some face."
Seeing the voting results, Gu Xingzhou could not help letting out a sigh of relief. Even if he could steer the discussion in the Ordinary Livestream Room, a hundred million viewers were voting. He had no way of controlling them all.
Bibi Dong had only five million fewer votes than he did.
Although losing would not have mattered much-he would profit either way-he certainly wanted to snag this free prize draw if he could.
"I wonder what reward I'll draw?"
That, too, was beyond his control.
Gu Xingzhou could not help growing expectant. At the same time, he glanced at his popularity.
[Your currently available popularity: 213 million]
"I can earn another haul when it's time to pick the next round."
Gu Xingzhou was already very satisfied with this amount of popularity.
He had earned it in just one day, and it was already enough to transform his martial soul twice more.
[The random draw is complete.] [The results will now be announced.] [Congratulations to Gu Xingzhou for drawing the reward: Ten-thousand-year Myriad-Aspect Phantom Beast Origin Soul Ring! (All soul rings awarded by the livestream carry no risk of bodily explosion and will be absorbed perfectly!)]
The moment this announcement appeared, the entire Douluo Continent was dumbfounded!
As the reward was announced, a pitch-black soul ring shimmering with fragments of seven-colored light drifted out of the ink painting and hovered quietly above Gu Xingzhou's head.
[???]
[Holy shit, isn't this livestream spoiling Gu Xingzhou way too much?!]
[A ten-thousand-year first soul ring?! And perfect absorption! No risk of exploding!]
[Gangzi said the limit was 423 years. This livestream has turned his clown theory into a complete joke!]
[The very heavens over the Douluo Continent have changed!]
[We don't know what Gu Xingzhou's martial soul is, but this alone should cement him as the strongest of the Douluo Continent's younger generation, right?!]
[Forget the younger generation! He's absolutely the first in the entire history of the Douluo Continent! At least, as far as I know. I can't speak for anyone hiding out there.]
[Is this the kind of treatment you get for being handsome?]
[Now look at Tang San's reward, that four-hundred-year lone bamboo. What a joke!]
Looking at this reward, Tang San felt deeply bitter. As he recalled everything he had experienced since the livestream arrived and compared it all with Gu Xingzhou's experiences, claiming he felt neither envy nor jealousy would have been a lie.
As a transmigrator with twin martial souls and innate full soul power, he had always believed he was special. Destiny should have favored him. He should have been the protagonist!
Yet Gu Xingzhou had appeared...
If Xingzhou had to be born, why bring San into the world too?!
Meanwhile, Gu Xingzhou had already finished absorbing the soul ring.
Empowered by this ten-thousand-year soul ring, his martial soul underwent an astonishing transformation!
Before you continue