The dust settled on the battle. Although Liu Tian had not fallen, he clearly could no longer move. The host announced Qian Renyue's victory, and the protective barrier vanished. Liu Tian's teammates rushed up to catch him, and their support Soul Master immediately began treating him. That heart-stopping battle had certainly given his teammates a terrible fright.
Qian Renyue gave Liu Tian only a couple more looks before heading to the waiting room.
In the spectator stands, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, dressed in white and black robes, had witnessed everything. Earlier, Ning Rongrong had asked them to find Qian Renyue, and they had sent people to investigate without a second thought. However, they had uncovered very little. Apart from learning that she was at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, they had found out nothing else.
They had also heard that Qian Renyue had a match at the Soul Fighting Arena, so the two had come together. Had they not come, they would never have known: the person Ning Rongrong wanted to find was actually the little girl they had escorted back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Chen Xin had felt from the beginning that this little girl was extraordinary, which was why she had caught his interest. After watching this battle, he was certain his instincts had been right. Frost One Sword had truly made his eyes light up. This child definitely had a gift for swordsmanship!
"Old Sword, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to this child?" Gu Rong had already spotted the appreciation in Chen Xin's eyes. Although he admired the child too, her identity was still unclear. How could Chen Xin already be thinking of taking her as a disciple?
No, no. That wouldn't do.
"She has a gift for swordsmanship. I'll go speak to her myself in a little while and ask what she thinks."
As a sword fanatic, Chen Xin could not care less about anything else. Having finally encountered a talented young swordswoman, he naturally wanted to pluck up this promising seedling and nurture her properly. Besides, their last meeting had given him a rough idea of Qian Renyue's identity. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall had always been like well water and river water, each keeping out of the other's affairs, and there was no enmity between them. Even if Qian Renyue became his disciple, it would not cause any major trouble. Of course, that all depended on whether Qian Renyue was willing.
Gu Rong still had not caught up. He thought Old Sword must have lost his mind to say something so baffling. "Look, Swordy, don't you care who she actually is? You know our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has eyes and ears all over the world. Even after we mobilized our people to investigate this child, we couldn't make heads or tails of her background. Doesn't that prove her identity is anything but simple? We ought to think things through before getting involved with someone like that. It wouldn't be good if something awkward happened!"
Listening to Gu Rong's earnest warnings, Chen Xin turned to glance at him. "Old Bone, did you really not notice that the two Soul Douluo following that girl back then were from Spirit Hall?"
"What? From Spirit Hall?" Gu Rong thought it over. "I really didn't notice."
"When you dragged those two Soul Douluo out and beat them up, they didn't fight back. Their clothes bore Spirit Hall's insignia, and what's more, they called that girl Second Young Lady. If she isn't from Spirit Hall, where else could she be from?"
Chen Xin continued his analysis. "Though I truly have no idea when Spirit Hall acquired a Second Young Lady."
"..."
Gu Rong fell silent at that. Not only did Chen Xin have no idea, he had no idea either.
Still, since she was from Spirit Hall, it did not really matter. Spirit Hall and their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no enmity between them. Even if Chen Xin took their Second Young Lady as his disciple, it would be no great matter. At most, it would create a somewhat delicate connection between Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Backstage.
Qian Renyue dragged her exhausted body back to the Imperial Fighting Team's lounge.
Yu Feng had been waiting at the door for quite some time, holding the daisies Yu Tianheng had bought for Qian Renyue. The moment he spotted her in the distance, he could hardly wait to present the flowers to her. When she came closer, he handed them over and said with a grin, "Little sister Yueyue, you were just too cool! Frost One Sword-that sword thrust went straight into my heart! How could I not fall at your feet?"
"Well, thank you, then."
Qian Renyue accepted the daisies, sounding rather perfunctory. Yu Feng had been buttering her up for far more than a day or two. If she had not known that he felt nothing beyond simple camaraderie toward her, she would seriously have suspected that he liked her.
"Oh, little sister Yueyue, you must be exhausted. Come on, come on! The captain prepared an iced bayberry and lychee drink for you!"
After welcoming Qian Renyue into the lounge, Yu Feng began fussing over her again. In truth, Yu Tianheng had told him to buy all these things. The main reason he acted so fond of Qian Renyue was that Yu Tianheng valued her highly. Yu Tianheng was always giving him money to buy things for her, and over time, he had skimmed off quite a bit. Those little extras alone were enough to let him live it up for a whole month.
"Yueyue, how are you feeling?" Dugu Yan sat beside Qian Renyue and rested a hand on hers, concern written across her face. Qian Renyue had already spent some soul power during the team battle, and unleashing Frost One Sword just now had nearly drained what remained. She was utterly exhausted. If Yu Feng had not kept chattering in her ear, she probably could have fallen asleep on the spot.
Qian Renyue shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a little sleepy."
Having nearly exhausted her soul power for the first time, Qian Renyue suddenly felt like adding a support-type Soul Master who could help restore it to the team. Although Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia had powerful healing abilities, it could not restore a Soul Master's soul power. In that respect, it fell a little short of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Oscar, that food-type Soul Master.
"Sigh."
With a soft sigh, Qian Renyue decided to find somewhere quiet and get some sleep. She did not want to enter a team battle sporting a pair of panda eyes.
"I'm going to rest first. Sister Yanzi, Sister Lingling, Brother Tian Heng, Teacher Qin Ming, see you tomorrow."
With that, Qian Renyue rose and left.
Qin Ming did not stop her. Instead, he reminded her to rest well and get herself back into shape.
Qian Renyue had truly given him a tremendous surprise today. Although he had known she could use a Fusion Soul Skill, he had not expected it to transform into different weapons. This girl clearly had a promising future!
On her way back to the hotel, Qian Renyue encountered the two seniors, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, just as she had expected.
She was a little sleepy today, so she failed to recognize the two Titled Douluo, dressed like a pair of dopey deer, at first. Only when Gu Rong called out did she turn and look at the two rather furtive old men.
"Seniors."
Qian Renyue bowed, listless.
Seeing her condition, Chen Xin could not help taking a treasure he had cherished for years out of his Soul Tool. "Eat this. You'll feel much better."
Before you continue