His cunning exposed, Qin Chao's calculations

"What did you say?" Chrysanthemum Douluo looked utterly bewildered, unable to grasp what Qin Chao meant.

"He wasn't a pawn, but a blade used to probe us..." Qin Chao's expression was unusually serious as he explained his thoughts to Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"I suspect the Elder Hall has prepared plenty of blades like him. Their strength isn't top-tier, but they meet the assessment requirements. Their task isn't to join the Golden Generation, but to test my strength..."

Qin Chao turned his gaze to Chrysanthemum Douluo, a flicker of slyness crossing his eyes. "Teacher, our assessment should include actual combat, right...?"

"How did you know..." Chrysanthemum Douluo blurted out reflexively.

"Ohhh..." Qin Chao drew out the sound, wearing a grin that practically begged for a punch. "I might not have known before, but now..."

To ensure the assessment was fair, its specific events had not been made public. Even Chrysanthemum Douluo had only learned about them that morning. It was only when he saw Qin Chao's sly smile that realization dawned on him.

"You brat, you actually dared to trick your teacher into talking? You're asking for a beating, aren't you..." Chrysanthemum Douluo raised his hand threateningly, and Qin Chao obligingly covered his head.

"I was just making a reasonable guess. Who knew you'd be so loose-lipped, Teacher..."

After a little teasing, Qin Chao grew serious again and continued explaining his reasoning.

"The boy who provoked me today avoided actual combat and only asked to compete in Taijutsu. That proves his Soul Power Level should be lower than mine. He can't even beat me, let alone join the Golden Generation, so he doesn't qualify as a pawn yet..."

"Which raises another question. If the goal was to probe me, the Elder Hall should have ordered him to find a way to fight me in actual combat. But that boy suddenly changed his mind. There's only one possible explanation..."

"The Elder Hall's inducements or threats weren't strong enough..." Chrysanthemum Douluo finished gravely, his expression growing somber.

Those old fossils would grow eight hundred scheming eyes if they could. Looking at it this way, things might be far trickier than we imagined...

"You truly are wise and mighty, Teacher..." Qin Chao smiled and served up a freshly cooked helping of flattery. "If that's the extent of their threats and inducements, they must have planted plenty of blades. This definitely won't be the only provocation..."

"So you stepped forward and gravely injured that boy with thunderous force to intimidate anyone harboring ill intentions?" Master and disciple were of one mind, and Chrysanthemum Douluo instantly understood Qin Chao's intentions.

He had wondered why his sweet, obedient little disciple had suddenly become so violent. If Qin Chao had not explained in time, he would have gone to settle the score with that old fellow Gui Mei.

Qin Chao nodded and continued his analysis.

"I issued a Life-or-Death Challenge and acted like a mad dog precisely to warn those bought off by the Elder Hall, giving them a chance to rein in their horses at the cliff's edge. Take that boy, for example. I didn't kill him outright on the challenge platform because I wanted them to understand that making the wrong choice once isn't something to fear. As long as they find their way back from the wrong path, the Pope Hall is still willing to give them a chance..."

"Then why did you use that slow-acting poison needle?" Remembering Qin Chao's wasteful behavior, Chrysanthemum Douluo felt another pang of heartache. "You only had one of those. It was meant to save your life..."

"If he'd merely been testing me, there would have been no need to hunt him down and finish him off. But he chose to make you lose face in front of everyone. By publicly insulting my teacher, that brat had already paved his own road to death..."

"As a member of the Golden Generation, I can't leave people with the impression that I'm bloodthirsty and brutal, so I still had to spare his life on the surface. But I simply couldn't swallow that bitter anger..."

Though Chrysanthemum Douluo was touched, he also knew Qin Chao had certainly not done it solely for his sake. He looked at Qin Chao teasingly. "There must be another reason, right...?"

The little fellow chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Nothing gets past your discerning eyes..."

"We could certainly intercept and kill him on his way home, but how could the Elder Hall be completely unprepared? That boy isn't just a blade for probing us. He's also bait to lure in the fish..."

"You mean they'll stop us from killing him? No, that's not right!" Chrysanthemum Douluo caught on instantly. "They don't want to stop us. They want evidence that the Pope Hall committed murder! Putting waste to use again-the Elder Hall really does have some fine tricks!"

Once they got hold of evidence that the Pope Hall had committed murder, the Elder Hall would spread it far and wide. Not even Pope Bibi Dong could cover up the wanton ambush and murder of a fellow member. She would have to punish the perpetrators severely, and the first to bear the brunt would be Chrysanthemum Douluo and Qin Chao, who had clashed directly with that boy.

"Exactly. So not only can we not make a move, we also have to send people to protect that boy in secret until he returns safely. After all, even without solid evidence, once they pin the charge of wantonly harming a fellow member on us, neither of us could wash ourselves clean even if we jumped into the Yellow River..."

The Elder Hall's calculations were indeed exquisite. Once this scheme was set in motion, even if it failed to make Bibi Dong cut off her own arm, it could still whip up a wave of public opinion within the Spirit Hall. Sometimes, even flying spittle could drown a person...

"Yes, you're right. I'll arrange for people right away..." As Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke, he moved to summon his trusted aides.

"Don't rush, Teacher. I haven't finished yet..." Qin Chao caught Chrysanthemum Douluo's sleeve and stopped him.

"Do you think that boy doesn't know what danger he's in? Leaving everything else aside, he broke his agreement with the Elder Hall. A little thought would tell him things won't end well for him. So who should he seek out now? Or rather, who else can he turn to?"

Qin Chao smiled slyly, while Chrysanthemum Douluo clapped excitedly. "Good lad! You truly are worthy of being my disciple, Yue Guan's disciple. But since you knew he would seek the Pope Hall's protection, why insist on taking his life?"

"Teacher, someone who's disloyal once should never be trusted again. If he can defy the Elder Hall's orders today to save his own life, there's no guarantee he won't betray the Pope Hall in the future. Would you dare use a reed that bends whichever way the wind blows?"

"Besides, I have another small objective in taking his life: striking the mountain to shake the tiger..."

"Striking the mountain to shake the tiger?!" Chrysanthemum Douluo was even more confused.

"Today's incident caused quite a stir. Everyone in the Spirit Hall knows he clashed with us. Even if he returns to his branch hall safely, plenty of eyes from the Elder Hall will still be watching him. If that boy quietly dies right under their noses, what will those people in the Elder Hall think?"

"You mean... there's a hidden expert in the Pope Hall!" Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Exactly. When the time comes, some people whose allegiance is wavering might even switch to our Pope Hall..."

"You brat... you really are... really are..." Chrysanthemum Douluo was momentarily speechless. The way he looked at Qin Chao had become completely different, as though he were staring at a monster...

Such cunning and calculation were beyond not only a child like Qin Chao, but even Chrysanthemum Douluo himself, by his own admission.

Seeing that unfamiliar look in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes, Qin Chao suddenly realized he had exposed far too much today.

Perhaps their time together over the past days had made Qin Chao trust him enough that he had momentarily forgotten to conceal his true scheming nature. How terrifying was a seven-year-old who could say such things? Even he, someone who had transmigrated here, would probably be frightened if he encountered such a child...