In the VIP seats.
Qian Daoliu sat beside the seat of honor.
Qian Renxue raised her head and looked toward him.
Qian Daoliu stood up.
"Well done."
A bright smile appeared on Qian Renxue's face.
She raised the trophy in her hands.
"Grandpa, I won the championship."
"I saw."
Qian Daoliu raised his hand.
A spatial passage opened beside the Soul Fighting arena.
Qian Renxue walked into it with the trophy.
The Spirit Hall Academy team members and the representatives of the major sects all watched that golden passage.
Only at this moment did they understand.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team had won the championship not because the team was powerful.
But because someone far beyond the realm of Soul Masters stood among its members.
The Pope's Hall.
Bibi Dong sat on the throne.
She had already changed out of her papal robes.
A black dress hugged her waist.
Black stockings encased her long, slender legs.
She raised a teacup but did not drink.
Qian Daoliu entered the hall with Qian Renxue.
Liu Erlong followed behind them.
Qian Renxue set the Champion Trophy on the table.
"Bibi Dong."
Bibi Dong lifted her eyes.
"You've already won the championship?"
"Yes."
"You fought personally?"
"I did it alone."
Bibi Dong looked at Qian Daoliu.
"You've raised her well."
"That has nothing to do with you," Qian Daoliu said.
Bibi Dong set down her teacup.
She stood, the hem of her black dress falling along her legs.
"I prepared some food."
Qian Renxue glanced at her.
"You can cook?"
"No."
Bibi Dong's gaze fell on Qian Daoliu.
"So I had the kitchen prepare it."
Qian Renxue did not refuse.
The three of them went to the Side Hall.
Light dishes were laid out on the table, along with a plate of sliced fruit.
Bibi Dong sat opposite Qian Daoliu.
She picked up a silver pick, speared a piece of fruit, and held it out before Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu glanced at her.
"Eat it yourself."
"This is simple courtesy."
Bibi Dong did not withdraw her hand.
Qian Daoliu opened his mouth and ate it.
Sitting beside him, Qian Renxue gave a soft huff.
"Grandpa, I prepared fruit too."
She opened her food box.
Sliced fruit and pastries were arranged inside.
"I prepared these myself."
Qian Daoliu looked at the two jade plates before him.
"Eat the meal first."
Bibi Dong picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks.
"Qian Daoliu, you're already at level 100."
"I want to know just how great the gap between us is."
"You want to spar?"
"Tomorrow."
Bibi Dong looked at him.
"On the Back Mountain of the Pope's Hall."
Qian Daoliu lifted his teacup.
"Fine."
"Aren't you worried I'll use Rakshasa divine power?"
"If you don't, would I even need to go?"
Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment.
Her gaze returned to Qian Renxue.
"Qian Renxue, will you watch too?"
"Of course."
Qian Renxue picked up a pastry.
"I want to know how long Bibi Dong can last now."
Bibi Dong did not answer.
She merely raised her teacup and slowly took a sip.
The next day.
On the Back Mountain of the Pope's Hall.
Bibi Dong stood on the summit.
The mountain wind stirred her black dress.
Black stockings encased her legs.
The scepter in her hand had already transformed into the Rakshasa Demon Scythe.
Purple-black divine power surged from within her.
Qian Daoliu approached along the mountain path.
Qian Renxue and Liu Erlong stood in the distance.
"Are you ready?"
Qian Daoliu stopped a hundred feet away.
Bibi Dong raised the Demon Scythe.
"Make your move."
"You first."
Bibi Dong did not hesitate.
Rakshasa divine power shot into the sky.
Purple-black light covered the heavens.
The Demon Scythe swept through the sky, slashing toward Qian Daoliu with enough force to tear a mountain peak apart.
Qian Daoliu raised two fingers.
Golden divine light fell upon the Demon Scythe.
The scythe's blade stopped three inches from the point between his brows.
Bibi Dong's expression changed.
She poured all her divine power into the Demon Scythe.
Purple-black light erupted incessantly.
Qian Daoliu's fingers still did not move.
"You haven't fully mastered your Rakshasa divine power."
"That is the gap between you and me."
Qian Daoliu flicked his finger.
The Demon Scythe flew from Bibi Dong's hands.
Her body flew backward, her toes scraping across the mountain rocks as she retreated more than a dozen steps.
Bibi Dong raised a hand to steady herself.
Her second martial soul, the Death Spider Emperor, manifested behind her.
Nine soul rings rose simultaneously.
Rakshasa divine power fused with her martial soul.
Purple-black Spider Spears burst from the ground, sealing off the space around Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu finally released a golden soul ring.
The instant the soul ring rose, every Spider Spear froze in midair.
He raised his palm.
Golden divine light spread outward.
The Death Spider Emperor shattered on the spot.
All nine soul rings around Bibi Dong dimmed.
She fell to her knees on the mountain rocks again.
Qian Renxue watched this scene.
"Mother, do you still want to continue?"
Bibi Dong raised her face.
"I haven't lost yet."
She forced herself to stand.
The Rakshasa God Mark lit up between her brows.
An even greater power descended from the void.
Qian Daoliu lifted his eyes.
The Golden Divine Ring expanded across the entire summit.
The Rakshasa divine power was instantly forced back into Bibi Dong's body.
Bibi Dong's legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees once more.
The Demon Scythe in her hand dissolved into specks of purple-black light and merged back into her body.
Qian Daoliu withdrew the divine ring.
"Have you lost now?"
Bibi Dong lowered her head and looked at her hands.
The Rakshasa divine power within her could no longer circulate.
She fell silent for a moment.
"I lost."
"If you continue completing your divine examination, perhaps you'll still have a chance."
"Only a chance?"
"A divine position isn't the entirety of power."
Qian Daoliu turned and walked toward Qian Renxue.
Bibi Dong remained kneeling on the summit.
She watched that golden figure gradually recede into the distance.
Qian Renxue came to her grandfather's side and linked her arm through his.
"Grandpa, was today's sparring match just all right too?"
Qian Daoliu glanced at her.
"Better than yesterday's match."
Qian Renxue's smile deepened.
"Then that means it was very good."
Liu Erlong followed behind the two of them.
The three figures gradually disappeared along the mountain path.
Bibi Dong raised her head.
The mountain breeze swept past her Black Dress.
She did not follow them again.
She merely dispersed the Divine Power Qian Daoliu had left behind, clearing it from her meridians bit by bit.
On the Back Mountain behind the Pope's Hall.
Bibi Dong still stood on the summit.
Purple-black Rakshasa Divine Power flowed slowly through her meridians.
Whenever the Divine Power passed through her shoulders and arms, a wisp of golden power blocked it.
Bibi Dong raised her right hand.
The Rakshasa God Mark lit up again.
The instant the two powers touched, the golden light forced the purple-black Divine Power back into her body.
Her hand fell with it.
"With just one divine ring, he could suppress my Rakshasa Divine Power."
Bibi Dong looked in the direction Qian Daoliu had left.
The three figures were already gone from the mountain path.
Their clash lingered in her mind.
The Rakshasa Demon Scythe had been stopped by two fingers.
The Death Spider Emperor had shattered amid the Golden Divine Light.
Even after drawing on the power of the Rakshasa Godhood, she had failed to make Qian Daoliu retreat so much as half a step.
Bibi Dong closed her eyes.
She had once believed that completing the Rakshasa God Trial would let her truly stand at the pinnacle of the continent.
But Qian Daoliu had already crossed that boundary.
Even a divine position could not determine victory or defeat against him.
"So this is Level 100?"
Bibi Dong mobilized her Soul Power again.
Her level ninety-nine Soul Power flowed through her meridians, forcing the lingering Angel Divine Power out of her body bit by bit.
With every wisp of golden light she dispersed, she saw the gulf between them more clearly.
If Qian Daoliu had wanted to kill her, their clash would not have lasted so long.
She would not even have had a chance to draw on the Rakshasa Godhood.
The outcome shocked Bibi Dong, yet she could do nothing to change it.
The sun slowly set.
Bibi Dong withdrew her Rakshasa Divine Power.
The mountain breeze pressed her Black Dress against her sides, outlining her slender waist and long legs.
She lowered her head and glanced at the two knee impressions in the mountain rock.
Those were the places where she had knelt twice.
"I haven't fully mastered the Rakshasa Divine Power yet."
"When the Divine Examination is over, I'll come find you again."
Bibi Dong turned toward the Pope's Hall.
Her purple high heels stepped along the mountain path.
The hem of her black dress brushed lightly over the stone steps.
She did not look back.
The Worship Hall.
Night covered the rear courtyard.
Several lamps were lit around the Waterside Pavilion.
Golden lamplight fell across the lake, swaying constantly with the ripples.
Liu Erlong sat at the edge of the Waterside Pavilion.
She had already bathed.
Her damp black hair hung loose behind her shoulders, its ends falling over her chest.
A thin, burgundy nightdress clung to her mature figure.
Its neckline drew inward along her snow-white shoulders.
Soft fabric wrapped her slender waist, extending downward over her full curves.
The nightdress reached only above her knees.
Her two fair, shapely legs rested together at an angle along the edge of the Soft Couch.
No stockings covered her slender calves.
Lamplight shone over her delicate skin, leaving soft patches of light and shadow between the bends of her knees and her ankles.
Liu Erlong lowered her head and dried her long hair.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
She put down the towel and turned to look at Qian Daoliu as he entered the Waterside Pavilion.
"Has the Young Master gone to sleep?"
"She just fell asleep."
Qian Daoliu came to the Soft Couch.
After winning the Soul Master Tournament championship, Qian Renxue had held the trophy and gazed at it for a long time.
She had only been willing to return to the Bedchamber to rest late at night.
Liu Erlong shifted a little to the side.
"Sit here."
Qian Daoliu sat beside her.
Liu Erlong turned and laid her still-damp black hair in front of his lap.
"There's still half left."
Qian Daoliu picked up the towel.
Cradling the soft strands, he slowly wiped the moisture from their ends.
Liu Erlong set her bare feet on the Soft Couch.
The burgundy hem drew up a little with the movement.
Her fair knees and much of her snow-white legs were exposed beneath the lamplight.
She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them.
"Bibi Dong suffered quite a blow today."
"She needs to recognize the limits of her own strength."
"She has already reached level ninety-nine."
Liu Erlong watched the lamplight reflected in the lake.
"Not even Rakshasa Divine Power could make you fight seriously?"
"She hasn't completed the Divine Examination yet."
Qian Daoliu gathered her dried black hair behind her.
"Only when she truly inherits the Rakshasa Godhood will she be able to unleash its full power."
Liu Erlong turned her face toward him.
"And then?"
"The outcome won't change."
She laughed softly.
"If she heard that, she probably wouldn't be able to rest tonight."
Qian Daoliu put down the towel.
Liu Erlong's black hair no longer dripped.
Yet she did not return to her original position.
Her voluptuous body leaned back, settling against Qian Daoliu's chest.
The strap of her burgundy nightdress slipped from her left shoulder.
A broad expanse of fair skin was exposed.
Qian Daoliu raised his hand and pulled the strap back into place for her.
Liu Erlong caught his wrist.
"It's just us here."
"The night breeze is chilly."
"I'm not cold."
She guided Qian Daoliu's hand back to her waist.
Through the thin fabric, his palm could clearly feel her softness and warmth.
Liu Erlong stretched out her long legs.
Her rounded heels settled lightly on the Soft Couch.
Her fair toes peeked out from the burgundy hem, curling slightly.
She looked down at her feet.
"I walked quite a few mountain paths today."
Qian Daoliu asked, "Tired?"
"My legs are a little sore."
Liu Erlong lifted her right leg and laid it across Qian Daoliu's lap.
Her smooth calf lay across the folds of his Golden Robe.
The slender line of her leg extended from her ankle beneath her skirt.
Qian Daoliu held her ankle.
Fresh from her bath, Liu Erlong's skin still carried a faint warmth.
His palm moved up her calf and stopped beside her knee.
"Here?"
"A little higher."
Through her skirt, Qian Daoliu pressed the side of her leg.
Liu Erlong leaned back closer against him.
Her black hair spread across his shoulder.
Her red lips parted slightly, and her breathing gradually slowed.
A moment later, she laid her other leg across Qian Daoliu's lap as well.
"This one too."
Qian Daoliu glanced at her.
"You only stood beside the mountain path today."
"Standing too long gets tiring too."
Liu Erlong did not avert her gaze.
Both fair, shapely legs rested across his Golden Robe.
Her burgundy nightdress bunched along the sides of her legs, making her skin look even fairer.
Qian Daoliu took her other ankle.
The pads of his fingers slowly pressed along her rounded heel.
Liu Erlong's toes curled.
"More gently."
"Aren't your legs sore?"
"The soles of my feet are ticklish."
She sat upright.
Her full chest pressed close to Qian Daoliu's arm.
The neckline of her nightdress slid downward with the movement.
Snow-white skin met deep red fabric, her mature figure fully revealed beneath the lamplight.
Liu Erlong raised her arms and wrapped them around Qian Daoliu's neck.
"They're not sore anymore."
"So soon?"
"I wasn't really trying to get you to massage my legs anyway."
She leaned closer to Qian Daoliu.
Her red lips touched the corner of his mouth.
Qian Daoliu held her waist.
Liu Erlong straddled him.
Her long, shapely legs fell to either side of his Golden Robe.
The burgundy hem clung tightly to her waist and hips.
The soft fabric traced her full curves.
She looked down at Qian Daoliu.
"Stay with me tonight."
"What night haven't I stayed with you?"
A smile deepened in Liu Erlong's eyes.
"Then tonight can't be an exception either."
She leaned in to kiss him again.
Her loose black hair fell over their shoulders, hiding their faces as they pressed together.
The lights outside the Waterside Pavilion were still burning.
The Soul Masters patrolling the lakeside had already had their perception blocked by golden divine power.
Qian Daoliu supported Liu Erlong beneath her knees and lifted her from the Soft Couch.
Her wine-red nightdress hung down from the crook of his arm.
Her two long, fair legs dangled beyond his golden robe.
Liu Erlong gently swung her bare feet.
"Back to the bedroom."
Qian Daoliu carried her toward the little lakeside building.
Liu Erlong rested her face against his shoulder.
"Don't get up as early as last time."
"There are still things to do tomorrow."
"Tomorrow's matters can wait until tomorrow."
The two entered the room.
Liu Erlong raised a hand and removed the last hairpin from her hair.
Her thick black hair came completely loose.
She stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet.
Her wine-red nightdress clung to the sides of her legs as she walked.
Qian Daoliu closed the door.
Golden Divine Light covered the door and windows.
Liu Erlong came to the bedside.
With her back to Qian Daoliu, she raised her hands and took hold of the thin ties at the back of her nightdress.
"Help me."
Qian Daoliu walked up behind her.
The thin ties were slowly undone.
Freed of its restraints, the wine-red fabric slid down her fair shoulders and back.
Liu Erlong turned around, holding the dress against her chest with both hands.
Her cheeks flushed red, but she did not avert her gaze.
"The lights."
Qian Daoliu raised his hand.
The lights in the room went out.
Liu Erlong released her hands.
The wine-red nightdress fell beside the bed.
She raised both arms and embraced the White-Haired Man before her once more.
The bed curtains slowly fell.
A pair of beautiful, fair legs slipped beneath the brocade quilt.
Liu Erlong nestled her body into Qian Daoliu's embrace.
"You're not allowed to let go of me tonight."
"All right."
Outside the window, the lake water gently lapped against the shore.
The Golden Divine Light in the room never dispersed.
Before you continue