Before long.
Deep within the Worship Hall, the light darkened abruptly as Qian Renxue walked in.
After she arrived at a spacious area, candle flames flickered on both sides, casting a half-bright, half-shadowed glow over the huge Angel God Statue on the dome.
Beneath the statue, a figure stood with hands clasped behind his back, facing away from the hall doors.
Qian Renxue knew that this was her great-grandfather, so she immediately knelt on both knees, her voice clear and respectful: "Great-granddaughter Qian Renxue greets Great-grandfather."
The words fell.
That figure slowly turned around.
Qian Renxue raised her head, her pupils contracting abruptly the moment she saw the other's face clearly.
Too young.
Sword-like brows slanting into her temples and a refined face, he looked to be barely in his early thirties.
Had it not been for the depth and vastness settling within those eyes which far surpassed his age, Qian Renxue would have almost thought she had mistaken the person.
"Get up."
Qian Chenming's voice was not heavy, carrying a gentle quality.
Qian Renxue stood up and stood with her hands hanging down, yet her gaze could not help but size him up once more.
Was this Great-grandfather Qian Chenming? The legendary Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall who had perished a hundred years ago according to legends, now returned from the dead, yet his appearance still remained in his prime years.
He was indeed exactly the same as the person from the daytime.
Recalling her grandfather's words that her great-grandfather was mild-mannered and polite, Qian Renxue's expression inevitably relaxed a lot facing this face.
Yet who would have expected that at this moment, Qian Chenming's scrutinizing gaze had already inquired:
"Xiao Xue, how has your Soul Power progressed after lurking in the Heaven Dou Empire for these dozen years?"
Qian Renxue's heart tightened.
She was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Reporting to Great-grandfather, Renxue is ashamed, she currently barely has the strength of a Soul Emperor."
Qian Chenming did not speak, only looking at her.
That gaze was not sharp, yet it seemed able to pierce through everything, making Qian Renxue feel as though she had no cover whatsoever before the other person.
"Ashamed?" Qian Chenming repeated those two words, his tone rising slightly. "Tell me about it, in what way are you ashamed."
When he finished speaking, Qian Renxue bit her lip, somewhat not knowing how to put it.
With her talent, this speed should not have been this slow.
Yet in order to disguise herself as Xue Qinghe over these years, she had been busy with Heaven Dou state affairs and forming factions for selfish interests, unable to break through with all her might, and her Soul Power was thus maintained at the Soul Emperor realm.
At this time, seeing Qian Renxue not speaking, Qian Chenming suddenly chuckled softly, that smile carrying a hint of unfathomable emotion:
"Xiao Xue, how old are you now?"
"Reporting to Great-grandfather, Renxue is already twenty-five years old." Qian Renxue lowered her head and stated the truth.
"Then do you know that back then, your great-grandfather here was a mere step away from being a Titled Douluo at your age?"
Qian Renxue's figure shook, and she could not help raising her head to meet those deep eyes.
Qian Chenming paced slowly, walking out from beneath the statue with steady footsteps, every step seeming to tread upon Qian Renxue's heartstrings.
"Could it be that your talent is inferior to this great-grandfather of yours?" He stopped three paces in front of Qian Renxue, then shook his head. "Not so, but rather that you are always affected by matters outside yourself."
The words had just landed.
Qian Renxue's heart trembled, and an unspeakable feeling welled up.
"Great-grandfather teaches rightly."
She said in a low voice, yet her tone carried somewhat more indescribable feeling than just now.
Qian Chenming looked at her, a trace of slight satisfaction faintly showing in his eyes:
"However, that you were able to lie dormant in the Heaven Dou Empire for over a decade at such a tender age without revealing flaws-this temperament of yours is indeed much stronger than your grandfather's."
Qian Renxue was slightly startled, then thought of Qian Daoliu's eager-to-avoid-him appearance just now, and the corners of her mouth could not help floating up with a trace of an extremely faint smile.
"Great-grandfather, grandfather he..."
"What about him?"
Qian Chenming's tone abruptly turned somewhat colder, a nuance of "bringing up that good-for-nothing again" flashing in his eyes.
Qian Renxue decisively changed her wording: "Nothing, grandfather he... is doing quite well."
Qian Chenming let out a hum and did not pursue the question further, his gaze falling back onto her as he turned to continue:
"Xiao Xue, do you know what your great-grandfather detests most in his life?"
Qian Renxue was slightly startled, lowering her head to say: "Renxue does not know."
"What I detest the most is people who waste their talent." Qian Chenming's voice was very heavy, pointing straight at the person before him.
"You were born with a level twenty Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, pure bloodline, and exceptional bone structure. Do you know that an aptitude like yours is hard to find even one person in a hundred years across the entire continent?"
Qian Renxue fell silent, her fingertips curling slightly.
"But what about you?" Qian Chenming shook his head, dissatisfaction showing on his face. "You entered Heaven Dou at nine, and now, sixteen years later, you are barely a Soul Emperor. Do you know what this means?"
"This means that in these sixteen years, you could have at the very least made a breakthrough to Titled. Yet you wasted your best years on masquerading as a useless crown prince."
Qian Renxue's heart tightened, and she could not help saying, "Great-grandfather, Renxue thought that lurking in Heaven Dou, controlling the court as the crown prince, and coordinating from within and without when the time is ripe, was a necessary move for Spirit Hall to unify the world without expending a single breath of effort..."
"A necessary move?" Qian Chenming let out a laugh, and that smile was quite ridiculous. "Xiao Xue, you overestimate Heaven Dou too much."
Qian Renxue froze.
Qian Chenming paced slowly, walking up to her. "What does Spirit Hall rely on to unify the continent? Absolute strength. It is the power that makes people across the world look on in awe.
Your grandfather's Six-Winged Angel, and your Six-Winged Angel, are Spirit Hall's greatest deterrence. As for what Heaven Dou court affairs, what usurping the throne..."
He paused, a hint of disdain carrying in his tone. "They are merely crooked paths. A world obtained in this manner is neither stable, nor will it convince anyone."
Qian Renxue stood in place, her ears buzzing.
More than ten years of dormancy, more than ten years of forbearance, for more than ten years she had carefully played another person, burying her true self beneath one mask after another.
Those years, she thought she was paving the way for Spirit Hall, thought she was enduring humiliation to shoulder a heavy burden, thought that one day when success was achieved, everyone would be able to see her contribution.
Yet a single casual remark from Qian Chenming easily dismissed her persistence of more than ten years.
"Does Great-grandfather mean..." Qian Renxue's voice was somewhat dry.
"I ask you, in these ten-odd years you have lurked in Heaven Dou, have you ever truly shaken Heaven Dou's foundation?"
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment. "Not yet."
"Have you ever gathered forces sufficient to sway the court?"
"Still under management."
"Have you ever obtained intelligence that poses a substantive threat to Spirit Hall?"
Qian Renxue opened her mouth, and after a long while, she spoke in a low voice, "...Never."
When the words reached this point, Qian Chenming's expression turned solemn, and he shook his head with emotion. "Strength is the foundation of existence. When so-called methods begin to drag down your own growth, they become shackles."
"Back then at nine years old, had you cultivated with all your might, with your talent, stepping into Titled Douluo before twenty-five would have been effortless. By then, the strength of your single person would have surpassed tens of thousands of troops."
Qian Chenming's brows and eyes relaxed.
"How is this not better than you going to do some despicable lurking business, sacrificing your own talent in exchange for that meager petty profit?"
The words finished.
Qian Renxue stood in place, making no sound for a long time.
Before you continue