"From now on, if you want someone to talk to, you don't have to hide here alone and bottle everything up."
Su Yu pointed at the surrounding plants, then glanced at the slab of bluestone.
"You can have a servant tell me, and I'll come find you. We can make this our secret base, just for the two of us."
Qian Renxue froze at his words. A flicker of surprise crossed her pale purple eyes, followed by a touch of warmth.
She lowered her head and gently scratched Little Gray's chin, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum:
"Who... who said I wanted to talk to you?"
Despite her words, the corners of her lips secretly lifted into the faintest curve, so fleeting it might have been an illusion.
Little Gray seemed to understand the words "secret base" too, wagging his tail excitedly and nuzzling against her arms.
Seeing how her words belied her feelings, Su Yu did not expose her. He simply smiled.
"Anyway, I've said what I came to say. If you change your mind someday, you can find me anytime."
He stood and brushed the bits of grass off himself. "I should head back. Any later, and Teacher will start worrying."
Qian Renxue did not look up, merely giving a soft murmur of assent.
Only after Su Yu's figure disappeared at the end of the path did she raise her head and gaze in the direction he had left. Little Gray looked up at her with moist eyes from her arms.
"Little Gray," she said softly, "this really is our secret base now."
The wind passed through the woods, carrying the faint rustle of leaves, as though echoing her words.
Sunlight fell across her face. That faint smile shone a little brighter than her tears had earlier.
Inside the Pope Hall-
Spirit Hall's senior members stood in two rows, their auras heavy and restrained, their gazes all fixed on Bibi Dong in the seat of honor.
Qian Daoliu sat upright on an elevated seat behind and to one side of the Pope, his golden hair falling over his shoulders.
His face was as still as an ancient well, as though he were merely an observer, yet he exuded an invisible, awe-inspiring pressure.
"Your Holiness! May I ask why you have summoned us here?"
A rugged-looking man in golden armor spoke from below.
He was none other than Spirit Hall's Second Worship, the Level 98 Titled Douluo-Golden Crocodile Douluo!
Bibi Dong rose from the papal throne, her purple-black robes spreading behind her like butterfly wings in the dark of night.
Her gaze swept over the assembled people, who held their breaths in concentration. Her voice was clear and cold, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.
"Since the Clear Sky Sect sealed itself away, Spirit Hall has developed steadily, but we have already begun to touch a bottleneck."
She spoke slowly, each word like a bead of ice striking stone.
"To advance any further, we must break the deadlock. Next, we must do two things!"
"First, gather the commoner Soul Masters of the world and make them the foundation of our Spirit Hall. Second, destroy the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo."
"If we are to dominate the continent, these two empires are obstacles we cannot avoid." Bibi Dong lightly tapped a fingertip against the throne's armrest.
"The Star Luo Empire has a fierce populace and formidable military strength. To take it, we can only meet it head-on with force. This requires long-term planning and steady progress."
Her tone shifted, and she turned her gaze eastward, as though it pierced the hall and fell upon the distant Heaven Dou Empire.
"As for Heaven Dou, its military strength is already inferior to Star Luo's, yet its territory is thick with sects."
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Upper Three Sects, and the Lower Four Sects are intertwined like tangled roots, forming a stable network of power. Taking it by force would cost more than we gained."
Silence filled the hall as everyone waited for her to continue.
Qian Daoliu remained seated upright, his eyes deep and unreadable.
A cold curve lifted the corners of Bibi Dong's lips. "But Heaven Dou has a fatal weakness."
"In the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial succession, the emperor chooses an Imperial Prince to become Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince ultimately inherits the throne..."
"My plan is..." Bibi Dong's voice suddenly dropped, taking on a sinister note. "To take his place!"
She paused, taking in everyone's shocked expressions, then continued:
"We will have one of our people replace an Imperial Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and remain there."
"As long as the other Imperial Princes die, our person will become the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince!"
"Once Xue Ye dies and our person takes the throne, a single decree will be enough for the Heaven Dou Empire to surrender without a fight and become part of Spirit Hall's domain."
The plan was bold and ruthless, yet possessed a feasibility that sent a chill through them.
Surprise flashed through Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes, then turned to approval.
Qian Daoliu slowly opened his eyes, regarding Bibi Dong with a more complicated, appraising gaze.
"This matter requires absolute secrecy and will take several years."
Bibi Dong's gaze finally settled on Qian Daoliu. "Great Enshrined, what do you think?"
Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "If we can take Heaven Dou without bloodying our blades, it is indeed a sound strategy."
"But... who can shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"
The smile on Bibi Dong's lips deepened, though a barely perceptible trace of complexity passed through her eyes.
"I already have a candidate."
The candle flames in the hall flickered, illuminating the varied expressions on everyone's faces.
Qian Daoliu looked at Bibi Dong and asked, enunciating each word, "May I ask whom the Pope has chosen?"
Bibi Dong slowly sat back on her throne, tapping her fingertips lightly against the armrest, her voice calm.
"The person we choose must be absolutely loyal to Spirit Hall, without the slightest divided allegiance."
She paused, then added, "Furthermore, she must possess the ability to alter her Martial Soul and appearance. Only then can she blend perfectly into the Heaven Dou Imperial Family without revealing a flaw."
The moment she finished speaking, Qian Daoliu's expression changed sharply, and waves instantly surged through his previously calm eyes.
He turned abruptly toward Bibi Dong, his aged fingers clenching tightly, his voice carrying suppressed anger.
"Enough! I do not agree to this plan!"
Everyone in the hall froze. None had expected the Great Enshrined, who so rarely interfered with the Pope's decisions, to oppose her so fiercely.
Qian Daoliu understood all too clearly-absolute loyalty to Spirit Hall, along with the ability to alter one's Martial Soul and appearance.
Other than Xiao Xue, whom the Angel Soul Bone passed down through their Qian Family had granted that special ability, who else could there be?
Bibi Dong was clearly targeting Xiao Xue!
How could he possibly let his only granddaughter undertake such a dangerous mission?
Infiltrating the Heaven Dou Imperial Family meant terror at every step; the slightest misstep would plunge her into eternal ruin!
Bibi Dong raised her eyes to him, without the slightest concession in her purple gaze.
"Great Enshrined, this is for Spirit Hall's grand undertaking."
"Grand undertaking?" Qian Daoliu shot to his feet, golden Soul Power faintly rippling around him.
"At the cost of Xiao Xue's safety? Absolutely not! I will never agree!" He stared fixedly at Bibi Dong.
"You know perfectly well that no one but Xiao Xue can do this! You're doing this deliberately!"
"I am merely discussing the matter at hand." Bibi Dong's tone remained icy.
"She is the Heir of the Angel God and bears the glory of the Qian Family. She should also do her part for Spirit Hall."
Before you continue