"Are you Qian Renxue? The daughter of the former Pope, Qian Xunji, the current successor of the Angel Clan, and a genius with innate level 20 Soul Power? What level are you now?"
"Level thirty-four."
Being praised like this by Yu Xiaochuan made Qian Renxue a little happy. She thought that this brat was not quite so annoying after all.
If he agreed to her challenge, she would go a little easier on him when she beat him up later.
"Right, a level thirty-four Soul Elder with the top-tier Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel, challenging a level nine Soul Scholar like me. And my Martial Soul is even a trash Martial Soul, Caterpie."
"No matter how I look at it, I can't win. So I concede!"
Yu Xiaochuan conceded outright. What was he supposed to fight Qian Renxue with, his head?
After all, Qian Renxue was not that piece of trash Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaochuan knew exactly how much he weighed. Even fighting the level twelve Yu Tianheng had ended in a costly victory, so did the outcome against the level thirty-four Qian Renxue even need saying?
It was a guaranteed loss, with absolutely no room to fight back.
"How can you just concede like that! You're a boy! Where's your dignity as a boy?"
Qian Renxue blushed a little after hearing Yu Xiaochuan's words.
Yes, the gap really was far too great.
But hearing Yu Xiaochuan concede outright immediately made her anxious.
If they did not spar, how could she teach Yu Xiaochuan a proper lesson?
She absolutely had to beat up this fellow who had stolen her mother's affection, or she simply would not feel at ease.
"All right, then. You're level nine and don't have a Soul Ring, so I won't use Soul Rings or Soul Skills either. That makes it fair, right?"
Qian Renxue had no choice but to impose a few restrictions on herself to make the match look a little fairer.
But even without using Soul Rings or Soul Skills, Qian Renxue actually still held an enormous advantage.
Whether in the quantity and quality of her Soul Power or her physical fitness, she held an overwhelming advantage.
"Do you really think that's fair? I'd have to be an idiot to spar with you!"
Yu Xiaochuan was speechless as he looked at Qian Renxue, that hateful yellow-haired girl.
Just say it if you want to beat me up.
"Your Holiness!"
A voice came from the distance. It was a guard at Spirit Hall's library greeting Pope Bibi Dong upon seeing her.
Hearing this, Qian Renxue immediately put on the act of an obedient child.
With an extremely guilty conscience, she began reading the book she had borrowed, praying inwardly that Yu Xiaochuan would not tell her mother what had just happened.
Otherwise, her mother, who already disliked her, would dislike her even more.
Yu Xiaochuan turned his head and saw a beautiful woman approaching. Delight appeared on his face. "Mother!"
"Xiaochuan, how is it? Are you getting used to being here? Mommy brought you lunch."
As Bibi Dong finished speaking, the maid beside her placed a food box on the table.
Several exquisite dishes were taken out and arranged on the table.
"Thank you, Mother."
Yu Xiaochuan happened to be hungry.
Bibi Dong sat down as well and picked up her chopsticks to take some food, though most of it went to Yu Xiaochuan.
Over the past few days, Bibi Dong had personally brought his meals and eaten with him while she was there. Yu Xiaochuan had already grown accustomed to it.
But this sight made fire practically shoot from the eyes of Qian Renxue, who sat nearby, her face filled with envy and jealousy.
Her mother had never treated her this well. Eating together with her mother had never happened at all.
The treatment Yu Xiaochuan enjoyed was something she could only gaze at from afar, utterly beyond her reach, something that happened only in her dreams.
"Mother, I'm here too."
Qian Renxue could not quite hold back from speaking.
Over the past few days, even when Bibi Dong came and clearly saw her, she treated her as though she were air.
Qian Renxue had endured it for several days, making a show of diligently reading, but today she finally could not bear it any longer.
"Oh, you're here too. I didn't notice you before."
Bibi Dong glanced at Qian Renxue, with no intention whatsoever of inviting her to join the meal.
Even seeing this child disgusted her. Looking at her was like seeing that bastard Qian Xunji.
Fortunately, she would never have to see Qian Xunji again, and she had already become the Pope of Spirit Hall.
"Mother, I broke through. I went from level thirty-three to level thirty-four."
Qian Renxue looked at Bibi Dong longingly, hoping for a word of praise from her.
"Oh, a breakthrough in cultivation. That's perfectly normal."
After saying this, Bibi Dong lost all interest in speaking to Qian Renxue. She could not even be bothered to spare her a glance.
She focused all her attention on Yu Xiaochuan, watching with happiness written all over her face as he ate the food she had picked out for him.
Compared with Qian Renxue, her biological daughter, Yu Xiaochuan, her adopted son who had only arrived at Spirit Hall a few days ago, seemed more like Bibi Dong's own child.
"Mother, I read several books today."
After finishing lunch, Yu Xiaochuan reported what he had done that day to Bibi Dong and immediately received her praise.
"That's my son! Xiaochuan, reading must have been exhausting. Let Mommy give you a massage."
Bibi Dong immediately spoke with tender concern, drawing Yu Xiaochuan into her arms and massaging his head to ease the fatigue from his reading.
The sight made Qian Renxue grit her teeth. The anger in her heart kept surging upward, and she nearly crushed her pearly teeth.
He only read a few books! What was so exhausting about that?!
She had finally managed to break through and had hoped for her mother's praise, only for her mother to turn a blind eye. Yet this boy had merely read a few books, and her mother was beside herself with concern.
Sometimes, Qian Renxue truly doubted whether she was her mother's biological daughter. She was clearly the one her mother had given birth to!
This rotten brat had merely been lucky enough to be taken in by her mother as an adopted son.
Qian Renxue endured it until her liver ached unbearably. Anger made both her liver and stomach hurt, but she finally held out until Bibi Dong left.
After Bibi Dong left, Qian Renxue shot to her feet and strode over to Yu Xiaochuan, looking at him with indignation all over her face.
"We have to fight, or this isn't over!"
"Huh? You still haven't left? I only kept your business from Mother just now because I felt sorry for you. To think you'd still dare challenge me."
Yu Xiaochuan looked helplessly at Qian Renxue.
She was actually a pitiful child too.
Because of the immoral things her father Qian Xunji had done, Bibi Dong practically acted as though this daughter did not exist. Her apprehension toward Qian Daoliu was the only reason she had not strangled her.
So even if Qian Renxue did everything she could to gain Bibi Dong's approval, her efforts would ultimately be in vain.
This was not Qian Renxue's problem, nor was it Bibi Dong's. One could only say that anyone would react this way. Qian Xunji truly had been in the wrong in this matter.
"Y-you won't tell Mother about me, will you? I'm begging you."
Qian Renxue's face went pale at Yu Xiaochuan's words.
She knew how much Bibi Dong doted on Yu Xiaochuan.
If she was merely a stranger in her mother's eyes, then Yu Xiaochuan was her mother's heart's treasure.
He was the pearl in her palm, cherished in every possible way.
If Yu Xiaochuan said a few bad things about her to her mother, her mother would certainly hate her even more.
"Hmm-that depends on how you behave."
Yu Xiaochuan looked at Qian Renxue, a smile appearing on his face.
Miss, you wouldn't want me telling your mother about this, would you?