Seeing Yan carried away, Xie Yue said to Hu Liena with a somber face, "Come here..."
Hu Liena reluctantly slipped out of Lin Chen's arms. "What is it?"
Xie Yue glanced at Lin Chen and hurriedly said, "You knew Yan was hurt, so how could you still be so... with the Emperor in front of him?"
Hu Liena knitted her delicate brows. "I'm free to like whoever I want and be with whoever I want. What's it got to do with him?"
Ye Yue said helplessly, "I mean, you could at least tone it down in front of him..."
Hu Liena gave a soft snort. "I won't. If he can't get over it, that's his problem. If he can't even take that, what business does he have being a Soul Master?"
Tap, tap...
Lin Chen strode over and said calmly, "Nana's right. If he can't even get past this hurdle in his heart, he doesn't deserve to be part of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation."
"Right, brother-in-law?"
???
Xie Yue was momentarily stunned. What the heck? How had he suddenly acquired a younger brother-in-law?
Beside him, Hu Liena flushed scarlet at the address, but showed no sign of denying it.
"Uh..." Lin Chen awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud. Now that was awkward.
Xie Yue gave the two of them a speechless look. "Does His Holiness the Pope know about you two?"
At those words, a sudden worry rose in Hu Liena's heart. What if her teacher didn't approve of her being with Lin Chen?
Lin Chen said with perfect composure, "Don't worry. The man has the final say on matters at home!"
Xie Yue said helplessly, "Fine, then I won't meddle in your affairs. You two can handle it yourselves."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Just then, a beautiful, short-haired woman in a black leather jacket and leather pants came stepping through the air from the mountaintop. Her figure was extraordinarily alluring. Her ample bust was tightly wrapped in leather, her hips were wider than her shoulders, and her voluptuous, upturned backside formed a concave curve with her slender waist. She had delicate brows, red lips, and purple hair parted to one side, while her pretty face was utterly cold.
"Are you ready?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo gave a lilting laugh. "We're all ready. Thank you for your effort, Ling Yuan Douluo."
Ling Yuan Douluo was the only female Douluo among the elders of Spirit Hall, as well as a woman of breathtaking beauty. Having joined the Elder Hall later, she was exceptionally loyal to Bibi Dong. She was also a woman who placed great importance on power and profit.
Ling Yuan swept a casual glance over the crowd. Her gaze lingered on Lin Chen for several breaths, and a hint of eagerness flashed deep in her beautiful eyes.
"The Emperor and Her Highness the Saintess are here too~"
"Then I won't waste time. Let's begin!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The three Titled Douluo opened the Soul Power barrier together. At once, everyone felt a soothing comfort, as though their pores had opened, and the Soul Power in their bodies began circulating of its own accord.
Ling Yuan reminded them, "There are barriers inside Spirit Gathering Mountain laid down by successive Popes. Remember not to push beyond your limits."
"Emperor, Your Highness the Saintess, you may enter."
"Mm~" Lin Chen nodded, took her delicate hand in his, and walked straight in.
The dozens of disciples followed, entering one after another.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The entrance to the barrier slowly closed.
Chrysanthemum Douluo asked, "Ling Yuan Douluo, how long will the spiritual Qi inside Spirit Gathering Mountain last them for cultivation?"
Ling Yuan explained, "Generally speaking, it's enough for a hundred people to cultivate for three days. But it's been less than half a year since it was last opened. Even with fewer people, it can support their cultivation for two days at most."
"That's enough. The Soul Master Academy finals begin in three days, so the timing is just right~"
While they were talking, a disturbance came from Spirit Gathering Mountain.
Several dozen breaths earlier, inside the barrier
The dozens of disciples were struggling up the mountain. At the very front were none other than the previous Spirit Hall Golden Generation. The young man named Zhao Yan in particular had already climbed to the fourth level!
Of the nine cultivation platforms, the first level had the most space, but its spiritual Qi was also the thinnest. Naturally, the disciples would climb as far as they could before beginning their cultivation.
By now, most of the disciples had reached their limit at the third level and had no choice but to find a cushion and sit down to meditate.
"Hey, who do you think can climb the highest this time?"
"Do you even have to ask? Senior Brother Zhao, of course! He's already a Late-stage Soul Emperor. Last time, he could reach the fourth level when he was still a Soul King. This time, he'll reach the fifth at least!"
"I think the Emperor can climb the highest. His cultivation has not only reached Soul King, but he also has a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."
"Then shall we make a bet?"
"What are we betting?"
"Let's make it a hundred Gold Soul Coins!"
"You're on!" The disciple betting on Lin Chen had seen him fight with his own eyes, so he worshipped him blindly.
A hundred Gold Soul Coins were enough to cover a high-level academy's expenses for a month, or even support an ordinary family for several years.
Climbing Spirit Gathering Mountain depended on cultivation and physique, so the crowd favored Zhao Yan, who had the highest cultivation.
"Look, Zhao Yan's reached the fifth level!"
"You're right! The Emperor's still on the fourth!"
The fifth level
Zhao Yan turned and glanced at Lin Chen and Hu Liena on the fourth level, a cold sneer curling his lips. So what if your talent is greater? You're still no match for me here!
Just then, his smile froze.
Lin Chen walked right past him as though nothing were wrong. Not only that, he was holding Hu Liena's delicate hand.
"Hey, this barrier is really interesting," Lin Chen said, looking around as he climbed. Then he added casually, "It's just that this Gravity Domain is a bit redundant. Can it really have any tempering effect?"
"Hm?"
"Why aren't any of you going up? The spiritual Qi is denser higher up."
The corner of Zhao Yan's mouth twitched. He forced a smile. "I think it's quite good here. I'll cultivate right here."
"Oh~"
Lin Chen truly hadn't felt any difficulty. His Ancient Desolate Sacred Physique was one of the strongest physiques in the world. Let alone a small Gravity Domain, even if all five of his internal organs were shattered, they would recover in an instant.
Not until they reached the sixth level did Hu Liena's pretty face suddenly turn bright red. It wasn't from embarrassment; she had reached her limit too!
"Brother Lin Chen, you go on. I don't think I can go any farther..."
Lin Chen frowned slightly and murmured, "How could this be? Could it be because of my physique?"
Then he swept her into his arms and gathered the Bloodline Power in his body to envelop her.
Hu Liena felt his arm tighten around her slender waist, and the pressure on her abruptly vanished. Delight lit up her pretty face. "Brother Lin Chen, I'm all right now~"
The corners of Lin Chen's lips rose slightly. "Then let's keep going!"
The third level
Seeing how 'fierce' Lin Chen was, everyone clicked their tongues in silent amazement.
"Boo-hoo-hoo... my goddess is in the Emperor's arms now."
"Stop howling! The Emperor's already taken Her Highness the Saintess to the seventh level!"
"Holy shit, holy shit, the eighth level! Could the Emperor actually reach the ninth?"
"Boo-hoo... I hate that I'm not a woman, or I'd want to lie in the Emperor's arms too!"
"Get out of here!"
Tap, tap...
Several breaths later, Lin Chen reached the eighth level with Hu Liena in his arms. Just as he was about to step onto the ninth level's sole cultivation platform, an unprecedented pressure bore down on him.
Hm?
Lin Chen paused and frowned.
Hu Liena bit her lip. "Brother Lin Chen, why don't you put me back down there~"
"Since Spirit Gathering Mountain was built, no one has ever reached the top of the ninth level. You can give it a try, but the pressure will double if you carry me!"
Lin Chen frowned and patted her round, upturned backside. "Don't move around. What can a mere Gravity Domain do to me?"
He unleashed his Bloodline Power in full and stepped forward!
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
His powerful physique and the Gravity Domain produced a powerful energy fluctuation that shook the three Spirit Hall elders outside.
"Holy shit, holy shit, the ninth level! The Emperor really made it up there, and he's damn well carrying Her Highness the Saintess!"
"Fuck me, the Emperor is awesome!!!" His voice cracked.
"Heh heh heh... Old Zhang, pay up! A hundred Gold Soul Coins!"
The fellow stood with both hands on his hips, looking utterly smug!
The mountaintop
Lin Chen's face was slightly flushed, and his blood and Qi surged. Gazing at the peaks in the distance that vanished into a sea of clouds, he felt a surge of heroic spirit rise in his heart for no apparent reason:
"Where the sea ends, the sky is its shore; atop the highest mountain, I am the peak!"
So what if someone was a Child of Destiny?
I am the heavens!