"I've noticed you're pretty arrogant!"
It was the first time Hu Liena had heard someone treat her teacher with such contempt.
"If you're not arrogant, can you even call yourself young?"
Gu Wuchen had strength and backing, so what was wrong with being a little arrogant?
"It's not like you haven't heard of the Gu Clan!"
"Anyway, I can't be bothered arguing with you!"
He had no time to bicker with the little fox. He still needed to go back and meditate on his remaining Self-Created Soul Skills.
"Hey, wait!"
Hu Liena watched Gu Wuchen walk away and hurriedly called out, but he didn't respond at all.
"That little guy has a strange temper. The Gu Clan?"
In truth, all she knew was that the Gu Clan was immensely powerful and that its business was growing bigger and bigger. She knew nothing more detailed.
She could ask her teacher when she got back.
Pope's Palace
"Teacher!"
Hu Liena ran excitedly into the Pope's Palace and looked at Bibi Dong, who was resting with her eyes closed in her seat.
Hearing Hu Liena's voice, Bibi Dong opened her beautiful eyes.
"Nana, what is it?"
Seeing Bibi Dong open her eyes, Hu Liena hurriedly said, "I met a genius today."
"How much of a genius? Could he be more impressive than your teacher?" Bibi Dong asked with a smile.
"Teacher, his First Soul Ring is a thousand years old!"
Bibi Dong was taken aback. "A thousand years? Nana, you can't be joking, can you? How could a Thousand-Year Soul Ring be possible???"
"Teacher, I'm really not joking. It's absolutely true!"
Hu Liena nodded vigorously. Her own eyes were her measuring stick.
At such close range, how could she have failed to notice?
In any case, it was definitely true!
However, she still didn't repeat the words "the Pope isn't worth a fart."
He was such a nice little guy. She'd just put it down to a child speaking without a filter!
"According to the junior academy's dean, his name is Gu Wuchen, and the Great Enshrined brought him here."
Hu Liena added.
"The Great Enshrined... Gu Wuchen..." Bibi Dong murmured to herself. Could it be that the Great Enshrined had brought that child back with him when she saw him return yesterday?
Gu Wuchen-could he be that little one from the Gu Clan?
Back when she had succeeded to the position of Pope, she had personally paid the clan a visit for the sake of their business cooperation.
"Gu Wuchen, are you sure he's the one from the Gu Clan?" Bibi Dong asked.
"He's the one from the Gu Clan. He admitted it himself." Hu Liena nodded emphatically, her voice full of certainty.
The smile vanished from Bibi Dong's face. Her fingertips tapped unconsciously against the armrest of the papal throne, and she froze for a moment.
A thousand-year First Soul Ring?
At six years old, Innate Full Soul Power was already astonishing enough, yet he could even absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. He was no longer a genius, but a monster through and through.
What concerned her even more was that Qian Daoliu had personally brought the child back.
Who was Qian Daoliu? The Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall, a Peerless Douluo who looked down on everyone. She had never even seen him show this much concern for his own granddaughter, Qian Renxue, yet he had taken an outsider as his personal disciple? It was practically a joke.
She had dealt with Gu Linchuan and his wife, so she knew how strong they were and understood the Gu Clan's influence in the Far North.
With this move, Qian Daoliu had not only taken in a monstrous disciple, but also meant to bind the Gu Clan firmly to the Elder Hall's chariot.
After a long while, Bibi Dong finally came to her senses. She looked up at Hu Liena, her voice calm but carrying an unquestionable command:
"Go to the junior academy tomorrow and bring Gu Wuchen to the Pope's Palace to see me."
Hu Liena paused. "Teacher, what if he refuses to come? That little guy is terribly stubborn."
"Just tell him that I held him when he was little."
Bibi Dong spoke indifferently.
When she had succeeded to the position of Pope, she had personally visited Ice Arrival City to finalize trade cooperation with the Gu Clan. Gu Wuchen had only just been born then, and she really had held him.
Realization dawned on Hu Liena. She hurriedly nodded in agreement, her curiosity about Gu Wuchen growing even stronger.
Meanwhile, Gu Wuchen left the Gu Clan's main store and made his way leisurely back to the Elder Hall.
As soon as he stepped through the hall doors, an attendant waiting at the entrance stopped him and respectfully said that the Great Enshrined was waiting for him in the main hall.
Gu Wuchen nodded, turned around, and went to the main hall.
Qian Daoliu was sitting beneath the Angel God Statue. Seeing him enter, he smiled and beckoned him forward. "You're back? How did things go at the academy today?"
Gu Wuchen briefly recounted the sparring match from that day, concealing nothing and exaggerating nothing.
Qian Daoliu laughed heartily after hearing him out. Far from blaming him for showing off, his eyes filled with approval. "Good! When you have the strength, there's nothing wrong with being a little arrogant. It's not for others to gossip about my disciple."
After a pause, he offered a few pointers. "But your use of the Dustless Sword's purification attribute is still too shallow. That sword can break through illusions and cleanse filth. It can do more than just slash. As you continue cultivating, give that more thought."
Gu Wuchen took careful note and nodded in agreement.
Qian Daoliu gave him a few more instructions about tomorrow's cultivation, then told him to go back and rest.
Gu Wuchen took his leave and returned to his palace.
After closing the door, he casually set up a simple Soul Power barrier, then summoned the Dustless Sword.
A faint, cold gleam shimmered along the blade, casting a clear glow across the room.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, gripped the hilt, and slowly circulated his Soul Power, allowing his own presence to merge completely with the sword intent.
He calmly worked on the shortcomings he had noticed during the day's sparring, while also pondering his future Self-Created Soul Skills.
But just as he entered a meditative state, a familiar voice reached his ears, carrying a hint of teasing:
"Little guy, you're quite diligent, but you've got the wrong direction."
Gu Wuchen's eyes flew open. The Snow Empress was sitting on the table across from him, happily eating the ice-heart pastries his mother had given him.
"Why did you come out again?" Gu Wuchen's face darkened. "And those are my snacks!"
"You belong to me, so naturally these snacks are mine too." The Snow Empress took a bite of an ice-heart pastry and raised an eyebrow. "Besides, if I hadn't come out, you would've led your sword intent astray."
Gu Wuchen refused to accept it. "How have I led it astray?"
"Your ice-cold power relies entirely on the Far North Ice Marrow. You haven't incorporated it into your sword intent at all."
The Snow Empress flicked a fingertip, sending a tiny ice chip flying over to strike the Dustless Sword lightly. The blade instantly rang out with a clear, resonant hum.
"The ice of the Far North doesn't freeze by brute force. It merges with heaven and earth and is everywhere. That horizontal slash of yours looked fast, but it was full of openings. Any agility-type Soul Grandmaster could have dodged it easily."
Gu Wuchen was momentarily stunned. He thought carefully back over the day's sparring match and instantly realized that the Snow Empress was right.
His speed had depended entirely on his Soul Power. He hadn't combined the extreme cold with his movement technique at all.
Even so, he remained stubborn. "I don't need you to teach me. I can figure it out myself."
"Stubborn." The Snow Empress jumped down from the table, walked to the bedside in a few steps, and reached out to pinch his cheek. "Big sister kindly offers to help, and you don't appreciate it. All right, stop meditating and tell me about you humans. I've spent hundreds of thousands of years in the Far North, and I got tired of it long ago."
Gu Wuchen swatted her hand away and edged farther onto the bed. "I need to cultivate. I don't have time to chat with you. If you're so bored, go back to the Far North."