Qian Renxue Kicked Hu Liena Hard

Qian Renxue was in excellent spirits the whole way, even her steps lighter and brisker than usual.

Before long, a majestic seven-story pavilion built entirely from massive blocks of obsidian appeared at the edge of her vision.

It was none other than Spirit Hall's restricted repository, the library pavilion.

Before its main entrance, two Soul Saints with powerful presences stood solemnly, their gazes sweeping the surroundings like lightning.

Hearing footsteps, the two Soul Saints grew stern and were about to step forward to question the newcomer.

But when they looked up and recognized that familiar, graceful figure in brilliant gold and her breathtaking face, both trembled, their faces filled with delighted surprise and reverence.

Before Qian Renxue could speak, the two Soul Saints guarding the entrance dropped to one knee in unison and bowed with utmost respect:

"Your subordinates pay their respects to the young master!"

Qian Renxue's expression regained its customary coolness and dignity as she nodded faintly.

"Rise. I'm going inside."

"Yes. Please enter, young master!"

Neither Soul Saint dared obstruct her in the slightest. They hurriedly rose and stepped aside, watching Qian Renxue walk into the pavilion.

As soon as she entered, the mingled scent of aged xuan paper and fragrant sandalwood greeted her.

The lower floors mostly housed illustrated catalogs of common Martial Souls across the continent, records of Soul Beast age distributions, and accounts of the various provinces' local sights and customs.

Qian Renxue had no interest in these ordinary texts.

The moment she thought of those unparalleled Immortal Herbs Xu Fan had mentioned, capable of evolving Martial Souls, tempering Soul Masters' bodies, and allowing them to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings beyond their level.

An indescribable urgency welled up inside her.

She immediately lifted the hem of her golden dress and jogged up the spiraling nanmu staircase, heading straight for the seventh and highest floor.

Soon, she reached the end of the stairs leading to the top floor.

It was entirely different from the unattended floors below.

A sturdy Soul Power barrier stood across the entrance to the top floor.

An elderly man with graying hair and beard sat cross-legged on either side of the barrier.

Neither elder wore any ornate accessories, but the pressure faintly emanating from their every movement revealed that they were Soul Douluos who had reached level eighty!

Hearing the hurried footsteps, both Soul Douluos opened their eyes at once.

When they saw that it was Qian Renxue running upstairs, the two elderly Soul Douluos froze briefly before surprise flashed across their faces.

Hadn't the young lady been training away from home all this time, without returning to Spirit City for years?

Why had she suddenly returned today?

Both were veterans who had served Spirit Hall for many years. The instant they recognized Qian Renxue, they rose from their meditation cushions and cupped their hands in greeting.

"Our respects, young lady! It has certainly been some time since your last return!"

Qian Renxue came to a stop and said evenly:

"There's no need for ceremony. I'm here on the Great Enshrined's orders to consult a few unique ancient texts."

"What are you saying, young lady? You are our Spirit Hall's rightful young master. Even without the Great Enshrined's authorization, you may visit this top floor whenever you please!"

One Soul Douluo smiled as he stepped aside, raising his hand to form a Soul Power seal and withdrawing a corner of the barrier blocking the entrance, letting her through directly.

Qian Renxue stepped through the curtain of light.

The view before her opened up.

As the most heavily guarded confidential archive in all of Spirit Hall, and even the entire Douluo Continent, the special nature of the library pavilion's top floor went without saying.

Everything stored here consisted of unique, top-secret texts, ancient secrets, and analyses of the weaknesses of the greatest Martial Souls, gathered throughout Spirit Hall's thousand-plus years of heritage.

There were even long-lost Soul Bone Fusion Skills and legends of gods.

Under the ironclad rules passed down by Spirit Hall, never mind ordinary Platinum Bishops.

Even the Titled Douluos of the Elder Hall were forbidden to set so much as half a foot onto the top floor without a written warrant.

Ordinarily, only the Pope's family and the enshrined elders could enter and leave freely.

The top floor was vast, with rows of bookshelves made from thousand-year ironwood standing in orderly ranks.

Qian Renxue wasted no time, heading straight toward the section labeled "Ancient Rare Treasures and Exotic Herbs."

She pulled yellowed ancient hide scrolls and bamboo slips from the upper shelves, went to the long table by the window, and began reading carefully.

She did not turn the pages quickly.

First, she selected entries concerning Immortal Herbs and immortal-grade treasures, then used the medicinal properties recorded in the bamboo slips to verify the illustrations on the hide scrolls. Whenever she encountered something ambiguous, she folded a corner to mark it for another examination later.

Just as Qian Renxue was immersed in the ancient texts and illustrations, engrossed in her reading.

The barrier at the top-floor entrance flashed, followed by a series of light footsteps.

At the sound, Qian Renxue's brows creased almost imperceptibly.

Grandfather and the enshrined elders were all in the back mountains, and that woman Bibi Dong had only just headed toward the side hall.

Who else would come to the library pavilion's top floor at a time like this?

She raised her head and looked down the passage between the bookshelves.

A little girl of about ten, dressed in a luxurious brocade dress, was strolling leisurely toward her with her hands behind her back and her chin raised.

The girl had alluring features. Though young, her foxlike eyes held a charm and arrogance at odds with her age.

It was Bibi Dong's personal disciple, Hu Liena!

Turning her head, Hu Liena also spotted Qian Renxue seated behind the long table by the window.

At the sight of that face, even more exquisite than her own, Hu Liena was startled, her steps stopping abruptly.

Qian Renxue?

Hadn't she been stationed away all year round, without returning to Spirit City for years?

After her brief astonishment, Hu Liena not only failed to greet Spirit Hall's young master, but instead arched her delicate brows and strode forward.

She looked down at Qian Renxue and demanded outright:

"Qian Renxue? Why are you here?"

Hearing that imperious, demanding tone, Qian Renxue retorted coldly:

"I should be asking you that. This is the library pavilion's top floor, Spirit Hall's most confidential restricted area.

"With your standing, how did you get in?"

"My standing?"

Hearing Qian Renxue use status to pressure her, Hu Liena reacted as though she had heard the greatest joke in the world.

Without the slightest trace of guilt, she instead looked utterly self-important as she took a papal warrant from her waist and waved it triumphantly before Qian Renxue's eyes.

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look!

"This is a papal warrant Teacher personally bestowed upon me!

"Teacher said long ago that every library pavilion in Spirit City, including this very top floor,

"is open for me to enter and leave whenever I want to read. Who would dare stop me?"

The moment she mentioned Bibi Dong, Hu Liena became like a peacock spreading its tail.

Every word out of her mouth concerned her teacher's appreciation and approval of her.

"Teacher said my Demon Fox Martial Soul is a rare, top-tier spiritual-type Martial Soul, and that no one in Spirit Hall's younger generation can match my talent!

"You're always away, so you wouldn't know. Teacher spends every day with me and has even passed on her most precious cultivation experience to me.

"Teacher also personally promised that, in a few years,

"she'll appoint me as Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, and I'll wield the Pope Hall's authority in her place in the future!"

Hu Liena did not know that Qian Renxue was carrying out a top-secret undercover mission in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

In her eyes, although Qian Renxue belonged to the Qian Family, her teacher had never liked her.

Qian Renxue was clearly nothing more than a discarded pawn who had completely fallen out of favor and been reduced to exile!

How could a nominal young master, despised and exiled by the Pope, compare with her-a personal disciple who stayed by the Pope's side every day and would soon become Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden?

Hu Liena snorted, her face full of the arrogance of someone throwing her weight around with another's backing.

Behind the long table, Qian Renxue's gaze grew colder and colder until it reached its limit.

She recalled Xu Fan's account of Hu Liena's actions and his assessment of her.

A love-brain!

A complete white-eyed wolf!

Leaking Spirit Hall's critical secrets...

Qian Renxue could not endure it another moment!

"Holy Maiden? A fox who bites the hand that feeds her, like you, thinks she's worthy of barking before this young master?!"

Qian Renxue shouted coldly, her figure exploding into motion from behind the long table without warning!

Before Hu Liena could wipe the smugness from her face, a flash of golden light filled her vision!

The next instant, Qian Renxue stepped right up to her.

Her long right leg, carrying incomparably fierce Soul Power, lashed out in a vicious kick at Hu Liena!