At this point, Qianren Xue suddenly calmed down and looked up at Su Cheng.
"Teacher, I really don't know how."
"If you don't know, then learn now. The soul ring can still exist for a while," Su Cheng suppressed his anger and said coldly.
He didn't understand what had gotten into Qianren Xue today, acting out like this.
"I can't do it." The girl's long and delicate eyelashes trembled slightly as she stubbornly locked eyes with him.
"..." Qianren Xue remained silent, just staring at him.
As he took two steps forward towards the stairs at the entrance of the dungeon, he said, "Fine, I'll go find Lingyuan Douluo to help you."
"I don't trust others."
"Doesn't your grandfather trust him?"
"In that case, you can just stay here and waste your time."
With a cold snort, Su Cheng turned and walked away.
Suddenly, a gust of wind struck from behind.
Su Cheng instinctively dodged, tilting his head to avoid it.
"Snap!"
The palm-sized wooden box hit the stone wall in front of him and shattered into powder, causing several silver needles inside to break in half.
"Damn!"
Su Cheng's eyes narrowed, feeling like the situation was slipping out of control.
Now Qianren Xue's respect for him was diminishing.
After a moment's pause, he took out another box of silver needles from his soul device and threw it backward.
His tone softened as he spoke, trying to reason with her, "Xiao Xue, you shouldn't be so impul—"
"Snap!"
"One-on-one, it's a dual-!"
Watching another wooden box turn into powder before him, Su Cheng fell silent.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around again and shouted sternly, "Qianren Xue! Don't push it too far!"
Qianren Xue was still standing in the same spot, calmly looking at him. Besides her slightly reddened eyes, there was no difference from before.
Su Cheng's eye muscles twitched uncontrollably twice.
"If you don't want to level up, then don't!" He turned and walked up the stairs. "You better think carefully. When you're ready to come up and get the silver needles, find me."
...
Time ticked away.
Su Cheng leaned against the iron gate, sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the dungeon, lost in thought.
If he were to pursue Qianren Xue in real life, he'd probably be willing, but in this simulation, the final result was there. The two of them would inevitably be at odds in the future.
And he had been using this girl all along. She was the core piece of the plan, the crucial weapon.
Qiandaoliu, Bibidong, even the elders of the Martial Soul Hall, all needed this future angelic god to be removed.
And then she could go to hell.
Su Cheng took out another box of silver needles from his soul device, rubbing them between his fingers.
He stared into the distance, unfocused.
Life in the simulation was no different from the real world. He had long understood that this wasn't a game; it was another real world altogether.
Qianren Xue, Chen Xin, Jidouluo, they weren't NPCs; they were living, breathing people.
Nothing was fake. At least the emotions they invested in each other were genuine.
If he got too immersed in it, would he still be able to go through with it when the time came?
Matters of the heart were never that simple.
That's why he had always kept a distance from Qianren Xue when necessary.
Su Cheng suddenly realized that perhaps the difficulty of this simulation lay not only in the Martial Soul Hall but also within himself.
"I must be freaking crazy. I should have just let her absorb the soul rings herself. Why did I have to get involved?"
Half an hour had passed, and there was still no movement in the dungeon.
In another half hour, that rare soul ring would completely dissipate.
It's definitely not the right time to go find Qiandaoliu now.
This situation is just inexplicable.
What if that old man misunderstands and loses his temper, then revokes Qianren Xue's education rights? It would definitely add complications to the original plan.
...
With only the last half hour remaining, the dungeon was still quiet as ever.
"Damn, isn't this just bullying the honest man!"
Su Cheng stood up angrily.
Playing this game of 'burning bridges' with me, huh!
Is there no justice left? Is there no law left?
Qianren Xue can act recklessly without a retreat plan, but Su Cheng can't just sit back and watch.
The only way is to make sure she masters the basics to the fullest, then go for the divine examination in the best condition possible. Only then will there be a chance to defeat Bibidong, who possesses a twin martial soul.
...
"You truly live up to being Bibidong's daughter, equally abnormal in your thinking," Su Cheng's mocking voice echoed in the dim dungeon.
But Qianren Xue didn't care at all about what he was saying. The calmness that had settled over her face, almost numb, suddenly blossomed into a captivating smile.
In that instant, her radiance seemed to illuminate the dark dungeon.
Even Su Cheng was momentarily distracted.
"Teacher, I'm just not talented, I really can't do it."
...
Your stubbornness is truly remarkable.
Su Cheng was completely helpless.
"You go prepare."
Upon hearing this, a flush spread across Qianren Xue's face as she walked over to the corpse of the Holy Light Beast that had long since died.
At this point, she became shy again.
With her back to Su Cheng, she slowly undid the buttons of her shirt, and the intricate dress unfolded to the sides.
With graceful jade arms gliding across her neck, the golden tips of her hair swayed gently, creating ripples of light under the candle's glow.
Subsequently, her delicate collarbone and snow-white shoulders were revealed in succession.
Even in the dim dungeon, her smooth skin seemed to radiate a lustrous jade color.
As her shirt slipped off, her pristine jade back and slender waist delineated a perfect curve that even the most skilled sculptor would struggle to replicate.
Qianren Xue tilted her head slightly, her long swan-like neck tracing a graceful arc as she turned.
She paused, and upon seeing Su Cheng behind her, the slight blush on her cheeks deepened.
He had somehow managed to find a black cloth and tied it around his head, securely covering his eyes.
Unable to hold back, she blurted out, "How are you supposed to needle me with your eyes covered like that?"
"It's fine," Su Cheng's voice remained calm in the pitch darkness. "Don't underestimate my professional abilities."
"Pfft," Qianren Xue chuckled, secretly relieved in her heart. Despite her calm exterior earlier, she had been just as panicked inside. Now, her emotions were considerably more relaxed, which was a good thing for absorbing the soul ring later.
As they sat cross-legged facing each other, a faint pressure emanated from Su Cheng's center, spreading outwards.
His spiritual power had reached a level where he could project it externally. Combined with the rudimentary form of his Domain of the Sword, it was enough to outline the figure before him.
Su Cheng reached into the wooden box and took out a silver needle, gripping it in his palm.
Pausing briefly in mid-air, his fingers continued forward, probing towards the silhouette's waist that he sensed in front of him.
Blindfolding himself was indeed a clever move.
However, this sensory perception only presented a silhouette in his mind, unable to discern specific details.
As a result, as a trade-off, he had to delicately touch with his fingers, then stimulate with soul power to accurately pinpoint the location of those specific acupoints.