For the past six months, Qian Renxue had been feeling very frustrated.
Everything was fine initially, especially during the three months following the end of the Soul Master Tournament when Su Cheng and she were almost inseparable.
Although most of the time was spent cultivating together, she was very satisfied.
In the real world, the two had never spent so much time together.
However, six months ago, when Su Cheng reached the sixtieth level and went to absorb a soul ring to advance to Soul Emperor, everything changed.
He had said it wouldn't take long, but unexpectedly, midway through, he sent a letter saying it would be another six months before he returned to Spirit Hall.
Moreover, that letter was sent from a main city in the western part of the Heaven Dou Empire, a place far from both Spirit Hall and Sunset Forest, making her uneasy.
In the following six months, he didn't send any more messages.
None of the subordinate institutions of Spirit Hall, including the main halls and sub-halls distributed across the continent, had any related clues either.
However, despite this unstable mindset, Qian Renxue's understanding of her two types of intents progressed by leaps and bounds.
The reason for this was somewhat peculiar.
Generally speaking, a turbulent mindset is undoubtedly harmful to cultivation, at least significantly reducing cultivation efficiency.
But Qian Renxue's situation was different.
During this time, her main task was not to cultivate soul power but to cultivate her mind, focusing on the comprehension of intents.
When this situation arises, it can be either a blessing or a curse for the cultivator, depending on their own qualities and how they choose to face such changes.
Qian Renxue benefited because of the uniqueness of her dual souls.
Although this process was far from pleasant for her.
During this period, unprecedented fierce conflicts occurred between her two souls.
In fact, even a single person often faces hesitation, disagreements, and difficult choices in handling and thinking about many matters.
Let alone two completely different souls, with vastly different, even extreme and self-centered personalities?
The reason they could coexist harmoniously before was that both were smart enough, shared the same obsession, and focused all their thoughts on Su Cheng.
But when the conflict point arose from Su Cheng, the contradictions and clashes between them quickly intensified.
"…What are you still worried about? Why are you staying in this wretched place foolishly waiting?!"
"Since the teacher has sent a message, we should wait patiently and trust his judgment."
"Idiot! Is this a matter of trust? That letter is obviously fishy! If Su Cheng isn't lying, then he must have encountered some trouble."
"If it's a problem he can't solve, going with our current strength will be of no use, and will only add to the trouble."
"That's still better than doing nothing! Is Spirit Hall such a big power just for show? What about Qian Daoliu? What about Bibi Dong? What about the numerous Titled Douluo elders?"
"They won't be willing to intervene."
"Then let's stir the situation, muddy the waters of this world. By then, whether others want to or not, they'll have to step in!"
"This is not what the teacher wants to see."
"How do you know he doesn't? Do you think Su Cheng is a saint?!"
"You're a madwoman!"
"You're a coward!"
"…"
Such arguments had occurred countless times.
The reason was simple.
One wanted to follow Su Cheng's instructions and wait patiently. The other wanted to do everything possible to find him proactively.
Fortunately, they were still restrained, striving to maintain a basic balance, with the conflict temporarily limited to verbal disputes without escalating to the point of using soul power to seize control.
However, it was foreseeable that as time passed, this conflict would inevitably intensify until it ultimately led to self-destruction.
This wasn't because they were stupid or lacked a sense of proportion.
For them, coexistence was already an extreme form of compromise.
Death was terrifying, but some things were even harder to accept than death.
If continuous retreat meant completely losing oneself, it would be better not to exist at all.
It was precisely because of the constant contention between the two consciousnesses that their wills rapidly improved, each trying to outdo the other.
If Su Cheng knew that his disappearance had instead led to Qian Renxue's rapid progress in cultivation, he wouldn't know whether to be happy or worried.
With only a week left until the six-month deadline, on the lake of Qian Renxue's mind, two stunning figures stood facing each other.
One, dressed in white like snow, floated in mid-air, holding a golden long sword, surrounded by countless interwoven chains, like a cage.
The other, clad in black like ink, sat on a throne, a black long sword suspended at her knee, shrouded in dark mist, like the brink of an abyss.
Neither exuded the slightest energy fluctuation.
This was not a clash of strength, but a duel of wills.
"Madness and desire should be bound by reason, and will eventually be bound by reason."
As the golden sword pointed forward, chains swept through the air like giant pythons or long spears, aiming to encircle and trap the black-clad figure opposite.
"You are wrong, there is no need for restraint." The black flames burned fiercely on the long sword.
The black-clad figure rose abruptly from the throne, exuding an astonishing aura of authority. "All beings are sinful; there are no innocents."
Without any excess movement, she slashed forward with her sword.
The black flames turned into a sea of fire, burning those golden chains.
After a long stalemate, the flames gradually weakened.
But before the flames extinguished completely, the golden chains couldn't hold on and transformed into droplets of golden liquid, falling onto the lake surface below.
Until they completely dissipated.
"You lost," a cold voice echoed from the throne.
"You are too extreme," the white-clad figure sighed softly.
"No, you are too weak."
In the next moment, the white clothing of Qian Renxue in reality began to stain with patches of black ink.
The black quickly spread, covering her entirely.
"One week left, let's go talk to that guy first." With a soft snort, she turned and walked out of the Elders' Hall.
The result of the duel between the two had almost been decided from the start.
It wasn't that the primary personality's will was weak or lacked strength, but she had too many concerns.
In contrast, the second personality, with its unruly temperament, was purer.
Abandoning life and death, abandoning everything, she had nothing except the obsession in her heart.
Under such circumstances, the combat power that could be exerted on the level of will was naturally higher.
However, it was precisely because of this that the two souls could coexist and had the possibility of joining forces; otherwise, it would inevitably lead to mutual destruction.
When the second personality first appeared, she would have been completely obliterated, with no chance to grow afterward.
But correspondingly, the primary personality would also be hard to survive, even if not dead, her foundation would be greatly damaged, leaving her soul incomplete.
Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong frowned deeply, silently pondering her thoughts.
She had long known about Su Cheng's visit to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Moreover, she had learned about his situation at that time from the main hall of Spirit Hall in that border city.
Considering that special location, she couldn't help but think of whether Seagod Island and Bo Saixi were related to Su Cheng's departure.
She hadn't considered Bo Saixi's issue earlier because Ah Yin's response had misled her.
She mistakenly believed that only she and Su Cheng had memories of another world.
But with Su Cheng's prolonged silence, it was hard not to suspect that there were other issues.
Although the Douluo Continent is vast, for high-level soul masters, traveling isn't difficult and doesn't take much time.
Even if there was something going on, it shouldn't prevent him from returning to Spirit Hall once in six months.
Moreover, even if he couldn't leave, he should still be able to send messages.
She had already decided that if Su Cheng didn't return by the six-month deadline, she would go to Seagod Island herself to check the situation.
But before that, she still had to wait, to avoid disrupting Su Cheng's plans.
She believed that since he had set this deadline, he must have his reasons.
"Bibi Dong."
At this moment, a tall, black-clad figure suddenly walked into the hall.
Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised to see Qian Renxue appear unexpectedly.
"What is it?"
"Send people to find Su Cheng."
"This is not something you should worry about."
Bibi Dong frowned.
She had, of course, done this already, but Qian Renxue didn't know.
She also didn't think there was a need to let her know.
In fact, Bibi Dong was even more anxious than Qian Renxue now; she knew more of the inside story.
After hearing Bibi Dong's reply, Qian Renxue raised her eyebrow but didn't continue speaking.
She didn't care about the response.
Now it was just notifying the other party; a week later, she would naturally have her other methods.
"There's one more thing."
"Go ahead."
"When Su Cheng returns, delay the task you assigned to him by six months."
"Why?!" Bibi Dong was furious upon hearing this.
"He promised to accompany me for a year of training. The time isn't up, so he needs to make it up later," Qian Renxue stated matter-of-factly.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong felt even more displeased.
She didn't think Qian Renxue had the right to say such things.
Su Cheng had already done enough for her.
Whether it was treating her mental illness, planning for her hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, or personally guiding her in cultivation, he had been incredibly dedicated.
Su Cheng was neither her babysitter nor her deceased father, so why should he spend so much more time and energy on her?
Moreover, Qian Renxue's cultivation path was fundamentally different from Su Cheng's.
Bibi Dong believed that no one understood Su Cheng's cultivation path better than she did.
"Absolutely not," she rejected without hesitation. "Your agreement is your problem, not mine."
As her words fell, a chilling, oppressive killing intent suddenly bore down on her.
"This lunatic..." Bibi Dong's eyelid twitched as she sensed the killing intent.
She knew that whenever this personality of Qian Renxue emerged, she acted without any scruples.
However, she had never expected that the other party would be so audacious as to show such insolence in front of her.
In the next moment, two powerful auras clashed fiercely.
"Ugh—"
With a muffled grunt, Qian Renxue staggered back several steps, a few streaks of blood flowing from her nostrils and mouth.
"Before you go mad, weigh your own strength," Bibi Dong said coldly. "Besides, what you're saying now is meaningless. When Su Cheng returns, you can ask him yourself whether he agrees."
"Heh." Qian Renxue sneered, not bothering to argue further. She turned to leave.
"Wait." At this moment, Bibi Dong called out to her, staring at her sharply sculpted, fair profile. She suddenly asked, "Have you ever heard of immortal herbs?"
"What?" Qian Renxue's pupils contracted slightly.
"Immortal herbs," Bibi Dong observed her reaction quietly. "It seems you do know about them."
"..." Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know about immortal herbs?"
"Elder Chrysanthemum has an illustrated guide."
Bibi Dong wasn't lying about this.
In her memory, there was the image of the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. When they were at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Su Cheng first offered her a choice between the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and the Narcissus Jade Flesh Bone.
She also knew that Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's martial spirit was this plant.
Yue Guan was well-known in Spirit Hall for his obsession with studying flowers and plants. Because of this, Bibi Dong had specifically learned about it some time ago.
Although Yue Guan initially seemed reluctant to reveal his research to her, once she displayed some knowledge in this area, he easily engaged in a deep discussion about immortal herbs with her.
He even regarded her as a confidante.
After hearing Bibi Dong's explanation, Qian Renxue's eyes flickered slightly.
She then turned and said indifferently, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Have you consumed an immortal herb?"
"It's none of your business."
Seeing Qian Renxue walk away without looking back, Bibi Dong couldn't help but continue, "Was it the Yearning Heartbroken Red?"
Qian Renxue paused for a moment but didn't respond and continued walking away.
This left Bibi Dong standing there with a grim expression, lightly clenching the Pope's scepter in her hand.