"Cough." Zhu Zhuqing was about to speak when she was patted on the shoulder by Su Cheng, who was beside her.
He then stepped forward, put his arm around Qian Renxue's shoulder, and led her to the side.
With a smile on his face, he said, "What's all this about a 'defeated opponent'? That's such a harsh way to put it.
"This girl is just over sixteen years old and already has such strength. She's an extraordinary genius, rare in this world.
"When you were her age, you might not have been stronger than her.
"Besides, it was just a competition at that time. From now on, we'll all be comrades in the same camp. There's no need to dwell on past victories and defeats..."
As he spoke, he signaled with his eyes to the other two.
Bibi Dong saw this and sighed inwardly.
She turned to Zhu Zhuqing and said calmly, "Don't pay attention to them. That guy has always been arrogant and has been like this since he was a child. You don't have to take it to heart. Follow me."
The girl in black pursed her lips and nodded slightly with no expression on her face, following Bibi Dong into Spirit City.
However, her hands clenched behind her back, indicating that she wasn't as calm as she appeared.
"How did you know we would return today and wait here specifically for us?"
On the other side, Su Cheng, having forcefully led Qian Renxue into the shadows of the forest outside Spirit City, casually asked.
"I've been waiting here for half a month." Qian Renxue said lightly.
Then she turned to look at Su Cheng.
Even though the sunlight was filtered by the leaves, her golden eyes still shone brightly. "What's the deal with her?"
"She is Bibi Dong's newly accepted disciple."
"Bibi Dong's new disciple?" Qian Renxue's face turned cold. "I was wondering why that woman would suddenly accept a disciple given her personality."
Her voice turned icy. "Was it Bibi Dong's idea, or did you suggest it?"
"How could it be me?! You're overestimating me. Do you think Bibi Dong would take my advice?" Su Cheng quickly denied it.
"This has nothing to do with me. In fact, I'm also curious how the two of them suddenly became master and disciple."
Seeing his genuine expression, Qian Renxue's face softened a bit.
But she still felt uneasy and hesitated. "Will that girl stay in Spirit City? Isn't she a noble of the Star Luo Empire?"
"Probably." Su Cheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully and analyzed.
"You know, Bibi Dong is very ambitious. The layout in the Heaven Dou Empire has been completely disrupted. So I guess she might want to use Zhuqing's Hell White Tiger Martial Spirit for something."
"Zhuqing?" Qian Renxue gave him a sidelong glance. "You sound quite close."
"Friends don't need to be so distant." Su Cheng replied calmly.
"...Alright, I'll believe you for now."
Qian Renxue reached out and gently stroked his cheek.
Her cold fingertips slid down his jaw, finally resting on his neck as she nestled into his embrace, listening to his steady heartbeat.
"Teacher, don't ever lie to me..."
Su Cheng hugged her waist in return.
In a place where Qian Renxue couldn't see, his eyes twitched slightly.
Although she was much gentler than her unrestrained second personality, in some aspects, the two were still surprisingly similar.
After thinking for a moment, Su Cheng said, "I plan to help the Pope and Zhuqing cultivate innate power."
Qian Renxue lifted her head, waiting silently for him to continue.
"Not just them, but also others in the Spirit Hall, including those elders. I'll try to teach them as well." Su Cheng continued, "You know my seventh spirit ring is quite special. The more people who master this power, the greater my improvement."
"Oh." Qian Renxue nodded and rested her head on Su Cheng's neck again, her soft golden hair brushing against his skin, making him itch slightly.
Smelling his scent, she whispered, "You can decide on such matters yourself. I'll support you."
After spending a moment outside the city, they returned to Spirit City.
However, Su Cheng did not go to the Pope's Palace immediately but followed Qian Renxue to her room in the Elder's Hall.
Inside the room, five large lead boxes were neatly arranged on the table.
Su Cheng walked over and casually opened one of the lids.
As he did so, a dazzling golden light shone from the lead box, revealing a golden arm bone quietly placed inside.
It was the Angelic Armor, a treasure passed down in the Wuhun Hall for a millennium.
The Angelic Armor consists of six spirit bones. Aside from the five on the table, the last one was inside Qian Renxue.
When she went to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire years ago, she had already absorbed the left arm bone of the Angelic Armor.
Thanks to the disguise ability provided by that spirit bone, she successfully impersonated the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, and maintained the facade for over a decade without being discovered.
"Angelic Armor..." Su Cheng picked up the right arm bone and silently examined it, his eyes flickering with a dark golden light.
After a moment, he walked to the center box and opened it.
A larger golden torso bone appeared in Su Cheng's view, emitting a pure and holy aura, immensely powerful.
"Can I absorb these spirit bones?"
At this moment, Qian Renxue's voice sounded beside him, also looking at the powerful golden torso bone in the box.
Previously, after she refused Qian Daoliu's offer of the Angelic God inheritance, he handed over the remaining five spirit bones to her.
Logically speaking, since Qian Renxue declined to inherit the Angelic God position, she shouldn't touch the Angelic Armor anymore.
As the guardian of the angelic deity, Qian Daoliu should patiently wait and hand these spirit bones to the next heir of the Qian family.
He made this decision for two reasons.
First, the chance of successfully activating the Angelic God inheritance was too low. Even Qian Xunji, who became a Title Douluo, only managed to absorb two of them.
To truly activate them, one theoretically needs to reach level 100 and become a god.
The angelic deity had been passed down for nearly ten thousand years, and no one had ever inherited the god position.
Qian Renxue was the only one in the family with innate spirit power at level 20.
In the future, how likely was it for another person with such talent to appear?
Even if such a person appeared during Qian Renxue's lifetime, it wouldn't be a problem. Spirit bones wouldn't be buried with their owner and could continue to be passed down.
As for Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu had completely given up.
God inheritance can't be forced.
Having experienced the Angelic Eight Trials, he knew how difficult the tests were.
If his granddaughter was internally resistant, she had no chance of success and would ultimately die.
Moreover, the dual attributes within Qian Renxue were an obstacle.
Her second spirit had a dark attribute, entirely different from the angelic god's. Although equally grand, its nature was fierce and domineering, clashing with the angelic power.
Inheriting the god position could lead to unforeseen consequences.
Given that Su Cheng was supporting her, and she was his beloved granddaughter and only descendant, Qian Daoliu didn't want to force her or let her take such risks.
Besides, there was another reason—Qian Renxue had demonstrated innate power.
Witnessing that mysterious power, Qian Daoliu was shocked.
As the guardian of the angelic deity, he could use some angelic power in the Douluo Hall and understood its nature.
To him, this power was no weaker than his limited angelic power.
And according to Qian Renxue, this was just the beginning. Upon completion, her innate power could rival true divine power.
With all these factors, Qian Daoliu decided to give her the Angelic Armor early.
"Did the Grand Priest ask you to consult me?" Su Cheng looked at the golden torso bone in the box, gently tracing it with a finger wrapped in a thin layer of innate power.
"He's your family's ancestor. Why consult an outsider like me?"
"Ancestor? He's my grandfather." Qian Renxue rolled her eyes.
She spoke with a touch of pride.
"Grandpa said he didn't expect you could perfectly balance the two opposing attributes within me. Since that's the case, you might also help me absorb these six spirit bones."
"He overestimates me." Su Cheng said calmly. "It's your talent. I just gave a little guidance."
"You've become quite good at flattering." Qian Renxue smiled, her eyes softening.
"I'm just being honest."
Su Cheng withdrew his hand and returned to the left arm bone, comparing it with the torso bone.
"Your grandfather's idea is to save the torso bone for last? And that completing the Angelic Armor theoretically requires reaching level 100?"
"Yes." Qian Renxue nodded.
This was something they discussed before coming to the Elder's Hall.
So Su Cheng hadn't gone to the Pope's Palace but followed her here.
Holding the left arm bone, Su Cheng kept his eyes on the torso bone.
As the rarest and most powerful of spirit bones, the two exuded different auras.
"You can't absorb the torso bone last. You need to absorb it first." After a long silence, Su Cheng suddenly asserted.
"Huh?" Qian Renxue was surprised.
She didn't doubt Su Cheng but was astonished.
Initially, Qian Daoliu intended for her to consult Su Cheng about absorbing the set without becoming a god, but she didn't expect him to change the absorption order.
"The divine power in this torso bone is too strong." Su Cheng explained.
After researching for so long, he had figured out the principle behind the spirit bone set.
"These six bones are essentially all ten-thousand-year spirit bones.
"They've just had their energies partially disrupted, causing them to downgrade.
"Only by fully absorbing them can you integrate their power.
"As for why this is necessary, I have some guesses."
At this point, Su Cheng glanced at Qian Renxue.
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