Su Cheng hesitated for a moment, glancing at her without speaking.
In his heart, he thought, "I probably haven't been deceived, but I'm definitely being threatened by her."
Qian Renxue crossed her arms and paced back and forth in the room.
While speaking, she also secretly observed Su Cheng's change in expression.
"Did she ask you to practice with me?" she asked.
Then she shook her head.
"No, if it were something like that, you wouldn't need to hide it from me."
Su Cheng swallowed and interrupted again, "Xiaoxue—"
"There's only one possibility!"
Qian Renxue turned around, her eyes gleaming with cold light. "She thinks that under the guise of goodwill, she can arrange for you to do something for her. And whatever it is, you know it's something I wouldn't want to see."
Su Cheng: "..."
"Teacher, what exactly is it?"
"What else could it be? It's likely that Bibi Dong wants to send Su Cheng out on some missions, trying to separate him from us."
With a sneer, another figure in black appeared beside them.
Su Cheng glanced at the newcomer but didn't say anything.
The other party was about to start practicing the second volume of innate techniques. With this foundation, their simultaneous appearance wouldn't affect much. Moreover, since they needed to develop targeted techniques, it was convenient for them to work together for his research.
"Teacher, why do you believe her?" Su Cheng asked.
"Su Cheng, don't be fooled by Bibi Dong's erratic behavior; she's very cunning. Do you think it's easy for an outsider like her to take over the power of the Pope in the Martial Soul Temple?"
"That's right. At that time, Bibi Dong wasn't even at the peak of a Douluo. Shortly after her father's death, she took control of most of the power in the Pope's Temple. Even though there was some support from her grandfather voluntarily relinquishing power, it was still quite difficult."
"And..."
Listening to the two of them recounting Bibi Dong's various problems, Su Cheng felt a headache coming on.
This was not quite what he had expected.
"Enough."
Seeing that they were getting more and more carried away, he quickly interrupted them.
"Let's discuss this later. Let's start practicing first, and I'll see what your situation is."
The two stunning women, who looked almost identical but had completely different temperaments, glanced at each other but didn't say anything more.
However, they didn't intend to let this matter go easily.
Instead, they planned to find a time to confront Bibi Dong face-to-face at the Pope's Temple.
As the two of them sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, with the circulation of spiritual power, a golden halo and a black halo appeared in Su Cheng's field of vision.
Although the existence of the two Qian Renxue seemed to be one real and one illusory, the intensity of the spiritual power they used was almost identical.
The process of their attribute changes was very similar to the changes that occur when soul masters with twin martial souls switch between them.
Of course, Qian Renxue's situation was obviously different from having twin martial souls.
Her changes were based on the transformation of her soul, which in turn affected her Six-winged Angel Martial Soul, making it more appropriate to describe it as a very special mutated martial soul.
However, as expected, the special state of twin souls made Qian Renxue much stronger in soul cultivation than ordinary soul masters, but it did not achieve the effect of one plus one being greater than two.
It couldn't even achieve the effect of being equal to two.
If we didn't consider their nature as one entity with twin souls, because of the mutual consumption between them, the cultivation effect of these two individual souls would still be inferior.
"In fact, their attributes are not completely opposite. The so-called dark side is not as sinister and evil as Bibi Dong's Devouring Spider Emperor, but tends to be more cold and stern."
Su Cheng supported his chin with one hand, constantly pondering.
"But even so, compared to the pure and bright descendants of the Angel Clan, the differences are still significant."
Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Xiaoxue's self-created soul technique, and the overlapping domain created after using the Martial Soul True Body, are very interesting. Since they can do this, it actually means that there is a possibility of further integration in the future."
Thinking of this, a figure appeared in Su Cheng's mind—Sea Maiden Douluo Luo Leilei.
Her ninth soul skill, the Zhenhai Divine Song, can reconcile different attributes and even different energies, which could be greatly beneficial if Qian Renxue had the chance to listen to it.
"That's a story for another time. The Zhenhai Divine Song can only serve as a finishing touch. Before that, we need to find a way to help Xiaoxue find a pivotal point that is sufficient for integration.
"And it shouldn't be like relying on its profound nature to fill the gap forcibly, like with hundred-thousand-year soul rings. Instead, it should be something that can support and grow steadily in the long term."
In this regard, Su Cheng actually had very rich experience himself.
The power of the mind could complement a powerful soul.
If Qian Renxue had the opportunity to comprehend some extremely profound meaning, like his Immortal Sword Intent, it would certainly greatly improve the current situation.
"Perhaps she should put more effort into that self-created soul technique..."
During their previous battle in the Soul Master Grand Competition finals, the soul technique Qian Renxue displayed contained a strong personal will, which even impressed Su Cheng.
If Qian Renxue could further enhance this foundation, she might even have the chance to condense the last two hundred-thousand-year soul rings like he did.
The benefits of obtaining the eighth and ninth soul rings that perfectly match her own attributes and martial soul would be immeasurable.
"Xiaoxue."
After Qian Renxue had practiced for a short while and opened her eyes, Su Cheng spoke, "For now, you two don't need to go to the Martial Soul Academy. During this time, besides coming to me at night to practice the Innate Techniques, spend your days further comprehending the Domain Iteration technique you developed before, as well as the self-created soul technique you've used.
"That soul technique will greatly benefit your development. If you can further explore its potential, it may play a crucial role when you start practicing the third volume of the Innate Techniques in the future.
"As for the Martial Soul Academy, I can go and guide those soul masters."
Su Cheng had already considered it.
If he could reach an understanding with Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, strengthening the Martial Soul Temple and even establishing a Martial Soul Empire might not be a bad thing.
It was not advisable to promote the Innate Techniques directly and forcefully, as the consequences were unpredictable.
Not only the possible prying eyes from the Divine Realm but also the intertwined forces on the continent, the reactions of the two empires, and the existence of those nobles and major families were all obstacles.
Even those ordinary people who suddenly gained power might bring different degrees of chaos.
The situation here was different from the sea.
Living on the sea meant fewer people, more resources, and much greater external environmental pressure, so there were few conflicts among them.
Even if they gained power, it was only a means of self-preservation against disasters and beast tides.
On the other hand, on the land, if we didn't consider those beasts in seclusion, humans had overwhelming superiority in strength, and internal conflicts were much more intense.
The best choice for orderly promotion was to start with the Martial Soul Temple.
"Alright."
Qian Renxue didn't object either.
Except for special circumstances, she always listened to Su Cheng's words.
"By the way, Teacher, you just need to teach them how to practice normally. You don't need to worry about other matters; I will take care of them."
"What other matters? What do you mean?" Su Cheng didn't react for a moment.
"It means you should avoid contact with Hu Liena as much as possible," another voice spoke up, and a pair of dark eyes stared at him vigilantly.
"...I understand."
The central forbidden area of the Sea God Island.
The peak of the invisible Sea God Mountain.
A tall and stunning woman stood with her hands behind her back, facing the wind.
Her crimson sacrificial robe fluttered, and her deep blue eyes were as profound as the ocean.
So far, Bo Saixi had stood in this place for a full day and night.
The decayed Sea God Mountain.
The shattered Sea God Temple.
And the Sea God inheritance that had been completely destroyed...
This was by no means an ordinary dream.
There is a deeper, more profound premonition hidden within.
Not to mention, she hadn't truly slept for countless years.
Even if she did fall asleep, she would never dream.
But why would such a premonition appear?
In Bo Saixi's understanding, only deities were capable of such a thing.
However, as the High Priestess of the Sea God Island, she knew better than anyone that it was definitely not the guidance of the Sea God.
"Su Cheng."
Bo Saixi softly uttered this name.
She had lived for hundreds of years.
But the memories of those twenty years, the people and events she had experienced, the various emotional changes that occurred during that time, even surpassed what she had experienced in the past hundred years.
In comparison, everything she possessed now, the so-called experiences, seemed like a vast lake that had never flowed.
No matter how deep and vast it was, it was ultimately just stagnant water.
Dull, lifeless, and silent.
Looking back now, besides possessing extraordinary strength, she had almost nothing to be proud of or reminisce about.
No family, no friends, and certainly no opponents.
All she had were the islanders who revered her like a deity and memories of a few months with no conclusion.
As a servant of the Sea God, her attitude had always been lofty and disdainful towards the mundane world.
In the past, she had never felt that there was anything wrong with that.
It wasn't until now that she realized it was not a mentality that a normal person should have.
Shallow desires, emotional emptiness, and a single-minded devotion to serving the deity.
Bo Saixi originally thought that there was nothing in the world that could cause her too much emotional turmoil.
Whether it was joy or regret, it was all fleeting.
However, when that brief yet profound memory surged into the stagnant lake like a tsunami, she realized how fragile her state of mind was.
To calm herself down, she spent a full day and night, but still couldn't suppress the surging tide of emotions.
"Should I go out and take a look..."
Bo Saixi looked somewhat lost.
After being baptized by those memories, she had become aware of her weaknesses.
But the lessons from those memories also told her that.
Choosing to enter the world, while honing her heart, actually added countless shackles and concerns to her soul, making it difficult to remain as pure as before.
Then she smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Those memories were indeed real, and various emotions had already settled deep in her heart.
At this point, what difference did it make whether she faced them or avoided them?
Moreover, she had an inexplicable feeling that there really was someone in the world.
Perhaps they were quietly cultivating and living somewhere, or perhaps they had just been born.
"..."
After a long silence, Bo Saixi let out a soft sigh and turned to walk down the mountain.
She decided to go out and take a look.
The stronger a person was, the more they understood what those incomprehensible mystical signs represented.
And the most crucial point was, her heart was in turmoil.
Deep down, she even had a certain degree of doubt about her own beliefs.
As the High Priestess of the Sea God, Bo Saixi couldn't tolerate such a thing happening to herself.
Even if it was to reaffirm her faith, she had to make a choice.
Perhaps, finding that person and killing that person was the only solution now.
"At least I can still distinguish between dreams and reality," she thought to herself.