Chapter 98: The Soul Master Tournament Bet
"How do you know unless you try?"
Xiao Yu smiled slightly. "Maybe when your grandfather sees how outstanding I am, he'll gladly give his precious granddaughter to me!"
"In your dreams!"
Qian Renxue responded with a hint of exasperation, "I haven't even agreed to it yet, and you're already thinking about meeting my grandfather? If he finds out that someone like you, a heartless womanizer, has designs on his granddaughter, he'll chop you to pieces!"
"Why don't we make a bet then?"
Xiao Yu suggested seriously, "According to the rules of soul masters, everything is settled by strength!"
"A duel? Fine, let's settle this once and for all!"
Qian Renxue, upon hearing this, was eager to take up the challenge. It wasn't just because of Xiao Yu's bet—she had long wanted to test her strength against him.
Among the younger generation of soul masters, only Xiao Yu was worthy of her attention. The rest, even Hu Liena, who had been meticulously trained by that woman, was nothing but trash compared to her.
"Don't be so hasty!"
Seeing Qian Renxue instantly enter her martial soul possession state, with the Angelic Holy Sword materializing in her hand, Xiao Yu coughed lightly and said, "What's the point of a duel in a deserted place like this? There wouldn't even be any witnesses. I have a better idea—let's have our duel witnessed by the entire world of soul masters!"
"You want me to join the Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament?"
Qian Renxue, being quick-witted, immediately grasped the meaning behind Xiao Yu's words.
"I do love talking to smart people!"
Xiao Yu smiled knowingly. "The Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is a grand event, held only once in several years. Imagine the scale—wouldn't it be more ceremonial to have our duel witnessed by everyone during such an event?"
No girl can resist the appeal of ceremony, and Qian Renxue was no exception.
After a brief pause, Qian Renxue said, "Aren't you afraid that if I join, I'll steal your spotlight? If I'm not mistaken, your goal in participating in the tournament is to recruit the best soul masters into Nine Stars Palace, right?"
"I enjoy challenges. The greater the difficulty, the more pressure I feel, and that pressure leads to breakthroughs!"
Xiao Yu replied, "Besides, without you, the tournament holds little interest for me. The so-called Golden Generation of Spirit Hall consists of just three early-stage Soul Kings. Even without me, Eden, Ikki, and Zilong could easily handle them."
The cultivation level of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall was no secret. In the original story, even someone as disconnected from Spirit Hall as Dugu Bo knew it well. It was only Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, those two closed-off theorists, who remained in the dark.
"You make a good point!"
After spending so much time with Xiao Yu, Qian Renxue had come to understand the strength of his teammates. Now, she realized why Xiao Yu had once insisted she never leak any information to Spirit Hall. Even without him, this team could easily crush Spirit Hall's team.
But even if she hadn't sworn an oath on her martial soul, she had no intention of revealing Nine Stars' strength to Spirit Hall. After all, if Spirit Hall lost the tournament, the ones embarrassed would be Hu Liena and Bibi Dong. Watching those two suffer would only bring her satisfaction!
As for the championship prize, it was nothing more than a spirit bone. Others might find it valuable, but Qian Renxue, with her full set of Angel God equipment waiting for her, had no use for such a prize. She'd rather let Hu Liena have it and feel worse for it.
Originally, she had planned to sit back and enjoy the show, waiting to see Bibi Dong humiliated during the Soul Master Tournament.
However, now that Xiao Yu had suggested her participation, her thoughts began to shift.
Looking at the current situation, Spirit Hall's only chance of winning might lie in her joining the tournament.
Relying on Hu Liena and the others, who had just broken through to level 50, to defeat Eden and the rest was a pipe dream. But holding them off for a while might be manageable.
Eden and his team were strong, but in Qian Renxue's estimation, there was no way they could break through to the Soul Emperor level in the less than one year left before the tournament. As long as they didn't reach that level, the gap between them and her would remain substantial.
As long as she could defeat Xiao Yu during the match and then quickly support Hu Liena and the others, with her advantage in soul power, she could take down Eden's team one by one. There were still many uncertainties in this plan, but it was likely Spirit Hall's only path to victory.
And in this way, wouldn't it appear to everyone that Qian Renxue was single-handedly turning the tide in the Soul Master Tournament, securing victory for the Spirit Hall team? Wouldn't this result be an even bigger slap in the face for Bibi Dong?
As for losing—if she lost the match, she would have to accept Xiao Yu's wager, meaning the victor would be her man. The one embarrassed would still be Bibi Dong. From this perspective, no matter the outcome, it seemed like a win-win for Qian Renxue.
"Alright, we'll settle this in the Soul Master Tournament!"
Qian Renxue extended her right hand, "A high-five as a promise—once a word is given, it's impossible to take back!"
"You don't exactly seem like a gentleman, though,"
Xiao Yu muttered to himself, but given the atmosphere, he couldn't really say it aloud and spoil the moment.
"It's a deal!"
Xiao Yu extended his left hand and met Qian Renxue's right with a firm high-five, producing a crisp and resonant sound.
...
A few days later, a handwritten letter from Qian Renxue was delivered through secret channels to the hands of the Grand Worshipper, Qian Daoliu. Communicating with Bibi Dong? In her dreams!
After reading the letter, Qian Daoliu headed straight to the Pope's Palace.
"You're saying she wants to participate in the Soul Master Tournament as a team member?"
Given the near-enemy relationship between mother and daughter, Qian Daoliu didn't bother handing Bibi Dong the letter; instead, he summarized Qian Renxue's message.
A cold glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. If she could, she'd rather never see this daughter of hers again. "She's not staying in Heaven Dou Empire to continue her infiltration mission—why does she suddenly want to join the Soul Master Tournament? Give me a reasonable explanation."
"Do you remember Nine Stars Palace?"
Qian Daoliu replied calmly.
He had no fondness for Bibi Dong. The events of the past had indeed been a betrayal by the Angel family, so even though he knew exactly who was responsible for his only son's death, he had refrained from seeking revenge.
But with Qian Xunji already dead at her hands, that debt had been repaid. What fault did Qian Renxue have in any of this? She had no role in the past events.
As a child, Qian Renxue had no choice in her birth. Yet Bibi Dong had vented her hatred for Qian Xunji a hundredfold onto her, forcing a nine-year-old girl to leave her home and go undercover in a foreign environment, hiding her identity, name, and even her gender—executing a plan that hindered her cultivation.
If it weren't for the fact that Spirit Hall still needed Bibi Dong as the Pope, and because of the tangled web of their relationships, Qian Daoliu would have split Bibi Dong into eight pieces with the Angelic Holy Sword when Qian Renxue left Spirit Hall to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire.
(End of Chapter)
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