Su Ming remembered vividly how he'd called Xiao Wu and Ah Yin his "wives" in the diary right after he got the system, convinced that only he could see it. If the truth came out, wouldn't it be a social catastrophe?
After all, before his death in his previous life, he'd made sure to use his last strength to format his phone, just to prevent his private collection of "films" from leaking. Now, the more he thought about it, the less things made sense: Xiao Wu's initial dislike of Tang San, her reluctance toward Shrek Academy, Zhuqing not ending up with Dai Mubai, Dugu Yan's unexpected evolution to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, and the changes in her spirit skills…
A flurry of doubts erupted in Su Ming's mind, like a volcano finally breaking its silence.
As his spirit companion, Ah Yin could feel Su Ming's inner turmoil. She sighed inwardly. It looked like he'd caught on; maybe the system had finally run out of room to maneuver.
System: …
The system felt helpless, realizing it may have gone too far, especially after rewarding Qian Renxue with such potent abilities and gifting Hu Liena a spirit bone. Bibi Dong's unchanged championship rewards from the original story hadn't helped matters either. Now it seemed like it was all unraveling.
The system stopped struggling, deciding there was no use in hiding.
"System," Su Ming's calm tone rang through his mind, "we're having a talk once I have a moment. And I want you to answer me directly. I'd rather not question my own people; understood?"
The system replied hesitantly, [Ding, er, host, what are you talking about? This system doesn't quite follow…]
"System, I know you're looking out for me, and believe me, I'm grateful. I don't mind my people growing stronger; I'm thrilled about it. But I need answers now. That's all I'm asking for."
[Sigh… Fine.]
In just a few moments, Su Ming had hashed out his thoughts with the system. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Qian Renxue, a fierce spark of battle in his eyes.
"Let's see just how far the system's help has brought you, Qian Renxue," he muttered to himself.
He activated all six of his spirit rings, maxing out his boosts. With his potent life force amplifying his power, his presence edged out over Qian Renxue's. Although her strength was formidable due to her spirit true form and domain, Su Ming's spirit skills granted pure self-boosts, which gave him an edge.
Seeing her domain's suppression countered, Qian Renxue was surprised, though she had expected a challenging fight. Meanwhile, intense discussion buzzed around the spectators.
"Wow, a domain!"
"This thing's huge—it's covering all of us! My power feels halved!"
"Same here… Honestly, Su Ming might lose this one."
"Oh, you're saying that just because Qian Renxue's pretty, like you did with Tianshui Academy! You're hopeless!"
"Listen, last time was an exception. But if you're honest, Qian Renxue's got a great chance. Her spirit quality alone outshines Su Ming's."
Witnessing Qian Renxue's power in full swing, Bibi Dong and her two elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, were astonished.
Bibi Dong thought, Who would have guessed that little Xue had grown this powerful already?
The elders shared a glance of mixed pride and unease, especially Ghost Douluo, who now doubted he could match her strength. Meanwhile, in the Pope's Hall, the consecrators, Demon Conqueror and Thousand Juns, admired how far "their little Xue" had come. They even speculated she might be ready to begin the Angelic God trials. Given her strength, she could potentially complete the inheritance within three years, cementing Spirit Hall's dominance over the continent.
"First Spirit Skill, Angelic Strike!"
Golden light surged into Qian Renxue's fist as she lunged forward, fists blazing. This was a probing move, her first attempt to gauge Su Ming's strength.
Unfazed, Su Ming commanded his Wood Golem to meet her blow with a punch of its own.
Boom!
Qian Renxue staggered back several steps, while the Wood Golem remained steady. She quickly understood the futility of a head-on clash and shifted tactics.
"Fifth Spirit Skill, Holy Angel Sword!"
A long sword, forged from divine flame, appeared in her hand. All of her "Sun Breathing" techniques were rooted in this spirit skill, as she didn't possess the actual Angelic Sword yet. This spirit skill amplified her attack power significantly, making sword combat her true strength.
She quickly gained distance, hovering midair, and unleashed waves of sword energy infused with holy flames.
Su Ming raised his hand to block but noticed that unlike his encounter with Huo Wu's fire technique, these sword waves left a charred mark on the Wood Golem's hand, though it soon regenerated. He frowned, realizing the fire resistance granted by his "Wood Style" wasn't strong enough against Qian Renxue's holy flames. His life force regeneration was far more reliable.
"Hey, look!" shouted someone in the audience. "Su Ming's Wood Golem got scorched for the first time—Qian Renxue really is powerful! She's no doubt worthy of being the Pope's daughter!"
Xiao Wu and the others, who were watching anxiously, felt their hearts race. Su Ming had never faced such a tough opponent—someone capable of actually charring his Wood Golem. Previous foes could only chip off bits of bark!
Qian Renxue thought to herself, Wait, is that praise or insult?
Su Ming casually remarked, "Impressive. You're the strongest opponent I've faced so far. Show me what else you've got; I'm itching for more!"
Though his words sounded confident, inside he pondered, The system must have given Qian Renxue more than just this. There's bound to be more, like advanced techniques and skill sets.