Bo Saixi:
"Well, this is rich. Isn't every soul master from the mainland supposed to get a one-year timeframe per trial? Why did Tang San's Eighth Trial get a full five years? The trial system's supposed to be fair and just—even if the test was difficult, giving him five times the time allowance is just like dumping the ocean in his favor."
By this point, Bo Saixi didn't even want to keep criticizing. According to Su Ming, the Sea God had already intervened countless times to help Tang San, his chosen inheritor, and each time was a blatant advantage.
"Later, Hu Liena and Tang San successfully cleared Hell Road together, but it's lucky she had Tang San there. If she'd gone alone, she probably wouldn't have made it."
"Even if she didn't die, she'd have been gravely injured. Of course, by then, Bibi Dong was already waiting outside the Slaughter City. If Hu Liena had been in serious danger, there's no way Bibi Dong would've stood by and done nothing."
"Yet, their journey through Hell Road planted seeds in Hu Liena's heart—seeds of romance and betrayal toward Bibi Dong!"
Boom!
She was doomed.
Staring at that last line, Hu Liena froze in place, breaking out into a cold sweat.
At that moment, Gui Mei arrived at the Supreme Pontiff Hall with Qian Renxue, who had returned to her usual appearance. He couldn't help but notice how the temperature in the hall seemed to have dropped several degrees. The entire hall felt ice-cold, sending a shiver down his spine. He glanced nervously at Bibi Dong, who seemed on the edge of exploding—he recognized this expression all too well.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's gaze darted between Hu Liena and Bibi Dong. Looks like there'll be a good show tonight, she thought. Did Bibi Dong summon me at the wrong time?
"Your Holiness, I've brought the Young Mistress as you requested," Gui Mei said, forcing himself to speak.
"Thank you, Elder Gui. You may leave," Bibi Dong replied coolly.
Gui Mei was relieved to exit quickly; the atmosphere was clearly off, and he wanted no part of whatever was brewing.
"Xue'er, we'll talk about our matter shortly."
Qian Renxue understood what Bibi Dong meant. They'd wait until Su Ming finished his diary entry since it seemed they were about to uncover why Hu Liena betrayed Bibi Dong in the original storyline. She decided to watch quietly for now.
"The Ten-Headed Sun Snake in Hell Road was indeed formidable. Without the use of soul skills, Tang San's natural abilities gave him the upper hand, while Hu Liena had to rely on her dual blades and her tail's external soul bone."
"Because of this, Hu Liena was at a disadvantage. Tang San didn't use this opportunity to make her act as bait for the Ten-Headed Sun Snake. Instead, he protected her, a classic 'hero saving the damsel' scenario. Since ancient times, beauties have always admired heroes. The whole 'hero saving the damsel' trope might be old, but it still works—especially on someone like Hu Liena, who's a self-confessed sucker for handsome faces."
"If I remember correctly, Hu Liena took a hit from the Ten-Headed Sun Snake during Hell Road and nearly fell into the magma. She had already resigned herself, thinking Tang San wouldn't save her. But when he did, it struck her right in the heart. After they emerged from Hell Road, she invited Tang San to join her again, only to be rejected."
"Tang San calmly told her that they might never meet again, then vanished. Not long after, Bibi Dong and Tang Hao arrived separately to retrieve them from the Slaughter City."
"By this time, Hu Liena had already fallen for Tang San, though it would take a bit longer for her to realize it fully. During their separation, Tang San trained in Yuexuan to suppress his killing intent, while Hu Liena, in her solitude, was consumed with thoughts of Tang San, to the point of lovesickness."
Hu Liena was mortified.
Please, Su Ming, stop talking. I'm already dying here!
When Qian Renxue's feelings for Tang San had been exposed, Hu Liena had been a bystander, taking it in stride since liking someone in the original story didn't mean those feelings persisted in reality.
But her situation was entirely different. Unlike Qian Renxue, she was portrayed as betraying the Spirit Hall and her teacher. She was starting to panic—she was incredibly anxious.
"Later, the five-year mark arrived. Tang San reached level fifty-nine and set off for the Star Dou Forest to find Xiao Wu. Coincidentally, Spirit Hall had finally pinpointed Xiao Wu's location and dispatched Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and their team to hunt her. Hu Liena was part of that squad."
"I still find it odd—why did it take Spirit Hall five years to locate Xiao Wu?"
"By then, Bibi Dong was deeply influenced by the dark intent of the Rakshasa God. Obsessed with gaining power through the spirit rings of hundred-thousand-year beasts, she had forgotten that Xiao Wu was Ah Rou's daughter."
Bibi Dong:
Su Ming made a good point. With Spirit Hall's resources, it shouldn't have taken five years to locate Xiao Wu. Given that she was Ah Rou's daughter, Bibi Dong should've had a general sense of where she might be.
Bibi Dong now realized how far the Rakshasa God's influence had pushed her, clouding her judgment and leading her to target Ah Rou's daughter. She felt a pang of regret—this truly shouldn't have happened.
"When Tang San entered the Star Dou Forest, he used the Blue Silver Grass to sense Xiao Wu's location. But then he noticed Hu Liena's squad heading in the same direction as Xiao Wu."
"At that moment, he concocted a plan, aware of Hu Liena's feelings for him, and decided to use this to infiltrate her team."
"This marked Hu Liena's second betrayal of Bibi Dong's expectations. The first, during the Soul Master Tournament, was understandable. But this time, she not only failed her mission but also dragged down Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, as well as her brother Xie Yue."
"Knowing he needed to get into Hu Liena's squad, Tang San deliberately made some noise ahead of them, ensuring they'd find him. He claimed he was there to obtain his sixth soul ring."
"And it's not out of the question that Tang San's true goal was to make Xiao Wu his sixth ring. After all, despite what seemed like a harmless excuse, Xiao Wu ultimately sacrificed herself for him and became his sixth ring."
"The first time I read this, I won't lie—it was moving. Tang San seemed willing to risk his life for Xiao Wu, even severing his own leg to remove the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone. That bone had a flight skill, and he wanted Xiao Wu to absorb it and escape the Star Dou Forest."
At this point, all the women were intensely focused on the diary, not wanting to miss any details.
As the focal character, Xiao Wu was unimpressed. So what if Tang San was willing to sacrifice his life? To her, it was all just an act, albeit a very convincing one.
"But here's the problem: Xiao Wu was only at the Soul King level back then! She hadn't reached full maturity as a soul beast, meaning she hadn't fully transformed into a human. How could she absorb the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone and use its flight skill to escape?"
"Tang San's mother, Ah Yin, was a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast. I can't believe Tang Hao didn't tell Tang San that such soul beasts need to reach level sixty to fully transform into humans."
"So why did Tang San go through with this, then? It's worth pondering!"
In the Supreme Pontiff Hall, Bibi Dong wore an expression that suggested she'd expected this. She knew this fact well. At that time, Xiao Wu shouldn't have been able to absorb any soul bones. Could it be that Tang San was employing a ruse to make Xiao Wu willingly sacrifice herself for him?
But what if Xiao Wu didn't react as he expected? Would he have sacrificed himself in vain? This point puzzled Bibi Dong.
Then she understood—Tang San knew that hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are emotionally pure. Once they choose someone, they remain devoted. Tang San counted on Xiao Wu's love for him, confident she would sacrifice herself for him.
After all, Xiao Wu appeared naive enough to become little more than a tool later on.
Upon obtaining Xiao Wu's soul ring and soul bone, Tang San seemed profoundly grief-stricken. Later, when he learned that using the soul ring and bone would deplete the soul energy she'd left behind, he vowed never to use them!
But later, as Su Ming noted, Tang San rarely held back from using his soul bone skills. Unyielding Golden Body, Teleportation—he used them liberally, without a hint of sorrow.
It's essential to know that the soul bone also contained Xiao Wu's soul energy; otherwise, why was returning the soul ring and bone a condition for her revival?
In the hall, Hu Liena finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least it wasn't about her this time. The pressure had been intense!
Xiao Wu, too, had an epiphany. Was this soul bone really meant for me? How could I absorb it?
"Another critical point: though Tang San wasn't an agility-type soul master, he was still level fifty-nine. Coupled with his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the speed boost from the Eight Spider Lances, he should've been able to escape unless pursued by Titled Douluo-level powerhouses."
"He also had the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone's flight skill, along with the Blue Silver Domain's ability to navigate terrain. With all these enhancements, how did he still get caught? That's just unbelievable!"
"If Tang San couldn't escape with all that, then how could he expect Xiao Wu to escape even if she could absorb the soul bone? It's absurd!"
"Also, why were Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo always dispatched as a duo? Spirit Hall has many Titled Douluo; why not send a third person along?"
"If this mission was essential enough for Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, shouldn't Bibi Dong have considered this? What if the target's power was around ninety-five or above, or if there was more than one target? Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo used their Martial Fusion Technique to immobilize the target—then who would strike the blow?"
"If they needed to use their Fusion Technique, the target must have been strong. And what if there were unexpected complications? In this mission, Bibi Dong didn't fully think it through. They immobilized Da Ming and Er Ming, but no one dealt the finishing blow."
"If they'd sent one more Titled Douluo, would Xiao Wu have escaped? Not likely. If anything, knowing her feelings toward Da Ming and Er Ming, she would have sacrificed herself for them, agreeing to go with Spirit Hall instead."
Bibi Dong:
Xiao Wu:
Both felt that Su Ming's analysis was spot-on. If the original Bibi Dong had sent three Titled Douluo, Spirit Hall could have reaped three hundred-thousand-year-old soul rings and bones. Why didn't the original me consider that?
Er…actually, without Su Ming's reminder, I probably wouldn't have thought of it even now.
In the hall, Qian Renxue glanced at the awkward expression on Bibi Dong's face and let out a low chuckle. Su Ming's commentary was on point.
"In conclusion, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo don't always need to work as a pair. There are plenty of Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall; isn't there anyone they get along with who could join them?"
"Oh, I forgot. Before Bibi Dong reconciled with Qian Renxue, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo were in an awkward position. They were both members of the Elder Hall and the Supreme Pontiff Hall. Elder Hall lacked manpower, so Qian Daoliu allowed them to remain under the Supreme Pontiff."
"The other Titled Douluo usually only take orders from Qian Daoliu, which makes finding a third suitable candidate difficult."
"Plus, if a third member joined, they couldn't be weak. They'd need to be at least level ninety-five because Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo would be immobilizing the enemy, and the third person can't afford to let them down."
Bibi Dong: Level ninety-five or above? That only leaves the Spirit Hall's Grand Elders, and they're too proud to join Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo.
"Actually, I think there is someone who'd be a good fit: Old Monster. He has a decent relationship with Chrysanthemum Douluo. They bicker like rivals and share an interest in herbalism, so they'd make great friends. As for his rapport with Ghost Douluo, that can be developed over time."
"After all, he's now Zhuqing's teacher, and we're all on the same side. And let's be honest—Old Monster's strength is remarkable!"
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