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The night was as cool as water. Feng Xiao sat quietly in the cultivation room, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the strings of the Fuxi Zither.
During this period, he could clearly feel the subtle change in Qian Renxue's attitude—from initial aloofness and wariness to now sharing the progress of the promotion matches with him every day.
This change brought an indescribable joy to his heart.
Just as he was lost in thought, the door was gently pushed open.
Moonlight poured in, outlining the tall, golden figure.
But today, Qian Renxue was different from usual; a chilling aura emanated from her, and her brilliant golden eyes seemed to hold frozen ice.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood today?" Feng Xiao stopped playing the zither and asked gently.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, her fingertips unconsciously digging into her palm: "Today, in the promotion match, Tang San used the Clear Sky Hammer to achieve a one-versus-seven victory."
Her voice was like ice, "He truly has inherited the Clear Sky Douluo's true legacy."
The last few words were almost squeezed through her teeth, carrying an engraved hatred.
Feng Xiao's pupils constricted slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
He was surprised that Tang San had abandoned his Blue Silver Grass and used the Clear Sky Hammer in the individual match, and he also understood the hatred surging in Qian Renxue's heart at this moment—in her eyes, Tang Hao was always the murderer of her father.
"It won't be easy to kill Tang San at this time." Feng Xiao carefully chose his words, his voice soft yet firm, "Since he can openly use the Clear Sky Hammer, he must have Tang Hao's approval.
The finals are approaching; acting rashly now…"
Qian Renxue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the ice in her eyes had slightly melted.
She looked at Feng Xiao, a rare softness flashing in her golden eyes: "I understand."
Her voice gradually calmed down, "After so many years of lurking, a little more time won't hurt."
Qian Renxue tilted her head slightly, her golden hair falling over her shoulders, glowing softly in the room's candlelight.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Feng Xiao raised an eyebrow at her words, a gentle smile gracing his lips: "Between us, there's no longer a need for explanations." His voice was soft yet firm.
He looked directly into Qian Renxue's eyes, his gaze as clear as autumn water: "As for the reason… I'll know it naturally when you're willing to tell me."
The candlelight flickered slightly, casting intertwined shadows between them.
Qian Renxue stared blankly at the young man who always seemed to understand her thoughts, and the perennial ice in her heart seemed to melt a little more.
"My father… died at Tang Hao's hands." Qian Renxue's voice was very soft, but it carried a bone-deep chill.
Feng Xiao's fingertips paused slightly on the zither strings, and he asked as if casually, "Did you witness it yourself?"
Qian Renxue was clearly stunned; this question was like a lightning bolt splitting through her many years of obsession.
Her slender fingers unconsciously tightened on her clothes, and after a long moment, she slowly shook her head, recalling her grandfather's explanation to her, and slowly said, "Father was severely injured by Tang Hao back then, and although he recuperated for many years, he eventually died from his injuries."
Her voice gradually deepened, "Even if he didn't die on the spot, this blood debt must be counted against Tang Hao."
Feng Xiao nodded gently, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the zither strings.
What Qian Renxue said was indeed not without reason—although it was Bibi Dong who truly laid hands on Qian Xunji, if not for the severe injury from Tang Hao's battle, with the power of the Seraphim Spirit, it would have been almost impossible for Bibi Dong to silently devour a Super Douluo.
"Tang Hao is indeed to blame," Feng Xiao lowered his gaze, concealing the complex emotions in his eyes.
This entangled grudge was too deep; even if he knew the truth, he dared not reveal it rashly at this moment.
After all, to Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong was both the murderer of her father and her blood-related birth mother.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. How about I play a song for Your Highness?" Feng Xiao's gentle voice held just the right amount of softness, a reassuring shallow smile on his lips.
Qian Renxue was slightly startled, raising her gaze to meet Feng Xiao's smiling eyes.
His gaze was as clear as a spring, as if it could wash away the hatred that had accumulated in her heart for many years.
She took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
The zither music flowed, and feeling the tranquility brought by the music circulating in the room, Qian Renxue's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
"Mm."
As the zither music faded, the two, with great understanding, began their cultivation. Her golden hair flowed with a soft halo in the candlelight.
She elegantly adjusted her attire and sat cross-legged opposite Feng Xiao.
Their auras gradually intertwined, forming a mysterious balance.
The month-long promotion matches flew by like a white colt galloping past a crevice.
Remarkably, in fourteen fierce battles, the transformed Shrek Academy broke through like a hot knife through butter, achieving fourteen consecutive victories and claiming the Heaven Dou Empire division championship with an impressive first place on the points board.
They successively defeated veteran strong teams such as Blazing, Plant, Heaven Water, Thunder, and Divine Wind, completely washing away the gloom of the latter part of the preliminary rounds with a series of exhilarating victories.
Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, Dai Mubai's domineering White Tiger Spirit, and Yu Tianheng's ferocious Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit all struck fear into the hearts of their opponents.
At the grand closing ceremony, Emperor Xue Ye once again delivered a passionate speech.
The elderly emperor's eyes scanned the young Spirit Masters below, his voice as resonant as a bell: "But the true test has only just begun! The finals are the ultimate battlefield to determine who is the number one academy on the continent!"
As the emperor's person was not convenient for long journeys, Emperor Xue Ye publicly announced that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe would serve as the Heaven Dou Empire's special envoy, fully representing the imperial family as a judge for the competition.
And fifteen qualifying teams, including Shrek, would be personally led by the Crown Prince and escorted by five hundred elite Royal Knights to Spirit City, the location of Spirit Hall's headquarters.
The three-day rest period passed in a flash.
On this day, outside the Heaven Dou City gate, banners fluttered, and a grand procession of over a thousand people was ready to depart.
The teachers and students of the fifteen academies were in high Spirits, and the five hundred elite Royal Knights were clad in formidable armor.
As dawn broke, a magnificent procession slowly set off on the official road outside Heaven Dou City.
Feng Xiao, in a simple white robe, holding his Fuxi Zither, stepped onto the Huang Dou Battle Team's exclusive gilded carriage.
Inside the carriage, Dugu Yan was leaning by the window, her purple hair cascading like a waterfall; Yu Feng, as usual, was playfully teasing the Stone Ink brothers.
Seeing Feng Xiao enter the carriage, everyone cast friendly glances his way.
"Xiao Feng, over here!" Dugu Yan patted the empty seat beside her.
Feng Xiao smiled and took his seat.
The carriage slowly started, the sound of wheels grinding over the bluestone road intertwining with the hooves of the Royal Knights.
Feng Xiao lifted the curtain and looked at the receding outline of Heaven Dou City, a hint of emotion appearing on his face.
"I haven't been to Spirit City yet," Yu Feng leaned over and said excitedly, "This time, I really want to see it properly."
Feng Xiao smiled faintly, not answering.
His gaze passed over the numerous carriages and horses, landing on the luxurious imperial carriage at the very front of the procession—there, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, must also be filled with a myriad of thoughts at this moment.
"At this time, Yu Xiaogang should have already arrived at Spirit City, right?" he mused inwardly, a meaningful arc unconsciously curving at the corner of his lips.
Thinking of meeting the legendary Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, a strange sense of curiosity welled up in Feng Xiao's heart.
Qian Renxue was the most stunning woman he had ever seen in his life—that temperament, combining nobility and sharpness, was like a drawn sword, making people afraid to meet her gaze yet unable to look away.
Feng Xiao's fingertips gently caressed the delicate wood grain of the Fuxi, his thoughts drifting like smoke.
"What kind of demeanor will Bibi Dong have?" he meticulously pictured the woman standing at the peak of the Spirit Master's world in his mind.
The Supreme Pontiff who had governed Spirit Hall for over twenty years was, in the eyes of the world, a sacred and inviolable supreme being; in Qian Renxue's memory, she was a cold and ruthless mother; and in Yu Xiaogang's heart… perhaps she would always be the gentle girl from back then.
People are complex.
Feng Xiao smiled silently.
The same soul could reflect such vastly different appearances in the eyes of different people—just like the Fuxi Zither in his hand, which was a death knell in the ears of enemies, but a purifying spring for the soul to those who understood it.
Feng Xiao suddenly wanted to know what kind of breathtaking charm would blossom when sacred brilliance and stubborn gloom, gentle affection and ruthless decisiveness, these seemingly contradictory qualities, were simultaneously condensed in one person.
Of course, some sceneries are destined to belong only to specific people—just like that bright moon, which is homesickness in the poet's eyes, longing in the lover's eyes, and merely a lonely lamp on a night road to the solitary traveler.
Bibi Dong's truest self, perhaps, would forever exist only in the depths of Yu Xiaogang's memory; that was an exclusive imprint that even time could not erase.
The sound of the carriage rolling over gravel interrupted Feng Xiao's thoughts.
He looked up out the window.
For some reason, he suddenly looked forward to meeting the legendary Supreme Pontiff, not to verify anything, but just to see with his own eyes what kind of brilliance a soul repeatedly toyed with by fate could be forged into.
Thinking of this, Feng Xiao frowned slightly, feeling a headache from the complex conflict between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong.
Feng Xiao knew very well that the entanglement between this mother and daughter was far more complex than it appeared on the surface—Bibi Dong's hatred for Qian Xunji had transferred to Qian Renxue, and Qian Renxue, in turn, blamed Bibi Dong for her father's death.
This deadlock had been entwined for a full twenty years.
He gently stroked the pattern on the "Fuxi" in his arms, falling into deep thought.
If this grudge could be resolved, it would not only free Qian Renxue from hatred but perhaps also allow Bibi Dong to find her former gentle and kind self.
But this path was extremely difficult—it required both considering Qian Renxue's sensitive self-esteem and not touching Bibi Dong's deeply hidden pain.
This mother-daughter feud was like a perilous peak standing in their way, and he, perhaps, was the most suitable mediator.
"I have to try," Feng Xiao murmured to himself.
Not just for himself, but also for Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong.
"Xiao Feng, what are you spacing out for? Training's finally over, and even you're ignoring people." Yu Feng pouted, bumping Feng Xiao's shoulder with his elbow, not too hard, not too light.
Dugu Yan brushed aside a lock of her purple hair, turning her head with interest to look curiously at Feng Xiao: "What are you thinking about, Xiao Feng?"
Feng Xiao came back to himself and smiled: "I heard that the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall is a woman. I'm a bit curious what kind of person she is."
Before his words finished, the atmosphere in the carriage immediately became lively.
Yu Feng's eyes widened exaggeratedly: "That's right! She's the female Supreme Pontiff standing at the peak of the Spirit Master's world!"
The Stone Ink brothers simultaneously sat up straight, and even Oslo, who was usually silent, cast an interested glance.
On the Douluo Continent, the gender disparity in the Spirit Master's world had always been vast.
Male Spirit Masters not only outnumbered females, but the inherent physical disadvantages made high-level female Spirit Masters extremely rare.
Because of this, women who could break through the shackles and reach the pinnacle of power were often more remarkable than equally powerful male experts.
"It's said that she took over the position of Supreme Pontiff before she was forty," Oslo, unusually, joined the discussion, "To be able to win over those arrogant Elders of Spirit Hall, that kind of skill…"
Dugu Yan snorted lightly, implying: "If you ask me, a woman who can carve out a bloody path among men must be much stronger than those smelly men."
Feng Xiao's lips curved slightly: "With Sister Yan and Lingling Jie's talent, you will certainly become renowned powerhouses in the Spirit Master's world in the future."
"Naturally~" Dugu Yan proudly lifted her chin, confident light shimmering in her purple eyes, her slender fingertips twirling a strand of hair.
Ye Lingling's fair face flushed slightly, and she pursed her lips, lowering her head, the faint pink glow of Nine Hearted Sea棠 gently rippling around her.
She quietly looked up, meeting Feng Xiao's smiling eyes, then hurriedly averted her gaze, her ear tips turning even redder.
Yu Feng sighed dramatically from the side: "It's over, it's over, our team's girls have all been charmed by Xiao Feng's smooth talk."
This made the Stone Ink brothers laugh heartily.
Oslo looked at his teammates' playful antics, his stern brows unconsciously softening.
Dugu Yan's eyes sparkled, and she playfully nudged Yu Feng beside her with her elbow: "If you could learn even a third of Xiao Feng's skill, would you still worry about not finding a suitable female Spirit Master as a partner?"
Yu Feng's face instantly turned red, and he stammered, "I, I'm just focused on cultivation!" which elicited a burst of laughter from everyone.
The Stone Ink brothers scratched their heads sheepishly, while Oslo silently rolled his eyes; Yu Feng's reputation was probably known to every noble in Heaven Dou City.
Feng Xiao chuckled and shook his head, comforting him: "Perhaps fate hasn't arrived yet."
For a moment, the carriage was filled with laughter.
His gaze inadvertently swept out the window, and he happened to see the curtain of the imperial carriage ahead move slightly, a flash of golden hair glinting in the sunlight.
On the other side, Spirit City.
The morning mist enveloped the magnificent capital, as a man dressed in plain clothes slowly walked through the city gate.
His face was calm, his aura restrained, and his spirit power was only around rank twenty, making him inconspicuous among the passing Spirit Masters.
The guarding Spirit Masters simply checked his identity and waved him through.
He did not stop, nor did he rest, but walked directly towards the highest center of power in Spirit Hall—the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
In front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
"Stop!" Two silver-armored temple guards blocked the way with their halberds, and a hundred elite knights simultaneously drew their swords, their cold gleam sharp.
"This is forbidden ground; trespassers will be killed without mercy!"
Facing over a hundred temple guards far stronger than himself, the Grandmaster's expression remained indifferent.
He slowly raised his hand, and a token appeared in his palm.
The leading knight's gaze narrowed, and when he saw the six patterns on the token, his pupils suddenly constricted.
He immediately knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Greetings, Elder!"
A hundred knights knelt in unison, the clang of their armor resounding.
The originally ordinary Grandmaster now appeared majestic, set against this solemn backdrop.
"Take me to see the Supreme Pontiff." His voice was calm, yet brooked no argument.