The next morning, as soon as Lin Mu opened his eyes, he was met with a deeply resentful Qian Renxue.
Instantly, Lin Mu became much more alert. He quickly sat up in bed, a slightly awkward smile spreading across his face.
"You've recovered?"
"Lin Mu, you actually did that kind of thing to my body yesterday!"
"Uh, isn't that totally normal? It's not the first time, and besides, you were the one who initiated it."
"It's completely different! That wasn't me at all!"
At this point, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel a massive surge of resentment.
She felt utterly betrayed by Lin Mu yesterday; although the physical body was hers, her consciousness had been completely beyond her control.
"How is it different? 'She' is you, just hidden deep within your heart. If you don't accept her, you'll never pass the eighth trial."
Lin Mu reached out and gently pinched Qian Renxue's chin, speaking seriously.
Hearing this, Qian Renxue opened her mouth, but couldn't find a single logical reason to refute him.
Although she desperately didn't want to admit it, her dark side hadn't appeared out of thin air; it was something that had accumulated deep within her heart.
Just as Lin Mu said, they were truly one and the same.
After a while, Qian Renxue finally realized what was actually happening and said coldly, "Don't try to change the subject. Even if she is my other side, you shouldn't have done that with her."
"She insisted, what could I do?"
Lin Mu said, a helpless expression plastered on his face. How could he pass up such a freebie, especially since it was his own wife?
"You just gave in just because she insisted? Who told you to give in to her!"
Qian Renxue was absolutely furious. Yesterday, she was supposed to be the one completely suppressing Lin Mu, but instead, her dark side got away with it.
She might even be mercilessly mocked in the illusion later.
Seeing Qian Renxue sulking, Lin Mu playfully pounced on her, intent on proving that he would treat both her sides equally.
The main problem was, Qian Renxue was about to be completely worn out.
After all, they were originally the same person, and her physical body had been fighting until dawn yesterday.
Now, with this happening again, her body simply couldn't take the strain.
After some time, Lin Mu got dressed and finally left the palace, leaving behind a Qian Renxue who looked completely exhausted.
Inside the main hall of the Wuji Sect.
"Young Master, the Sect Master didn't return last night. When will he be back?"
Bai He looked up at Tang San, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency.
After returning to Heaven Dou City yesterday, Lin Mu went straight to the imperial palace alone, while Tang San led the others back to the Wuji Sect.
Yang Wudi, Bai He, and the others were naturally overjoyed to see them return.
This was especially true for Bai He, who almost fainted from pure excitement when he learned that Bai Chenxiang's cultivation level was already as high as Level 78.
It was undeniable that Bai Chenxiang's innate talent was indeed excellent.
In terms of pure cultivation talent alone, she was roughly equivalent to a genius like Huo Wu, or perhaps even slightly stronger.
However, if you factored in the actual strength of her martial soul, Bai Chenxiang could only be considered a rare genius, nothing more.
But upon returning from her intense training on Sea God Island, Bai Chenxiang had completely transformed into a top-tier genius.
Not only had she reached the Soul Saint level at such a young age, but she also possessed attack power that a typical Speed Clan soul master completely lacked.
To properly verify Bai Chenxiang's strength, Bai He had specifically sparred with his granddaughter, only to find himself completely pushed onto the defensive.
Had he not been slightly faster, he likely would have been utterly crushed by her.
This demonstrated that after her martial soul's transformation, Bai Chenxiang not only possessed considerable attack power but also further enhanced her original speed, finally reaching the level of a top-tier martial soul.
All of this incredible progress stemmed directly from the 100,000-year-old soul bone bestowed upon her by the Sect Master.
At the time, Bai He's first reaction upon learning that Bai Chenxiang had actually fused with a 100,000-year-old soul bone was one of complete disbelief.
This was a priceless treasure that even the entire Speed Clan combined couldn't exchange for.
But after Bai Chenxiang's repeated, earnest explanations, he had to believe that she had truly fused with a 100,000-year-old wind-attribute soul bone, and it really was a generous gift from the Sect Master.
This favor was simply too great.
Facing Bai He's frantic questioning, Tang San said unhurriedly, "Elder Bai He, I don't know when Master will return either. He might be on his way back right now."
Hearing this perfunctory answer, Bai He became even more anxious.
In his opinion, since the Sect Master had specifically given Bai Chenxiang a 100,000-year-old soul bone, he must have some feelings for her.
If they could make a match happen, their Speed Clan would be set for life.
Since the Sect Master already had two or three women by his side, why not have one more?
Even if there wasn't much deep affection between them, as long as they could produce offspring, that would be perfectly fine.
If the offspring could inherit Lin Mu's terrifying martial soul, that would be even better.
At this moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo, with his fingers delicately poised, said nonchalantly, "Bai He, I advise you to put away your petty thoughts. The Sect Master is not someone you can easily fathom."
Upon hearing this, Bai He's heart skipped a beat.
The Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, and Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei, were the two highest-ranking elders in the entire Wuji Sect. Since Lin Mu and Tang San were rarely present, their influence was extremely high.
"Elder Yue Guan, I simply wanted to express my deepest gratitude to the Sect Master," Bai He hurriedly tried to explain.
"That's for the best."
Chrysanthemum Douluo, however, was completely unimpressed by Bai He's explanation.
Having spent so many years navigating the politics of Spirit Hall, he possessed a keen understanding of human nature.
Moreover, Bai He's thoughts were not difficult to comprehend; if it were him, he might very well have attempted the exact same thing.
Thinking of this, Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly remembered someone:
Hu Liena, Bibi Dong's personal disciple.
Because of Bibi Dong, he no longer held much goodwill towards Spirit Hall.
However, he had previously treated Hu Liena like his own granddaughter, so he still harbored some genuine affection for her.
Although he had left Spirit Hall, he was still deeply worried that Hu Liena would blindly follow Bibi Dong to her doom.
If only Hu Liena could somehow betray Bibi Dong.
Hu Liena was the only person Bibi Dong truly cared for. If she betrayed Bibi Dong, Bibi Dong would be completely destitute.
This would be the perfect revenge for his years of unfair treatment.
Just then, a clear voice echoed from outside the hall.
"Are you all so free?"
As everyone's gaze quickly shifted to the outside of the hall, Lin Mu strolled in leisurely.
Seeing Lin Mu enter, everyone stood up from their seats and respectfully bowed to him.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
"Master, you're finally back."
Tang San quickly stepped forward, pulled Lin Mu to sit in the main seat, and sat down beside him.
A moment later, Lin Mu's gaze swept over the crowd below, and he asked, "What were you all talking about just now?"
Hearing this, Bai He stood up again, his expression incredibly respectful, and said, "Sect Master, your kindness to our Speed Clan is simply immeasurable. I truly don't know how to repay you. Perhaps Xiangxiang could..."
Before he could even finish, Lin Mu waved a hand to interrupt him.
"Don't mention this matter again. You are not only members of the Speed Clan but also core members of the Wuji Sect. If there are other suitable soul bones in the future, I will distribute them to disciples of the other halls as well."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's trust and respect for Lin Mu deepened even further.