43: Chapter 43: Qian Renxue's Departure and Hu Liena's Appearance

On the Obsidian Sparring Ground, Qian Renxue stared blankly at her dissipating golden Soul Power, the pride in her starlike purple eyes shattering piece by piece.

Her clenched knuckles turned slightly white, and a question she couldn't voice choked her throat—she, a Spirit Elder of over level thirty, had been thoroughly suppressed by a single-ring Spirit Master of just over level twenty!

The surging darkness of the World-Destroying Black Lotus swallowed the sacred radiance and crushed her pride in her Seraphim bloodline.

One must know, the power of the Seraphim possesses light and sacred attributes, holding a natural restraint over such dark and evil powers. Otherwise, why would these evil Spirit Masters not dare to show their faces when Spirit Hall was around?

This was not without reason.

And now, the power she prided herself on had been completely suppressed by an opposing attribute. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes and experienced it herself, no one would believe it.

"Xue'er." Qian Daoliu's grey robes brushed against the ground, his steady footsteps breaking the deathly silence.

His gaze swept over the unscattered purple spirit ring at Lu Jing's feet, dark undercurrents surging deep within his golden eyes: "To be able to absorb a thousand-year spirit ring at level twenty... Child, are you truly a commoner from ten thousand years in the future?"

Lu Jing met his scrutiny calmly: "I awakened at a village outside Shrek City when I was six."

Immediately after, he deliberately mentioned the wretchedness of being hunted, his joints tightening as he clenched his fists: "If I had any backing, how would I have been forced to flee for my life into the Star Dou Great Forest?"

This was half-truth and half-lie. Being a commoner was true, but the origin of the World-Destroying Black Lotus was something even he couldn't explain. After all, it was one of the four great lotus platforms of the primordial era; neither the power it contained nor its quality could be compared to the Spirits of this World.

Hearing this, Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes, his fingertips rubbing the golden patterns on his cuffs as if weighing the weight of his words: "Did your ancestors have any Spirit mutations? Did your parents both possess this same lotus?"

"I don't know."

Lu Jing shook his head, his black pupils as still as a cold pool, and replied: "I am an orphan."

He knew all too well the subtext of that question—if he came from some hidden family, Spirit Hall would naturally adjust its strategy to recruit him.

But at this moment, he had to nail down his role as a piece of "rootless duckweed."

Although he was indeed a commoner, he wasn't lying.

Qian Daoliu suddenly felt relieved.

Regardless of whether Lu Jing was hiding something, he and Wang Donger were like caged birds thrown into this place by a spatial turbulence.

The high walls of the Elder Hall were both a shelter and a cage, and as for finding a way home... A very faint arc crossed the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth—the hope was slim, which suited him perfectly.

"Go and rest." Qian Daoliu waved his sleeve lightly, but his gaze fell upon Qian Renxue, whose Soul Power had yet to settle.

After Lu Jing walked away, the young girl suddenly snapped back to reality, stubbornly lifting her chin, her golden hair rising in a resolute arc in the morning breeze: "Grandfather, it is time for me to depart."

Three days later, at the main gate of Spirit City.

A carriage inlaid with gemstones waited before the white jade steps. Qian Renxue stood on the carriage shafts in a simple dress, having shed all her golden-patterned finery, with only an unremarkable piece of green jade hanging at her waist.

She took one last look back at the spire of the Elder Hall, the unwillingness of defeat and the sharpness after tempering settling deep within her purple eyes.

At this moment, inside the room.

"Tsk tsk, the dignified Seraphim was actually suppressed and beaten by a Black Lotus!"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm rolled around in Lu Jing's sea of consciousness, its icy blue phantom flickering with excitement as it reminded him: "But Xiao Jing, that old man asking this and that is definitely up to no good!"

Qian Renxue, who possessed the Seraphim Spirit, was able to eventually achieve the status of Angel God, so there was no reason why Lu Jing, who possessed the even more powerful World-Destroying Black Lotus than the Seraphim Spirit, couldn't become a god.

Furthermore, with his help now, it could be said to be as easy as it could possibly be.

Lu Jing sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, the phantom of the World-Destroying Black Lotus slowly rotating behind him: "Because he knows we cannot go back."

This was the source of Qian Daoliu's composure.

Ten thousand years later, Spirit Hall had already become dust in the history books, and as for two travelers trapped in the past, what could they do other than rely on the current power?

Outside the window, the sound of carriage wheels suddenly rolled away into the distance.

Lu Jing walked to the window, just in time to see the last carriage disappear into the halo of the city gate.

Qian Renxue's probing, the trade of whale glue, and even this crushing sparring match... were all her final moves before embarking on her journey.

And his own path still lay in this strange time and space beneath his feet.

"Stop overthinking it!"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm interrupted his thoughts and said: "Hurry up and refine the remaining whale glue! This ten-thousand-year-old hall is full of hidden talents; without strength, you don't even have the qualifications to be a pawn!"

After saying this, the black lotus above his head glowed even brighter, swallowing the young man's figure into the silent darkness.

...

The morning sunlight filtered through the colored glass windows, casting colorful light and shadows onto the clean marble floor of Spirit Hall.

After having breakfast, Lu Jing and Wang Donger followed the boundaries set by Qian Daoliu and strolled around the permitted areas.

The two passed through corridors and courtyards, bypassed the core area of the Elder Hall, and passed by the periphery of the sparring grounds and the library, having walked through most of the non-restricted areas.

When they reached a courtyard planted with white roses, a figure suddenly turned from around the corner of the small path ahead.

It was a girl of about six or seven years old, wearing a well-tailored white knee-length skirt, revealing two white, tender calves like lotus roots.

Most eye-catching was her short golden hair, which shimmered with a faint luster in the sunlight, softly clinging to her ears.

She seemed not to have expected to run into strangers, standing there stunned while holding several thick books. Her delicately carved, jade-like face carried a hint of shyness and timid reserve, like a small beast that had wandered into strange territory.

Wang Donger's footsteps faltered, her pink-blue eyes narrowing slightly as she quickly sized up the other person.

She subconsciously tilted her head slightly, whispering to Lu Jing in a breathy voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Xiao Jing, who is this? Qian Renxue's younger sister? History has never recorded that she had a younger sister!"

Lu Jing was also somewhat surprised. He gazed at the girl's golden hair, which somewhat resembled Qian Renxue's, but her temperament was completely different.

He cautiously shook his head, his voice also kept very low:

"I'm not sure. Historical records indeed never mentioned it."

Though puzzled, Lu Jing still took a proactive half-step forward, maintaining a safe distance, and asked in as gentle a tone as possible:

"Hello. You are...?"

The girl seemed to be attracted by Wang Donger's beauty and Lu Jing's steady demeanor, and her initial timidity faded a little.

Her fingers tightened around the books she was holding, her fair skin turning slightly pink, and her voice was thin and soft, with a hint of a milky tone:

"My name is Hu Liena."

—Hu Liena!

This name was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples in the hearts of Lu Jing and Wang Donger!

This person, who in the future would be crowned with the title of "Golden Generation," a disciple of Bibi Dong, and the future Saintess of Spirit Hall, had actually appeared before them at this moment in such a young and naive state!

Their gazes met rapidly in the air; without needing words, the realization and incredible shock were clearly reflected in each other's eyes.

The girl before them was actually the key figure recorded in ten thousand years of history books who was intertwined with the fate of the Spirit Empire and ultimately met her end with the decisive battle at Jialing Pass—Hu Liena!

Her current innocence formed a shocking contrast with the status she would have in the future, where she would turn clouds and rain with a flip of her hand.