Chapter 105 Shocking Change.
"Very good. Zi Ji is a supreme soul beast, a senior, whom I am currently inferior to. But you, Hu Liena, are human, of the same generation! So what if you are the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall? So what if you are the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox?"
"My Nine Heavens Fire Phoenix, my Burning Heaven Domain, will one day surpass your Asura Phantom!"
"The stage of the continent will not belong to you alone!"
Flames surged around her, and she cultivated even more diligently.
—Spirit City, Papal Palace.
Hu Liena knelt on one knee on the smooth, mirror-like obsidian floor, her head slightly bowed.
"Teacher."
At the far end of the hall, on the high papal throne, Bibi Dong leaned lazily, her scepter lightly tapping the ground.
Her scarlet eyes fell on Hu Liena, especially those eyes that had turned pinkish-gold vertical pupils, staring at her for a long time.
"Get up, Nana."
Her voice was unreadable.
Hu Liena rose, standing respectfully.
"How do you feel?" Bibi Dong asked calmly.
"Reporting to Teacher, my spiritual power has surged, my martial soul has evolved, my domain has been completed, and I've even gained the 'Bewitching Fox Eyes' talent," Hu Liena answered truthfully, her voice steady, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement.
Bibi Dong nodded slightly: "Not bad. You haven't become blindly arrogant because of your surge in power; you've maintained a clear understanding."
She paused, a deep light flashing in her crimson eyes: "You've seen the rankings. 'One of the key pieces in the Spirit Hall's future strategy'... Heh, that's quite accurate."
Hu Liena's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, saying: "Everything I have is given to me by Teacher and the Spirit Hall. I am willing to go through fire and water for Teacher and the Spirit Hall's great cause."
"Go through fire and water?" Bibi Dong chuckled, a hint of cold amusement in her laughter.
"I don't need you to go through fire and water. I need you… to be the sharpest, most concealed knife, piercing the enemy's softest heart."
She slowly rose from her throne, walked down the steps, and came to Hu Liena.
"The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's passive charm, the Asura Phantom's clones and concealment, the Bewitching Fox Eyes' insight and hints... Do you know what these abilities mean when combined?"
Hu Liena looked up, meeting Bibi Dong's gaze, her pink-gold eyes flashing with wisdom and decisiveness: "It means... that I can become the Spirit Hall's deepest and most effective 'eyes' and 'hands.'"
"I can infiltrate anywhere, obtain any intelligence, influence any key figure, and even, when necessary... silently change the course of a war, or the fate of a force."
"Very good."
Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction, "Then, your first task is to thoroughly master this new power, especially the application and countermeasures of 'Bewitching Fox Eyes.' I will have Ghost Douluo assist you in your training; he is a master of concealment and assassination. As for the precise control and countermeasures of mental power... Yue Guan."
"Your subordinate is here."
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan quietly appeared on one side of the hall.
"From today onwards, you will dedicate one hour each day to mental strength training with Nana. Hold back; I want her to adapt to the mental pressure and illusionary attacks of a Title Douluo level as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong returned to her throne, her back to Hu Liena, her voice regaining its Pope's majesty and coldness:
"The continent's overall situation is undergoing dramatic changes because of this ranking. The ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest have surfaced, and all forces are filled with fear and unease. This is the perfect time for us to make our moves."
"Nana, when you have fully mastered your new power, I want you to secretly travel to the Heaven Dou Empire. Not as the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, but as a… mysterious, uniquely charismatic rogue Soul Master."
Hu Liena's pupils constricted slightly, but she immediately bowed her head: "Disciple understands."
She knew that from this moment on, she would truly step into the core vortex of the Spirit Hall's power struggle and the continent's quest for supremacy.
And the new power she possessed was her most powerful weapon and reliance.
—Star Dou Great Forest, core circle, lake island.
Gu Yuena, her silver hair cascading down, her purple eyes deep, stood quietly by the lake, gazing at the fading pink-gold ranking in the sky.
Di Tian stood behind her and said in a deep voice, "My lord, there are also geniuses on the human side who have made it onto the list. This Hu Liena's abilities are very suitable for infiltration and manipulation, which is not a good thing for our soul beast race."
Zi Ji leaned lazily against an ancient tree, playing with her hair, and chuckled upon hearing this, "Just a little fox."
"Charm techniques have limited effect on soul beasts with top bloodlines like us, let alone my lord. However, we need to be careful about her eye technique that can see through disguises and read memories."
Gu Yue Na was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "The layout of the list is gradually becoming clear. It is not arranged randomly, but rather... in a balance, or rather, a check and balance."
"Zi Ji's inclusion on the list shows humanity the terrifying potential of soul beasts, making them dare not act rashly."
"Hu Liena's inclusion on the list gives the Spirit Hall a sharper 'soft knife,' which can both check other forces within humanity and, to a certain extent, restrain humanity's excessive fear and united hostility towards soul beasts."
"After all, when humanity faces a more pressing and hidden threat, the fear of the ferocious beasts in the distant forests will relatively diminish."
Di Tian frowned. "Does Your Majesty mean that the entity behind this list is intentionally maintaining some kind of balance on the continent? Does it not want humans and soul beasts to immediately break into a full-scale war?"
"Perhaps." Gu Yuena's gaze was distant. "Or perhaps, it is simply… selecting actors and setting up the stage. And the real drama has not yet begun."
She turned and looked into the depths of the forest, a barely perceptible silver glint flashing in her purple eyes.
"Order all soul beasts in the core circle that are over 100,000 years old: remain vigilant, but do not expand your territory for the time being, and avoid large-scale conflicts with humans. Observe the situation."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Di Tian and Zi Ji bowed simultaneously.
—The undercurrents on the continent surged even more violently because of Hu Liena's inclusion on the list.
On one side is the emerging, terrifyingly powerful, yet temporarily dormant, supreme spirit beast; on the other is the Spirit Hall, wielding a hidden weapon and brimming with ambition. Caught in the middle are the two great empires and the three upper sects, anxiously striving for alliances; while countless independent cultivators, small forces, and commoner spirit masters watch this rapidly changing era with shock, envy, fear, and bewilderment.
Everyone knows that the old era is crumbling at an accelerated pace.
The new era will be written by these "goddesses" who have ascended to the list, and the overt and covert power struggles behind them.
Above the heavens, the list's brilliance continues to shine.
The fourteenth place has been revealed.
So, who will be the thirteenth?
Where will she come from? What power will she possess?
And what new stone will she cast upon the already turbulent continent?
The people of the continent hold their breath in anticipation.
(End of Chapter)