Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Qiangu Zhangting turned his head to look and saw that slender figure at the corner in the distance, his brows knitting together involuntarily.
It was Huo Yuhao again. Why did this guy always pop up like a persistent ghost every time he wanted to have a few more words with Gu Yue?
The icy coldness that Gu Yue had used to keep Qiangu Zhangting at arm's length vanished completely the moment she saw Huo Yuhao, like snow melting in the spring breeze.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and her lips lifted into a bright arc. The smile carried joy from the depths of her heart; she was like a completely different person compared to her icy demeanor just moments ago.
She didn't look back at Qiangu Zhangting again, instead taking steps to run straight toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao also stepped forward to meet her. A moment later, they stopped almost simultaneously, just inches apart, their reflections clearly visible in each other's pupils.
They didn't speak, merely looking at the tiny versions of themselves in each other's eyes, then smiled in unison.
Huo Yuhao naturally reached out and took Gu Yue's soft, jade-like hand. Her hand was slightly cool, but it warmed up rapidly in his palm.
He held it naturally, as if he had done this action a thousand times before, and then, holding Gu Yue's hand, he walked unhurriedly toward Qiangu Zhangting.
Qiangu Zhangting had been finding plenty of excuses to get close to Gu Yue lately. Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue both knew exactly what he was up to.
Now that the two of them were walking over hand-in-hand, neither of them said anything intentionally boastful, but the sight of their fingers interlaced was more powerful than any words.
Qiangu Zhangting's gaze fell upon their clasped hands, and a flash of barely suppressed ferocity crossed his eyes.
That gaze cut across their interlaced fingers like a knife, but it was only for an instant before he suppressed that hostility again. The muscles in his face twitched twice before settling into a calm expression that revealed no flaws.
Huo Yuhao held Gu Yue's hand, a gentle and polite smile on his face as he asked, "Brother Qiangu, I heard you mention earlier that the Spirit Pagoda has a new Vicious Beast Spirit Soul? We're quite interested. Why don't you take us to see it?"
The smile on Qiangu Zhangting's face stiffened for a moment, then he raised his hand to slap his own forehead in a somewhat deliberate motion, as if he had suddenly remembered some hugely urgent matter.
"Oh, look at my memory."
"I suddenly remembered there's another urgent matter I haven't finished yet. Grandfather personally entrusted it to me; I can't delay it."
"I'm afraid I can't accompany you to see it today. How about next time?"
Huo Yuhao sneered inwardly; he had long expected this reaction from him.
Huo Yuhao didn't show a trace of it on his face, remaining polite as he followed his lead, "Then Brother Qiangu, go ahead and get busy. Important matters come first; we won't disturb you."
Qiangu Zhangting squeezed out a decent smile as a final response, then turned around decisively and strode toward the soul guidance elevator.
The moment he turned around, that pleasant smile he had maintained all along was ripped away as if by an invisible hand, vanishing without a trace.
Replacing it was a face so gloomy it could almost drip water. His features were slightly twisted from suppressed rage, and the jealousy and resentment in his eyes surged forth, no longer hidden.
He gritted his back teeth tightly, his hands hanging at his sides having balled into fists at some point, his nails digging deep into his palms, leaving white marks.
He finally understood; it seemed the "poaching" plan his grandfather had devised for him was almost impossible to succeed.
Watching Qiangu Zhangting's figure disappear behind the metal doors of the soul guidance elevator, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue exchanged a glance.
The moment their gazes met, they both read the same meaning in each other's eyes.
The next moment, neither could hold it in, and they both burst into laughter with a "pfft." The laughter sounded exceptionally crisp in the quiet corridor, and the slight unhappiness Gu Yue felt from being pestered by Qiangu Zhangting dissipated in that laughter.
A moment later, the laughter subsided. Huo Yuhao turned his head to look at Gu Yue, asking with a tone of earnest concern, "Does he keep pestering you lately?"
Gu Yue nodded, her exquisite face full of helplessness, her tone revealing an indescribable annoyance, "It's so annoying. I don't know how many times I've told him to stop following me, but he acts like he didn't hear a thing."
She frowned slightly as she said this, clearly tormented by Qiangu Zhangting's thick skin.
Huo Yuhao looked at her expression, a trace of coldness appearing at the corners of his mouth, "Next time he comes to find you, you come find me. I want to see just how thick his skin really is."
Hearing this, Gu Yue's clear, amethyst-like eyes instantly curved into crescents, her lips lifting slightly, and a pair of shallow dimples appeared quietly.
Looking at Huo Yuhao's expression, as if he were ready to stand up for her, her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something—warm and soft.
She didn't say much, just nodded lightly, letting out a cheerful "Mm" from her nose.
The two walked slowly side-by-side in the corridor, their steps not fast, but their rhythm surprisingly in sync.
The afternoon sunlight from outside the window spilled in through the glass, spreading patches of golden light and shadow on the carpet. Their shadows were stretched long and short on the ground, sometimes overlapping, sometimes separating.
After walking for a while, Gu Yue suddenly spoke up, "Right, there's something you probably don't know yet."
"One of the Four Great Spirit Transmitting Envoys is about to retire, and Qiangu Zhangting has been eyeing that position recently."
Huo Yuhao was surprised to hear this, "Spirit Transmitting Envoy? A Spirit Transmitting Envoy requires at least the cultivation of a Titled Douluo to hold the position, right?"
To get close to Gu Yue, Qiangu Zhangting had been showing off his "great achievements" and "bright future" in front of her quite often lately.
He had even used this Spirit Transmitting Envoy matter as capital to boast to Gu Yue more than once, eager for her to know that he was about to step into the true upper echelons of the Spirit Pagoda.
Gu Yue pursed her lips and explained, "Qiangu Zhangting's Spirit Power is already at level 88. With his talent and the resources the Qiangu Clan is pouring into him, breaking through to Titled Douluo within a few years shouldn't be a big problem."
"Once he crosses that threshold, with his grandfather, the Pagoda Master, operating behind the scenes, plus the influence of the Qiangu Clan in the Spirit Pagoda, it's not impossible to push him into the position of Spirit Transmitting Envoy."
Huo Yuhao was silent for a while after hearing this, quickly organizing the power structure of the Spirit Pagoda in his mind, considering the possibility of this matter.
After a long while, he suddenly looked up at Gu Yue, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth, "Then I'll have to cut in."
Gu Yue stopped upon hearing this, turning to look at Huo Yuhao, her clear, purple eyes filled with confusion.
She tilted her head, clearly not fully understanding what Huo Yuhao meant by this.
Cut in?
How to cut in?
So she asked seriously, "Can you break through to Titled Douluo within three years?"
Huo Yuhao calculated silently in his heart; the three years Gu Yue mentioned was actually equivalent to six years for him.
Six years was actually not difficult to break through to Titled Douluo.
However, his plan wasn't to break through to Titled Douluo and then compete with Qiangu Zhangting over backing. The Qian Gu Family had operated in the Spirit Pagoda for generations, with deeply rooted connections. Even with Leng Yaozhu's support, he might not be able to outvote Qiangu Zhangting in the council.
He smiled and suddenly asked, "What conditions need to be met to become a Spirit Transmitting Envoy?"
Gu Yue thought for a moment and replied, "Through normal channels, two conditions must be met."
"First, cultivation must reach the Titled Douluo level."
"Second, you need to obtain the approval of more than half of the current Spirit Transmitting Envoys, and pass the vote of more than eighty percent of the council members."
Huo Yuhao nodded and asked again, "That's under normal circumstances, but don't forget, there's also a special case."
Gu Yue was slightly stunned, then as if Huo Yuhao's words had awakened something, a flash of inspiration crossed her mind, and she blurted out, "People who have made huge contributions to the Spirit Pagoda can be exempted from the two requirements mentioned above."
She had seen this rule in the Spirit Pagoda's regulations, but since almost no one had ever used it, she hadn't thought of it immediately.
After all, the Spirit Pagoda had stood on the continent for so many years; everyone knew how heavy the weight of the four words "huge contribution" was.
It wasn't something that could be achieved by just one or two meritorious deeds; one had to make achievements worthy of being recorded in the history books of the Spirit Pagoda to be able to use this special channel.
Thinking of this, Gu Yue suddenly looked up at Huo Yuhao, her lips parting slightly, spitting out only one word, "You...?"
Huo Yuhao didn't explain much, just gave a mysterious smile, "That's right, I'm confident I can meet this condition, but the specifics will have to remain a secret for now."
Gu Yue looked at his confident yet deliberately mysterious appearance, unable to help but chide him in her heart. However, she didn't press for more, because she knew Huo Yuhao wasn't the type to speak without foundation.
Although she couldn't figure out for the life of her what kind of "huge contribution" could make the Spirit Pagoda make an exception and let a boy not yet twenty years old sit in the position of one of the Four Great Spirit Transmitting Envoys.
But that wasn't important; what was important was that she believed everything Huo Yuhao said.
Gu Yue didn't ask again, just started walking again, the hand holding Huo Yuhao's hand swinging gently.
Her lips lifted into a smile brighter than the sunlight outside the window, "Then I'll be waiting!"
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.