Chapter 16 — What? I'm Fighting Qian Renxue
Qian Renxue was visibly caught off guard. She hadn't expected such a direct refusal, let alone a joke tacked onto the end of it. A small laugh escaped her.
"Supporting you to become the new Pope? That's quite a bold idea."
"I can guarantee you'd get far more from me than you ever would from Bibi Dong."
The relationship between them hadn't yet soured into the cold, rigid hostility that would follow the Tiandou Palace upheaval in the original story the kind where Qian Renxue barely craved any maternal warmth and nearly drove Bibi Dong to her limits.
Which meant bringing Bibi Dong down was completely off the table.
"Miss Qian Renxue, I appreciate the offer, but I truly can't betray my teacher." Lin Fan said it with complete sincerity, as though he were swearing an oath.
"Think about it my teacher has given me so much. If I turned around and switched sides, I'd be nothing but an ungrateful wretch.
And if that reputation got around Spirit Hall, how would I ever show my face again?"
No matter what Qian Renxue said after that, he refused tactfully, but firmly, using Bibi Dong as his shield every step of the way.
And there was good reason for it.
The bond between Lin Fan and Bibi Dong wasn't just about teacher and disciple.
There was the enormous secret of their Martial Soul Fusion Technique — and in that fusion, Lin Fan was the one in control.
Of those who shared a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, how many hadn't developed feelings for the one who held the dominant role?
Liu Erlong had fallen for Yu Xiaogang against all logic.
Zhu Zhuqing had nearly walked away from Dai Mubai entirely — until repeated use of the Fusion Technique quietly pulled her back.
The siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were their own strange exception.
Setting aside all that speculation...
If he truly had to pick a side, it would be Bibi Dong. No question.
The reason was simple. Bibi Dong had forgiven Hu Liena for every mistake she made and never handed down any real punishment. Qian Renxue, on the other hand — during the chaos at Tiandou Palace, without even knowing the full picture, she had been ready to discard Yue Guan and Gui Mei, two Douluos who had given everything to Spirit Hall across two Popes' reigns. She'd been prepared to squeeze out whatever remained of their usefulness before cutting them loose.
Bibi Dong's disciple could afford to make mistakes. That wasn't necessarily true under Qian Renxue.
There was no rush. There would be other chances to win Qian Renxue over later. Bibi Dong and Hu Liena were already more than enough to manage right now.
One good fight was usually all it took to get someone like her invested. Why burn energy on it today when there were plenty of opportunities ahead?
Anyway, he was getting off track.
"Young Lin Fan is truly devoted to the Pope..." Even after being turned down repeatedly, Qian Renxue's smile hadn't wavered once — warm and steady, like sunlight on a clear spring morning. "Could you grant me one small request?"
Lin Fan kept his expression open, though inwardly he braced himself. She'd taken that many rejections without flinching and was still smiling. This wasn't good. "Miss Angel, please go ahead. As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse."
Qian Renxue set the little Scorpion Tiger gently aside, rose to her feet, and walked over to him. She met his eyes directly. "I want you to fight me."
Lin Fan blinked.
Was she serious?
"You're at least a Soul King, aren't you...?"
"Don't worry," Qian Renxue cut in smoothly. "Grandpa Golden Crocodile will seal my cultivation down to match yours."
"I'll only use my first soul skill and my domain. I won't take advantage of you."
"But you're still physically stronger than me!"
"I'll drop it two levels further."
With that settled so cleanly on her end, there was really no getting out of it.
Even if he ended up completely battered, he had to accept.
Lin Fan stood up and rolled his shoulders. "Since Miss Angel is so insistent, then Lin Fan will respectfully take you up on that."
There was nowhere suitable to fight inside Spirit City, so they moved to an open stretch of flat terrain just outside the city walls. Plenty of room, no obstacles.
"One condition upfront — neither of us goes more than fifteen meters off the ground."
He wasn't going to fight someone with wings and no ceiling limit. That was a losing battle before it started.
Lin Fan had already prepared his Soul Guide Ray Wristband.
Qian Renxue drew a longsword from her soul tool, her eyes bright with barely-contained eagerness. "Agreed. I'll follow the rules."
Golden Crocodile Douluo raised his hand. A deep yellowish-brown light settled over Qian Renxue, steadily pressing her cultivation down to match Lin Fan's — and then two levels below that.
"Begin!"
Both of them activated their spirit possession in the same instant.
The longsword in Qian Renxue's hand blazed to life with divine power, its blade giving off a quiet golden radiance that was both gentle and razor-sharp.
They faced each other. The air between them drew taut.
Qian Renxue moved first. She swept her longsword in a clean arc, sending a blade of holy sword energy cutting straight toward Lin Fan.
He didn't try to meet it head-on. He shifted his footing and slipped to the side, letting it pass.
"First Soul Skill — Crescent Moon Slash!" Lin Fan raised his arm and swung his spider scythe in a wide arc. A sharp crescent of dark energy screamed through the air toward Qian Renxue. Even as a first soul skill, at full output it carried real weight behind it.
Qian Renxue didn't meet it head-on either. She gave her wings a single light beat and glided clear of it.
The sacred fire along her blade flared instantly. A scorching pressure rolled outward from her. With a sharp cry, she pressed forward.
Her longsword moved and the air filled with overlapping sword shadows, each one burning with sacred fire, raining down on Lin Fan from every angle.
In raw physical strength and pure combat experience, Qian Renxue outclassed him completely. She was not the kind of person to hold back out of courtesy, and her pride made mercy even less likely.
The pressure was immediate and suffocating. Lin Fan's eyes snapped into focus. He twisted sharply to the side several sword shadows still clipped his clothes, leaving scorched streaks across the fabric.
He made a quiet mental note: she was genuinely powerful. Even suppressed, she was no easy opponent.
He had made the mistake of judging her by her performance in the anime forgetting entirely that those moments had been deliberate narrative choices to drive the plot forward. The real Qian Renxue was a different matter entirely.
Tang San's victory at the Tiandou Palace had only been possible because Xiao Wu stepped in with the full weight of her hundred-thousand-year power.
"First Soul Skill Angel Assault!"
Qian Renxue's figure blazed forward like a bolt of light.
Divine energy surged and condensed around her fist, golden radiance flooding the space around her. A golden shield of force materialized before the blow and launched itself at Lin Fan.
Angel Assault was exactly what its name suggested offense and defense fused into a single strike, with the added effect of disrupting and suppressing the opponent's soul power on impact.
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(End of Chapter )