Chapter 47 I Was Just Playing for Time With Her

The Pufferfish Douluo was well aware of the animosity between Dugu Bo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, fearing that the latter might make a move to harm Qian Renxue.

Therefore, both sides maintained a high level of vigilance.

Even as they exchanged formal greetings, the soul power within their bodies remained coiled and ready to strike.

"Brother Li Xun, please don't stand on ceremony."

A faint smile appeared on Qian Renxue's face. "The reason I stopped here is simply because your talent, Brother, is truly astonishing, and I wish to forge a friendship with you."

She had already made up her mind the moment she laid eyes on Li Xun.

The reason she presented herself in this appearance was also to prepare Li Xun mentally for the day when she would cast aside the identity of Xue Qinghe.

"It is an immense honor." Li Xun cupped his fists and smiled. No matter what, it was best to play along with her words first.

"Brother Li Xun is being too modest." Qian Renxue chuckled, cutting straight to the point. "Would you be willing to join the Spirit Hall?"

"Whatever the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect can give you, I can give you as well. And whatever the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect cannot give you, I can still provide."

Over the past two years, masquerading as Xue Qinghe, she had interacted with Li Xun frequently. She knew that he held no particular aversion toward the Spirit Hall.

In fact, he occasionally even harbored inclinations of steering the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect closer to the Spirit Hall.

Although Li Xun had phrased it quite obscurely due to his identity as Xue Qinghe's acquaintance, she had caught his drift nonetheless.

Whenever the two discussed the situation between the continent's two great empires and the Spirit Hall, Li Xun would only ever acknowledge the strength of the Spirit Hall.

He would even make implicit remarks suggesting that the Spirit Hall was bound to unify the mainland.

Furthermore, he often reminded Xue Qinghe never to let the Heaven Dou Empire make an enemy of the Spirit Hall.

It was precisely because of this mindset of Li Xun's that Qian Renxue frequently visited the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to check on him and Ning Rongrong.

Every single time, she would walk out of the academy gates in a pleasant mood.

Hiss—

Li Xun drew a sharp breath, his scalp tingling slightly.

Could she be any more direct?

Weren't poaching and defection supposed to start with gradual contact, small favors, followed by slamming money, beauties, spirit bones, and spirit rings in someone's face, with both sides trading blows before delivering a final verdict?

How did it turn into empty promises right from the start when it came to her?

However, considering the immense power of the Spirit Hall and their upcoming Soul Hunting Action, Li Xun decided it was best to placate her for now. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Miss Qian Renxue. However, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has treated me quite well; how could a humble youth like me commit such an ungrateful and disloyal act?"

Li Xun paused for a moment. "Still, the political landscape of the mainland is ever-changing. In the future, it is not entirely impossible for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to cooperate with the Spirit Hall."

"When that day comes, whether I formally joined the Spirit Hall or not will make no difference."

Li Xun had his own considerations for saying this.

Now that he had already acquired the immortal herbs and disrupted Tang Sicheng's growth trajectory, there was no longer anyone at the forefront to withstand the Spirit Hall.

Since he had no personal enmity with the Spirit Hall, there was no reason for him to go out of his way to provoke them.

If the Spirit Hall wanted to unify the mainland, let them unify it.

As long as Bibi Dong wasn't genuinely planning to destroy the continent, that was fine.

The only reason the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would get caught up in the fallout was because they chose the wrong side. As long as they didn't actively oppose the Spirit Hall, surely no major disaster would befall them.

As for whether the Spirit Hall would allow sects to continue existing after unification, Li Xun couldn't be certain about that.

After all, in his memories, Bibi Dong's desire to destroy the mainland was merely an empty threat uttered before her death.

Her earliest intention should have been to demolish the foundations of the Angel Clan and the Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall and the Angel God were essentially bound together.

Li Xun guessed that Bibi Dong wanted to overthrow the Spirit Hall's religious hold over the Angel Clan and wipe it from the pages of history.

Of course, all of this could not rely solely on speculation and memories.

Although Bibi Dong's past was pitiful, considering her personality flaws—being an ungrateful ingrate and somewhat yandere-ish—Li Xun felt it necessary to maintain a degree of vigilance.

After all, he had become an uninvited butterfly, and the future had already shifted.

It seemed he still needed to find something to keep Bibi Dong and her faction busy, to divert their attention and prevent them from stirring up trouble out of sheer idleness.

It would also buy his own side some time to develop.

If things truly came to a dead end in the future, he would simply have to step in himself—after all, there were hardly any normal people left in that Spirit Hall...

Li Xun's gaze gradually grew profound.

Li Xun's reply was well within Qian Renxue's expectations.

During their interactions over the past two years, although Li Xun held the Spirit Hall in respect, he had also frequently stated that he would share weal and woe with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

This was precisely why she valued Li Xun so much.

He was loyal, affectionate, and knew how to repay kindness.

If Li Xun had grabbed the branch the moment she extended it, he wouldn't have been worthy of her personal recruitment.

Because someone who could betray the sect that nurtured him today could just as easily betray her tomorrow.

"Brother Li Xun, then I shall look forward to that day."

Qian Renxue smiled brilliantly. "The doors of the Spirit Hall will always remain open for you."

She had never planned to succeed in recruiting him on the first try.

If a genius were so easily swayed with a weak spine, she might actually have been disappointed.

Now that she had received a response similar to what he had told her at the academy, she was already quite delighted.

This proved that Li Xun's true nature was indeed steadfast—whether toward Xue Qinghe or toward her, Qian Renxue.

"Thank you for your high regard, Miss Qian Renxue. I will discuss this matter with my teacher as well."

Li Xun wore a smile and nodded.

"Stop calling me Miss this, Miss that. You are younger than me, just call me Sister Xue."

Qian Renxue chuckled lightly. "Well then, I'll be leaving first. We can chat again another time, Brother Li Xun."

With that, she waved at Li Xun and departed with the Pufferfish Douluo.

Her time on this outing was somewhat limited, and she needed to hurry back to Heaven Dou City promptly after obtaining her spirit ring.

The fact that she had waited here for Li Xun for so long was already a testament to how highly she regarded his talent.

Not to mention, there was also Dugu Bo...

"Kid, is it really possible for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to join the Spirit Hall?"

Seeing the two figures fade into the distance, Dugu Bo furrowed his brows, a trace of hesitation crossing his aged face.

He had some old grievances with the Spirit Hall elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, and the two sides had clashed on numerous occasions.

Although he couldn't beat the two of them, the mere thought of the humiliating times he had spent hunted down by them still made him want to seek revenge.

"Grandpa Dugu, I was merely trying to pacify her. The sect knows nothing of this matter."

Li Xun pondered for a moment. "However, the Spirit Hall is immensely powerful. Avoiding conflict is the best possible outcome if we can manage it."

"Powerful? It's not like the chrysanthemum-faced fellow and that little ghost haven't traded blows with me before."

Dugu Bo chuckled, looking somewhat unimpressed. "Even if the Spirit Hall has a few hidden powerhouses, with the Upper Three Sects keeping them in check, could they possibly turn the world upside down?"

"Grandpa Dugu, you underestimate the Spirit Hall, and you underestimate the powerhouses of this world."

"Many of the medical texts and historical records I've read over the years are actually travelogues and chronicles of the continent."

Li Xun's expression turned solemn. "They record many figures who were once famous throughout the realm."

"Yet these people all vanished without a trace after joining the Spirit Hall."

"Through my investigations across various sources, I discovered that these individuals are still alive today, and their cultivation is very likely within the ranks of Title Douluo."

Right then and there, Li Xun began listing every single Title Douluo of the Spirit Hall one by one.

As name after name tumbled from Li Xun's lips, Dugu Bo's expression grew increasingly grave.

Because he realized that many of these individuals were figures from his own era or the generation before him.

The most renowned among them was undoubtedly Crocodile Douluo.

And when Li Xun mentioned Qian Daoliu, the Maximum Douluo, Dugu Bo drew a sharp intake of breath.

"Xiao Xun, some of these people are names even I have never heard of. How reliable is the information you've gathered?"

Dugu Bo couldn't help but interject.

It was no wonder he reacted this way; what Li Xun was saying was simply too shocking.

Previously, although he held a certain awe for the Spirit Hall, deep down, he had still maintained a somewhat cavalier attitude.

He had harbored the mindset of *the world is vast, what can your Spirit Hall possibly do to me?*

Yet today, Li Xun had completely overturned his traditional perception of the Spirit Hall.

"The origins of some of these people have become shrouded in mystery, impossible to trace back to their roots. I am still investigating slowly."

With a solemn expression, Li Xun ruthlessly shattered Dugu Bo's last remaining illusions. "However, the Spirit Hall truly possesses individuals by these names."