Chapter 42 Three Years Later

Inside the Spirit Hall, within the Holy Son's chambers...

A man lay peacefully upon a soft, comfortable cotton bed...

Before long, his cool, ancient-spring-like eyes trembled slightly, then slowly opened...

His gaze drifted toward the window, and with a voice carrying a touch of magnetism, he murmured indifferently, "Is it dawn?"

Then, his entire body radiating an aura of chilliness, he lazily stretched and slowly rose from the bed, unhurriedly...

This person was none other than Xu Sheng, who had already spent three years within the Spirit Hall!

By now, he had long since shed his youthful awkwardness, having reached the prime of his youth...

Xu Sheng's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at himself in the mirror ahead, pursing his lips slightly as he whispered, "Over these past three years, has the Ninefold Blood Begonia ultimately begun to influence me?"

Reflected in the mirror, Xu Sheng was about one meter seven in height, dressed in a white robe with the cuffs loosely rolled up, simple yet exuding an extreme aesthetic...

His slightly drooping, slender strands of hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall, and an even greater, intangible chill emanated from his entire being, as though capable of freezing all things in existence...

If anyone were to lock eyes with Xu Sheng, they would encounter a pair of pupils as deep as black amber, devoid of any emotion, appearing even colder, with a chilling light constantly flickering within them. His high-bridged nose and exquisite lips were all releasing their unique charm...

A single glance or a subtle smile was enough to drag a woman into an abyss of intoxication...

Truly, he was a peerless young gentleman, as jade-like as the figures of legend!

Suddenly, a woman's voice that stirred ripples in the heart sounded from outside the door, breaking the tranquility...

"Xu Sheng, I'm coming in!"

As the words fell, a woman with a slender figure and golden hair walked through the door. Her entire being was brimming with allure, and a slight smile on her thin lips was enough to ignite the desires of the opposite sex, undeniably adding a hazy, enchanting quality...

It was none other than Hu Liena! Yet, because of her Heavenly Fox martial soul, her original innocence had completely vanished...

Hu Liena smiled charmingly at Xu Sheng, familiarly linking her arm through his, and said, "Xu Sheng, are you ready? It seems we are leaving the academy today to receive personal instruction from Teacher!"

"Mm, let's go," Xu Sheng said indifferently, his amber eyes narrowing slightly as he gently untangled his arm from Hu Liena's grip.

Hu Liena rolled her eyes playfully and retorted, "Xu Sheng, you've changed so much over these past few years."

Xu Sheng felt rather speechless and replied coldly, "Aren't you the same?"

Wasn't Hu Liena's remark actually a description of herself?

Not only he and Hu Liena, but also Xie Yue, fellow members of the Golden Generation, were all completely different from how they were three years ago!

He couldn't help becoming the way he was now. Over the past three years, the amount of blood required by the Ninefold Blood Begonia to absorb every single day had increased more and more, until it finally began to affect his state of mind...

He figured that previously, killing a person would have caused Xu Sheng a slight pang of regret; but if it were now, he would feel no more emotion than if he were crushing an ant...

Xu Sheng shook his head to cast away these thoughts and walked out coldly. "Let's go. Don't keep Teacher waiting..."

Left behind and ignored, Hu Liena panted slightly with her thin lips pursed, an unreadable glint flashing through her beautiful eyes. "I'm the one who came to wake you up, seriously..."

Then, with a sigh, she quickened her pace to follow Xu Sheng...

...

Within the Pope's Palace...

Seated upon the papal throne and grasping a purple-gold scepter, Bibi Dong still radiated an oppressive aura that commanded submission, flanked by Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo...

Bibi Dong's captivating eyes shifted between Xie Yue and Yan...

After a long moment, she spoke indifferently, "Xie Yue, where are Xu Sheng and Hu Liena?"

Xie Yue's bewitching eyes froze, and a cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body...

No matter how many times he had audience with Bibi Dong, her powerful and terrifying deterrent force never diminished in the slightest...

He respectfully replied, "Your Holiness the Pope, barring any accidents, Xu Sheng must have overslept and likely forgotten today's arrangement..."

"As for my younger sister, she should have gone to wake Xu Sheng. Perhaps they will arrive very soon!"

Yan, standing beside Xie Yue, cautiously glanced at Bibi Dong before lowering his head, deciding that the less he spoke, the better. Sometimes, playing mute was far safer...

Yet the things one wished least to happen were precisely the ones most likely to occur...

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted toward Yan, and her thin lips parted slightly. "Yan, your Flame Lord martial soul has great potential. If it can be properly nurtured, reaching the Title Douluo realm is not impossible for you."

Trembling in his heart, Yan stammered in response, "Thank... Your Holiness... for your cultivation. Yan will surely practice with all his heart..."

Too terrifying! The pressure emanating from Her Holiness the Pope was simply not something an ordinary person could endure!

He simply could not fathom how Hu Liena and Xu Sheng managed to remain so calm and composed under such immense pressure!

Standing to Bibi Dong's left, Chrysanthemum Douluo muttered inwardly, "This kid Xu really knows no fear, actually daring to keep Her Holiness the Pope waiting..."

This was already the nth time he had witnessed this. Ever since Xu Sheng and Bibi Dong had grown closer, the former's attitude toward the latter seemed far too casual...

And yet, none of them dared to ask...

Meanwhile, Ghost Douluo on the other side was pondering a completely different matter. Around last year, he had sparred with Xu Sheng, and the match had ended in a draw...

As for Xu Sheng's current strength, it likely far surpassed that of Chrysanthemum Douluo and himself...

While they remained silent, a cold voice rang out from outside the hall: "Teacher, we have arrived." Xu Sheng, wearing a face as cold as frost, and Hu Liena, radiating allure, walked in side by side...

Their arrival instantly drew the attention of everyone present...

Especially Bibi Dong. She had long since grown accustomed to Xu Sheng's icy demeanor, knowing that it did not reflect his true nature...

Bibi Dong struck the ground with the purple-gold scepter in her hand, her tone growing increasingly solemn. "Now that everyone has arrived, I shall outline the cultivation plan for the four of you from this day forward..."

"Starting today, the four of you are required to head to the Star Dou Great Forest together every single day to hunt soul beasts with a cultivation of at least ten thousand years!"

Bibi Dong's tone when uttering these words admitted no doubt!

Since she had already chosen to nurture the four of them as the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, the training regimen provided to them had to far exceed the limits!

Yan could not help but cry out in shock, "What? Ten thousand-year soul beasts? Just the four of us?"

He didn't know Xu Sheng's exact soul power rank, but his own soul power, along with Hu Liena's and Xie Yue's, was only around the thirty-fourth or thirty-fifth rank...

To hunt a ten thousand-year soul beast with mere strength like theirs was practically asking to be wiped out in an instant!

Xie Yue's mouth twitched slightly. He glanced at Hu Liena, who showed no objections, and gritted his teeth as he replied, "Understood, Your Holiness the Pope."

Seeing the doubt flicker across the faces of Xie Yue and Yan, Bibi Dong's eyes grew cold. "This task may be impossible for others, but you are the Golden Generation, who symbolize the dignity of the Spirit Hall!! If you cannot accomplish even this minor difficulty, do you still deserve this title?"

Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan immediately responded, "Understood, Your Holiness the Pope (Teacher)."

Since Her Holiness the Pope had personally spoken, they had no choice but to succeed, even if they felt they couldn't!

"Teacher, there is something I wish to discuss with you," only Xu Sheng's icy voice rang out inappropriately...