Lucy nodded and said, "Gu Chen, since that's the case, I have the same advice as Gu Yue Na. First, you should go to the Spirit Hall's Grand Spirit Arena every day for a one-on-one battle. You cannot use your Martial Soul or that gun; you should only rely on your physical strength, or just use that gun, without relying on other means, to hone your combat abilities."
"Second, I also recommend that you spend more than five hours every day in the Dragon Valley Mimetic Training Grounds. Your Martial Soul is a Golden Dragon, and Dragon Valley is the best place for you."
"I understand." Gu Chen nodded.
Afterwards, Lucy took Gu Chen to test his maximum speed and strength. The results were shocking. Whether it was speed or strength, Gu Chen was nearing the level of a Soul Douluo!
If he had one flaw, it would be his mental strength, but even then, Gu Chen's mental strength was enough to crush those of the same realm.
After the afternoon's practical training ended, the members of the Tianzi class dispersed on the spot.
Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na took a brief stroll around the Spirit Hall Academy before returning to their respective dormitories.
Most others also returned to their dorms, except for Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.
The three of them gathered in the Spirit Hall Academy's Forest Mimetic Training Grounds.
"We are all loyal to the former Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong. However, Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na, from the Qian Xun Ji family, are undoubtedly our greatest obstacles." Xie Yue said calmly.
"But with their monstrous talent and strength, we don't have any way to defeat them!" Hu Liena said in despair.
Yan, who had a slightly irritable temperament, said, "Na Na, isn't your teacher a 98th-level peerless Douluo? Why don't we ask her to take action and kill Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na? Otherwise, the future of Spirit Hall will surely be dominated by them!"
"But will Teacher agree?" Hu Liena asked with concern. She also understood that as an opposing faction, with Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na around, they would surely be ousted from Spirit Hall.
After all, "those who are not of our kind are bound to be different," and excluding opposition was something they had always done.
"Sister, this is the only chance. You saw it too, even Teacher Lin, a Soul Saint, couldn't hurt Gu Chen. I'm afraid only a Title Douluo-level expert can kill him!" Xie Yue said.
Hu Liena's gaze became resolute as she said softly, "Mm, I will talk to Teacher."
The former Holy Maiden Bibi Dong had a deep hatred for the Pope, Qian Xun Ji, and would never reside in the Pope's Palace. Instead, she lived in a branch of the Spirit Hall located not far from the Spirit Hall Academy.
After Xie Yue and Yan arrived at the branch's entrance, they naturally stood on either side. As Bibi Dong's disciple, Hu Liena walked into the branch by herself.
"What's the matter, my disciple?" A voice came, belonging to a woman dressed in purple with a purple crystal crown. This person was none other than Bibi Dong.
"Master, Qian Xun Ji seems to have recruited two twelve-year-old children with outstanding talent, which may affect our future influence in Spirit Hall. I humbly request Master to eliminate them!" Hu Liena spoke in a soft voice, saying chilling words. There was not the slightest respect for the Pope in her words, and she was not afraid of the many onlookers within the Spirit Hall branch.
Since Qian Xun Ji had secretly ordered that the strength of Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na be kept confidential, Bibi Dong had no knowledge of their existence. She merely sneered and said, "What kind of genius could that dog recruit? They're probably born fools, right?"
Seeing that Bibi Dong didn't care at all, Hu Liena grew anxious. "Master, that Gu Chen is only twelve years old but has the strength of a 41st-level Soul King, and his soul ring distribution is astonishing. His first soul ring is a thousand-year one, and from the second, they're all ten-thousand-year ones. His fourth soul ring is black with a hint of red, which clearly has a nine-thousand-year lifespan!"
"And then there's Gu Yue Na, who is at the same level as Gu Chen. She has two thousand-year soul rings and two ten-thousand-year soul rings. With both of them around, we will have no place in the future Spirit Hall! I beg Master to eliminate them!"
"What?!" Bibi Dong was stunned. Her expression became serious. If such powerful beings were allowed to grow, the consequences were unimaginable!
"Na Na, tomorrow, find an opportunity to take them both out of the Spirit Hall Academy. I'll take action personally to eliminate them!" Bibi Dong said coldly.
Hu Liena nodded vigorously.
The next day, Gu Chen's dormitory door was knocked. Gu Chen rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked toward the door.
He saw Hu Liena with her head lowered, both hands clasped in front of her chest, and her fingers nervously tapping together. Her delicate face was full of a pitiful expression.
"Gu Chen, I'm sorry for mocking you yesterday. Will you forgive me?" Hu Liena spoke in a soft, pleading voice, pretending to be a child who had made a mistake. Her eyes were filled with a begging expression.
Gu Chen remained expressionless. "I'm not angry. If there's nothing else, please leave."
"Well, I've spoken with my brother and Yan, and we've decided to invite you and Gu Yue Na to a high-end hotel outside Spirit City called 'The Joyous Pavilion,' to have a meal as an apology." Hu Liena said pitifully.
"It's not necessary." Gu Chen was somewhat surprised, suspiciously eyeing Hu Liena as he tried to detect something in her expression.
However, whether it was due to Hu Liena's overly clever disguise or Gu Chen's mental power not being strong enough, Gu Chen couldn't detect anything unusual just from her outward appearance.
"We'll all be classmates from now on, so this meal is a welcome dinner for you. You can't refuse!" Hu Liena insisted.
Gu Chen wasn't sure what her plan was, but since they were already on their way, he decided to go along and agreed, bringing Gu Yue Na along.
"There's definitely something fishy about this," Gu Yue Na sent a voice transmission to Gu Chen, frowning as they left the Spirit Hall Academy and headed toward Spirit City.
Gu Chen shrugged, transmitting, "I don't know what they want either. Let's wait and see."
Before long, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, Gu Chen, and Gu Yue Na's group reached the gates of Spirit City.
Just outside the gates, Gu Yue Na, with her powerful mental strength, sensed something was wrong. Her amethyst-like eyes became wary as she sent a transmission to Gu Chen: "There's a problem! I can sense four people tracking us. Their auras are incredibly powerful. Even after removing four seals, I can't discern their exact cultivation levels."
"But I can tell for sure, all four of them have reached the Title Douluo level!" Gu Yue Na transmitted.
"What?!" Gu Chen was shocked. These four Title Douluos could be enemies or allies. If they were enemies, it was likely that Bibi Dong had sent them to eliminate him and Gu Yue Na.
To send so many Title Douluos to deal with just two Soul Kings! That's a huge move!
Gu Chen's eyes became sharp as he looked at Hu Liena and the others. If he had to undo all his seals and disrupt the entire plan, Hu Liena and the Title Douluos would become casualties of his own plans!
Hu Liena sensed Gu Chen's sharp gaze and broke into a cold sweat. She realized she had been discovered, and in a panic, sent a soul power signal—a secret code to Bibi Dong!
Boom!
A terrifying pressure locked onto Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na, and a deadly aura approached them, incredibly dangerous.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind Gu Chen, and powerful soul power bound him, leaving him nowhere to escape. A dark claw shot toward his back!
(End of Chapter)