Douluo Continent: A Review of the Top Ten Martial Souls, Qian Renxue Breaks Through Defenses

Chapter 105 Shocking Change
"Very well. Zi Ji is a supreme spirit beast, a senior, whom I am currently inferior to. But you, Hu Liena, are human, of the same generation! So what if you are the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall? So what if you are the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox?"

"My Nine Heavens Fire Phoenix, my Burning Heaven Realm, will one day surpass your Asura Phantom!"

"The stage on the mainland will not belong to you alone!"

Flames suddenly rose around her as she cultivated even more diligently.
-
Wuhun City, the Pope's Palace.

Hu Liena knelt on one knee on the smooth, mirror-like obsidian floor, her head slightly bowed.

"teacher."

At the far end of the hall, on the high papal throne, Bibidon leaned lazily, her scepter lightly tapping the ground.

Her scarlet eyes fell on Hu Liena, especially her eyes, which had turned pinkish-gold vertical pupils, and she stared at them for a long time.

"Get up, Nana."

There was no emotion in her voice.

Hu Liena stood up and stood respectfully.

"How do you feel?" Bibi Dong asked casually.

"Teacher, my spiritual power has surged, my martial soul has evolved, my domain has been completed, and I have also gained the 'Bewitching Fox Eye' talent."

Hu Liena answered truthfully, her voice steady, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement.

Bibi Dong nodded slightly: "Not bad. You haven't become blindly arrogant because of your sudden increase in power; you've maintained a clear understanding."

She paused, a deep glint flashing in her crimson eyes: "You've seen the evaluation on the list. 'One of the key pieces in the Spirit Hall's future strategy'... Heh, that's quite accurate."

Hu Liena's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, saying, "Everything I have is given to me by my teacher and the Spirit Hall. I am willing to go through fire and water for the great cause of my teacher and the Spirit Hall."

"Go through fire and water?" Bibi Dong chuckled lightly, her laughter carrying a hint of cold amusement.

"I don't need you to go through fire and water. I need you... to be the sharpest, most concealed knife, piercing the enemy's softest heart."

She slowly rose from her throne, walked down the steps, and came before Hu Liena.

"The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's passive charm, the Asura Phantom's clones and concealment, the Bewitching Fox Eyes' insight and hints... Do you know what these abilities mean when combined?"

Hu Liena looked up and met Bibi Dong's gaze. Her pink-gold eyes gleamed with wisdom and decisiveness: "It means... that I can become the Spirit Hall's deepest and most effective 'eyes' and 'hands'."

"It can infiltrate anywhere, obtain any intelligence, influence any key figure, and even, when necessary, silently change the course of a war or the fate of a power."

"very good."

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction. "Then, your first task is to fully master this new power, especially the application and countermeasures of the 'Bewitching Fox Eyes.' I will have Ghost Douluo assist you in your training; he is a master of stealth and assassination. As for the precise control and countermeasures of mental power... Yue Guan."

"My subordinate is here."

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yueguan quietly appeared on one side of the main hall.

"Starting today, you will dedicate one hour each day to mental strength training with Nana. Don't hold back; I want her to adapt to the mental pressure and illusion attacks of a Title Douluo level in the shortest possible time."

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope." Bibi Dong returned to her throne, her back to Hu Liena, her voice regaining its papal authority and coldness:
"The landscape of the mainland is undergoing dramatic changes because of this ranking. The ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest have surfaced, and all forces are filled with fear and unease. This is the best time for us to make our moves."

"Nana, when you have fully mastered your new power, I want you to secretly go to the Heaven Dou Empire. Not as the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, but as a... mysterious, uniquely charismatic rogue spirit master."

Hu Liena's pupils contracted slightly, but she immediately lowered her head: "This disciple understands."

She knew that from this moment on, she would truly step into the core vortex of the power struggle within the Spirit Hall and the continental scramble for supremacy.

And the new power she possesses is her most powerful weapon and reliance.
-
Starry Sky Forest, Core Circle, Lake Island.

Gu Yuena, with her silver hair cascading down her back and her deep purple eyes, stood quietly by the lake, gazing at the pink and gold list fading into the sky.

Di Tian stood behind her and said in a deep voice, "My lord, there are also geniuses on the human side who have made it onto the list. This Hu Liena's abilities are very suitable for infiltration and manipulation, which is not a good thing for our soul beast race."

Zi Ji leaned lazily against an ancient tree, playing with her hair, and chuckled softly upon hearing this: "Just a little fox."

"Her charm technique has limited effect on soul beasts with top-tier bloodlines like us, let alone our master. However, we need to be a little careful with her eye technique that can see through disguises and read memories."

Gu Yuena was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "The layout of the rankings is gradually becoming clear. It is not arranged randomly, but rather... in a balanced, or rather, in a system of checks and balances."

"Zi Ji's inclusion on the list demonstrates the terrifying power of soul beasts to humans, deterring them from making any rash moves."

"Hu Liena's inclusion on the list gives the Spirit Hall a sharper 'soft knife,' which can not only counterbalance other forces within humanity, but also... to a certain extent, restrain humanity's excessive fear and united hostility towards spirit beasts."

"After all, when there are more pressing and hidden threats within humanity, the fear of ferocious beasts in remote forests will be relatively less intense."

Di Tian frowned: "Does Your Majesty mean that the entity behind this list is intentionally maintaining a certain balance on the continent? Does it not want humans and soul beasts to immediately break out into a full-scale war?"

“Perhaps,” Gu Yuena said, her gaze distant, “or perhaps it’s just… casting actors and setting up a stage. The real drama hasn’t even begun yet.”

She turned and looked into the depths of the forest, a barely perceptible glint of silver flashing in her purple eyes.

"Order all soul beasts in the core area that are over 100,000 years old: Remain vigilant, but do not expand your territory for the time being, and avoid large-scale conflicts with humans. Observe the situation."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Di Tian and Zi Ji bowed simultaneously.
-
The undercurrents on the mainland have intensified since Hu Liena was listed.

One side is a supreme soul beast that has surfaced, possessing terrifying strength but temporarily lying dormant;
On one side is the Spirit Hall, which possesses a hidden weapon and harbors ambitious ambitions;
Caught in the middle are two empires and the three upper sects, who are anxious and trying to form alliances.

Meanwhile, many independent cultivators, small factions, and commoner soul masters watched this rapidly changing era with shock, envy, fear, and bewilderment.

Everyone knows that the old era is collapsing at an accelerated pace.

The new era will be written by these "goddesses" who have made it onto the list, and by the overt and covert power struggles behind them.

Above the sky, the brilliance of the rankings continues to flow.

The fourteenth place has been announced.

So, who will be the thirteenth?

Where will she come from? What kind of power will she possess?
What new stone will be thrown into the already turbulent continent?
The people of mainland China held their breath in anticipation.

(End of this chapter)