Chapter 42 Three Years Later_1

Within the halls of Martial Soul Hall, in the room of the Saint Heir...

On the soft and friendly cotton bed, a man lay peacefully...

Before long, his clear, cold eyes that resembled an ancient spring trembled slightly before slowly opening...

His gaze moved to the window, and with a magnetic voice tinged with indifference, he asked, "Is it dawn already?"

Afterward, the man, filled with a cold aura, stretched lazily and then rose slowly from the bed with no hurry...

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

By now, he had shed the air of greenness, having reached the prime of his youth...

Xu Sheng's gaze became focused as he looked at his reflection in the mirror ahead, pursed his lips lightly, and murmured, "In three years, has the Nine-Hearted Begonia truly influenced me?"

In the mirror, Xu Sheng, about 1.7 meters tall and wearing a white robe loosely tied at the wrists, was simple yet full of aesthetic appeal...

Slightly hanging down, his long hair cascaded behind him like a waterfall, exuding an invisible chill that seemed to freeze everything...

If anyone caught Xu Sheng's eye, they would be met with deep, black pupils, void of any emotion like amber, appearing even colder, his eyes constantly gleaming with a cold light. His high nose and perfectly shaped lips emitted an irresistible charm...

With a single glance or a smile, he could draw women into a spellbound abyss...

Indeed, he was like a jade on the roadside, a gentleman unparalleled in this world!

Suddenly, a woman's voice that could cause ripples in one's state of mind broke the tranquility from beyond the door...

"Xu Sheng, I am coming in!"

As her words fell, a woman with a graceful figure and golden hair entered from outside the door. She radiated allure all over, and with her thin lips curled into a slight smile, she could incite the fiery passion of the opposite sex, undoubtedly adding a hazy charm...

It was Hulena! But because of the Martial Spirit Sky Fox, the pure feeling she originally had was now completely gone...

Hulena gave Xu Sheng a coquettish smile and affectionately took his arm, "Xu Sheng, are you ready? Today seems to be the day we leave the academy to receive our teacher's direct guidance!"

"Hmm, let's go," Xu Sheng's amber-like eyes slightly narrowed as he freed his arm from Hulena's, speaking indifferently.

Hulena rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Xu Sheng, you've changed so much over these years."

Xu Sheng was somewhat at a loss for words, responding coldly, "Haven't you as well?"

Wasn't the statement that Hulena made also about herself?

Not just him and Hulena, but also Lena and Evil Moon from the Golden Generation had changed completely compared to three years ago!

It was inevitable that he'd become like this. Over the three years, the Nine-Hearted Begonia needed to absorb more and more blood each day, until it finally started to affect his state of mind...

Xu Sheng guessed that previously, killing someone might have left him slightly remorseful, but now, it was like crushing an ant, unable to feel any emotion...

Xu Sheng shook his head to cast away these thoughts and walked out with a cold demeanor, "Let's go, we shouldn't keep the teacher waiting..."

Hulena, left behind, pouted her thin lips, and a mysterious light flickered through her Beautiful Eyes, "It's not like I came to call you or anything... Really..."

She sighed softly and followed Xu Sheng's footsteps...

...

Within Pope Hall...

Sitting on the Pope's Chair, Bi Bidong, wielding the Purple-Golden Scepter, was still exuding an oppressive force that made others submit, flanked by the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo...

Bi Bidong's Beautiful Eyes shifted between Lena and Flame, observing them...

After a while, she spoke faintly, "Evil Moon, where are Xu Sheng and Hulena?"

Evil Moon's eerie eyes widened, feeling a cold sweat running down his body...

No matter how many times he had met Bi Bidong, her immense and terrifying deterrent force never diminished...

He respectfully replied, "Your Holiness, if nothing unexpected happened, it should be that Xu Sheng overslept and might have forgotten today's arrangement..."

"As for my sister, she should have gone to wake Xu Sheng up; maybe they will arrive soon!"

Flame, standing beside Evil Moon, cautiously glanced at Bi Bidong and then bowed his head. The less he spoke the better—sometimes, being mute was much better...

But the more you wish for something not to happen, the more likely it is to occur...

Bi Bidong's gaze shifted to Flame, and her thin lips parted slightly, "Flame, your Martial Soul, Flame Lord, has great potential. If you cultivate well, becoming a Titled Douluo is not impossible for you."

The trembling Flame stammered in reply, "Thank... Your Holiness... for the cultivation. Flame will definitely devote himself to training..."

It was too terrifying; the pressure from His Holiness the Pope was simply unbearable for ordinary people!

He couldn't understand how Hulena and Xu Sheng managed to remain calm and composed under this intense pressure!

On Bi Bidong's left, Chrysanthemum Guan mentally complained, "This Xu kid really isn't afraid of death, letting His Holiness wait for him..."

This was not the first time he had witnessed it. Since Xu Sheng and Bi Bidong had become familiar with each other, the former seemed to have become too relaxed in his attitude towards Bi Bidong...

I wouldn't dare ask...

Meanwhile, Ghost Douluo was considering another matter. Around last year, he had sparred with Xu Sheng, and the match had ended in a draw...

But now, Xu Sheng's strength probably far surpassed both Chrysanthemum Guan and himself...

In their silence, a cool voice from outside said, "Teacher, we are here," as the frost-faced Xu Sheng and the enchantingly charismatic Hulena walked in side by side...

The arrival of the two immediately captured the attention of everyone present...

Especially Bi Bidong, who was already used to Xu Sheng's icy demeanor and knew it wasn't his true nature...

Bi Bidong held the Purple-Golden Scepter in her hand and slammed it onto the ground, her tone becoming progressively more serious, "Now that everyone is here, I will discuss your training plan for the future..."

"Starting today, the four of you will need to cooperate daily to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts in the Aquipeia Forest!"

Bi Bidong's tone left no room for doubt!

Since she considered them the Spirit Hall Golden Generation, the training she provided had to surpass the extreme!

Flame couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "What? Ten-thousand-year soul beasts? Just the four of us?"

He wasn't sure about Xu Sheng's soul power rank, but his, Hulena's, and Evil Moon's were all around level 34 to 35...

With just that bit of strength, hunting a ten-thousand-year soul beast would likely result in being wiped out in an instant!

Evil Moon's mouth twitched slightly. After looking at Hulena, who showed no objection, he replied with a hardened scalp, "Yes, Your Holiness."

Seeing the flicker of doubt across the faces of Evil Moon and Flame, Bi Bidong's eyes turned cold. "This task may be impossible for others, but you are the Golden Generation, the symbol of the dignity of Spirit Hall!! If you cannot even handle this difficulty, are you still worthy of this title?"

Evil Moon, Hulena, and Flame immediately answered, "Yes, Your Holiness."

This was a direct command from His Holiness the Pope; they had to make it work, even if they felt it was impossible!

"Teacher, I have a matter I would like to discuss with you," Xu Sheng's icy voice untimely rose...