Qian Renxue's expression was slightly gloomy.
Seeing this, Su Cheng let out a light chuckle."Oh? Looks like there's really some trouble. But even so, if the mission were unreasonable, you should still be able to refuse it, right? Tell me—what kind of mission could make you willingly waste your time?"
This was a test.
He wanted to see how much trust he could currently obtain from Qian Renxue.
Disguising herself as Xue Qinghe and infiltrating the Heaven Dou royal family to plot a usurpation—this task counted as one of Spirit Hall's highest secrets. Even many elders might not know the full details.
Qian Renxue remained silent for a long moment.
Su Cheng didn't rush her, simply waiting quietly.
"…She wants me to infiltrate the Heaven Dou imperial family, disguise myself as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, and find an opportunity to seize the emperor's throne."
"…" Su Cheng's expression was unreadable.He said calmly, "What a colossal joke. Miss Young Lady of Spirit Hall, can you explain to me—what mindset did you have when you accepted such a task?"
His voice turned cold."Do you even know the success rate of this matter? Even if it succeeds, how many years it will take? Are you being confident, or delusional, or do you simply treat all the people in the world like fools? This doesn't even count as a mission—it's a gamble!"
As he spoke, he casually pulled a blank sheet of paper toward himself and began writing.
"Let's calculate it. Right now, Emperor Xue Ye is in his prime, and he still has four sons below him. No matter what method you use, to firmly secure the position of crown prince will take at least ten years. During that time, you must also deal with attacks from the supporters of the other princes.
"When you finally get that step done, you'll discover that your 'father emperor' can still live another thirty to forty years. If you want to hasten things with some extra methods, it will still take at least five to ten more years—and will definitely leave hidden dangers.
"After you ascend the throne, handling government affairs as emperor and erasing traces of the past will require another five to ten years. At this point, you cannot borrow others' hands, because only you understand the political landscape of Heaven Dou.
"Once you barely stabilize the situation, if you want to centralize power and turn the Heaven Dou Empire into your own territory, you must face the resistance of even more internal factions. You will realize that this so-called empire is in essence nothing but a collection of noble families' interests. And this step will take even longer."
Su Cheng raised four fingers."Forty years. This is the most conservative estimate. And half of your lifetime will be gone just like that."
Qian Renxue's expression froze.
She wasn't even ten years old yet.
"Do you know where your greatest advantage lies? If I had your cultivation talent, I'd wake up laughing even in my dreams. Give me thirty years—unifying the continent would be effortless, ruling with correct and open methods would be enough. Why would I need these shady little tricks?!"
Hearing Su Cheng's words, even though Qian Renxue trusted him greatly now, she still couldn't accept this part internally.
After all, anyone hearing such claims would think he was bragging too wildly.
"You don't have to believe me. We'll see in the future."
Su Cheng could clearly see her disbelief, but he didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he asked,"What exactly is going on between you and the Pope?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue hesitated, her eyes showing a bit of unease.
"Teacher… can I tell you in the future?"
This response surprised Su Cheng slightly.
He had thought she'd just casually make up an excuse. He hadn't expected her to answer like this—clearly, Qian Renxue's attitude toward him was indeed different from before.
"Fine. But you'd better think clearly about that ridiculous mission in the next few days. If you still want to return to the Heaven Dou Empire, I will still teach you—but I will choose someone else as my successor."
After saying that, he ignored the change in her expression and walked out of the room.
In the days that followed, aside from helping Qian Renxue with medicinal mixtures and selecting books, Su Cheng continued spending his days soaking inside the Scripture Pavilion.
As for soul skills, he didn't instruct Qian Renxue much at all.
In Su Cheng's view, at her current stage, practicing soul skills was abandoning the fundamental for the superficial. Focusing on cultivation was what truly mattered.
She was different from him.His innate talent was too poor. No matter how he cultivated, his daily improvement in soul power was limited. His "bottle" was small—pour a little water into it, and it would be full.
Just like that, three days passed.
Yue Guan came to the Scripture Pavilion to find Su Cheng, saying the Pope was summoning him.
During their usual interactions, the two had grown quite close.
As Su Cheng prepared to head to the Pope's Palace, Yue Guan reminded him,"Mr. Su, please mind your words later. From what I can see, His Holiness doesn't seem to be in a very good mood."
Su Cheng's heart stirred—he understood immediately.
It was highly likely that Qian Renxue had decided to give up the infiltration mission.
She might not directly say it was because of him, but Bibi Dong would be able to guess.
After all, Qian Renxue had returned to Spirit City perfectly fine, and nothing major had changed within the Hall. The only variable was Su Cheng.
But it didn't matter.At this point, Bibi Dong's trust wasn't that important anymore.
From the beginning, in Su Cheng's mind, she was merely a stepping stone. He never planned to get too close to her.
Looking across the overall plot of Douluo, aside from Tang San's group, the most ungrateful people were Bibi Dong and Hu Liena—absolutely a master-and-disciple pair of white-eyed wolves.
They enjoyed all the privileges of being Spirit Hall saints from childhood but never wanted to bear the corresponding responsibilities.
Qian Xunji was indeed a beast, but Bibi Dong was no saint either—she had no gratitude or sense of right and wrong.
Compared to this lunatic, supporting Qian Renxue was far more reliable.
As for the main task of the third ring, he needed to gain Spirit Hall's trust and importance. The Pope's Palace did not fully represent Spirit Hall—the Worship Hall was also an option.
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Chrysanthemum Douluo."
Before long, Su Cheng arrived at the audience hall of the Pope's Palace.
Just like last time, the vast hall had no other personnel—only Bibi Dong standing at the very front.
But unlike before, the female pope now wore an icy expression, her face covered with frost, murderous aura spreading.
"Su Cheng, you are bold indeed."
Su Cheng felt no panic.He walked to a spot neither too close nor too far from her, pretending confusion."Your Holiness, what's wrong? Why such anger?"
"Don't play dumb," Bibi Dong snapped coldly."Qian Renxue—did you meddle with her?"
"Isn't she the disciple candidate you personally recommended to me?" Su Cheng replied, tone relaxed."And I did indeed succeed in persuading her to willingly become my successor."
"That is true," Bibi Dong said icily, "but who gave you the authority to tell her to abandon her mission in the Heaven Dou Empire? Do you have any idea this matter concerns my Spirit Hall's thousand-year plan?!"
"Ha?" Su Cheng laughed lightly."Your Holiness, don't be absurd. If this mission is so important, why was it handed to a child barely nine years old?"
"Impudence!"
Seeing his playful attitude, a faint flush crossed Bibi Dong's face, and her proud chest rose and fell slightly, outlining a captivating curve.
Clearly, she was already struggling to restrain her anger.
"Are you testing my patience?"Her voice was cold as frost."Do you think I truly won't kill you?"
"Yes. You won't kill me."
Su Cheng wasn't bothered by her threat at all.
Right now, he had far too many chips in his hand.
...
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(End of Chapter)