Meanwhile…
In Bibi Dong's residence—
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan stood respectfully in front of her.
Bibi Dong swirled the red wine in her glass, her expression calm and unreadable. "That boy Lin Yu said he would be able to defeat the three of you within half a year. Nana, what do you all think of that?"
"Hah!"
The three of them let out mocking chuckles.
Although they had been shocked to learn that Lin Yu was the heir to a god—and had come to realize that his talent was on a completely different level than theirs—still, the idea that he could defeat them within six months?
He wasn't even eight years old yet. The very notion was laughable.
Yan sneered arrogantly. "Hmph! Your Holiness, he may be a god's successor, and sure, maybe we're not as gifted as he is—but to think he could defeat us in half a year? That's just delusional!"
"He's nothing right now!"
"I, Yan, could easily crush Lin Yu!"
Xie Yue scoffed as well. "Lin Yu just returned from the Star Dou Forest. At best, his soul power is barely above level 20. Meanwhile, Yan and I are already Soul Elders. For him to think he could beat us—utter fantasy. Arrogant and full of himself."
"Hmph. Just because he's a god's heir, he thinks he can trample over us?" Hu Liena's expression was filled with anger.
Forcing herself to remain composed, she continued, "That day in the great hall, that brat Lin Yu even dared speak to you disrespectfully!"
"Please rest assured, Teacher. When the time comes, I will personally help you teach him a lesson!"
"I will make sure he pays the price for the disrespectful words he spoke to you in the hall that day!"
Just thinking about how Lin Yu had dared to call her a "white-eyed wolf" in front of all the high-ranking officials sent Bibi Dong into a rage—but she didn't let it show in front of the three. Instead, she nodded in satisfaction.
"Nana, my good disciple."
"It's good that you all have such confidence. At most, that brat will only reach level 25 in half a year, while by that time, the three of you will already be Soul Elders with three rings. No matter how strong his power may be, he won't be your match."
"But don't get complacent. In the time leading up to the battle with Lin Yu, you still need to train diligently."
Bibi Dong had great faith in Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan. These three were her most carefully cultivated talents, and she knew full well that their strength and skill far surpassed that of the other core disciples.
Hu Liena was currently 11 and a half years old, with soul power at level 29.
Xie Yue was 13 and a half, at level 34.
Yan was also 13 and a half, at level 34.
As she spoke, a cold glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. In the next instant, she crushed the wine glass in her hand, her expression turning sinister.
"When the time comes, I want you to thoroughly crush him underfoot. The best outcome would be to shatter his confidence and break his genius spirit—leave him with a psychological scar!"
Bibi Dong wouldn't dare let Hu Liena and the others accidentally kill Lin Yu in the match.
Even an accidental death would result in the Worship Hall stripping the trio of their abilities.
But what she could do was let Hu Liena break Lin Yu's confidence—break the pride of a genius.
If a genius had their self-confidence brutally shattered and was left with a mental scar,
that alone was enough to cripple their talent.
"If I can make a genius fall into despair and lose their drive, that in itself is quite entertaining. Especially a little kid barely seven or eight years old—they're the easiest to break. Hehehe…" Bibi Dong chuckled darkly to herself.
Time flew by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Within the Angel Clan's territory—
Lin Yu's soul power finally broke through from the peak of Level 35 to Level 36!
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. "Phew…"
"It's time to defeat Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan."
"This battle will also be the one that makes my name known in the Hall of the Pope. When that time comes, I'll let those who doubt me see clearly just how I'll crush them!" Lin Yu clenched his fists tightly, burning with fighting spirit.
He stood up and shouted loudly: "Someone come!"
"Convey my order! Inform Pope Bibi Dong that in three days, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan are to face me in the dueling arena for a decisive battle!"
"Yes! Young Clan Leader!"
Outside the room, a member of the Angel Clan immediately went to deliver Lin Yu's message to Bibi Dong.
"What did you say?! He wants to challenge Hu Liena and the others in three days?"
Bibi Dong was stunned when she received the news.
She had assumed Lin Yu would issue the challenge in half a year. But only a month had passed?
"Good, good, good! I really didn't expect this brat to be so arrogant and overconfident!"
"I gave him a whole year, and he insists on doing it in a month. When he's crushed beneath Hu Liena's feet, he'll have no one to blame but himself!"
"Qian Renxue, oh Qian Renxue… You originally had the chance to stay in the Spirit Hall for a couple more years, but now you've ended up entangled with such an arrogant brat. Looks like three days from now, you're destined to obediently return to continue your infiltration of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace."
Bibi Dong sneered coldly and immediately issued an order:
"Send the word! Notify all high-ranking officials currently in Spirit City: three days from now, attend the duel in the arena!"
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
This matter quickly spread among the upper ranks.
Upon hearing the news, all of the high-ranking officials within the Spirit Hall were shocked. They truly hadn't expected that Lin Yu would issue the challenge after only a month.
Wasn't this just handing himself over to be defeated? Wasn't it?
Moreover, the battle three days later would determine whether Qian Renxue would continue her mission of infiltrating the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. Because of this, all high-ranking officials would attend without exception.
Three days later!
1:50 PM in the afternoon.
In the not-too-hot weather—
Inside the dueling arena of the Pope's Hall, aside from the Seven Titled Worships who had not shown up, today, Bibi Dong, all the Titled Elders of the Spirit Hall, and every core high-level official had already arrived at the scene.
This included the newly appointed elders Dugu Bo and Lin Tian—
As well as Dugu Yan, who had now become a core disciple of the Pope's Hall.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan had also arrived early and were waiting.
In addition to them, quite a few core disciples had gathered to watch, and even more were still on their way, arriving in large numbers.
"Hey hey hey! Did you hear? Lin Yu is going to challenge Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan in the dueling arena."
"Huh? He's challenging Hu Liena and the others? Isn't Lin Yu basically asking for death?"
"Who knows, but I heard that all the elders and high-level officials have shown up."
"No way, there has to be some reason behind Lin Yu challenging them, right? Otherwise, why would all the top brass come to watch this fight?"
"I don't know, but one thing's for sure—this isn't just a simple fight. Their victory or defeat definitely carries deeper meaning."
"Are we going to watch?"
"Of course we are!"
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
1:55 PM.
The spectator stands around the dueling arena were already packed with people.
Lin Yu hadn't said the duel would be private, nor had he said it would be public.
Bibi Dong chose to tacitly allow this group of core disciples to spectate—she wanted Lin Yu to completely lose face in front of everyone if he failed!
"Hey, it's almost two o'clock—do you think Lin Yu's actually going to show up or not?!"