Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

A complex emotion welled up in his heart, as if he had seen a sapling that he had watered for many years and struggled through countless winters in the wind and snow finally bloom its first flower.

But after the flowers bloom, what follows is not pure joy, but something deeper and more indescribable.

"What about the ninth test?" Qian Daoliu asked, his voice calm and composed. "Did you sense it?"

Qian Renxue's expression shifted slightly.

She raised her eyes and looked down at Qian Daoliu's face, his golden eyes carrying a very subtle trace of contemplation.

“Yes,” she replied.

"But I don't know the specifics. After the first eight exams, I could feel the final exam was right there, within my reach. But that threshold didn't open, as if it was waiting for something..."

Qian Daoliu's fingertips tightened slightly inside his sleeve, then relaxed.

His expression remained calm, showing no sign of anything amiss. He simply nodded slightly: "The final exam is often the most crucial, requiring you to be in your best condition to take it on."

Qian Renxue lowered her eyes slightly, as if savoring the unopened door, then raised her head again and looked at Qian Daoliu: "Grandpa, the ninth exam... what do I need to prepare? How long will it take before it begins?"

Qian Daoliu looked at her, and something was slowly sinking into the depths of those eyes that had witnessed too many changes over the years.

But when he spoke, his tone remained calm: "You are ready. You just need some time to adjust your state and allow your soul power to reach the highest level of affinity with the angel god."

As Qian Renxue listened, a hint of understanding flashed in her golden eyes.

She could indeed feel her soul power flowing through her body in an unprecedented way, establishing an extremely close connection with the power of the angel god.

It felt like a door that had been pushed to its last crack, and just one more gentle push would open it completely.

“I understand,” she said.

Qian Daoliu did not respond immediately.

He just stared at Qian Renxue, as if to make sure he could see her a few more times. His figure stood in the golden halo, his back straight and his face calm, as if the light of the entire hall was flowing for her.

Qian Renxue did not notice the fleeting complexity in Qian Daoliu's eyes.

Her thoughts were now more focused on the conversation they had just had and on the final exam that was about to begin.

Qian Renxue has waited too long, from her time as an undercover agent in the Heavenly Dou Palace as a young girl, to her identity as Xue Qinghe, and now.

She had waited for far too long, so long that when the door was finally about to truly open, she felt a strange tranquility.

She was silent for a moment, as if she was organizing her thoughts, then she raised her head and looked at Qian Daoliu again.

"Grandpa," Qian Renxue asked, "what is the situation on the mainland now?"

Qian Daoliu stood in the shadows before the angel statue and slowly said, "The Star Luo Empire has been destroyed."

Qian Renxue nodded slightly, without asking for any further details.

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the small golden sword pattern on her forehead. After a moment, she lowered her hand: "Eva... now?"

Qian Daoliu paused slightly. He raised his eyelids, and a subtle hint of alertness seemed to flash in his aged yet still sharp eyes, as if he anticipated that a certain topic was about to be touched upon.

"The Lord of the North, the recipient of the northern part of Star Luo, and the founder of the Fairy Tale Empire. The territory and army she now possesses are sufficient to confront the Martial Soul Theocracy head-on."

Qian Renxue listened without interrupting.

She knew Eva wouldn't stop at the North. That woman had never been a docile character since her time in the palace. She was too good at waiting and planning, and every move she made landed in a place that no one expected.

She paused for a moment, as if recalling something, then asked softly, "What about...Snow White?"

When she uttered the name, her tone was softer than before, as if she were afraid of disturbing something, or perhaps she simply cared.

Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Renxue and saw her slightly lowered eyelids and gently curled fingers. He knew that what was on her mind at this moment was that figure she hadn't heard from in a long time.

“She is in the far north,” Qian Daoliu said. “She successfully triggered the legacy of an ancient god and is now undergoing trials in a secret realm.”

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted slightly: "She passed the Divine Trial?"

"Correct."

Qian Daoliu's voice remained calm, but the hand resting on his side tightened slightly; he was still proud of this news.

"She chose the path she wanted to take, and so far, it seems she hasn't made a mistake."

Qian Renxue remained silent for a long time.

She looked at the empty space in front of her, her gaze seemingly passing over walls and buildings, landing on the snow-covered land in the far north.

She thought of Snow White, and the serene calm that always resided in her clear eyes, a calmness that seemed unyielding to bend over by anything.

"That's good." Qian Renxue spoke these two words more slowly than usual, as if she were carefully crafting each word before letting it out.

Qian Daoliu stood still, saying nothing more.

He simply looked at Qian Renxue, and the complex emotions in his heart surged up again, like the tide stirred by the wind, slow and unstoppable.

He thought about the final exam that was about to begin.

That threshold requires him to sacrifice himself to open it. The inheritance of the Angel God is never free; it requires the person closest to the divine position to use their entire life as fuel to completely push open the final door.

Chapter 573 Bright Moon City

Qian Daoliu has lived for a very, very long time, so long that most of the faces that once occupied an important place in his life have faded into blurry outlines.

He once thought he was ready, like every high priest waiting in the temple, to hand himself over calmly at the end of his life.

But at this moment, looking at Qian Renxue standing in that golden halo, and at the golden sword mark on her forehead that had already undergone eight transformations, Qian Daoliu suddenly felt that all the preparations were still insufficient.

He had not yet seen Qian Renxue truly step into the realm of gods, he had not yet seen her become a god, and he had not yet seen her standing firmly in the halls of the gods.

But if he wants to see those things, he must first become the light that burns when that door opens.

Qian Daoliu stood before the angel statue, looking at Qian Renxue, suppressing his surging emotions deep inside, without revealing any trace of them.

His voice remained steady as he spoke: "You have completed the first eight tests. The ninth test will be the most important step, and it requires you to be in the best condition. Rest well and regulate your breathing to get your body and mind back to their best state. When the time is right, come back to the Hall of Offerings."

Qian Renxue looked at Qian Daoliu, her golden eyes reflecting his calm face, as if trying to read something deeper from his expression.

But she saw nothing but a grandfather's concern for his granddaughter.

"Okay." She nodded. "I will be in the best condition to face the final exam."

Qian Daoliu didn't say anything more, but simply turned slightly to indicate that she could go and rest first.

Qian Renxue turned and walked out of the offering hall.

Her steps were lighter than when she came, as if something in her heart had become clear: she would soon fulfill the angel race's millennia-long wish, become the new Angel God, and elevate herself to the realm belonging to the gods.

She didn't notice how long the gaze behind her lingered on her back.

Qian Daoliu stood before the angel statue, watching the white figure pass through the golden halo and walk step by step toward the temple gate.

He could see the composure in her steps, the calm of someone who had waited so long finally seeing the finish line, and he could see her back straight, as if she was ready to bear everything.

The palace doors closed silently behind her.

Silence returned to the hall. Qian Daoliu stood alone in the golden halo, the face of the angel statue looking down upon him from above.

He slowly raised his right hand, looking at his aged palm, at the lines and marks worn away by the years.

He wondered how many more times he would see her when that door opened again.

There is no answer to this question, and no one will give him one. He can only continue to stand here, waiting and preparing.

……

Pope's Palace.

Unlike the tranquility of the sanctuary, which is perpetually enveloped in a golden halo, the light inside the Papal Palace always carries a cold, piercing quality, filtered through stained glass windows.

The afternoon sun shines through the huge six-winged angel mural on the dome, casting colorful light and shadow on the cold white marble floor, like an oil painting frozen in time.

Bibi Dong sat alone on the throne that symbolized the supreme power of the Martial Soul Empire, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

A report about tax adjustments in the newly incorporated regions was laid out in front of her, but her gaze did not actually fall on the numbers.

Her senses, like invisible tendrils, had long since penetrated the thick walls of the Papal Palace, crossed the square and the corridors, and precisely locked onto the direction of the sanctuary.

Qian Renxue has emerged.

The news reached her ears the moment the side door of the offering hall opened, thanks to the spies she had planted.

Bibi Dong's fingertips paused on the armrest for a moment, then continued tapping, the rhythm slightly slower than before, as if she were processing the information.

She could certainly sense Qian Renxue's presence. That pure and vast energy fluctuation, unique to the Angel God, spread out from the depths of the Hall of Worship, leaving a clear trail in the air of Martial Soul City.

That aura was much stronger than Qian Renxue's before she entered the Hall of Offerings, carrying a sense of solidity that came from a long period of tempering.

Bibi Dong's lips curled into a very faint smile.

Because, after careful perception, she confirmed one thing: although Qian Renxue's aura was more refined and profound than before, it still remained within the realm of the mortal world.

That power had been refined and polished repeatedly, but it was always missing the final step.

She has not yet become a god.

Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair, her purple eyes slightly narrowed. She recalled Qian Renxue's appearance when she entered the Hall of Offerings, wearing that plain white cultivation robe, her steps steady, carrying an eagerness that had been suppressed for too long and could finally begin to run.

At that time, she thought Qian Renxue would complete the divine test quickly, after all, her talent, her martial soul, and her affinity for angelic power were unmatched in the entire history of the Spirit Hall.

She was even prepared for Qian Renxue to enter the Divine Realm before her.

But now Qian Renxue has emerged, with a cultivation level that has not yet fully transformed, and stopped just one step away from the finish line.

Either the divine examination itself encountered unexpected obstacles, or her own condition was not stable enough.

Regardless of which one it is, it means that Qian Renxue still has a long way to go before reaching the true realm of divinity.

Her Rakshasa God Trial is nearing its end.

Bibi Dong could feel that the final threshold between her and the divine position was getting thinner and thinner. Every time she meditated, every time she circulated her soul power, every time she resonated with the power of the Rakshasa, that thin wall would tremble slightly.

It'll be soon. Very soon.

She will enter that realm before Qian Renxue, standing at a height that the entire continent cannot reach as the Rakshasa God.

Qian Renxue will become an angel god, but that comes after her.

She will be the first new god in the Spirit Hall to truly ascend to godhood, while Qian Renxue will only be the second.

Bibi Dong turned her gaze back to the tax report, tapped her fingers lightly twice on the armrest, then picked up her pen and wrote a single word at the end of the report.

……