After saying that, Qian Renxue turned around without any hesitation, dragging her exhausted body away slowly under the protection of the Spirit Hall members.
Shui Wuhen looked at Qian Renxue's departing figure and smiled slightly inwardly: "Alright, I'll wait for the day you surpass me."
A mere top-tier spirit and Soul Saint level was not enough for him to respect Qian Renxue, because he knew that by the time he reached her age, his achievements would most likely be far beyond Soul Saint.
However, even after taking a step back and only needing to agree to prevent the outflow of those three top-grade Spirit Bones, Qian Renxue still dared to admit her defeat and remained confident in her heart.
For such an opponent, Shui Wuhen was willing to give her respect.
After Qian Renxue left, the surrounding crowd finally came back to their senses from their shock and looked at each other in disbelief.
No one had expected the outcome of this Elite Tournament to be like this.
But soon, they began excited discussions. This tournament had been far beyond everyone's expectations.
Whether there would be successors like this, they did not know, but it was definitely unprecedented.
Originally, Spirit Hall having three Soul Kings, with two of them even possessing Martial Soul Fusion Skills as support, was already astonishing.
After all, the requirement of the Elite Tournament was under twenty-five years old. Reaching Soul King at this age was already absurd.
But this time, there were actually two Soul Emperors and one Soul Saint.
And in the end, the Soul Emperor actually achieved the final victory. This was destined to make this match widely discussed throughout the entire soul master world.
Some even began calling Shui Wuhen the greatest genius of the present era, because not only had he defeated the Soul Saint-level Qian Renxue, but he was also the youngest among all peerless geniuses.
"Mm~~"
At this moment, Articuno shrank down and landed on Shui Wuhen's shoulder.
Shui Wuhen gently patted Articuno's head and smiled, "You worked hard just now."
"Mm~~"
Articuno narrowed its eyes, seemingly enjoying his touch.
Arriving at the Tianshui Academy area, Shui Wuhen said to Shui Bing'er and the others, "Let's go."
After obtaining the Spirit Bones, Shui Wuhen clearly felt the greedy gazes hidden in the shadows. If they were not still within Spirit City, they might have already made a move to snatch them.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Shui Bing'er and the others also nodded, quickly leaving the plaza in front of the Pope's Hall together with Shui Wuhen.
After returning to the Tianshui Academy residence, Shui Wuhen took out the right arm bone emitting a fiery red glow from his storage soul tool and walked to Shui Yue Ruo, saying:
"Dean, this Spirit Bone is for you!"
"For… for me?"
Upon hearing this, Shui Yue Ruo immediately revealed a look of joy, but soon hesitated.
Seeing her hesitation, Shui Wuhen forcefully placed the Spirit Bone into her hands and said, "This Spirit Bone was originally the reward for the champion. Bing'er and I each took one already. Taking the third one would not be appropriate."
At this time, Shui Bing'er also smiled and said, "Dean Yue Ruo, just accept it. This Spirit Bone is obviously fire-attribute; my brother wouldn't use it."
"Haa~ Alright, I'll accept this Spirit Bone. I will distribute it properly later."
Hearing the two siblings say so, Shui Yue Ruo took a deep breath and gratefully stored the right arm bone into her storage soul tool.
Although these three ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones were the reward for the Elite Tournament champion, in theory they should be distributed, but this time's victory was entirely thanks to Shui Wuhen. Even if he had taken all three Spirit Bones, they would not have been able to object.
After all, Spirit Bones, even if their attributes do not match, can still be exchanged for other treasures. Who would ever think they had too many Spirit Bones?
Yet Shui Wuhen was willing to give one Spirit Bone to her for distribution, clearly because of Shui Bing'er's face.
"Hehe."
After Shui Yue Ruo accepted the Spirit Bone, Shui Bing'er widened her watery eyes and said in a spoiled tone, "Brother, what about my Spirit Bone? You promised me."
Although the wind-attribute Spirit Bone was not as compatible with her as an ice-attribute one, it was still acceptable. Such a high-level Spirit Bone was extremely rare, and she could not be too picky.
However, to Shui Bing'er's surprise, Shui Wuhen shook his head instead, "Not urgent. We'll talk about it in a few days."
"Alright then!"
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er lowered her head slightly, somewhat disappointed.
If possible, she wanted to absorb that Spirit Bone immediately, but since her dear brother said so, she could only wait a few more days.
That night, while cultivating, Shui Wuhen suddenly sensed something and opened his eyes.
Then he saw Bibi Dong standing in front of him, and his expression instantly turned serious as he stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"
At the same time, Shui Wuhen's mind raced. Why would the Pope of Spirit Hall appear in his room in the middle of the night? What was her purpose?
To kill him? Or…
Bibi Dong glanced at him and said calmly, "Your reaction is quite fast. You noticed me as soon as I arrived."
"Your Holiness flatters me. I'm just used to cultivating outdoors, so I'm slightly more sensitive to changes in my surroundings."
Shui Wuhen immediately replied.
"No need to be modest. I do have some experience in judging people."
Bibi Dong shook her head, then her expression turned serious again.
"Alright, Shui Wuhen, I will ask you once more. Are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"
Hearing this, Shui Wuhen's eyes flickered. So Bibi Dong had come for this purpose?
Before he could respond, Bibi Dong continued on her own:
"As long as you join Spirit Hall, my previous promise still stands. And you should also know that not long ago, we captured a 100,000-year transformed soul beast.
As long as you join Spirit Hall, this 100,000-year Soft Bone Rabbit's soul ring and Spirit Bone can be yours! With your talent, you deserve a 100,000-year soul ring and Spirit Bone."
Hearing this, Shui Wuhen fell silent. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Your Holiness's offer is very good, but I must decline."
"..."
Bibi Dong was silent for a moment after hearing his answer.
"Can you tell me why you refuse to join Spirit Hall? Do you have prejudice against it?"
"No, I have a good impression of Spirit Hall. I simply do not want to get involved in the struggles of major factions so early, and I believe my current cultivation state is the best for me."
Shui Wuhen shook his head and replied.
Bibi Dong stared deeply at him, as if trying to see through his heart.
After a moment, she turned around.
"Very well. Since you refuse, so be it. My Spirit Hall does not lack a single genius."
However…
Suddenly, her tone turned cold and sharp:
"But I must warn you—if one day I hear that you have joined the Upper Three Sects or the Two Great Empires, you will become the enemy of Spirit Hall!"
After saying this, Bibi Dong's figure vanished from Shui Wuhen's room.