Following Yang Podi's question, Qian Renxue fell into silence, reflecting on every encounter with Yang Podi over the years, especially every transaction between them in the past.
At that time, Yang Podi was still very weak, and even the entire Breaking Clan seemed insignificant in her eyes. The clan had only one Soul Douluo, practically an ant that could be crushed at any moment.
Yet, before anyone realized it, the Breaking Clan developed beyond all expectations. From the emergence of their first Titled Douluo, they slowly transformed into a colossal power.
Recently, Qian Renxue had spent some time at Heavenly Academy. Although she couldn't fully gauge the academy's actual strength, there was undoubtely no shortage of Titled Douluo. Aside from the ones on the surface—Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, Yang Zhentian, and Dugu Bo—there had to be many more. At the very least, Ye Lingling, a Titled Douluo specializing in healing, was beyond anyone's imagination.
Thinking back, she realized that whether it was the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud or the entire Almo Mountain, she had essentially handed them over to Yang Podi personally. It was precisely with these resources that Yang Podi managed to stay away from all the turmoil, avoiding the hunting actions of the Spirit Empire and evading both the coercion and suppression from the Upper Three Sects.
In a way, the past twenty years had been the era of Heavenly Academy's rise, growing at a pace far beyond what the Spirit Hall had anticipated.
At this thought, a chill crept into Qian Renxue's heart. Without realizing it, she had nurtured such a terrifying opponent.
What was even more disturbing was that, over these two decades, Heavenly Academy had not made enemies with any faction. Even those who had once targeted the Breaking Clan, such as the Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect, had seen their relationships with Heavenly Academy shift in a subtle manner.
Under Yang Podi's leadership, the Clear Sky Sect had been utterly eradicated. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, once capable of crushing the Breaking Clan, was now barely surviving under Heavenly Academy's protection. As for the Spirit Hall, which had once been its mortal enemy, without realizing it, it now regarded Yang Podi as its greatest ally, even to the point of following his every command.
After accomplishing all of this, Yang Podi had not made a single true enemy. Even the vicious beasts, despite their hostility, only targeted the Spirit Empire, while Heavenly Academy always remained in an invincible position.
Qian Renxue's tone turned icy as she spoke, "Are you telling me all this to flaunt your brilliant strategies, or to showcase your exceptional talent?"
Yang Podi sighed, "Is that all you could come up with after thinking for so long? You are a proud daughter of the heavens, convinced of your unparalleled talent, backed by an unrivaled force. But have you ever truly thought about how to confront your enemies?"
"You may appear ruthless and decisive, but you lack the experience of true life-and-death combat. You are more like a flower nurtured in a greenhouse, never having witnessed the true darkness and slaughter of the world, nor possessing genuine battlefield experience."
Qian Renxue immediately interrupted, "You underestimate me too much. When I infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire, I was just as ruthless."
Yang Podi chuckled, "Your infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire was nothing but a joke. After all those years, what did you truly accomplish aside from causing the deaths of a few princes? Did you bring in any powerful talents or forces for the Spirit Hall? Did you eliminate any real threats to the Spirit Hall? All you did was create more enemies for them."
"If you had dedicated those years to cultivation instead, your soul power level would not be stuck at a mere Rank 95. If you were truly ruthless and decisive, you had already become Crown Prince back then. You could have simply taken the plunge—killed Emperor Xue Ye, eliminated Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng, and with the Heaven Dou Imperial Clan wiped out, you would have been the empire's sole ruler. Wouldn't that have saved you from all the troubles that followed?"
Qian Renxue pondered for a moment before speaking, "Is this the difference between you and me?"
Yang Podi shook his head. "It's not a matter of difference, but of responsibility. My clan is my responsibility. For the sake of my clan, my own growth, and my rise to power, I am willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means taking the most extreme measures."
"The Clear Sky Sect humiliated me, but I endured it. At the same time, I did not hesitate to conspire with the Spirit Empire to wipe out the Clear Sky Sect completely. Even though I knew my grandfather and maternal grandfather couldn't bring themselves to do it, I had to eliminate this potential threat once and for all."
Qian Renxue let out a bitter laugh. "Then do you even understand what kind of life I have lived since childhood? My father died early, my mother never acknowledged me, and my only family was my grandfather. To prove myself, I had to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Imperial Clan at a young age, constantly scheming against others. That was my fate."
Yang Podi's expression turned fierce. "The one thing I never believe in is fate! Even if destiny decreed that my Breaking Clan would forever be a subordinate of the Clear Sky Sect, I would rather fight to the death than accept such a fate. I would carve out my own path."
"What you're doing is just making excuses. Do you truly understand Bibi Dong? Do you truly understand your grandfather? Do you even truly understand your father?"
Tears began streaming down Qian Renxue's face as she lost control of her emotions. "What do you know? That woman may be my mother, but she has wanted to kill me since I was a child. If it weren't for my grandfather, I would have died long ago!"
Yang Podi gently wiped the tears from Qian Renxue's beautiful face, his fingers brushing against the wetness in her eyes. "You understand nothing. Why would a mother be so ruthless as to want to kill her own daughter? Why did your grandfather, despite his strength, never eliminate her? Why did she become so deranged that she chose to inherit the Rakshasa God's power, a god of pure evil?"
Qian Renxue's face was covered in tears. "Why? Why did she do this? Was it something I did wrong?"
Yang Podi gazed at Qian Renxue's slightly broken expression and gently pulled her into his embrace, comforting her softly.
"All things in this world follow the law of cause and effect. What you see may not be the truth. If you truly wish to know, you must seek the answers yourself. The truth is often far more cruel than you can imagine."
In his arms, Qian Renxue no longer looked like the proud and aloof figure she had always been. Instead, she resembled a helpless young girl—an utterly lost little girl.
Yang Podi simply held her quietly, offering his silent comfort.