Chapter 53: Martial Spirit Resonance
The Nine Star Palace branch in Heaven Dou City had already been constructed to a considerable scale. In the reception hall, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Xue Qinghe were seated in sequence, with servants already offering fragrant tea. Ning Fengzhi sipped his tea calmly, discreetly observing everything in the room.
The arrangement of the small reception hall revealed much about the person in charge of Nine Star Palace. This individual was evidently generous yet shrewd, confident yet cautious. The entire hall was neither extravagant nor wasteful, meticulously detailed down to every corner, leaving no room for criticism.
Before long, the sound of footsteps approached. Xiao Yu entered, accompanied by Aiolia and Milo.
Upon hearing the sound, Ning Fengzhi and the other two stood up. With two titled Douluos present, Xiao Yu was already their equal.
"Sect Master Ning, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Sword Douluo!"
Xiao Yu greeted the three with a warm smile and a polite gesture.
The three were easily recognizable: the middle-aged man in elegant attire with a gentle and scholarly demeanor was Ning Fengzhi; the tall, resilient, white-clad elder like a bamboo was undoubtedly Sword Douluo Chen Xin; the younger individual with a temperament strikingly similar to Ning Fengzhi was none other than Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe. Xiao Yu was most curious about the beauty hidden beneath that disguise!
"Young Palace Master Xiao!"
The three returned the greeting together.
After the salutations, everyone took their seats in order of rank.
Xue Qinghe spoke directly, "Young Palace Master Xiao, this misunderstanding was entirely due to Yu Yuanzhen's coercion. Meng Shenji and the other committee members acted impulsively in their panic and followed Yu Yuanzhen here. We hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against them!"
Xiao Yu, not wanting to expose the truth, played along with the excuse, "I thought as much. Given the wisdom of Emperor Xue Ye and the virtue of the Crown Prince, such actions as murder and robbery would be out of the question."
"Indeed, indeed!"
Xue Qinghe smoothly continued, "Though it was a misunderstanding, the committee members are ultimately ministers of the Heaven Dou Empire, and the royal family bears the responsibility of not managing them properly."
With that, Xue Qinghe produced three black-gold cards and removed five storage soul tool rings from his hand, handing them to Xiao Yu. "Young Palace Master Xiao, here are fifteen million gold soul coins and rare metals worth ten million as a token of apology from the Heaven Dou Empire."
Xiao Yu smiled as he was about to take the cards and rings from Xue Qinghe. The moment their hands touched, both felt a tremor deep in their souls, a sign of martial spirit resonance and the precursor to a martial spirit fusion technique.
A divine-level martial spirit! There was another martial spirit on this continent equivalent in quality to the Six-Winged Angel!
Despite years of hiding, Xue Qinghe momentarily lost composure, his pupils dilating and his mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out, as if his throat was blocked.
"Qinghe, Young Palace Master Xiao, what's wrong with you two?"
Ning Fengzhi noticed the odd interaction between the two and called out.
Oh no, I forgot Ning Fengzhi was right here!
Xue Qinghe internally panicked, a trace of panic showing on his face. His body tensed as if it had turned to stone, fearing that Xiao Yu would reveal the martial spirit resonance.
Xiao Yu had reached the Soul Ancestor realm at the age of thirteen. Even if Ning Fengzhi had never directly sensed Xiao Yu's martial spirit, he could guess its high quality.
Given that the Heaven Dou royal family's Swan martial spirit was more decorative than functional, how could it resonate with such a high-quality martial spirit? What a joke!
If Xiao Yu mentioned the martial spirit resonance, Ning Fengzhi would immediately suspect Xue Qinghe's true identity.
Seeing the somewhat flustered Xue Qinghe, or rather, Qian Renxue, Xiao Yu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Although the martial spirit resonance took him by surprise, his ability to handle the situation was better than Qian Renxue's. After all, his martial spirit also originated from a deity, and an even more powerful one than the native gods of Douluo. What surprised Xiao Yu was that even after being weakened a hundredfold, just a mere projection could still be on par with the unique Six-Winged Angel of Douluo Continent.
"It's nothing, Sect Master Ning. I just felt that the Crown Prince looked very familiar. Crown Prince, did you feel the same? Have we met before?"
Exposing Qian Renxue would bring Xiao Yu no benefits and would disrupt the original storyline, costing him his foreknowledge advantage. He chose to cover for her, smiling and winking at Xue Qinghe as he spoke.
"Indeed, indeed!"
Although unsure why Xiao Yu was helping him hide the truth, Xue Qinghe couldn't think much about it at the moment. He nodded in agreement, "I too felt a sense of familiarity with Young Palace Master Xiao. It seems we might have met a long time ago!"
"So that's how it is. You two must truly be destined!"
Ning Fengzhi nodded suspiciously. He sensed that the two were not being entirely truthful, but he couldn't force the issue, so he pretended to let it go.
Seeing the situation becoming awkward, Xiao Yu quickly changed the subject, "The committee members have been guests at my Nine Star Palace for a while now. The Crown Prince can take them with you when you leave."
Xue Qinghe, recovering from the shock of the martial spirit resonance, quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for accommodating the committee members during this time, Young Palace Master Xiao. We apologize for any inconvenience."
The two then chatted about various topics, and the atmosphere became amicable again. Seeing that the Heaven Dou royal family had achieved their objective, Ning Fengzhi, who also had his own plans, decided to bring up another matter, "Young Palace Master Xiao, besides accompanying the Crown Prince and ensuring his safety, I have another request."
"Please, Sect Master Ning."
Xiao Yu suspected that Ning Fengzhi wanted to discuss soul tools, but he didn't mind playing along to increase the price.
Ning Fengzhi cursed inwardly at Xiao Yu's feigned ignorance but maintained a friendly demeanor, "I've heard that Nine Star Palace possesses both offensive and defensive soul tools and that they are for sale?"
Xiao Yu nodded calmly, "Indeed. Is Sect Master Ning interested?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly, "I have a business proposition for you, Young Palace Master Xiao."
Xiao Yu remained impassive, prompting Ning Fengzhi to continue, "While the soul tools from Nine Star Palace are undoubtedly the best on the continent, the palace has been secluded for many years, and it might be challenging to establish a market quickly. My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has enterprises across the continent. Without boasting, I can say that we have shops in every major city in both empires. If Young Palace Master Xiao is willing to collaborate and share the soul tool manufacturing techniques, we can develop them together. I guarantee that within a year, orders for soul tools will increase tenfold. Nine Star Palace can take forty percent of the annual profits from the sales. What do you think, Young Palace Master Xiao?"
(End of Chapter)
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