A secret messenger delivered news: a woman wanted to recruit a young man named Chen Xuan, who happened to be in Heaven Dou City.
Therefore, Qian Renxue, who was far away in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace and currently disguised as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, was instructed to approach Chen Xuan to assess his loyalty—whether he was loyal to the Heaven Dou Empire.
In the letter, Bibi Dong highly regarded this young man and explicitly stated that if Chen Xuan was fiercely loyal to Heaven Dou, he had no reason to remain in this world.
This was typical of both Bibi Dong and the Spirit Hall: when they found a promising talent, they would either train them personally or, if the person couldn't be used by the Spirit Hall, eliminate them without hesitation.
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, deeply hating that woman's methods. At the same time, she couldn't understand how Bibi Dong, who was far away in Spirit City, even knew about someone like Chen Xuan.
Indeed, someone possessing a ten-thousand-year soul ring as their fourth ring was exceptionally talented, but judging by the performance in the preliminary competition, this Chen Xuan didn't seem to have achieved any outstanding victories.
Qian Renxue was perplexed and displeased. What was that woman thinking? Bibi Dong was thousands of miles away, yet she not only knew of Chen Xuan, but also seemed unusually interested in him. Why?
The reason for all of this could be traced back to one month ago.
At that time, Chen Xuan had traveled to the Star Dou Forest to obtain his fourth soul ring, where he encountered a group from the Spirit Hall. During a brief exchange with the Spirit Hall's Saintess, Hu Liena, Chen Xuan revealed many of his trump cards.
When he left, his ability to instantly teleport, traveling across 300 meters of space in a single step, astonished the group from the Spirit Hall.
After returning, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan reported every detail of the encounter to the Pope, expressing that Chen Xuan was an extraordinary talent and might be valuable to the Spirit Hall.
Yue Guan had someone investigate Chen Xuan's background, discovering it to be clean—his parents had died when he was young, and he lived with his uncle and younger sister.
Following this, Pope Bibi Dong sent a message to Qian Renxue, instructing her to make contact with Chen Xuan in her capacity as the Crown Prince to figure out his true loyalties—whether he was devoted to the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Tomorrow, I happen to be visiting Shrek. Qinghe, why don't you come with me?" Ning Fengzhi said.
"Thank you, teacher," Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) stood up and bowed in a gesture of noble courtesy.
Heaven Dou City
At night, Heaven Dou City was bathed in the glow of countless lights, illuminating the streets bustling with people and life.
Chen Xuan and Zhu Zhuqing walked side by side along the lively streets, having just left a restaurant that specialized in fish.
After dinner, it was still early, so the two took a leisurely stroll, chatting and enjoying the night scenery.
"Dai Mubai is naturally proud and impulsive. You don't need to take it personally," Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke, her voice clear and pleasant.
Chen Xuan was momentarily stunned, surprised by her words, and then realized she was apologizing on behalf of Dai Mubai.
It seemed their relationship wasn't as bad as it appeared on the surface.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I didn't take it to heart," Chen Xuan said with a light smile.
"It's my fault for involving you. I'm sorry," Zhu Zhuqing said, feeling guilty.
Chen Xuan remained silent, now understanding why Zhu Zhuqing had invited him to dinner tonight. It wasn't clear if she was apologizing on her own behalf or on Dai Mubai's behalf.
"It's not your fault. I should be the one apologizing; after all, it started because of me," Chen Xuan said, acknowledging that the issue had indeed begun with him.
Zhu Zhuqing, with her cool beauty and stunning figure, had a strong sense of righteousness and a good personality, despite her cold demeanor. People like her, once in love, would be deeply devoted, making it impossible for any man not to be moved by her.
Honestly, Chen Xuan did have some feelings for her, but he had no intention of disrupting someone else's relationship, as doing so—although legally permissible—felt morally wrong.
If Zhu Zhuqing were single and without any marriage contract, he would most likely try to pursue her.
"What are you thinking?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, her beautiful eyes turning towards him, sensing that his mind had wandered.
"I was just thinking, if Dai Mubai finds out you had dinner with me, will he come after me again? He's so strong, I don't think I can handle it. It's kind of scary," Chen Xuan joked.
Given the White Tiger's impulsive nature, he might see tonight's dinner as a date and go berserk, attacking Chen Xuan again.
"Don't play dumb. With your strength, you're hardly afraid," Zhu Zhuqing smiled sweetly, her lips red and her teeth white, as beautiful as flowers blooming in spring.
Chen Xuan was momentarily frozen, like he had turned to stone, staring at her in a daze.
"What are you looking at?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.
Chen Xuan snapped out of it and, without hesitation, said, "I didn't know you could smile!"
"Do you want to get hit?" Zhu Zhuqing was speechless, feeling like rolling her eyes. Of course, she could smile. Did he think she was a machine without emotions?
Chen Xuan quickly corrected himself, "Really, you look beautiful when you smile. It's like watching an iceberg melt, a sight that's pleasant to the eyes."
He was being sincere, without any exaggeration.
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned slightly red, and she quickly turned her head, worried that he might notice.
"Smooth talker!" she playfully scolded, trying to cover up the stir in her heart.
Usually, Zhu Zhuqing was cold and distant, like an ice queen, making her hard to approach. She even felt like she was always keeping people at arm's length.
Even she didn't know why, but she found herself feeling unusually comfortable and relaxed around Chen Xuan, and before she knew it, she had started smiling.
Back at her family, she had always felt suffocated, constantly living in an environment full of scheming and hidden dangers. It wasn't until she arrived at Shrek Academy that she had finally experienced a sense of peace.
"It's getting late. Let's head back," Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and turned away from Chen Xuan, hiding her expression.
The two walked back to Shrek Academy, moving away from the busy city center. After walking for about ten minutes, they reached the academy's gates.
Chen Xuan stopped before entering.
Zhu Zhuqing, walking ahead, noticed the lack of footsteps and stopped too.
"I'll leave you here. I need to go back home tonight and won't be staying at the academy," Chen Xuan said.
Zhu Zhuqing had already returned to her usual cool demeanor and turned around to face him.
She remained silent, but for some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable, even though she didn't understand why. Could it be reluctance?
Chen Xuan reached into his storage soul tool at his waist and took out an item. A bright green light shone, illuminating the dark academy gate.
"I promised you a gift before. Do you remember?" he asked.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression changed, her pupils shrinking in shock.
Of course, she remembered that Chen Xuan had said he would give her a soul bone. But after a month without any news, she thought he had just been joking.
Chen Xuan, however, was serious. "This is a Wind-Chasing Right Leg Bone, 25,000 years old. It boosts speed and suits you perfectly."
"Twenty-five thousand years?" Zhu Zhuqing was astonished, her red lips slightly parted in disbelief.
Soul bones were rare, and ten-thousand-year-old ones were even rarer. Whenever a ten-thousand-year soul bone appeared in the soul master world, it would cause a bloody storm. They were priceless and almost impossible to obtain.
If a soul bone also matched a soul master's attributes, it was even more precious. Such items were almost impossible to find, and even if they existed, powerful forces would snatch them up immediately.
"This is too valuable. I can't accept it!" Zhu Zhuqing declined. The gift was simply too precious, and accepting it would weigh heavily on her conscience. She had no reason to take it.
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