Mother and son returned to Gu Lei Kingdom's royal city.
Just as Lan Xue expected, upon hearing about their accomplishments, Nan Tianchen practically lost his mind with excitement.
"Feihuang, my precious son! Why are you running away? Let Father give you a hug and a kiss!" In the imperial study, Nan Tianchen was chasing after his son with a joyful grin. "Having such an outstanding son makes your father so proud! You never run when your mother hugs and kisses you, but I'm your father! Don't be so biased!"
"No way! I'm grown up now. You can't hug me, and definitely no kissing. Second spirit skill, Eight Gates Golden Lock!" Nan Feihuang cast the skill, slowing Nan Tianchen down as he dashed around the room on his little legs.
In reality, even with his speed reduced, Nan Tianchen—a high-level Spirit Saint—could easily catch a mere Spirit Grandmaster like Nan Feihuang. But he wasn't really trying to catch him; he was just playing along.
Nan Tianchen was usually swamped with royal duties, so moments like these, where he could play and bond with his son, were rare. There was no way he'd use his Spirit Saint strength to end the game early. He wanted to enjoy it.
Watching the two of them—the father and son—running around, Lan Xue couldn't help but smile. This playful scene, this family, was what she worked so hard to protect. Her whole life, she had no parents, but now these two were the most important people in her world.
"Feihuang, I'll do everything I can to make sure you stand at the pinnacle of this world," Lan Xue murmured to herself.
Over the following months, Dian Wei, Lü Lingqi, and Xun Yu all broke through to Rank 20, acquiring their second spirit rings.
Dian Wei's second spirit skill was called Whirling Dragon, a two-stage attack. His twin halberds spun, generating a fierce tornado that devastated everything around him. That was the first stage—an area-of-effect attack. As the tornado faded, it transformed into a dragon of wind that targeted a single opponent, delivering a powerful second-stage attack. A formidable skill indeed.
Lan Xue determined that Dian Wei's spirit was among the highest tier, perhaps even surpassing the Clear Sky Hammer, Seven Kill Sword, and her own Frost Ice Halberd.
Lü Lingqi's second spirit skill was Ice Pillar Spike. Her Flying Lian Halberd was a multi-element spirit, and this skill combined the speed of wind with the sharpness of ice. One of the halberd's icy blades pierced the ground, causing numerous ice spikes to erupt, striking enemies in a wide radius.
Xun Yu's skill was simpler. He gained the ability to summon soldiers once again, this time archer units capable of long-range attacks.
During this time, Nan Feihuang continued corresponding with Xue Qinghe. After his eighth birthday, he informed her of his breakthrough to Rank 20 and his acquisition of a thousand-year spirit ring.
There was no point in hiding it. After all, Fang Tian Halberd was his primary martial soul, and it would inevitably be used. Once he activated it, his level and spirit ring would be revealed to everyone. Rather than conceal it, he chose to disclose it himself, demonstrating his trust and admiration for his "idol."
Breaking through Rank 20 at eight years old was certainly remarkable, but still within the range of what Xue Qinghe could accept.
Inside the Heaven Dou Palace, after reading Nan Feihuang's letter, Xue Qinghe sighed. "Feihuang is even more exceptional than I imagined. Breaking through at eight... though he's still not on my level, at this rate, he'll likely reach Spirit Elder before twelve. That's already far beyond the so-called Golden Generation under that woman's command. And a thousand-year second ring? Must be a matter of physique. I noticed his body was unusually strong the last time we met."
Two shadowy figures suddenly appeared behind Xue Qinghe, both similar in height but with one noticeably thinner than the other. The leaner one spoke first, "That boy likely possesses a rare physique. There are always prodigies whose growth surpasses that of ordinary people."
"Back when the Gu Lei royal family announced his innate spirit power was at Rank 8, I'm certain they were downplaying it. With such rapid progress, he's almost certainly an innate Rank 10. Still, I must say, he's surprisingly naive, sharing all this information so openly with you, even revealing the effects of his second spirit skill," the stockier figure added.
For spirit masters, keeping personal information hidden was essential. But Nan Feihuang had laid everything bare for Xue Qinghe, a surprising lack of caution.
Xue Qinghe smiled faintly. She, too, had guessed that Nan Feihuang was likely an innate full spirit power user. He had likely focused solely on cultivating his spirit power, wasting no time on other pursuits, allowing for such rapid advancement.
"He's smart and precocious, but after all, he's only eight. He can't cover all his bases. When I talked with him last time, it was clear that, like Xue Ke, he idolizes me. Once he's by my side, I have complete confidence I can make him my loyal follower and even have him offer me his faith."
As part of the Angel Clan, Xue Qinghe was confident in her ability to "brainwash" others. Just look at Xue Ke for proof.
She believed that if she revealed her true identity to Xue Ke and asked if she would follow her, Xue Ke would likely abandon her lukewarm relationship with her father, as well as her princess status, to follow her anywhere.
Xue Qinghe had been treating Xue Ke even better than before, hoping to use her to further secure Nan Feihuang's allegiance—a young prodigy worth cultivating, both personally and for the backing of his kingdom.
"That woman is always flaunting her so-called Golden Generation, claiming how remarkable they are. What's Hu Liena compared to someone like Feihuang? Even my young admirer will easily surpass her," Xue Qinghe remarked. "Uncle She, I'll draft a letter. I want you to send it to Gu Lei Kingdom immediately. Since Feihuang has already broken through to Spirit Grandmaster, I'll invite him to join our Heaven Dou Imperial Academy as an exchange student for three years."
She wanted to bring Nan Feihuang under her influence as early as possible. The younger the target, the easier it was to mold their mind.
Once he grew older and his will solidified, the task would become much harder.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
The man Xue Qinghe called Uncle She quickly left to make the arrangements. He was, in fact, one of the two Titled Douluo assigned by Qian Daoliu to protect Qian Renxue, the 92nd-ranked Snake Spear Douluo, She Long.
The other, the stockier man, was the 92nd-ranked Porcupinefish Douluo, Ci Xue.
Both were ranked seventh and eighth among the elders of Spirit Hall. Although their ranks placed them toward the bottom, and their spirit ring configurations weren't the optimal two yellow, two purple, five black, their strengths were still formidable. Both had purple fifth rings, which was rare for Titled Douluo.
However, each had unique strengths. Snake Spear Douluo's ability to turn his weapon spirit into a beast spirit was extraordinary, while Porcupinefish Douluo, much like Dugu Bo, was a poison-type spirit master. In fact, the slow-acting poison that Xue Qinghe would later use on Emperor Xue Ye was partly his doing.
She Long utilized Spirit Hall's intelligence network to disguise the letter as a regular delivery, ensuring it reached Nan Feihuang in Gu Lei Kingdom with great speed.
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