Qian Renxue and Feng Ling's First Meeting

Qian Daoliu fell silent for a few breaths.

"...All right."

"Big brother!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo was utterly baffled. When had his big brother become so timid?

"If the opportunity arises, I would like to invite you to speak with us on behalf of Spirit Hall."

Feng Xiu ignored his words, turned, and stepped into the rift in the void.

The purple-black figure disappeared inside in a single step. The rift closed, and his presence vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Qian Daoliu stood where he was and sighed softly.

He glanced discreetly in Qian Renxue's direction.

Qian Renxue understood.

"Let's go back."

With that, Qian Daoliu led the other worshippers away.

Qian Renxue likewise gave the order to gather the surviving troops and return to Heaven Dou City.

Spirit Hall did the same.

Only then did everyone get up from the ground, their legs still weak. They gathered the surviving soldiers, counted the casualties, and carried away the bodies. Amid the bustle, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Qian Renxue stood behind the army's formation, staring in the direction where Feng Xiu had vanished, her brows knitted tight.

"Where... did that guy come from?"

That night, the Heaven Dou army passed through Suotuo City and made camp in an open area outside the city.

Tents stretched across the ground, dotted with campfires.

Qian Renxue found an excuse to slip away from the guards at her side and headed alone into the woods behind the camp.

She walked for about the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Deep in the woods, a golden-haired elder stood with his back to her, his hands clasped behind him.

Qian Renxue halted, then immediately shed her disguise, hurried over, and threw her arms around the elder from behind.

"Grandpa!"

Qian Daoliu turned around and looked at Qian Renxue with a kindly smile.

"Xiao Xue, let Grandpa have a good look at you."

As he spoke, he looked her up and down, and his brows furrowed again.

"You've gotten thinner. Have those cooks at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace gotten worse?"

"No, they haven't." Qian Renxue smiled, but as she did, her eyes began to redden.

"Grandpa, all these years... I've made you worry."

Qian Daoliu sighed and raised a hand to smooth the hair at her temples.

"You've suffered, Xiao Xue. You've spent so many years undercover in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. It's all because of the decision I made back then."

"It's all right, Grandpa. For Spirit Hall, it was all worth it." Qian Renxue shook her head, her voice firm.

Qian Daoliu looked at her, his eyes full of both heartache and pride, and reached out to rub her head.

"Good child."

Qian Renxue suddenly remembered the matter at hand. She raised her head, her expression turning serious.

"Grandpa, in today's battle at Treasure Sword City, where did that masked man come from? Couldn't even you defeat him?"

The kindly smile slowly faded from Qian Daoliu's face, replaced by an unusual gravity.

He fell silent for a few breaths, then shook his head slightly.

"Even Grandpa can't say for certain. That man never truly made a move from beginning to end. He forced Lion and those other old fellows back with pressure alone. That kind of strength is already beyond what I can judge."

"Then who is he?"

"But there is one thing I can say for certain: that guy is definitely not from the Douluo Continent."

Qian Renxue was stunned. "Not from the Douluo Continent?"

"They didn't have the slightest trace of Soul Power about them."

"Instead, they had a completely different kind of power, one Grandpa has never seen before."

Qian Renxue's expression changed drastically, and her voice dropped.

"Not from the Douluo Continent... Then where did they come from? What did they come here to do?"

"That's exactly what worries me." Qian Daoliu sighed.

"Judging by their actions today, they don't seem particularly hostile toward us."

"With that man's strength, if he'd truly wanted to kill us all, not one person present today would have escaped. But he only gravely injured four of Spirit Hall's elders, forced the Worship Hall to retreat, and then left."

"That suggests they may have come to the Douluo Continent for some purpose, rather than simply to kill."

"Or perhaps there's something they're wary of, so they don't dare slaughter people indiscriminately."

"And just now, the other cities near the Star Dou Great Forest were all hit by beast tides as well and forced to evacuate."

Qian Renxue was silent for a long while.

Qian Daoliu looked at her, his voice softening.

"Xiao Xue, that's also why Grandpa came to see you tonight. I intend for you to abandon the undercover plan and return to Spirit Hall to cultivate in peace. Spirit Hall needs to grow stronger. My generation can't keep it standing for much longer on our own. You're the inheritor of the Angel Martial Soul. Only if you grow strong will Spirit Hall have a future."

After hearing him out, Qian Renxue did not agree immediately.

She kept her head lowered in thought for a long time before raising it. "Grandpa, I don't want to return to Spirit Hall just yet."

Qian Daoliu was slightly taken aback. "Why?"

"I intend to travel alone and gain experience for a while before returning to Spirit Hall," Qian Renxue said earnestly.

"I've spent all these years hidden away in the depths of the palace, and there are many places I've never been. The Douluo Continent is vast, and I want to see it. I don't want to spend my whole life growing up under your protection, Grandpa."

Qian Daoliu looked at her, silent for a few breaths. Then he sighed and reached out to rub her head.

"Go on, then. Since you've made up your mind, Grandpa won't stop you."

He took a golden token from inside his robes and placed it in Qian Renxue's hand.

"Take this. Elders Pufferfish and Snake Lance were gravely injured and won't be able to protect you from the shadows for some time. If you run into danger, crush it, and Grandpa will be able to get there quickly."

Qian Renxue accepted the token and gripped it tightly in her palm.

She looked up at Qian Daoliu, her nose tingling.

"Grandpa, you have to be careful too."

"Don't worry. Grandpa isn't so old that you need to fret over me yet." Qian Daoliu smiled.

He gave her a few more reminders to stay safe on the road and not push herself too hard before turning and disappearing into the woods.

Qian Renxue stood watching for a long while before putting the token away and turning back.

She didn't return to the camp. Instead, she followed the woods east for a while and made her way around to a cliff.

From this day on,

Xue Qinghe, crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, was dead.

And the world had gained a woman named Qian Renxue.

Just then,

Qian Renxue suddenly heard heavy breathing up ahead.

She stopped and looked warily toward the source of the sound.

A black-haired man was leaning against a crooked tree by the cliff.

He looked young. Sitting beside the tree, his chest heaved violently, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his face was unnaturally pale.

Qian Renxue hesitated, then walked over.

She stopped a few steps away, a hint of wariness in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

The man lifted his eyes slightly and glanced at her. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, but they dimmed again as he shook his head.

"Nothing."

Qian Renxue met his gaze and suddenly froze.

I seem to have seen him somewhere before...

The wariness in Qian Renxue's heart slowly faded.

She crouched down, took a handkerchief from inside her robes, and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"What's your name?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then answered, "Feng Ling."

Qian Renxue repeated it.

"Feng Ling..."

"Is that Feng Ling as in 'the wind towers over all under heaven'?"