The Most Outrageous Old Money, Xue Qinghe's Gift

Lin Chen did not answer immediately. Instead, he thought to himself, I never expected to meet Qian Renxue so soon.

But this is a good thing too. Compared with Spirit Hall and Shrek Academy, throwing in my lot with Qian Renxue is actually a pretty good choice...

With that thought, Lin Chen asked in a serious voice, "Nothing should happen if I don't go, right?"

"Probably not." Xiao Chenfeng shook his head. "They made it very clear they wouldn't make things difficult for anyone."

Lin Chen nodded and said without a moment's hesitation, "Then I'll go."

Xiao Chenfeng looked at him in silence for a while, then slowly nodded. "A carriage will come to pick you up the morning after next. Go get ready. I'll talk to your parents."

"But once you get to Heaven Dou City, you absolutely mustn't make trouble like you did in Nuoding City."

Lin Chen nodded and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Uncle Xiao. I never go looking for trouble."

"Like hell I believe you." Xiao Chenfeng patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and burst out laughing.

Half a month later, Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Residence

Lin Chen followed obediently behind Cao Tian Heng, his face full of anticipation. His expression was no act; he really did want to meet Qian Renxue.

After all, Qian Renxue had been incredibly beautiful in the anime. Even when she took Xue Qinghe's form, her appearance had a charm all its own.

Before long, Lin Chen and Cao Tian Heng arrived in a sitting room.

The sitting room was not particularly large. A long ebony table stood against the wall, with a white porcelain tea set on it. A thin wisp of steam still rose from the spout.

The bamboo blinds by the window were half rolled up, and afternoon light filtered through the gaps, casting slender bands of light and shadow across the blue-brick floor.

Lin Chen looked up and saw Xue Qinghe sitting in the chair opposite him. He wore plain white robes, his short golden hair was neatly groomed, and his handsome face bore a gentle smile.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince..." Lin Chen had just begun to bow when Xue Qinghe waved a hand and interrupted him. "There's no need to be so formal. I'm only a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Xue. There's no need for 'Crown Prince.'"

Lin Chen nodded. Seeing this, Xue Qinghe smiled and gestured for him to sit down. "Were you the one who killed it in the Soul Hunting Forest?"

"Yes." Lin Chen nodded without the slightest hesitation. After all, they had already brought him to Heaven Dou City. If Qian Renxue had ill intentions, he would probably have died hundreds of times already.

Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded. He said no more about the Light-Feathered Falcon, instead picking up the teapot and pouring himself a cup. Then he tipped the spout toward the empty cup in front of Lin Chen and poured him a pot as well.

"Thank you, Brother Xue," Lin Chen said with a smile.

Qian Renxue put down the teapot and said in a lazy posture, "When I sent people to the Soul Hunting Forest to find that eagle, they came back and said it was already dead and someone had absorbed its Soul Ring."

"Judging by the traces of its presence, the person who absorbed it should have been a Soul Ancestor, so at first I didn't suspect you."

He paused there and looked at Lin Chen with a smile, as though waiting for him to continue.

Lin Chen said nothing. He simply held his teacup and looked at him quietly.

"Then my people told me there was a six-year-old child in Nuoding City who had defeated Yu Xiaogang, a man with level 29 Soul Power, just after awakening his Martial Soul, and then gone to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring the very next day."

At that point, the corners of Qian Renxue's mouth curved slightly. "So I had someone look into you. You live at the Lin Residence, and because your parents have been away for years, you were raised by Nuoding City's lord, Xiao Chenfeng."

"Holy crap, I've been doxxed!"

Lin Chen stared at Xue Qinghe with wide eyes, his face full of shock.

"Hahaha." Xue Qinghe laughed. "Geniuses really are interesting. Your talent is rare in this world: Innate Full Soul Power and a super Martial Soul. In the vast history of Douluo Continent, no more than a handful of people have had greater talent than you."

Lin Chen scratched his head, a little embarrassed by the praise. "You flatter me, Brother Xue. I killed your pet, yet you're still willing to praise me like this."

Xue Qinghe shook his head and said with a smile, "It was just a Soul Beast. If it died, it died. At worst, I can catch another one later. To discover a peerless genius in exchange for one Soul Beast is a blessing for my Heaven Dou Empire."

She picked up her teacup and took a sip, her tone still calm. "But could you show me the Soul Ring you absorbed?"

"Of course." Lin Chen set down his cup, rose from his chair, and took two steps back.

He raised his arm, and silvery-white light poured from his left wrist. The Ultimate Armor emerged in the light, and the long silver-white sword on his right arm appeared with it.

As the Martial Soul successfully possessed him, a purple Soul Ring gradually rose beneath Lin Chen's feet.

Xue Qinghe's gaze fell on the purple Soul Ring, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. "It really is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. I suppose I've witnessed history."

"Not at all. I was just lucky." Lin Chen waved a hand modestly, withdrew the Ultimate Armor and Soul Ring into his body, and sat back down.

Xue Qinghe shook his head. Rather than praise Lin Chen's talent any further, he changed the subject. "The main reason I called you here was to ask what you need."

Lin Chen thought for a moment, then ventured, "I'll be absorbing my Second Soul Ring soon."

Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded slightly. "Once you reach level 20, I'll have the Heaven Dou Royal Knights accompany you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts. Is there anything else you want?"

"Hmm... I also need a Storage Soul Tool?" Lin Chen hesitated for a moment, then ventured.

Xue Qinghe smiled again and handed Lin Chen a silver-white ring.

Under Lin Chen's startled, doubtful gaze, Xue Qinghe said with a smile, "This is a Storage Soul Tool. It has about thirty cubic meters of space inside, which should be enough for you."

"Then what about a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone? I need one of those too," Lin Chen ventured one last time, seeing that Xue Qinghe had given him such a generous gift at their first meeting.

"We really are of one mind." Xue Qinghe smiled faintly, took an antique wooden box from his Soul Tool, and pushed it in front of Lin Chen.

"You're really giving me one!" Lin Chen opened the box in shock. When he saw that there really was a Soul Bone inside, his eyes went wide.

Xue Qinghe explained with a smile, "This is a Ten Thousand Year Right Arm Soul Bone from a seventy-thousand-year-old Glinting Sky-Flash Beast. It has light and some spatial attributes, and it's part of my private collection."

"That Soul Beast is a sub-dragon species, rare enough in its own right. The Soul Bones it drops are rarer still. This is the only one I have."

I hate rich people. I hate rich second generations. Is this the foundation of Spirit Hall? Lin Chen stared transfixed at the Soul Bone before him. At that moment, he even had the thought of falling at Qian Renxue's feet, beneath her pomegranate skirt.

No, no... Lin Chen, you're a modern man. You can't live off a woman! Lin Chen shook his head, swallowing repeatedly.