First Meeting & Clash

Although the two had never met before, Zhou You immediately recognized that the person in front of him was Qian Renxue, who was currently infiltrating the Heaven Dou Imperial Family under the identity of "Xue Qinghe".

However, he still pretended not to know. "You are..."

"It's Xue Qinghe." The other party's attitude was very gentle, but they did not reveal their true identity.

It seems they don't intend to reveal the plan to him. Zhou You wasn't dissatisfied; on the contrary, he felt relieved. To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in this at all.

He subtly revealed a hint of surprise on his face. "Xue Qinghe, are you a member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family?"

The other party nodded slightly. "I am honored by my father's high regard, and I am currently temporarily appointed as the Crown Prince."

"So it was the Crown Prince in person. My apologies."

Zhou You was unaware that Xue Qinghe's appointment as crown prince was only recently, and that this matter was somehow related to him.

Although Xue Qinghe had a smile on his face, his eyes were full of scrutiny.

Zhou You was meeting her for the first time, but she had known him for a long time.

Ever since Bibi Dong intentionally or unintentionally used Zhou You to put pressure on her five years ago, she has started to pay attention to the person in front of her and has used various methods to collect information about him over the years.

It must be said that even a genius like Qian Renxue had never seen such an anomaly as Zhou You; he seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog of mystery.

Even if a craftsman's son from a small village has Innate Full Soul Power, he should at least know some basic principles. His fast cultivation speed can be somewhat explained, but the source of his rich knowledge and unique way of thinking is unknown.

Could it be that there are truly beings in this world who are born with innate knowledge?

Qian Renxue had also read Zhou You's Thesis, and she knew very well that such an article was unique and simply not something that people from this world could write.

Even the "Grandmaster" she once admired the most was not as logically rigorous as Zhou You in terms of theory, as if he had simply copied the truth onto paper.

Thanks to the other party, Qian Renxue's cultivation efficiency improved significantly after reading that Thesis, not because of her amazing comprehension.

Instead, all the Soul Masters on the continent were studying the other party's Thesis, and every now and then one or two people would emerge who had gained some insight into it and used it to overcome a certain problem in cultivation.

Just as astronomers predicted the existence of Neptune after Newton published his law of Universal Gravitation.

This allowed Qian Renxue to stop carefully hiding herself and relax her self-imposed restrictions a little, since Zhou You's Thesis was a very useful excuse.

Don't ask, the answer is that I've figured it out.

For all these reasons, the name "Lord of the Clouds" was highly regarded, and as insightful people predicted, the article sparked a huge cognitive revolution throughout the Soul Master World.

Soul Masters relied on it to gain a deeper understanding of their own power. Even though "Lord of the Clouds" has not published any new works in recent years, countless new articles interpreting the Thesis still emerge like mushrooms after rain. Soul Masters began to spontaneously form an academic community, which flourished.

In recent years, a number of accomplished scholars and insightful articles have emerged, which have had a positive impact on the cultivation system of Soul Masters and have even elevated the authors of these Thesis to a pedestal.

As "Lord of the Clouds" gained more fame, Qian Renxue's curiosity about Zhou You also deepened. She realized that she could not truly understand this person fully based solely on the information on paper.

And due to the influence of other factors, today's meeting was ultimately brought about.

However, the "Nation-Stealing Plan" is a top secret, and Qian Renxue cannot meet Zhou You with her true face and identity. But the fact that she was able to appear in front of Zhou You has already proven her sincerity.

However, she harbored complex emotions. On the one hand, she admired Zhou You's achievements, and on the other hand, she was jealous of Bibi Dong's high regard for him.

Meanwhile, over the years she had witnessed his growth through intelligence from various sources, and all her jumbled thoughts converged until she saw him in person today.

It felt like the protagonist of a character development story was appearing before her for the first time, a feeling that was both novel and filled with a nervousness and anticipation that others could hardly understand.

Therefore, her gaze was so direct and ardent, unwilling to miss any detail about the other person.

When she finally stood in front of him, Qian Renxue realized how tall he was, even taller than herself.

Her skin was incredibly fair; perhaps only by revealing her true form could she rival it. Her features were also exquisite, though perhaps a little too aloof.

She suddenly smiled. She had always heard others describe her as cold, but after meeting this person, she finally understood how those people felt.

Zhou You noticed the other person smile, and his brows furrowed slightly. He wondered what this "princess" was up to, but he sensed that she was thinking of something rather impolite.

He didn't have time to waste with the other party, so he took the initiative and said, "I wonder what Your Highness's purpose in inviting me here today?"

Xue Qinghe snapped back to reality. She was an extremely perceptive person. Although Zhou You's tone was calm, she could still detect the impatience in his voice and knew that her outburst had annoyed him.

If it were any other time, she might have chosen to immediately adjust her behavior to salvage the impression.

But for some reason, seeing Zhou You like this, she couldn't help but want to tease him.

"Please forgive me, sir. I have long admired 'Lord of the Clouds' and have hoped to meet you every day. Now that I have finally met you, I never imagined you would be such a... heroic young man."

Although Zhou You's physique is already comparable to that of an adult, the youthful innocence on his face is undeniable.

Zhou You glanced at her and noticed the hidden amusement in her words.

Unlike the fake smile on his face just now, there was genuine laughter in this sentence, though it was hard to tell whether it was mockery or amusement.

He simply couldn't believe that Qian Renxue, the daughter of the Pope, wouldn't know the true identity of "Lord of the Clouds".

Are you kidding me?

Zhou You narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending not to know, and also began to act. "I dare not accept Your Highness's praise. That Thesis was actually written by my teacher Chrysanthemum Douluo. I merely shamelessly added a pen name, but I have not contributed anything in the slightest, and I am extremely ashamed."

Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had been lost in thought, looked towards the arena somewhat blankly when he heard someone call his name. After a moment, he realized that Zhou You had completely absolved himself of any responsibility in his words, yet had pushed him out of the game. His eyes widened immediately.

What's going on?

Xue Qinghe's expression froze, realizing the meaning behind his words.

'If you're looking for the author of the Thesis, then go find Chrysanthemum Douluo. I'm just a fame-seeker, don't mention me.'

If she were the real "Xue Qinghe," she would probably have been fooled by now, but she isn't, and she can't reveal her true identity, so she's stuck in this awkward situation for a while.

She Long kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, his face expressionless, but secretly he was watching the show unfold.

Qian Renxue's current behavior is somewhat unlike her usual self, but Zhou You, that brat, is someone who refuses to suffer a loss.

What's going on?

She Long was unaware of this, but he was quite enjoying the gossip.