First meeting with Xue Qinghe

After Chen Feng uttered his last words, silence fell between the three of them.

No one spoke again.

Although Xue Beng sensed something was off about the silence of the person opposite him, he didn't think much of it or feel that he had said something wrong.

Throughout his education, he had been taught that the country was jointly ruled by the emperor and the Nobles.

Nobles held immense importance, possessing extensive knowledge and exceptional abilities; no country could do without Nobles.

Without the support of the Nobles, the emperor would be unable to govern the country, so he needed to win them over.

Commoners were merely the property of the Nobles, subject to management and taxation. They were expected to behave themselves and not cause trouble, at most contributing population to the army.

There's nothing more to be expected, because the quality and ability of Commoners are quite worrying, which is why Xue Beng contemptuously refer to them as "Mud Legs."

That's truly what he felt from the bottom of his heart.

Chen Feng could only sigh in his heart at this moment. He had been observing the Xue Beng while he was asking the question.

When answering questions, Xue Beng showed no sign of awkwardness or insincerity.

This could be the kid faking it, but it's more likely that the concept of Xue Beng is inherently like this.

Chen Feng reached this conclusion not only based on observation, but also through logical analysis.

No matter how good a person's acting skills are, they can't really act forever, especially after the external pressure disappears, when they are more likely to reveal their true nature.

Therefore, to truly understand a person, one must consider their entire life.

Xue Beng was undoubtedly a smart man. If he had even a slight regard for the Commoners, he certainly would have taken action in this regard after he came to power.

Especially after Bibi Dong's defeat and before Tang San ascended to the Divine Realm, this was the perfect time for Xue Beng to cause trouble by taking advantage of the situation.

Given the cunning displayed by Xue Beng, with Tang San as his backer, he could easily launch a major overhaul of the Heaven Dou Empire and its affiliated countries, promoting Commoners Soul Master to counterbalance the old Nobles forces, thereby consolidating the emperor's power.

Keep in mind that he won Continental War with the participation of gods back then. Although it was just a low-level account that was boosted to achieve results, the prestige brought by this military achievement was real.

With such prestige, everything would be much easier, not to mention that Tang San, the Imperial Tutor, was still around at that time.

In this way, as long as the Balancing Strategy is well maintained and the power of the old Nobles forces is suppressed through Commoners Soul Master, the Heaven Dou Empire may eventually perish due to other factors, but it is unlikely to end up like the later situation where it splits due to the expansion of Nobles power.

There's no need for Xue Beng to worry about promoting Commoners Soul Master causing Tang San's dissatisfaction, because two of the Shrek Seven Devils are originally from Commoners backgrounds, and the original Shrek Academy, Blue Tyrant Academy, specifically recruits Commoners students.

Therefore, considering that the Heaven Dou Empire split up not long after the end of the God War, Xue Beng clearly did not take any action to suppress the Nobles forces.

Or to be more precise, he simply didn't have this concept at all; this was a limitation inherent in the Feudal Nobles.

Considering Xue Beng's words and actions today, Chen Feng mentally gave this kid a rating that needed further observation.

At the same time, he also resolved a question in his mind: why did the Xue Beng cause such a thing as blocking the road at the Academy gate in the early stages?

This kind of thing is easy to offend people and also easy to get beaten up, so it's not a very smart thing to do.

If one wants to be a playboy, there are actually many options, such as drinking and womanizing, or cockfighting and dog walking.

However, Xue Beng chose to block the road at the entrance of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and he blocked the road of people who looked plain Commoners.

There are many things that Chen Feng doesn't know, such as the Shrek Seven Devils from the Original Work, and Chen Feng and Tang San now.

Chen Feng couldn't understand why Xue Beng did this before, but now he does.

It's highly likely that Xue Beng believed it wouldn't matter if he offended Commoners, since they were essentially useless and the consequences of offending Commoners were minimal, so why wouldn't he do it?

This idea isn't wrong; at least in the current era of the Douluo Continent, Nobles, due to their long-standing Bloodline Inheritance, are indeed generally superior to Commoners in terms of Martial Soul.

However, Chen Feng believed this idea was highly inappropriate, so he crossed out Xue Beng.

The reason he is still observing rather than passing on the idea is because he is not yet sure if his prediction is correct.

However, judging from the current situation, it seems unlikely that Chen Feng and Xue Beng will see eye to eye.

Chen Feng and his two companions waited there, but instead of seeing Dugu Yan arrive, they were greeted by a group of people coming from outside.

"Big, Big Brother." Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Xue Beng quickly bowed.

Judging from his behavior, he was very afraid of the older brother who came.

The newcomer was none other than Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. He glanced at Xue Beng, then at Chen Feng and Tang San beside him, and felt a slight surprise at the atmosphere between the three of them.

Xue Qinghe asked:

"Xue Beng, what are you doing here? And who are these two?"

"Uh, I... I came here with my friends for sightseeing, and we happened to run into them trying to enter the Academy, so we stopped them to ask what was going on. As for who they are, I don't know," Xue Beng explained, downplaying the seriousness of the situation.

"I see. May I ask your names and what brings you here?" Xue Qinghe looked at Chen Feng and his companion.

"My name is Chen Feng, and this is Tang San. We're here to find someone," Chen Feng said.

The moment Xue Qinghe arrived, he sensed the connection from his Martial Soul.

As he had predicted, Qian Renxue's Light Attribute was exactly what the Yang Sword of the Tai Chi Bagua Sword needed.

Unlike the repair of the Bagua, the awakening of the Yang Sword also requires blood, but the amount is not very large.

The Yang Sword will awaken after absorbing only a small amount of blood.

This greatly relieved Chen Feng, meaning that awakening his Yang Sword shouldn't be too difficult.

Chen Feng wasn't sure if this was due to the inherent characteristics of the Yang Sword or because Qian Renxue's Martial Soul was too outstanding.

Perhaps it's a combination of both.

As Xue Qinghe approached, Chen Feng was also observing this Fake Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

While Xue Qinghe and Xue Beng look somewhat alike, they give off completely different vibes.

Xue Beng gives off a very arrogant feeling, especially when Chen Feng first encountered it; it was simply overbearing.

It wasn't until Chen Feng announced Dugu Bo's name that Xue Beng calmed down somewhat, but he still subtly revealed a hint of arrogance, making Chen Feng feel uncomfortable.

However, Xue Qinghe was different. Whether it was due to his excellent acting skills or his personality, he treated Chen Feng and the other person with great calmness.

Even Chen Feng, who knew her true nature, felt a sense of warmth and comfort when speaking to Xue Qinghe, and couldn't feel any aversion towards her.

This made Chen Feng feel somewhat emotional; those involved in religion were indeed far more approachable than aristocratic families like Xue Beng.

However, it's hard to say whether religion or Feudal Nobles is more advanced, so in Chen Feng's eyes, the two are actually of equal status, and are just backup options now.

"Since you're here to find someone, then you two should wait at the Academy. Waiting here is not proper." Xue Qinghe said, glancing at Xue Beng. "Where have you learned your manners? Is making guests stand on the mountain path waiting for someone how the royal family treats its guests?"

Even the Xue Beng dared not argue, only responding obsequiously.

"Alright, go do your own thing, don't just stand there." Xue Qinghe waved his hand at Xue Beng.

The Xue Beng, as if granted a pardon, quickly left.

"You two, come with me to the Academy," Xue Qinghe said to Chen Feng and the other man, then turned and walked into the mountains.

Chen Feng and Tang San exchanged a glance and followed, while the followers who had come with Xue Qinghe brought up the rear.

"By the way, who are you two looking for at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Xue Qinghe asked curiously as they walked.

"Doesn't Your Highness know?" Chen Feng actually suspected that Xue Qinghe had received the news and then rushed over on purpose.

This is quite similar to the plot of those political dramas he had watched in his previous life.

However, Xue Qinghe was somewhat puzzled, "Should I know?"

Chen Feng glanced at her and chuckled, "Your Highness doesn't even know who we're looking for, yet you let us into the Academy. Aren't you afraid we'll cause trouble?"

Xue Qinghe chuckled lightly, "If the two of you teenagers can cause trouble in the Academy, then the Heaven Dou Royal Academy should probably cease operations altogether."

"That's true." Chen Feng smiled as well. "Actually, we're here to find Poison Douluo."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. "Do the two of you have some connection with Poison Douluo?"

"It's because our commander has a past relationship with Poison Douluo," Chen Feng said.

Who is your commander?

"It's the Golden Iron Triangle."

"I see." Xue Qinghe nodded.

She knew that in that incident a few years ago, Dugu Bo had gone to Nuoding City, and the Grandmaster and the Four-Eyed Cat Owl Flender had also been there.

After that incident, Dugu Bo began traveling across the mainland and only recently returned.

According to the Ci Xie Douluo who protected her, Dugu Bo's aura became much more dangerous after his return, and his green hair had turned completely black, indicating that he had had quite a few adventures outside.

From this perspective, it is indeed possible that Dugu Bo had a connection with the Golden Iron Triangle.

"Which Academy do those two attend?" Xue Qinghe asked again.

Nine-Headed Serpent Academy.

"Nine-Headed Serpent Academy? I don't recall ever hearing about that Academy."

"That's right, we used to be students at the Shrek Academy, but Shrek Academy has now merged with the Blue Tyrant Academy to become Nine-Headed Serpent Academy, so the two of us became students at the Nine-Headed Serpent Academy," Chen Feng explained.

"Ah, I've heard of both of these Academy. I didn't expect them to merge." A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. "So the former Golden Iron Triangle has reunited?"

"That's how it is." Chen Feng nodded.

This information is readily available, so he just casually mentioned it.

"Then please give my regards to your superiors when you return," Xue Qinghe said with a smile as he turned to Chen Feng upon seeing the people coming from the other side.

"Definitely." Chen Feng nodded in return, then walked towards Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan opposite him.

After watching the four leave, Xue Qinghe remained silent for a moment, then said to one of his followers:

"Check on the Nine-Headed Serpent Academy for me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

On the other side, Dugu Yan would occasionally glance curiously at Chen Feng and Tang San.

"Miss Dugu, is there a problem?" Chen Feng asked with a smile.

Dugu Yan ignored him and instead asked Dugu Bo:

"Grandpa, how did you meet those two?"

"Mr. Chen Feng is a good friend of Grandpa, you should show him some respect." Dugu Bo said, patting Dugu Yan's head.

"Mr. Chen Feng?" Dugu Yan was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened. "He is..."

She stared at Chen Feng blankly for a long while, then suddenly shook her head and said:

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How old does he look? Six years ago, he was probably only a few years old. Mr. Chen Feng could not be him."

"Yan Yan, there are geniuses in this world, no doubt about it. He is the Mr. Chen Feng you know," Dugu Bo said with a smile.

"No way? You wrote the Foundation Building Method?" Dugu Yan asked Chen Feng in disbelief.

"Yes," Chen Feng said with a slight smile, "But please, Miss Dugu, do not spread this around."

"I know." Dugu Yan glanced at Chen Feng, her mood suddenly dropping.

"What's wrong with Miss Dugu?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

"I thought my talent was already quite good, but compared to you..." Dugu Yan forced a smile and said nothing more.

"Miss Dugu is mistaken in thinking that way." Chen Feng began to brew chicken soup, "In this life, one doesn't need to be better than everyone else, and no one can do that."

"In my view, life should be lived in such a way that when a person looks back on their past, they will not regret wasting their years, nor be ashamed of having accomplished nothing. That would be a successful life."

"Well said! After hearing your words, I feel completely enlightened," Dugu Bo exclaimed.

But Dugu Yan couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"Isn't it enough to just have thick skin?"

"Are you here to cause trouble?" Chen Feng couldn't help but think to himself.

The main reason is that he omitted one sentence, and the meaning of this famous quote is greatly altered by that one missing sentence.

But it's not convenient to say these words now, and he doesn't even know if he'll ever be able to say them in his lifetime, so he can only remain silent.

However, Tang San spoke up at this moment:

"No matter how thick-skinned a person is, if he wastes his life and accomplishes nothing, he will inevitably have some regrets before he dies."

He is the most qualified to speak on this matter because he has died once.

Even though he had already achieved the feat of creating the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, he still felt some regret when he jumped off the Hell's Peak.

At that time, Tang San wondered if he could have done better. Was there room for improvement in the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus?

Therefore, Tang San can be said to have felt Chen Feng's words most deeply.