Feeding Herself to the Tiger

On the mountain path of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Mu Zhe arrived hand in hand with Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling wore a snow-white long dress, with no veil covering her face. Her exquisite, fair features carried seven parts gentleness and three parts cool reserve.

Even with Mu Zhe at her side, passing students kept turning back to look at her.

Just as the two were about to reach the lakeside at the foot of the mountain, Mu Zhe's expression suddenly stiffened. He released Ye Lingling's hand and said with a faint smile, "All right, Lingling. This is as far as I'll go."

"You're leaving already? Stay one more night and leave tomorrow, all right?"

Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes reddened, filled with reluctance.

She had only spent a few days with Mu Zhe, yet they were about to part again. She knew this separation would last a long time.

A man like Mu Zhe was destined to one day stand at the pinnacle of heaven and earth.

For him, matters of the heart were not worth even the time spent on a single cultivation session.

"If two hearts remain true through time, what need is there to be together morning and night? Besides, we'll meet again soon."

Was this... a poem Mu Zhe had written for me?

All right. As long as I work hard to keep up with him, I won't be left too far behind.

Only then... would I have a chance to remain by his side.

"Go back. Cultivate on schedule, and don't slack off."

Mu Zhe gave Ye Lingling a deep look before turning and heading down the mountain.

"Mu Zhe!"

Ye Lingling clenched her jade-like hands as she watched that graceful figure drift away, her heart unable to settle for a long while.

Then I'll do as Mu Zhe said and cultivate properly. Those cultivation methods seem... pretty good. Mm, I'll practice them well!

"That aura just now... was it Qian Renxue and the Titled Douluo beside her?"

Outside the peak of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Mu Zhe cast a glance in the academy's direction, inwardly on guard.

While he had still been on the mountain path, Mu Zhe had sensed two gazes fixed upon him and Ye Lingling. He had never encountered either aura before, but he could be certain that one of them belonged to a Titled Douluo.

Then the other aura was very likely Qian Renxue's. Her Angel God set's Head Spirit Bone could alter her aura.

"Young Master, Mu Zhe has already left the bounds of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Should we make our move now?"

Porcupine Douluo stared at the graceful figure and reported to Qian Renxue.

He had previously heard She Long mention a prodigy who had already reached the Soul Elder realm at such a young age. He had not believed it, but when he saw Mu Zhe in person, he could not help being slightly moved.

He truly was a heaven-blessed genius. After only three years, he had already reached the Soul King realm!

He and Snake Lance Douluo guarded Qian Renxue, one openly and one in secret. Snake Lance Douluo, She Long, was the one in the open, while he worked in the shadows, so he knew little about Mu Zhe. Even now, he did not know why Qian Renxue wanted to cause trouble for Mu Zhe.

However, that did not prevent him from carrying out orders.

Even if Qian Renxue told him to go kill Xue Ye directly, he would not hesitate in the slightest.

Qian Renxue watched Mu Zhe's departing figure. Three years had passed, and Mu Zhe had actually become a Soul King, while her cultivation remained stuck at level sixty-nine.

The contrast left her with a powerful sense of disparity. She could accept being surpassed in talent by her mother, Bibi Dong.

But being surpassed by an outsider was something she could not accept.

No matter what, she would take Mu Zhe today.

She wanted both Bibi Dong's secrets and Mu Zhe's secrets!

In truth, Qian Renxue had hesitated for a long time before deciding to feed herself to the tiger.

Well, it was not quite that exaggerated. She had already been rather satisfied with Mu Zhe—he was handsome, extraordinarily gifted, and possessed outstanding combat strength.

But!

There was a serious problem with Mu Zhe's identity. Over the past three years, it was not as though she had made no progress in investigating him.

The result was that there was no one named Mu Zhe in Spirit Hall at all!

She had investigated every prodigy in Spirit Hall, yet there was no Mu Zhe among them. Considering his connection to Bibi Dong, she had even secretly sent people to approach Bibi Dong's beloved disciple, Hu Liena.

From Hu Liena, she learned that Bibi Dong had only one disciple!

Then Mu Zhe's identity was very likely fabricated.

But!

What Qian Renxue could not understand was why Mu Zhe possessed Bibi Dong's ring, and why, during his first meeting with "Xue Qinghe," he had said those words—words related to both Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.

Did that not mean Mu Zhe had already seen through her identity?

It was also her fault for having been so overwhelmed by the news about Bibi Dong at the time that she had not carefully considered the details.

Well, the main reason was that she had always believed Mu Zhe was from Spirit Hall.

However, no matter how suspicious Mu Zhe's identity was, it no longer mattered.

Taking Mu Zhe was something Qian Renxue had decided long ago, and she did not wish to change her mind. The more mysterious Mu Zhe was, the more interested she became!

Moreover, she felt that her plan was quite perfect.

Her beauty was already peerless; with another romantic chance to save a hero in distress, she refused to believe Muzhe would not be moved!

When the time came... wouldn't she be able to uncover whatever secrets she wanted?

Only after hearing Porcupine Douluo's words did Qian Renxue snap back to herself slightly and say, "Keep your Soul Power at the Soul Emperor level. If he can beat you, raise it to Soul Sage—but do not truly hurt him!"

Qian Renxue's gaze toward Muzhe was sharp. Three years ago, Muzhe had been able to fight ten opponents alone, even defeating two Soul Ancestors across ranks.

After returning, she had thought it over again and again. It seemed that... when she had been a Soul Elder, she could not have managed to fight ten alone.

Thus, Qian Renxue no longer dared underestimate Muzhe's combat strength. Now that his cultivation had risen another level, who knew how much stronger he had become?

"Yes, Young Mistress."

Porcupine Douluo respectfully bowed. Then, with a thought, Soul Power surged around him as he controlled it with flawless precision at the Soul Emperor level.

With a light step, he darted from the forest toward Muzhe. With a casual wave of his hand, several sharp poisonous spines tore through the air and shot at Muzhe, even faster than Porcupine Douluo himself.

"Hm? You're attacking me?"

A faint warning stirred in Muzhe's heart as he glanced at the figure shooting toward him from afar.

As his Spiritual Power increased, his Martial Soul could sense an enemy's killing intent with greater precision.

A Titled Douluo was suppressing his Soul Power to the Soul Emperor level. At this level, was Qian Renxue playing with him?

The reason Muzhe had not immediately slipped into the void and left earlier was because he wanted to see why Qian Renxue had been monitoring him.

And now, she was testing his strength?

Even against a Titled Douluo, Muzhe had nothing to fear. Flames seemed to flow through his eyes, and the air around him turned violent in the next instant as countless flames coiled around his body.

The flames crackled as they condensed into explosive fireballs, blasting forth along a trajectory opposite to the poisonous spines.

Boom!

The explosion resounded through the skies. Muzhe detonated the fireballs condensed from extreme fire elements, destroying every poisonous spine Porcupine Douluo had fired. The flames continued onward without losing momentum, sweeping toward Porcupine Douluo.

"This fire can actually burn away my poisonous spines!"

Porcupine Douluo was abruptly shocked. With a wave of his hand, he formed a Soul Power barrier that barely withstood the spreading flames.

His Martial Soul was the Porcupine, and it possessed formidable poison attributes as well. Until now, he had never encountered a soul master capable of countering his poison.

Yet today, he had suffered at the hands of a Soul King. Though he had suppressed his Soul Power to the Soul Emperor level, wasn't Muzhe also fighting above his rank?