It's Not That I'm Too Strong, It's That My Opponent Is Sick

Golden Eagle Douluo stood stunned for a long while before finally remembering to step in and save them.

Wu Qi did hold the upper hand, but a Soul King was not someone he could handle easily. As their bodyguard, Golden Eagle Douluo knew it was time for him to act.

"Got you!"

Wu Qi latched onto Wang Qing's "tail" and swiftly sidestepped the arrow as his opponent turned around.

Wang Qing was miserable inside, but he silently made up his mind.

From now on, he would never toy with his targets before killing them. He would strike with all his strength from the start and prevent any accidents.

"Wing Blade Slash!"

Crane Cloud Wings instantly hardened into blades. Reflected in the moonlight, the edges of his wings glinted with a chilling sheen.

Wang Qing held his bow horizontally in his left hand to block, while Soul Power condensed in his right hand into an arrow wreathed in blazing flames.

There was no time to draw and charge an arrow in close combat. Driving the arrow directly into his opponent could achieve just as good an effect.

But unfortunately, he had misjudged Wu Qi's strength.

With the momentum of his speed and a special method of stacking force, the power behind Wing Blade Slash was no weaker than that of a strength-type Soul Ancestor.

With a crack, a huge notch was carved into the bow.

His martial soul was damaged, and Wang Qing's spiritual power suffered a backlash. The arrow in his hand dispersed, and he coughed up a mouthful of black blood!

At the same time, an eagle's cry rang out. Before he could react, Golden Eagle Douluo moved at astonishing speed and claimed his life!

"Senior Golden Eagle?" Wu Qi was visibly surprised.

With the other man's Soul Douluo strength, there was no way Wu Qi could have detected him following behind them.

Still, his appearance at this moment made perfect sense.

Golden Eagle Douluo kicked Wang Qing's corpse aside and praised him generously. "As expected of the Third High Priest's disciple. To possess such strength at your age... When I was twelve, I was only a green little brat."

Seeing through the bandits' scheme and then pursuing a Soul King with the strength of a Soul Elder—either one alone would have been astounding, let alone both together.

Golden Eagle Douluo was not an Expert under the Worship Hall. He had merely been overlooked by the Papal Hall, and only agreed to escort Wu Qi and the other when Azure Luan Douluo approached him.

Now, it seemed that choice had been an exceptionally wise one.

With Wu Qi's talent and intelligence, he was bound to become one of Spirit Hall's upper ranks in the future.

Forming a good bond with a future top Expert was something no amount of money could buy.

Wu Qi smiled calmly and spread his hands. "You flatter me, Senior. None of this had much to do with me."

Little Deer deserved the credit for discovering the poison in the food, while his ability to pursue a Soul King was entirely due to Wang Qing's own mistakes.

Wang Qing had underestimated them from the beginning. After Wu Qi found his position, he had panicked and thrown himself into disarray.

Without a steadfast mindset, one's strength would inevitably be greatly diminished in a battle of life and death.

Thanks to Azure Luan Douluo's teachings, Wu Qi's mentality had long since transformed. Even in the face of death, he could remain composed and unhurried.

"Senior Golden Eagle, you came too."

Qian Gu Changkong ran over, panting heavily. Seeing that the danger had passed, he dropped to the ground with a thud and gasped for breath.

Golden Eagle Douluo took the opportunity to say, "You two are quite impressive. I think highly of you. By the way, do you need me to deal with what happened at the inn?"

Wu Qi shook his head.

The fewer complications, the better.

This place was already within Heaven Dou City's sphere of influence, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had many Eyes nearby. If their origins were exposed, someone might try to harm them.

Besides, they were not law enforcers. Why should they be so intent on punishing evil?

They abandoned the carriage and entered Heaven Dou City on foot in just three days.

Unlike Spirit City, the commercially flourishing Heaven Dou City required nonlocals to pay an entry fee before entering the city.

The two of them naturally had Soul Master handbooks, but if their strength—thirty-second level at the age of twelve—were exposed, who knew what trouble it might bring.

They honestly paid the fee and, upon entering the city, immediately found an inn to stay in.

After nearly six years away, Heaven Dou City remained exactly as Wu Qi remembered it.

To Wu Qi, there was nothing here worth longing for, nor was it his home anymore.

Without indulging in sentiment, he turned his attention to the business at hand.

"When are we going to meet the Heaven Dou Crown Prince?" Qian Gu Changkong asked.

Qian Daoliu had never revealed Qian Renxue's identity, so how could he know that Xue Qinghe had been replaced?

Wu Qi thought for a moment, then asked, "Didn't you hear any gossip when we entered the city?"

"What gossip?" Qian Gu Changkong asked in confusion.

When they entered the city, he had been busy marveling at its prosperity and had not paid attention to what the passersby were saying.

Wu Qi knitted his brows.

Ordinarily, he should not have cared so much about the townsfolk's bragging and chatter, but this time, he felt it was necessary to pay attention.

Heaven Dou City was a thousand li away from Suotuo City, and the latter was hardly well-known throughout the empire. How had Suotuo City's name spread all the way to Heaven Dou City?

"Suotuo City..." Qian Gu Changkong recalled for a moment. "Isn't that the granary of the Balak Kingdom?"

Wu Qi did not deny it. "Indeed. But it is only a grain-producing city. Why would so many people praise it?"

At some point, rumors had begun circulating in Heaven Dou City that Suotuo City was the most livable city on the continent. Not only was its scenery beautiful and its climate pleasant, but it also had many powerful Soul Master Academies.

There were even agencies in Heaven Dou City specifically helping people relocate to Suotuo City.

Wu Qi did not dispute the first point.

As a grain-producing region, its climate and scenery were naturally excellent. But he could not agree with the second point.

Suotuo City was within the Balak Kingdom and could only be considered its second-largest city.

In every previous Spirit Master Competition, the Balak Kingdom's teams had never achieved good results.

Moreover, the Balak Kingdom's teams all came from academies in Barak City. Claiming that Suotuo City possessed powerful educational resources was truly a bit far-fetched.

Could this powerful academy be referring to Shrek Academy?

Furthermore, anyone capable of spreading such rumors in Heaven Dou City had to be a person of high status and authority.

As for their purpose, they were either trying to mislead certain people or use this to swindle them out of money.

By now, it was nearing graduation season for the junior Soul Master Academies. Suotuo City was also where Shrek Academy was located. Put those two conditions together, and it was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

As the princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, how could Ning Rongrong, under Ning Fengzhi's "protection," possibly know about Suotuo City a thousand li away? And how could she know about Shrek Academy?

Once he thought of that, the source of the rumors was not hard to guess.

Wu Qi set down his luggage, rose, and walked outside. "Come on. Let's go take a look at the Crown Prince's Residence."

Qian Gu Changkong did not understand his sudden change in attitude and hurriedly followed.

Heaven Dou City was the imperial capital. Throw a brick at random, and you could hit a whole crowd of nobles.

Here, even the presidents of major merchant associations did not dare act recklessly.

Cases of extortion and seizure were common on the streets. How could small vendors dare offend nobles? They could only endure it.

Wu Qi was deeply dissatisfied with this.

Heaven Dou City was still the same Heaven Dou City, and the nobles' corrupt and tyrannical ways remained unchanged!

He had even seen members of the Wu Family using their power to bully others.

When they reached the street where the Crown Prince's Residence stood, they had barely taken a few steps when a commotion arose from the other end of the road.

"Make way!"

The Crown Prince's Residence guards hurriedly cleared the street, as though something major had happened.

Wu Qi retreated to a street corner and heard waves of hoofbeats coming down the road.

A young girl rode on horseback, seeming to gallop to her heart's content.

"Which family's young lady is this? Even the Crown Prince's Residence is giving her face?" Qian Gu Changkong could not help complaining.

"No, something's wrong. The horse's breathing is short and forceful. It has clearly lost control." Wu Qi frowned.