Xue Beng was completely outmatched in his duel with Xue Qinghe, left with zero room to fight back. This left Lang Lei feeling bored, as he had lost interest in this war of words and decided to stop watching, turning around to leave right then and there.
Yet the moment he turned, Xue Qinghe suddenly called out from behind him, "Little brother, please stay a moment!"
Lang Lei paused, slowly turning his head back to look expressionlessly at Xue Qinghe, and asked indifferently, "What is it?"
Xue Qinghe smiled and hurriedly explained, "Well, I wonder if little brother has any important business to handle coming to Heaven Dou City this time? If there is anything you need help with, just say the word, and I will definitely do my utmost to assist, consider it an apology for my younger brother's rudeness just now."
Lang Lei sneered inwardly. How could he fail to understand the meaning behind Xue Qinghe's words? Having spent so many years knocking about in the pugilistic world, he had long understood the methods of politicians; so-called flattery was merely meant to make you willingly become their tool.
Yet Lang Lei did not directly expose Xue Qinghe. The corners of his mouth only lifted slightly as he said with an ambiguous smile, "Oh? What can you help me with?"
Lang Lei, you can follow along and see~ I can sense that the other party has no ill intent~ Right at that moment, Elysia, who had remained basically silent throughout the day, suddenly spoke up in Lang Lei's mind.
This sudden voice startled Lang Lei, causing him to involuntarily halt his steps. Originally, he would have subconsciously wanted to refuse this suggestion, but upon hearing Elysia's words, his movements suddenly froze.
Without Elysia's persuasion, Lang Lei could be certain that he would have refused without the slightest hesitation. After all, the intentions of this Crown Prince Xue Qinghe were already obvious enough. The other party's goal was crystal clear: he hoped to gain his support in the Crown Prince Battle, or more precisely, to gain the support of the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress standing behind him.
Toward such troublesome matters, Lang Lei had always kept his distance. He had no wish to become embroiled in the whirlpool of this power struggle, for the risks involved were simply too great. Supporting the right person was fine, but once the wrong person was supported... the consequences were simply unimaginable. After all, not every emperor had such a broad mind that they could easily spare the supporters of their opponents.
Yet Elysia's words plunged Lang Lei into deep thought. Although he knew Xue Qinghe's purpose all too well, Elysia's intuition also seemed to possess a certain degree of credibility. Furthermore, Lang Lei had to admit that if Xue Qinghe obtained his help, the probability of him ascending to the throne would indeed increase dramatically.
However, accidents happened in all things. If he could live a stable life and quietly develop from the shadows, why go sticking his nose into muddy waters and asking for trouble?
Even so, Elysia's suggestion was a very important weight on the scale...
During that time in the Milky Way, Lang Lei had grown almost accustomed to consulting with Elysia before doing anything.
After all, before meeting Elysia, he had been an absolute brute, the type who only knew to charge headfirst into fights. Although very few people could beat him due to his sheer hard power, if he ever truly ran into someone stronger than himself, he really would have been screwed.
How could he not know that Elysia liked pretty girls after spending so much time together with her? Yet she had never let her "hobby" affect Lang Lei, and instead gave him no small amount of help every single time. This was the true reason why Lang Lei had always trusted Elysia so much.
Just as Lang Lei fell into deep thought, the inner feelings of Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, were equally turbulent. In fact, long before the moment Xue Beng clashed with Lang Lei, she had already quietly arrived at the scene.
However, Qian Renxue had not intended to immediately stop Xue Beng's arrogant behavior. She calculated that if she let Xue Beng show everyone his spoiled, dissolute side and only stepped in to stop him at the right moment, she would not only tarnish his image and weaken his standing in people's hearts, but also further enhance her own reputation.
Yet what Qian Renxue never expected was that Lang Lei and his group would be so out of the ordinary. The very instant Lang Lei made a move, Qian Renxue used her keen insight to detect Lang Lei's true soul power level—twenty-ninth rank!
At the age of six, his soul power had already reached the twenty-ninth rank. Even Qian Renxue herself had never achieved such a feat. After all, she was a genius with innate twentieth-rank soul power!
And when Qian Renxue learned the soul power levels of the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, a guess in her heart was finally confirmed with certainty. This guess had swirled in her mind for a long time, and now that she finally had a definitive answer, it left her feeling both excited and nervous.
The child before her eyes, just like herself, was someone confirmed as a Divine Successor at the time of awakening. This meant that they both possessed a God-tier Martial Soul; the rarity and terrifying might of such a martial soul were beyond comparison with ordinary martial souls. Moreover, they likewise possessed innate twentieth-rank soul power, which was all the more breathtaking.
As for that Peerless Douluo and Super Douluo, they should be the protectors of the divine lineage they belonged to. Their existence was undoubtedly to safeguard these Divine Successors, ensuring they could smoothly grow up and inherit their god positions. Only, Qian Renxue still did not know which divine lineage it was that they guarded, filling her heart with curiosity.
However, judging by the soul power level alone, Qian Renxue had already realized that this little fellow before her must have first and second soul rings of a higher age than her own. After all, innate twentieth-rank soul power meant he could endure higher ages when absorbing soul rings, thereby obtaining even greater strength. Furthermore, this little fellow's talent might even surpass her own. The very thought of this completely ignited Qian Renxue's competitive spirit.
For a long time, Qian Renxue had not had much drive when it came to cultivation, because her talent was already peerless across the mainland, and almost no one could contend with it. This feeling of having no rivals had gradually made her lose her passion for cultivation. Yet the situation was different now; the little fellow before her gave her an unprecedented sense of challenge, reigniting her urge to contend and win.
Just as a blazing fighting spirit ignited in Qian Renxue's heart, Lang Lei also noticed the "flame" in the eyes of the person disguised as a man before him. He couldn't help feeling somewhat curious as to why the other party would suddenly emit such an intense fighting spirit.
Where did this inexplicable competitive spirit come from?
Still, since Elysia suggested it, Lang Lei naturally agreed.
And by the way...
Glancing at Xue Xing, whose expression was growing increasingly dark off to the side, Lang Lei chuckled inwardly.
He could also scare this old bastard and make him lose sleep for a few days. He had no intention of picking a side, but would the other party see it that way?
"Very well, then I won't refuse your kind hospitality. Sorry for the trouble, Crown Prince."
A trace of joy flashed across Qian Renxue's eyes.
"Then I must ask you all to move to my bedchamber, so that Qinghe may fulfill the duties of a host."
Before you continue