Qian Renxue Heads to Star Dou to Investigate Di Tian's Aura

The next day, dawn broke bright.

Outer Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Roar—!"

A pitch-black thousand-year Ghost Tiger with a nimble build pounced forward with a roar, kicking up a foul wind.

Chen Fan remained calm as the Candle Dragon Shadow Martial Soul within him trembled lightly.

First Soul Skill, Candle Shadow... Annihilation!

This was merely the temporary name he had given the Soul Skill.

As for why it was temporary...

Trust Na'er!

Na'er was the source of my rewards!

In a few days, my First Soul Skill will definitely be replaced!

A dim dragon shadow rose from beneath his feet and spread outward in an instant.

The Ghost Tiger, originally swift as lightning, slowed the moment it was enveloped by the dragon shadow, as though it had fallen into a swamp.

Now!

A thin gray beam flashed from Chen Fan's fingertip, slicing precisely across the Ghost Tiger's throat.

The Ghost Tiger's massive body crashed to the ground, its Life Force extinguished.

Chen Fan looked at his palm and muttered to himself.

"Strong. Ridiculously strong, just as expected."

This was only a Soul Ring that the system had initially optimized, with Soul Ring Years of merely fifteen hundred years.

Once the system fully enhanced and adapted it... just how powerful would it become?

Not far away, another team of Soul Masters was hunting a Soul Beast. Blades flashed, Soul Power surged, and the battle was lively.

Na'er's gaze swept over those people, and undisguised disgust and killing intent flashed through the depths of her violet eyes.

Those people killed Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings. They deserved to die.

As the Common Lord of Soul Beasts, this was an instinct carved into her bones.

Yet when her gaze returned to Chen Fan, that killing intent instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by boundless admiration and love.

Chen Fan had actually taken down a thousand-year Soul Beast that had attacked him in an instant!!

As expected of my darling—so powerful, so handsome!

Na'er walked lightly to Chen Fan's side.

"Chen Fan, aren't you going to absorb its Soul Ring?"

Beside the black Ghost Tiger's corpse, a deep purple Soul Ring quietly floated, radiating tempting energy fluctuations.

Chen Fan shook his head.

"No."

He raised his hand and looked at his palm. The power of the Candle Dragon Shadow Martial Soul slowly circulated within him, bringing an unprecedented sense of fullness.

Chen Fan thought to himself.

My First Soul Ring has been enhanced by the system to fifteen hundred years.

That has strengthened my body considerably as well. My second Soul Ring can be above fifteen hundred years.

This thousand-year Ghost Tiger was, at most, just over a thousand years old. Its cultivation was nearly the same as his First Soul Ring's years, perhaps even lower.

Absorbing it would be meaningless.

More importantly, as his Martial Soul evolved, his physique had undergone a near-rebirth-like transformation.

He could feel that the limit his body could currently withstand was around two thousand years.

It might not compare to those freaks in fan novels who started with ten-thousand-year first rings, but two thousand years—what more could he ask for?

It was enough.

Besides, this was only the foundation.

With the system around, if his Soul Ring Years were ever insufficient in the future, he could simply add points gradually.

Still, the base years and type needed to be optimized as much as possible.

"This Ghost Tiger's Soul Ring won't do. We need to head deeper and find a stronger one," Chen Fan said to Na'er.

"Mhm, I'll listen to you."

Na'er nodded obediently.

She naturally took Chen Fan's hand, their fingers interlocking.

"Let's go, darling."

At the same time.

At another edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A group had set up camp there. Banners fluttered, guards stood under tight security, and the lavish central tent clearly belonged to some major power.

Inside the tent, a woman sat upright before a desk.

She had a head of brilliant golden hair casually draped over her shoulders, and skin as fair as snow.

Her luxurious golden court dress gave her an air of nobility and authority.

Qian Renxue.

Rarely having the chance to take off the Crown Prince's robe belonging to "Xue Qinghe" and change back into women's clothing, she did not feel much relief.

On the desk In Front Of her were piles upon piles of government documents from Heaven Dou City.

She gently rubbed her aching brow, a trace of weariness appearing on her face.

Even with her intelligence and ability, handling the Empire's complicated affairs day after day inevitably left her exhausted.

And it was precisely in such weary moments that a figure would always surface in her mind without her realizing it.

A pen pal she had never met, yet had known deeply in spirit.

Mr. Fan.

She still remembered when she had first taken control of the Crown Prince's Mansion. Faced with tangled noble factions and a cumbersome administrative system, she had struggled to move forward.

Yet she had happened to meet this extraordinary man.

He had offered her many ingenious ideas for optimizing administrative procedures, as well as a complete and mature system for managing subordinates.

It allowed "Xue Qinghe" to handle affairs far more efficiently than the other Princes in the struggle for the position of Crown Prince, firmly seizing the initiative.

It could be said that without Chen Fan, "Xue Qinghe" would not have the secure position as Crown Prince that he had today.

More than once, she had extended an olive branch, offering high office and generous rewards in hopes of truly recruiting this talent under her command.

Yet every time, that man had cleanly refused on the grounds that he already had someone he loved and could not serve Your Highness.

At this thought, a trace of regret flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes, along with a faint hint of annoyance.

"Already has someone he loves?"

What a fine "already has someone he loves."

An inexplicable irritation rose in her heart. Could that so-called beloved of yours be prettier than me? Could she be of nobler status than me?

I am the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall and the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. I have lowered myself to invite you time and again, yet you remain utterly unmoved.

Still, those were merely thoughts in her heart.

Qian Renxue would not develop romantic feelings for someone she had never even met.

It was just that...

Her usual pressure was too great. Only in her private fantasies could she reveal a little of a Maiden's spoiled willfulness.

With a sigh, Qian Renxue pulled her scattered thoughts back to the matter at hand.

Her gaze turned beyond the tent, toward the deep and boundless Star Dou Great Forest.

Her mother's order had been for her to investigate the terrifying Soul Beast aura that had erupted here some time ago.

Originally, two Titled Douluo should have remained constantly by her side.

But before their departure, Stingray Douluo had been temporarily summoned away by an official order, leaving only Snake Lance Douluo to guard her.

The malice behind the arrangement was obvious.

Outside the tent curtain, a tall, thin figure stood straight as a spear. It was Snake Lance Douluo.

He seemed to sense the fluctuations in Qian Renxue's emotions and spoke in a deep voice.

"Young Master."

"This journey is dangerous. With only me guarding you now, if we encounter that legendary terrifying Soul Beast..."

Snake Lance Douluo's tone carried concern.

"Why don't we withdraw first? The mission can be reconsidered at length. With this old man here, even if we truly encounter something, I will certainly protect you and ensure that we retreat safely."