The smile on Dugu Bo's face gradually faded.
He glanced at Lu Ming, then at the little girl who possessed no combat ability whatsoever.
A pressure belonging to a Titled Douluo faintly radiated from him.
"Dean Lu, that treatment just now was indeed remarkable."
"But regarding that Medicinal Garden..."
A shameless smile curled at the corner of Dugu Bo's lips.
"After giving it careful thought, it is where this old man has made his home. I truly cannot bear to part with it."
"How about this? This old man will give you One Million Gold Soul Coins, and we'll call the matter settled. What do you say?"
He was plainly trying to burn the bridge after crossing it.
One Million Gold Soul Coins might have been a considerable sum, but before the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it was worth less than nothing.
Though Dugu Yan felt this was somewhat improper, it was, after all, her grandfather's territory, so she said nothing.
Lu Ming seemed to have anticipated this all along. Not only was he not angry, he actually laughed.
"So, sir, do you intend to default on the debt?"
Dugu Bo snorted coldly. Nine Spirit Rings suddenly lit up around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
The aura of a Titled Douluo erupted without restraint, and the entire courtyard was instantly filled with Fishy Sweet Poisonous Gas.
"So what if I do?"
"This old man is the Poison Douluo. In Heaven Dou City, who would dare touch what belongs to me?"
"Young man, one must know when to be satisfied. Take the money and keep your mouth shut. It will be better for everyone."
Just as Dugu Bo thought victory was assured and prepared to force Lu Ming into submission through strength,
Snow Empress, who had been sitting silently to the side all this time, slowly rose to her feet.
She neither summoned her Martial Soul nor revealed her Spirit Rings.
She merely took a light step forward.
Boom—
An indescribably terrifying chill descended in an instant.
The poisonous gas that had been raging moments ago froze into Green Ice Crystals, which fell to the ground with a series of crackles.
Dugu Bo's Titled Douluo pressure, which he had been so proud of, was as fragile as a sheet of thin paper before this chill.
It was crushed to pieces!
"You..."
Dugu Bo's pupils shrank violently as he stared in terror at the white-clad woman.
He felt as though he had been placed beneath a Ten Thousand Year Glacier in the Extreme North, his very blood about to freeze solid.
This pressure...
It was definitely not that of an ordinary Titled Douluo!
Even a Super Douluo above level ninety-five could not achieve this!
Th-this... could she be the legendary Limit Douluo?!
Snow Empress looked coldly at Dugu Bo, her gaze as though she were looking at an ant that did not know its place.
"You think you are worthy of making a scene here?"
As Snow Empress's words fell, an even more terrifying pressure bore down upon Dugu Bo's shoulders like a great mountain.
Crack!
The bluestone slab beneath Dugu Bo's feet instantly shattered.
The Poison Douluo, who had been so arrogant just moments earlier, went weak at the knees and dropped to the ground with a thud.
Cold sweat mixed with frost, soaking through his back in an instant.
He was truly terrified.
The gap between their strength was simply an insurmountable chasm!
Before this woman, he could not even summon the thought of resisting.
"Spare my life, Your Excellency!"
"This old man was blind! Lard clouded my judgment!"
Dugu Bo sprawled on the ground, begging for mercy without the slightest regard for dignity.
"The Medicinal Garden is yours! I'll give it to you right away!"
"Please withdraw your Divine Ability, Your Excellency!"
Dugu Yan had long since been scared senseless. She huddled trembling in the corner, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Lu Ming stood and walked before Dugu Bo, looking down at him from above.
"If you knew it would come to this, why did you do it in the first place?"
"Lead the way."
How could Dugu Bo dare utter another word? He hurriedly climbed up from the ground and respectfully walked ahead, looking even more servile than a grandson.
Deep within Sunset Forest.
When Lu Ming brought Snow Empress and Cai Wenji to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, even though he had been prepared, the sight before him still left him stunned.
A milky-white cold spring and a crimson hot spring met, yet did not blend, forming a strange Tai Chi pattern.
The surroundings were filled with all sorts of immortal herbs recorded only in ancient texts.
Infernal Delicate Apricot, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum...
Every single one emitted rich medicinal fragrance and spiritual energy.
A glint flashed through Lu Ming's eyes.
With these things, Jixia Academy's strength would definitely rise to another level!
Moreover, he could use these immortal herbs to thoroughly cleanse his meridians and marrow, improving his aptitude.
"Snow Empress, watch him. Don't let him try anything."
After giving the instruction, Lu Ming took Cai Wenji and began gathering everything they could from this treasure ground.
Dugu Bo stood to the side, watching the treasures he had painstakingly guarded for so many years get dug up one by one. His heart bled.
But he dared not voice his anger.
That white-clothed female fiend was watching nearby. If he so much as moved, he would probably become an ice sculpture.
Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.
Heaven Dou City, inside a secret chamber within the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Having shed her disguise of men's clothing, Qian Renxue had returned to her original appearance as a woman.
Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her exquisite face appeared especially captivating beneath the candlelight.
She let out a long breath, her entire body relaxing considerably.
Today's "efforts" had not been wasted after all.
That Gongsun Li clearly no longer bore hostility toward her. In fact, she seemed to hold an excellent impression of her.
"Then that rabbit probably won't want to kill me anymore, right?"
"My relationship with Lu Ming should ease up quite a bit too."
Qian Renxue looked at the illusory panel visible only to her, anticipation glimmering in her eyes.
The countdown displayed on it had already reached zero.
It was time for the Life Simulator to refresh.
"Finally, the third time has come."
"Though the first two attempts ended miserably, they also allowed me to learn so much crucial information."
"In this life, I've changed Gongsun Li's attitude and stopped Bibi Dong from courting disaster."
"My future must have changed beyond recognition!"
Qian Renxue took a deep breath and calmed her excited emotions.
She extended a jade-like finger and firmly tapped the button labeled "Start Simulation."
"In this life, I, Qian Renxue, will never admit defeat!"
[Simulator activated.]
The candlelight cast swaying shadows upon the secret chamber walls, making Qian Renxue's incomparably delicate face shift between light and shadow.
She took a deep breath, calming the slightly hurried heartbeat brought on by anticipation.
Nothing was more captivating than controlling one's own fate, especially after learning of that miserable future.
Qian Renxue looked at the pale-blue Light Screen visible only to her, her finger trembling lightly as it hovered in the air.
Everything she had done at Jixia Academy today—the Deep Sea Pearl Powder she had given away, the humble attempts to please them—had all been for the variable that might arise at this moment.
She did not care about the so-called dignity of a crown prince. As long as she could survive, as long as she could uncover the truth, this small humiliation was nothing.
As her fingertip fell, that familiar mechanical voice exploded in her mind.
Before you continue