Only Qian Renxue was present.
She was not wearing Xue Qinghe's mask at the moment. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was exposed to the air, but it was pale as paper, completely bloodless.
Her golden hair hung slightly disheveled over her shoulders, while her chest rose and fell violently.
"Young Master..." Snake Lance Douluo called cautiously, his gaze warily sweeping the surroundings. "That sound just now..."
Qian Renxue was jolted awake by his call, and her unfocused pupils abruptly sharpened.
She suddenly turned her head. Lingering fear and killing intent still showed in her eyes, and that look sent a chill down the spines of both Titled Douluo.
But Qian Renxue quickly took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in her heart.
She was the Young Master of Spirit Hall, the future Angel God. She could not reveal such weakness before her subordinates.
"It's nothing."
Qian Renxue's voice was somewhat hoarse. She slowly straightened up, walked to the table, and picked up the unbroken teapot, intending to pour herself a cup of water.
Yet her hand trembled violently. The spout knocked against the rim of the exquisite porcelain cup with a sharp clinking sound, spilling tea all over the table.
Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes. They had followed Qian Renxue for years, but had never seen their Young Master so shaken.
"Young Master, are you really all right? Your complexion is terrible. Did something go wrong in your cultivation?"
Porcupinefish Douluo asked with concern, stepping forward to examine her.
"I said, I'm fine!"
Qian Renxue suddenly raised her voice and slammed the teacup down onto the table.
Water splashed everywhere, soaking the golden cuff of her sleeve.
The room fell into dead silence once more.
Qian Renxue closed her eyes, doing her best to calm her wildly pounding heart.
The image of that majestic figure shattering the Destruction God King with a single palm strike refused to leave her mind. That power, that dominance, weighed on her heart like a great mountain.
That had been a God King!
Yet before that person, he had been as fragile as an ant.
"Whew..."
After a long while, Qian Renxue slowly exhaled a foul breath. When she opened her eyes again, some clarity had returned to those golden pupils.
Since Heaven had allowed her to foresee all this in advance, fate was not set in stone.
That tragic ending—ruined reputation, lifelong disability, spending the rest of her life in regret... it absolutely could not happen to Qian Renxue!
Tang San had to die.
Whether he was the Sea God or the Asura God, she had to strangle him in the cradle before he could grow strong.
But there was something more important than killing Tang San right now.
Qian Renxue turned around and fixed her burning gaze on the two Titled Douluo before her. Her eyes were as sharp as two freshly drawn swords, making Snake Lance and Porcupinefish lower their heads instinctively.
"Snake Lance, Porcupinefish."
"Your subordinates are here!"
The two hurriedly bowed in response.
"You two have traveled the continent for many years and have seen much of the world."
Qian Renxue's voice was low and grave, every word seeming to squeeze through clenched teeth. "Have you ever heard of a force called Jixia Academy?"
"Jixia Academy?"
Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo raised their heads at the same time, bewilderment on their faces.
Snake Lance Douluo frowned and pondered for a moment before finally shaking his head. "Young Master, this subordinate has traveled the continent for decades. Even if I have not visited every sect and academy, large or small, I have at least heard of them.
The Five Elements Academy of the Heaven Dou Empire, the powerful academies of the Star Luo Empire, even those reclusive families—this subordinate knows something of them all.
But this Jixia Academy, I truly have never heard of it."
Porcupinefish Douluo echoed him.
"Yes, Young Master. I have never heard that name before. Could it be some small force that has only recently emerged?"
Never heard of it?
Qian Renxue's heart sank, and her fingers instinctively clenched the hem of her skirt.
Even Titled Douluo had never heard of it. That meant this force was hidden incredibly deeply, perhaps having remained isolated from the world all along.
Yet in the Simulator, it possessed the power to slaughter the God Realm.
The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all.
If this force truly existed, it would be the greatest variable on this continent, perhaps countless times more terrifying than Tang San.
"It isn't a small force... absolutely not."
Qian Renxue muttered to herself, her expression becoming increasingly solemn.
She suddenly looked at the two of them, her tone more severe than ever. "Listen carefully. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin.
I want you to immediately mobilize every intelligence network we have in the Heaven Dou Empire, and even across the entire continent. At any cost, investigate this Jixia Academy!"
Snake Lance Douluo had never seen the Young Master take something so seriously. He immediately cupped his fist. "This subordinate will make arrangements at once!"
"Wait!"
Qian Renxue suddenly raised a hand to stop him, her golden pupils narrowing slightly.
"Investigate them, but remember this one thing—under no circumstances, absolutely no circumstances, are you to offend them! Even if it is merely one of their gatekeepers, you are not permitted to show the slightest disrespect!
"If you discover any trace of them, report back immediately. You must not act on your own!"
They were beings capable of crushing even a God King with ease. If they were angered, then even with Qian Daoliu guarding Spirit Hall, it would likely be reduced to ashes in an instant.
Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo were horrified.
The Young Master had actually issued an order in a tone bordering on fear?
They could not offend them?
Just what was the origin of this Jixia Academy?
Though their hearts were full of doubts, neither dared to ask. They could only nod heavily. "This subordinate understands!"
Qian Renxue relaxed slightly. Her eyes flickered, and she added.
"Oh, and investigate Shrek Academy as well. Especially Tang San. I want every bit of information on him, including what he eats every day and whom he meets. Report everything to me, no matter how trivial."
Tang San was a mortal enemy who had to be eliminated.
Jixia Academy, on the other hand, was a divine miracle that had to be revered and won over.
"Yes! This subordinate takes his leave!"
The two accepted their orders and vanished into the night.
The room grew quiet again. Qian Renxue walked to the window and pushed it open. The night wind poured in, scattering her golden hair.
She gazed toward the distant north, her eyes profound.
"The Extreme North... Jixia Academy... and that supreme being..."
"Just who are you?"
At the same time.
At the northernmost end of Douluo Continent lay the Extreme North.
This was humanity's forbidden zone, blanketed by endless wind and snow all year round. Everywhere the eye could see was a blinding expanse of white.
The icy wind was like a blade as it howled across the land.
The temperature here was so low that dripping water froze into ice. If ordinary soul masters ventured in recklessly, even Soul Sage-level experts might not survive long in this frigid purgatory.
Yet at the heart of this wasteland of life stood a magnificent cluster of buildings.
They were not crude dwellings piled from ice and snow, but palaces built from an unknown kind of warm, lustrous white jade.
These palaces were built along the mountain, arranged in orderly layers, and emitted a faint glow amid the boundless blizzard.
An invisible barrier covered the buildings, blocking out the freezing winds and snowstorms that could crack even gold and stone.
Above the main gate hung an ancient plaque bearing four vigorous characters—Jixia Academy.
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