Simulation Ends, Qian Renxue Despairs! Jixia Academy!

[You tried to step forward to argue, questioning why they would trample on the order of the mortal realm, but the God of Destruction merely waved a hand, and the purple Destruction Divine Thunder shattered your proud Angel Divine Power. You fell heavily, wounded, smashing half of the imperial palace.]

[You finally understood that before the true God Kings, even a First-level God was nothing more than a slightly larger ant.]

Despair.

Deep despair.

Qian Renxue stared at the lines of text, feeling her heart clench.

Even becoming a god isn't enough?

Is that so-called "anomaly" because I changed my fate?

Or is it... because of Jixia Academy?

[You lay in the ruins, watching as the Five Great God Kings turned their gaze towards Jixia Academy outside Heaven Dou City. The Asura Demon Sword in the Asura God's hand was raised, its target aimed directly at the ancient tree deep within the academy.]

["Jixia..." For the first time, a hint of apprehension entered the Asura God's voice. "An anomaly outside the Heavenly Dao cannot be allowed to exist."]

[Just as the Asura Demon Sword was about to fall, a world-shattering aura erupted from within Jixia Academy. A figure shot up into the sky. There were no divine power fluctuations, yet relying on pure strength and some unknown rule, they forcefully blocked the Asura God's killing blow.]

It's him!

Qian Renxue's heart leaped.

[The opponent held no weapon, merely riding the wind, facing the Five Great God Kings alone. Jixia Academy behind him remained unharmed by the impact of divine power.]

["The God Realm's reach has become too long."]

[The great battle erupted. It was a fight that surpassed your cognitive limits. The sky was shattered, the land submerged. The instructors of Jixia Academy—Old Master, Zhuang Zhou, Mozi—all appeared, each displaying strength comparable to a deity.]

[But a God King is still a God King. The power of the five enforcers was too terrifying. Although Jixia Academy had profound foundations, it was ultimately unable to unleash its full strength due to some limitation.]

[You struggled, wanting to help, but a stray shockwave swept over, and your body completely disintegrated. Before your consciousness faded, you saw Lu Ming being suppressed by the combined might of the Five Great God Kings, and the entire Heaven Dou City turned into scorched earth.]

[You are dead.]

[Simulation ended.]

[Evaluation: Although you possessed the potential to become a god, you could not withstand the grand tide of the Heavenly Dao. You successfully altered the trajectory of this life but invited a reckoning from a higher plane. The gaze of the God Realm was an unavoidable disaster.]

[Calculating rewards...]

The light screen slowly dissipated, and the secret chamber returned to silence.

Qian Renxue slumped onto the chair, her back drenched in cold sweat, looking as if she had just been pulled out of water.

It was too terrifying.

That sense of powerlessness, even just through text, made her soul tremble.

Originally, she thought that as long as she dealt with Tang San and unified the continent, she could rest easy.

But who could have imagined that the real enemy wasn't in this mortal realm at all, but in the lofty God Realm!

The Five Great God Kings...

Those were simply beings that could not be defeated.

"Anomaly..."

Qian Renxue murmured, her eyes gradually sharpening.

The Asura God said that Jixia Academy was an anomaly outside the Heavenly Dao.

This means the fundamental reason for the God Realm's descent wasn't whether she, Qian Renxue, became emperor, but that Jixia Academy's very existence threatened the God Realm!

And Lu Ming, who could withstand a blow from the combined might of the Five Great God Kings, must possess strength far exceeding ordinary deities.

"So that's how it is."

Qian Renxue stood up and paced back and forth in the narrow secret chamber, her golden hair swaying gently with her movements.

"My perspective was too narrow before."

"I was always focused on the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire, the position of Pope in the Martial Soul Hall, even the Sea God's divine position."

"But in the eyes of those old guys in the God Realm, these were just child's play."

"The only thing that could make them truly fearful, even to the point of breaking rules to eliminate it, was Jixia Academy!"

"Only that mysterious Dean!"

Qian Renxue stopped, her gaze fixed intently on the void, as if she could see through the walls to the figure currently lounging in a rocking chair.

She finally understood what she needed to do.

Mere alliance wouldn't be enough.

Mere utilization wouldn't be enough.

If she wanted to survive the world-ending catastrophe in the future, if she wanted to fight against those lofty Five Great God Kings, the only hope was to completely bind Jixia Academy to her chariot.

Or rather, to bind herself to Jixia Academy's chariot.

"I must find that Dean."

"Not as the Crown Prince, nor as the Young Master of the Martial Soul Hall."

"I want to truly understand him, get close to him, even..."

Qian Renxue bit her lower lip, the image of a lone figure standing against the Five Great God Kings in the simulator flashing through her mind.

What power, what unparalleled magnificence that was.

Compared to him, that so-called Tang San, that Yu Xiaogang who only spouted theories, wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

"Only that person can change the outcome."

"Only he is qualified to be my ally... or even my support, Qian Renxue."

Qian Renxue walked to the bronze mirror, gazing at the stunning woman reflected within, a resolute glint in her eyes.

In previous simulations, she had only tried to win Lu Ming over through Gongsun Li and mutual benefit. While effective, the relationship was clearly not close enough.

When facing a catastrophe like the descent of the God Realm, an alliance maintained by mere interests was too fragile.

She needed a deeper bond.

"Lu Ming..."

Qian Renxue whispered his name softly, her finger lightly tracing the surface of the mirror.

"No matter who you are, no matter how deeply you hide."

"I will definitely uncover you."

"Since the God Realm cannot contain you, then I will join you and overturn this God Realm!"

Just then, a servant's cautious voice came from outside the secret chamber.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, it is late. You should rest."

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, instantly suppressing all her emotions, her gaze returning to a gentle yet profound depth.

She tidied her slightly disheveled clothes and put on the mask of "Xue Qinghe" once more.

"Understood."

She replied indifferently and pushed open the door of the secret chamber.

Outside the door, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Qian Renxue glanced up at the deep night sky, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

The God Realm, huh?

We'll see about that.

In this life, since I, Qian Renxue, have foreseen the future, I will never let that despairing outcome repeat itself.

And the starting point of all this is tomorrow.

It all hinges on that man named Lu Ming.

"Guard."

Qian Renxue commanded into the shadows.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

A dark-clothed guard appeared silently behind her.

"Make preparations. Tomorrow morning, I will visit Jixia Academy again."

"Also, go to the storeroom and bring out that ten-thousand-year-old snow ginseng, and the extraterrestrial meteorite gifted by my father."

The guard was taken aback. Those were extremely precious treasures, treasures the Crown Prince usually wouldn't even let anyone look at.

"Your Highness, who are these gifts for?"

Qian Renxue's gaze turned towards Jixia Academy, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.

"For the future... hope."

The morning sun streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled patterns on the bronze mirror.

Qian Renxue looked at the unremarkable mask in the mirror, the face of "Xue Qinghe." She gently pressed along the edges of her cheeks, ensuring the disguise was seamless.

The scenes from the simulator last night still churned in her mind, the suffocating sensation from the God Realm lingering, but compared to her previous confusion, a flame called "ambition" now burned in her eyes.

She no longer needed to guess who was friend or foe.

Since fate had granted her the authority to foresee, it was time to change the way the pieces on this chessboard were moved.

"Your Highness, the carriage is ready."

The servant's respectful voice came from outside the door.

Qian Renxue stood up and casually adjusted her collar. The ten-thousand-year-old snow ginseng and the extraterrestrial meteorite had already been packed into inconspicuous brocade boxes, reflecting her current state of mind: great treasures hidden in plain sight.

"Let's go."

She pushed open the door, and the slightly cool morning air greeted her.

Jixia Academy, the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

This is the quietest place in the entire academy, and also the residence of the Dean.

Lu Ming lay on a rocking chair woven from purple bamboo, holding a freshly peeled grape in his hand. He didn't rush to put it in his mouth, but instead watched the busy figure in front of him with a half-smile.

It was a rabbit.

Or rather, a young girl with long rabbit ears.

Gongsun Li held a delicate porcelain jar in her hands, examining it carefully in the sunlight. Inside was top-grade deep-sea pearl powder, said to have miraculous effects for beautifying the skin.

"A'li, stop looking. The powder won't turn into a carrot no matter how long you stare at it."

Lu Ming spoke lazily, casually tossing the grape into his mouth, its juice bursting forth.

Gongsun Li's ears twitched, and she turned around. Her maple-leaf-colored short skirt swayed gently with her movement, revealing a section of her fair, shapely calf. She glared at Lu Ming with a hint of petulance.

"Dean! This is a rare treasure given by His Highness the Crown Prince, something you can't buy on the market. You don't know, Dean, if this pearl powder is used as a facial mask, the skin becomes as tender as silken tofu."

"Tsk."

Lu Ming shook his head and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"I say, you girl, are you bought with a few boxes of rouge and powder? Can't you have more ambition? You're from Jixia Academy. The Soul Power elixirs and pills I usually give you, aren't they hundreds of times more precious than this pearl powder?"

Gongsun Li carefully closed the porcelain jar, tucking it away in her embrace like a treasure. Only then did she walk to Lu Ming's side and pick up the Gunbai next to him, fanning him gently.

"That's different."

The girl mumbled.

"Elixirs are for cultivation, and they're terribly bitter. This pearl powder is a blessing for girls. Besides, that Crown Prince is really nice, not arrogant at all. Every time he visits, he's so polite. He's much more pleasant to look at than Yu Tianheng from the Imperial Dou Team."

Lu Ming listened to her simple evaluation, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Xue Qinghe?

Nice?

If this silly rabbit knew that the "gentle as jade" Crown Prince was actually a young master of the Martial Soul Hall, disguised as a man with deep schemes, she'd probably be so shocked her rabbit ears would stand on end.

However, that woman had indeed been excessively attentive lately.

A few days ago, she sent Gold Soul Coins and land, and now she was resorting to this "courting diplomacy," even taking care of the maids around him.

"One's hands are tied when taking gifts, and one's mouth is softened when eating them."

Lu Ming reached out and gently flicked Gongsun Li's forehead.

"Stay away from that Crown Prince in the future. Be careful not to be sold and still help count the money."

"Ouch!"

Gongsun Li covered her forehead and looked at Lu Ming with a wronged expression.

"Dean, you're bullying me again! I'm not an idiot. I know who's good to me. Besides, with you here, Dean, who would dare to sell me? That Crown Prince must be treating me so well because of your influence."

Lu Ming smiled and didn't argue further.

Although this girl was naive, her intuition was quite accurate. That woman, Qian Renxue, was indeed after him, Lu Ming, or rather, the signboard of Jixia Academy.

Just then, a breeze swept through the bamboo forest, rustling the bamboo leaves.

Gongsun Li was still rubbing her forehead, but Lu Ming's gaze shifted slightly, his previously lazy expression receding a bit.

"Alright, A'li, go to the front courtyard and see how Old Master's class is going. Also, bring me that pot of peach blossom wine I warmed last night."

Gongsun Li blinked her big eyes. "Drinking now? In broad daylight..."

"Go."

Lu Ming uttered the word lightly.

Gongsun Li stuck out her tongue, not daring to disobey. Clutching her precious pearl powder, she scurried out of the bamboo forest.

After the girl's figure disappeared at the end of the path, Lu Ming spoke calmly to the empty shadow beside him.

"Come out. Stop pretending to be a ghost and scaring people."

A ripple like water waves appeared in the air.

Several crystalline Mirror Shards materialized out of thin air, then quickly assembled. A tall, cold, and stunning figure emerged from them.

Mirror.

The intelligence chief of Jixia Academy, and the leader of the Shadow Hunters.

She was still wearing her sleek, tight leather outfit, which perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure. Her face was expressionless, like ice that had never melted.

"Dean."

Mirror bowed slightly, her voice as clear and cold as a spring.

"Have you found out?"

Lu Ming lay back on the rocking chair, closing his eyes to rest.

"Yes."

Mirror stepped forward, took a secret letter from her embrace, and without handing it to Lu Ming, began her report.

"Target: Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. After days of infiltration and observation via the 'Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors,' combined with analysis of his living habits, Soul Power fluctuations, and bone structure, we confirm he is female."

Lu Ming didn't even lift an eyelid.

"Continue."

Jing's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if she were stating the most ordinary of facts.

"Within her body resides an extremely sacred and hidden power, entirely different from the Swan Martial Soul of the Heaven Dou royal family. Instead, it highly matches the legendary Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul of the Martial Soul Hall. Furthermore, she shares a special Soul Power resonance with the current Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong. Although she has tried her best to conceal it, it cannot escape the detection of the Mirror Array."

Upon reaching this point, Jing paused and looked up at Lu Ming.

"Dean, this individual has been lurking in Heaven Dou for many years, with grand ambitions. Her recent frequent overtures to the academy, even going to great lengths and expense to win over Gongsun Li, are likely attempts to use us against certain factions, or... to gain control of Jixia."

Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes, his fingers tapping a rhythm on the armrest.

"Disguised as a man, infiltrating the royal family, the Young Master of the Martial Soul Hall..."