[You tried to step forward and reason with them, demanding to know why they were trampling the order of the mortal world. But the God of Destruction merely waved a hand, and purple Destruction Divine Thunder shattered the Angel Divine Power you had been so proud of. You fell heavily, grievously wounded, and destroyed half the imperial palace.]
[Only then did you understand that before true God Kings, even a First-level God was merely a slightly larger ant.]
Despair.
Utter despair.
Qian Renxue stared at those words, feeling as though her heart had been tightly clenched.
Even becoming a god wasn't enough?
Was that so-called "anomaly" because she had changed her fate?
Or was it... because of Jixia Academy?
[You lay amid the ruins, watching helplessly as the Five Great God Kings turned their attention toward Jixia Academy outside Heaven Dou City. The Asura God raised the Asura Demon Sword in his hand, aiming directly at the ancient tree deep within the academy.]
["Jixia..." For the first time, the Asura God's voice carried a trace of wariness. "A variable beyond the Heavenly Dao cannot be allowed to remain."]
[Just as the Asura Demon Sword was about to descend, a world-shaking aura suddenly erupted from Jixia Academy. A figure shot into the sky. There was no fluctuation of divine power, yet through sheer strength and some unknown law, he forcibly blocked the Asura God's killing blow.]
It was him!
Qian Renxue's heart suddenly lurched.
[The other party held no weapon. He simply stood in the air, facing the Five Great God Kings alone, while Jixia Academy behind him remained completely unharmed beneath the impact of divine power.]
["The God Realm has stretched its hand too far."]
[A great battle erupted, one that surpassed the limits of your comprehension. The sky was shattered, the earth sank, and Jixia Academy's instructors—Old Master, Zhuang Zhou, and Mozi—appeared one after another. The strength each displayed was enough to rival gods.]
[But God Kings were still God Kings. The power of the Five Great Law Enforcers was far too terrifying. Though Jixia Academy possessed deep foundations, it was ultimately unable to unleash its full strength due to certain restrictions.]
[You struggled to help, but a stray shockwave swept over you. Your body completely disintegrated. Before your consciousness faded, you saw Lu Ming jointly suppressed by the Five Great God Kings, while all of Heaven Dou City turned into scorched earth.]
[You died.]
[Simulation ended.]
[Evaluation: Though you possessed the potential to become a god, you could not withstand the overwhelming tide of the Heavenly Dao. You successfully changed the course of this life, but attracted reckoning from a higher level. The attention of the God Realm is an unavoidable disaster.]
[Calculating rewards...]
The Light Screen slowly faded, and the secret chamber returned to silence.
Qian Renxue slumped weakly in her chair. Her back was already soaked with cold sweat, and she looked as though she had just been pulled from water.
Too terrifying.
Even through mere words, that feeling of powerlessness made her very soul tremble.
She had originally believed that as long as she dealt with Tang San and unified the continent, she could rest easy.
But who could have imagined that the true enemy was not in this mortal world at all, but in the lofty God Realm!
The Five Great God Kings...
They were simply invincible beings.
"Anomaly..."
Qian Renxue murmured, her gaze gradually sharpening.
The Asura God had said that Jixia Academy was a variable outside the Heavenly Dao.
In other words, the fundamental reason the God Realm descended was not whether Qian Renxue became emperor, but that Jixia Academy's very existence threatened the God Realm!
And Lu Ming, who could still withstand a strike even when facing the Five Great God Kings together, was undoubtedly far stronger than an ordinary god.
"So that's how it is."
Qian Renxue rose to her feet and paced back and forth through the narrow secret chamber, her long golden hair swaying softly with her movements.
"My vision was too narrow before."
"I kept my eyes on the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire, on the position of Pope in Spirit Hall, and even on the Sea God's divine seat."
"But in the eyes of those old monsters in the God Realm, all of that is nothing more than children's play."
"The only thing that can truly make them afraid, make them willing to break the rules to erase it, is Jixia Academy!"
"Only that mysterious Dean!"
Qian Renxue stopped walking, her burning gaze fixed on empty space as though she could see through the walls to the figure currently reclining in a rocking chair.
At last, she understood what she needed to do.
A simple alliance was not enough.
Simple exploitation was not enough either.
If she wanted to survive the future world-ending catastrophe, if she wanted to fight 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 Spirit Hall's Young Master."
"I want to truly understand him, get close to him, and even..."
Qian Renxue bit her lower lip, and the image of that lone back facing the Five Great God Kings in the Simulator surfaced in her mind.
What overwhelming dominance. What peerless brilliance.
Compared to him, that so-called Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, who only knew how to spout empty theories, were not even worthy of carrying his shoes.
"Only that man can change the ending."
"Only he is qualified to become Qian Renxue's ally... or even someone she can rely on."
Qian Renxue walked to the bronze mirror and looked at the breathtakingly beautiful woman reflected within. A trace of resolve flashed through her eyes.
In the previous simulation, she had only used Gongsun Li and mutual interests to win Lu Ming over. The results had been good, but their relationship was clearly not close enough.
When facing a disaster like the descent of the God Realm, an alliance maintained by interests was far too fragile.
She needed a deeper bond.
"Lu Ming..."
Qian Renxue softly spoke his name, her fingers gently brushing across the mirror's surface.
"No matter who you are, no matter how deeply you've hidden yourself."
"I will definitely dig you out."
"Since the God Realm cannot tolerate you, then I will join you and overturn this God Realm!"
At that moment, 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 and instantly suppressed all her emotions, her gaze becoming gentle and profound once more.
She straightened her slightly disheveled clothing and put on the mask that belonged to "Xue Qinghe" again.
"Understood."
She answered faintly and pushed open the secret chamber door.
Outside, the moon shone bright amid sparse stars.
Qian Renxue looked up at the deep night sky, the corner of her lips curving into a meaningful smile.
The God Realm?
We'll see about that.
Since Qian Renxue had foreseen the future in this life, she would never allow that despairing ending to repeat itself.
And the beginning of it all lay tomorrow.
With the man named Lu Ming.
"Someone."
Qian Renxue gave an order to the shadows.
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
A black-clad shadow guard appeared soundlessly behind her.
"Make preparations. Tomorrow morning, I will make another trip to Jixia Academy."
"Also, go to the treasury and retrieve that Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, along with the piece of Outer Heavenly Meteorite Iron bestowed by Father."
The shadow guard froze. Those were exceptionally precious treasures. Ordinarily, His Highness the Crown Prince could barely bear to let anyone so much as look at them.
"Your Highness, who are these for?"
Qian Renxue looked toward Jixia Academy, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes.
"For the future... hope."
Morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows before the bronze mirror.
Qian Renxue looked at the utterly ordinary mask in the mirror, the face that belonged to "Xue Qinghe." She reached up and gently pressed along the edge of her cheek, ensuring the disguise fit perfectly.
The scenes from last night's Simulator still churned in her mind. The suffocating pressure from the God Realm lingered, but compared to her previous confusion, there was now a flame in her eyes called "ambition."
She no longer needed to guess who was an enemy and who was a friend.
Since fate had granted her the authority to foresee the future, the pieces on this board should be played differently.
"Your Highness, the carriage is ready."
A servant's respectful voice came from outside.
Qian Renxue rose to her feet and casually adjusted her collar. The Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng and Outer Heavenly Meteorite Iron had already been placed in an unremarkable brocade box. Just like her present state of mind, precious treasures were hidden beneath plain appearances.
"Let's go."
She pushed open the door, and the faintly cool morning air rushed toward her.
Jixia Academy, rear mountain bamboo forest.
This was the quietest place in the entire academy, as well as the residence of the Dean.
Lu Ming lay in a rocking chair woven from purple bamboo. He held a freshly peeled grape in his hand but made no hurry to put it in his mouth, instead watching the busy figure before him with an amused half-smile.
It was a rabbit.
Or rather, a young woman with long rabbit ears.
Gongsun Li held an exquisite porcelain jar and carefully examined it beneath the sunlight. It contained premium deep-sea pearl powder, said to possess miraculous effects for preserving beauty and youth.
"A Li, stop staring. No matter how long you look at it, that powder won't turn into carrots."
Lu Ming spoke lazily, tossing the grape into his mouth. Juice burst across his tongue.
Gongsun Li's ears twitched. She turned around, and her maple-leaf-colored short skirt swayed lightly with her movements, revealing a stretch of fair, shapely calf. She shot Lu Ming a faintly coquettish glare.
"Dean! This is a top-grade gift from His Highness the Crown Prince. You can't even buy it on the market. You don't know this, but if pearl powder is used as a facial mask, your skin can become as tender as silken tofu."
"Tsk."
Lu Ming shook his head and shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Look at you, girl. A few boxes of cosmetics bought you over? Can't you show a little more ambition? You're from Jixia Academy. Which of the Soul Power pills we usually give you isn't a hundred times more valuable than this pearl powder?"
Gongsun Li carefully closed the porcelain jar and tucked it into her arms like a precious treasure. Only then did she walk over to Lu Ming, pick up the round fan beside him, and gently fan him.
"It's different."
The young woman muttered.
"The pills are for cultivation, and they're bitter as can be. This pearl powder is a girl's treasure. Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince really is quite nice. He doesn't put on any airs, and he's polite every time he comes. He's far more pleasing to the eye than that Yu Tianheng from the Imperial Dou Team."
Hearing that innocent assessment, Lu Ming's lips curled slightly.
Xue Qinghe?
A nice person?
If this silly rabbit knew that the "gentle and refined" Crown Prince was actually a woman disguised as a man, and Spirit Hall's deeply scheming Young Master, she would probably be frightened into making her rabbit ears stand straight up.
Still, that woman had indeed been excessively attentive lately.
A while ago, she had sent Gold Soul Coins and land. Now she had started this sort of "wife diplomacy," even taking care of the maid by his side.
"Taking someone's gift means owing them a favor; eating someone's food softens your mouth."
Lu Ming reached out and lightly flicked Gongsun Li's forehead.
"Stay away from that Crown Prince in the future. Be careful not to end up helping someone count their money after they've sold you."
"Ow!"
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 can still tell who treats me well. Besides, with you here, who would dare sell me? His Highness the Crown Prince must only be treating me so well because of you."
Lu Ming smiled and did not argue further.
This girl might be innocent, but her instincts were accurate. What Qian Renxue wanted was indeed Lu Ming—or rather, the name Jixia Academy.
Just then, a breeze passed through the bamboo forest, making the bamboo leaves rustle.
Gongsun Li was still rubbing her forehead, but Lu Ming's gaze shifted slightly, and some of the laziness in his expression faded.
"Enough, A Li. Go check how Old Master's class is going in the front courtyard, and bring me that pot of peach blossom wine warmed last night while you're at it."
Gongsun Li blinked her large eyes. "Drinking now? In broad daylight..."
"Go."
Lu Ming lightly uttered a single word.
Gongsun Li stuck out her tongue. Not daring to disobey, she hugged her precious pearl powder and dashed out of the bamboo forest.
Once the young woman's figure vanished at the end of the path, Lu Ming calmly spoke to the empty shadow beside him.
"Come out. Stop pretending to be a ghost and trying to scare people."
Ripples like water spread through the air.
Several crystalline Mirror Shards appeared from thin air, then swiftly pieced themselves together. A tall, cool, striking figure stepped out from within.
Mirror.
Jixia Academy's intelligence chief, and the leader of the Shadow Hunters.
She still wore that capable, form-fitting leather outfit, perfectly outlining her flawless curves. Her face held no expression, like ice that had remained frozen for ten thousand years.
"Dean."
Mirror slightly bowed, her voice as cool and clear as spring water.
"Did you find out?"
Lu Ming reclined in the rocking chair again and closed his eyes to rest.
"Yes."
Mirror stepped forward and pulled out a confidential letter from her clothes. Rather than handing it to Lu Ming, she began her report directly.
"Target: Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. After days of infiltration and observation through the Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors, combined with analysis of his habits, Soul Power fluctuations, and skeletal features, it has been confirmed that he is female."
Lu Ming did not even raise his eyelids.
"Continue."
Mirror's voice did not fluctuate in the slightest, as though she were stating something utterly ordinary.
"There is an extremely sacred yet concealed power within her, entirely different from the Heaven Dou Royal Family's Swan Martial Soul. Instead, it highly corresponds with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul spoken of in Spirit Hall legends. Furthermore, she shares some special Soul Power resonance with Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall. Though she has tried her utmost to conceal it, she cannot hide it from the mirror array's detection."
At that, Mirror paused and raised her eyes toward Lu Ming.
"Dean, this person has infiltrated Heaven Dou for many years, and her ambitions are immense. Now she has been frequently showing goodwill toward the academy, even going so far as to spend heavily to win over Gongsun Li. She is likely seeking to use us against certain forces, or... to take control of Jixia."
Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping out a rhythm on the armrest.
"Disguised as a man, infiltrated the royal family, Spirit Hall's Young Master..."
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