The Icy Campus Belle's Persona Collapsed—She Was Actually Spying on Me in the Library!

Xue Qinghe's order caused no stir outside the study of the Crown Prince's East Palace.

The guard bowed to accept the command, moving swiftly and silently.

Meanwhile, inside the library of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, time seemed to have frozen.

Li Yifei had been sitting there for quite some time.

The Wristwatch's data scanning and analysis continued silently in the background. This was a far larger undertaking than he had imagined; even with the computational power of advanced intelligence, it would take time to process the entire continent's body of knowledge.

Especially the construction of model data, as well as simulation and deduction based on that data.

The more deductions he ran, the greater the likelihood of success when he began experimenting later.

His eyes remained closed. Part of his mind was immersed in familiarizing himself with and controlling his newly awakened Martial Soul, while the other part watched the girls chatter away in the Chat Group.

Suddenly, a faint set of footsteps approached from afar.

Li Yifei did not open his eyes, but within his spatial perception, the newcomer's outline was crystal clear.

Tall and well-proportioned, with a distinctive head of silver-gray short hair.

It was the girl named Ye Lingling.

She seemed to be looking for a quiet corner as well. Her light footsteps carried her past row after row of bookshelves until she finally stopped by another window seat not far from Li Yifei, separated from him by two aisles.

She pulled out a chair and sat down, making almost no sound.

Then, she took a thick tome from her Soul Tool and began reading quietly.

Between them stood silent bookshelves, as well as an invisible layer of distance.

Within Li Yifei's perception, the girl's body had stiffened for an instant after sitting down.

She appeared to be reading attentively, but those beautiful eyes uncontrollably glanced in his direction for a brief moment.

Then, like a startled rabbit, they darted away at once.

A slight ripple stirred within Li Yifei's mind.

Social anxiety, disguised as aloofness.

How interesting.

Before awakening his Martial Soul, he would have been far more interested in this girl.

Nine Heart Begonia.

The most powerful healing-type Martial Soul on Douluo Continent, possessing healing abilities that could practically bring the dead back to life.

A scene from before flashed through Li Yifei's mind—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye in Sunset Forest.

To help Dugu Yan absorb an Immortal Herb and evolve her Martial Soul, he had conducted a bold experiment. That time, Dugu Yan's body had endured immense pain and damage, nearly reaching the point of collapse.

If Ye Lingling had been present then, the powerful healing ability of Nine Heart Begonia could have protected Dugu Yan's vital meridians and allowed her to safely pass through the most dangerous stage.

Then he would not have needed to use up a drop of Water of Life.

Thinking about it now, it still felt somewhat regrettable.

However, if a similar situation arose now, Ye Lingling's healing ability might not necessarily be needed.

Because...

Li Yifei's mind sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

There, two utterly different halos slowly revolved.

One was a dark, profound Singularity, as though it could devour all light. It was the manifestation of Space Law—the Eye of Guixu.

The other was the phantom of an exquisitely structured Eternal Hourglass. Brilliant Sands of Time circulated endlessly within it, emanating an ancient and mysterious aura.

The time-law Martial Soul, Eternal Moment.

His consciousness gently touched the Eternal Hourglass.

One of its abilities, "Fleeting Bloom," could already be used with difficulty.

It could mark an object and "rewind" its state for a short period of time.

If he conducted another experiment like the one involving Dugu Yan, he could activate time reversal at the instant the test subject's body collapsed, restoring its damaged tissues to the state they had been in before the injury.

Although his Soul Power was currently limited, and both the degree and range of the rewind were small, it was already an unbeatable ability on a conceptual level.

Compared to the "healing" of Nine Heart Begonia, the "restoration" of time reversal was undoubtedly more domineering and far more unreasonable.

What a pity about that drop of Water of Life.

At the time, his Soul Power had been insufficient, and his control over time reversal had been incredibly unfamiliar. He simply did not dare try it on Dugu Yan.

All he could say was that it had been a bit wasteful.

Still, Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia remained very useful. In a situation like Dugu Yan's last time, time reversal would also rewind the physical constitution she had strengthened only after enduring so much pain.

Ye Lingling's healing ability, however, would not have such a side effect.

So my time reversal is better suited for use when things fail at the very end, and even then, it only offers some benefits on the mental level.

Ye Lingling's healing would be much better. It seemed... there was still a need...

Just as Li Yifei sank into thought, that seemingly focused gaze from not far away swept over him again—quickly and without leaving a trace.

Ye Lingling's mind was nowhere near her book.

She felt somewhat relieved because the man named Li Yifei had kept his eyes closed ever since she entered, seemingly meditating, with no intention of coming over to strike up a conversation.

That eased her taut nerves considerably.

Yet she still could not control the glances from the corner of her eye.

Dugu Yan's image kept surfacing in her mind.

She had never seen Yanzi look at a man like that before.

It was a complicated emotion mixed with admiration, affection, respect, and even a trace of fear.

Yanzi was such a proud person, especially after her Martial Soul Evolution, when her confidence had soared to the skies.

Yet before this man, she was as docile as a little kitten.

Ye Lingling truly could not understand it.

Other than being exceptionally handsome, what sort of magic did this man possess?

She was very curious.

That curiosity was like a kitten's paw scratching at her heart, making it impossible for her to calm down.

But for her to take the initiative and speak to Li Yifei, or go directly to ask Yanzi...

That was impossible.

Just imagining the scene made her palms begin to sweat.

Time slowly passed amid one person's contemplation and another's silent stolen glances.

Sunlight streamed through the tall arched windows, casting long patches of light across the floor as dust danced within the beams.

The library was so quiet that the faint sound of turning pages could be heard.

Once again, Ye Lingling secretly glanced toward the figure in the corner from the corner of her eye.

He still maintained the same posture, completely motionless.

Like a flawless statue.

Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, that "statue" opened his eyes without warning.

"Have you been secretly looking at me this whole time? Is something the matter, Ye Lingling?" Li Yifei turned his gaze toward the beautiful young girl who was cautiously acting like a thief.

Elsewhere, the tranquility of Heaven Dou Royal Academy was broken by the arrival of the Crown Prince's procession.

The academy's upper ranks, including the Three Spirit Douluo Committee Members, all followed behind "Xue Qinghe" in nervous reverence as the crowd surrounded him and headed toward the library.