Princess Xue Ke

This man was none other than Xue Beng, the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Beside Xue Beng stood a girl who appeared to be eleven or twelve years old, dressed in an elegant white gown and resembling a porcelain doll.

She was staring wide-eyed at the crowd below, curiously taking them in.

"That's Princess Xue Ke. I didn't expect her to come too."

Feng Xiaotian swirled his wineglass, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Xue Ke?

Shui Wuchen looked at the delicately sculpted girl on the raised platform.

No wonder she could stay by Xue Beng's side. She was Xue Ke, the youngest Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"I invited many people to this Ball, including some of the outstanding young talents from this tournament. I hope everyone enjoys themselves tonight."

As he spoke, Xue Beng smiled and clapped his hands. Elegant music immediately began to play throughout the venue.

As soon as the music started, some people in the hall seemed to have had switches flipped, each of them quickly finding a partner and beginning to dance.

Shui Wuchen, however, had no intention of joining them. Not only did he not want to find a partner, but he simply did not know how to dance.

Shui Bing'er knew a little, but not much. Cultivation already consumed a great deal of time, leaving her with little opportunity to study such things.

Shui Wuchen turned to Feng Xiaotian. "Aren't you going over?"

"What would I go over there for?"

Feng Xiaotian took a sip of red wine and said slowly, "I attended quite a few Balls before. There were even so many that they delayed my cultivation. But after fighting you, I realized that all those things were empty. Only strength is eternal."

As he spoke, Feng Xiaotian glanced at Shui Wuchen and smiled lightly. "You don't look like someone who would attend a Ball either. Why did you come?"

"The same reason you did," Shui Wuchen replied flatly.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out.

"Brother Wuchen, why not go join the fun with them? Has my hospitality been lacking in some way?"

Shui Wuchen looked toward the source of the voice and saw that Xue Beng had somehow already come down from above. He was slowly walking toward him with Xue Ke.

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Xue Beng approach, Shui Wuchen and the others gave a slight bow.

Xue Beng promptly returned the gesture and introduced them, "This is my younger sister, Xue Ke. She is very interested in Soul Masters, and when she heard that you would be attending the Ball, she followed along."

"Hello, Brother Wuchen, Brother Feng Xiaotian, Sister Bing'er."

Xue Ke lifted the hem of her dress, dipped slightly, and curtsied to Shui Wuchen and the others.

Shui Wuchen, Shui Bing'er, and Feng Xiaotian returned her greeting as well.

Then Shui Wuchen answered Xue Beng, "I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but I don't know how to dance, so I won't go up there and make a fool of myself."

"I see. That is understandable. Brother Wuchen possesses such strength at such a young age; you must have put in efforts far beyond ordinary people in private. Naturally, you would not have had time to learn these things."

Xue Beng nodded in realization.

Just then, someone called for him. Xue Beng said to Shui Wuchen apologetically, "My apologies. I need to handle something. I'll let my younger sister entertain you for now."

After saying that, Xue Beng turned and headed toward the center of the Ball, leaving Xue Ke alone as she stared wide-eyed at Shui Wuchen and the others.

Looking at Xue Ke before her, Shui Bing'er stepped forward, crouched down, and said with a smile, "Princess Xue Ke, you're so pretty."

"You're the pretty one, Sister Bing'er."

Xue Ke replied.

The two girls then moved to the side and began chatting.

After an unknown amount of time, Xue Ke suddenly asked, "Sister Bing'er, do you know what Brother Wuchen likes?"

Shui Bing'er was slightly stunned upon hearing that, then immediately became alert.

Could this little girl have taken a liking to her brother?

"Well... I'm not really sure either. My brother rarely shows what he likes," Shui Bing'er replied, seemingly somewhat embarrassed.

Naturally, their conversation could not escape Shui Wuchen and Feng Xiaotian's ears. Hearing this, Feng Xiaotian immediately laughed. "Looks like this little Princess is interested in you. Or is this a method the Heaven Dou Imperial Family is using to win you over?"

"I have no thoughts in that regard yet."

Shui Wuchen replied without changing expression.

For Shui Wuchen, cultivation and becoming stronger were the most important things right now. Only then could he control his own fate and protect his younger sister, Shui Bing'er.

Although the combined strength of Shui Wuchen and Articuno could be considered first-rate across the entire Douluo Continent, it was still far from enough in Shui Wuchen's eyes.

Perhaps only after he became a Titled Douluo would he begin considering matters of romance.

Several hours later, the Ball finally ended, and Shui Wuchen and Shui Bing'er took a carriage back to Skywater Academy's residence.

At that moment, behind the castle, Xue Beng looked at his younger sister and asked, "Ke'er, you met Shui Wuchen today. What do you think of him?"

"He's quite good. His talent is outstanding, and he's powerful."

Xue Ke thought for a moment before answering.

Xue Beng smiled slightly. "That's good. In truth, Father intends to betroth you to him. Bringing you here today was also Father's idea."

"Really?"

Xue Ke's eyes lit up upon hearing Xue Beng's words, but she soon hesitated. "But Shui Wuchen doesn't seem to have any special feelings for me."

"Feelings can be cultivated."

Xue Beng waved his hand and continued, "Father and I will create more opportunities for you to spend time together in the future. With your intelligence, I'm sure you can make Shui Wuchen interested in you."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother."

Xue Ke gave a playful smile.

From the current situation, so long as Shui Wuchen did not die, he would almost certainly become a Titled Douluo in the future. Moreover, he was only four years older than she was. In her eyes, there was no better candidate for a husband than Shui Wuchen.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed. It was time for the Promotion Tournament to begin.

The Promotion Tournament was held at the Royal Hunting Ground, located a hundred li southwest of Heaven Dou City. It was also where the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's strongest force, the Royal Knights, was stationed.

Shui Wuchen looked at the Royal Knights around him, mounted on Heaven Soul Horses as they trained in charging and assaulting, and nodded slightly.

Not only were these Royal Knights well-equipped, but they were also highly disciplined. If such a force had existed in ancient times, it would certainly have been considered an army of divine soldiers.

However, this was a world of Soul Masters and soul beasts. While the Royal Knights did have Soul Masters among them, their numbers were too few. They could handle low-level Soul Masters, but against high-level Soul Masters, they were clearly inadequate.

Although Soul Power was limited, and even Soul Saints or Soul Douluos could potentially be worn to death if trapped within an endless army formation,

the problem was that if Soul Saints and Soul Douluos wished to leave, the Royal Knights simply could not stop them without opponents of the same level standing in their way.

As for Titled Douluos, the Royal Knights were even more of a joke.