Farewell, Conversation, Departure (II)

"Brother, in three days, our Imperial Fighting Team will be heading to Suotuo City to participate in spirit fights. I came today to say goodbye to you," Xue Ke said.

"Alright, be careful on the road. Blades have no eyes in the Spirit Fighting Arena. If you encounter an opponent you cannot defeat, do not force yourself. Surrender when you should. Your life is the most important thing, after all. I do not want you to suffer any unnecessary harm, understand?"

"Alright, Brother, I'll remember!" Xue Ke nodded earnestly.

Xue Qinghe gazed deeply at Xue Ke. The little girl who had once been barely one meter forty tall had now grown into a graceful young lady. Time truly passed so quickly.

"Xiao Ke, can you tell Brother why you work so hard at cultivation? Wouldn't it be nice to simply be a safe and peaceful princess of the empire?" Xue Qinghe asked the question that had been buried in his heart for a long time.

"Because Xiao Ke wants to protect Brother!" Xue Ke met Xue Qinghe's eyes without fear, her face full of sincerity.

Xue Qinghe fell silent for a long while after hearing that. He rubbed Xue Ke's little head, and the two continued walking wordlessly along the garden path.

The next day, outside the apartment where Dugu Yan lived.

"Sister Yan, are you there?" Xue Ke called from outside the door.

"I'm here!" Dugu Yan quickly opened the door for Xue Ke.

The two sat facing each other. Dugu Yan spoke first, "If you have something to say, say it quickly! Yesterday, you looked like you wanted to say something but held back."

"Sister Yan, do you really like Yu Tianheng? The kind where you would marry no one else?" Xue Ke went straight to the point.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?" Dugu Yan was stunned by Xue Ke's question.

"Sister Yan, answer me first," Xue Ke said.

Dugu Yan pondered for a while before saying, "I do have a very favorable impression of Yu Tianheng. We also tried dating for a period of time. He treats me very well, but it has not reached the point where I would marry no one but him."

"Sister Yan, have you considered this? Your martial soul has now evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Queen. Your potential is even greater than your grandfather's. As long as nothing unexpected happens, advancing to Titled Douluo will not be a problem in the future. Your limit may even go far beyond Titled Douluo, and you may very well break through to Super Douluo."

"Yu Tianheng's martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan places extreme importance on martial soul inheritance while also being highly exclusionary. Although the quality of your martial soul has improved, it still cannot compare to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. A serpent is ultimately inferior to a dragon."

"If you and Yu Tianheng unite in the future, according to common knowledge in the Spirit Master world, your child will most likely inherit the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul rather than the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Queen martial soul. In that case, the Dugu Family's martial soul inheritance may very well end with you."

Xue Ke rattled off a whole string of arguments, speaking with great emotion as she painstakingly tried to persuade Dugu Yan.

After hearing it all, Dugu Yan's little face turned pale. She lowered her head, her expression shifting constantly, while pain and struggle filled her emerald-green eyes.

"Sister Yan, that is all I will say today. Think it over carefully these next few days."

Xue Ke understood that haste made waste. Dugu Yan was not stupid, and Xue Ke believed she would weigh the pros and cons clearly and make the right choice.

Of course, if Dugu Yan still chose to remain with Yu Tianheng, Xue Ke would respect her choice. After all, Xue Ke was not Dugu Yan's nanny.

Xue Ke believed she had a clear conscience. She had already done all she could for Dugu Yan, this good older sister. In the future, if Dugu Yan chose to stand with Yu Tianheng and harmed Qian Renxue, Xue Ke would not hesitate to eliminate them both for Qian Renxue.

Outside the gates of Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Empire.

The Imperial Fighting Team members boarded the carriages one after another. Xue Ke, Ye Lingling, Yufeng, and Qin Ming rode in one carriage, while the Shi Family Brothers, Yu Tianheng, and Osler rode in another. Dugu Yan had gone with Dugu Bo to hunt spirit beasts and obtain her fourth spirit ring, and would reunite with everyone in a few days.

Xue Ke drew back the curtain and watched the scenery speed past outside, her thoughts in turmoil.

So I will finally meet the Shrek Seven Devils? Tang San, I wonder what kind of surprise you will bring me. In this life, I will not let you hurt Qian Renxue again. Your first defeat will begin at the Spirit Fighting Arena in Suotuo City.

Suotuo City was located within the Balak Kingdom. It was a relatively prosperous city on the level of a main city in the Balak Kingdom, and in its central district stood the only Great Soul Arena in the city: the Soto Great Soul Arena.

The entertainment industry on Douluo Continent was extremely underdeveloped, and spirit fighting matches were one of the few forms of entertainment available.

After half a month of travel, Qin Ming and the Imperial Fighting Team finally arrived in Suotuo City. That night, everyone checked into a hotel near the Spirit Fighting Arena.

"Sister Yan will not arrive for a few more days. Since we have nothing to do anyway, how about the seven of us go to the Spirit Fighting Arena and warm up first?" the more lively Osler suggested.

Everyone agreed with Osler's suggestion. They arrived at the Great Soul Arena and directly registered for a team spirit fight.

The Spirit Fighting Arena arranged matches according to Spirit Masters' Soul Power Levels. Since every member of the Imperial Fighting Team had a Soul Power Level above thirty, the arena immediately arranged Bronze Soul Fighter-level matches for them.

Xue Ke and Ye Lingling barely even needed to make a move. The two support-type Spirit Masters only had to stay at the edge, while Yu Tianheng, the Shi Family Brothers, Osler, Yufeng, and the others were enough for the Imperial Fighting Team to sweep through the Spirit Fighting Arena without meeting a single rival over the following days. The Imperial Fighting Team's name spread throughout Suotuo City overnight.

The nobles of Suotuo City began placing bets one after another. Whenever the Imperial Fighting Team had a spirit fight, they frantically bet on the Imperial Fighting Team to win. Over the past few days, not only had the Imperial Fighting Team won handsomely, but the betting nobles of Suotuo City had also made a fortune.

This "parachuted dark horse," the Imperial Fighting Team, had brought enormous financial losses to the Soto Great Soul Arena. At that moment, Manager Ao was in his room, frowning and sighing.

"The Spirit Fighting Arena has already lost several million Gold Soul Coins in a row over these past few days. If this continues, the arena will have to shut down for good."

Manager Ao rapidly flipped through the records of the various spirit fighting teams in the arena. When he saw the information on the "Shrek Seven Devils Team," his eyes immediately lit up.

"Perhaps this Shrek Seven Devils Team can end the Imperial Fighting Team's winning streak and recover some of the arena's losses."

Manager Ao then instructed the staff that as soon as the leader of the Shrek Team came to register for spirit fights, they were to notify him immediately.

After several days of battles, the undefeated Imperial Fighting Team was awarded Silver Soul Fighter Badges by the Soto Great Soul Arena. Today, Dugu Yan, who had fallen behind the others while obtaining her spirit ring, finally arrived late.

"Sister Yan, congratulations. You are officially a Soul Ancestor now, the first one in the team to reach Soul Ancestor," Xue Ke sincerely congratulated Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan took Xue Ke's little hand and sat down beside her. She slowly said, "Little sister, I have thought a great deal these past few days. Although making this decision pains me greatly, I know it is an important choice that will affect my entire life. I cannot run away from it."

"For the sake of the Dugu Family's inheritance, my decision is to break up with Yu Tianheng," Dugu Yan said solemnly, enunciating every word.

Xue Ke tightly held Dugu Yan's slightly trembling hands and asked, "Have you told Yu Tianheng?"

"Once we complete this spirit fighting assignment and return to the academy, I will tell Yu Tianheng," Dugu Yan had already planned it out.

"Sister Yan, there are plenty of good men in this world. With how outstanding you are, I believe you will not have to worry about finding someone who truly loves you," Xue Ke comforted her.

Xue Ke's first attempt at breaking up a couple had begun to show results.