"Senior Yu, of course I can agree to duel you again."
"But I have one additional condition: I want to enter the hunting ground where your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan hunts Soul Beasts!"
Hearing Su Ze's words, Yu Tianheng's expression changed.
Outsiders were forbidden from entering his family's hunting ground.
There were many precious Soul Beasts with the Lightning Attribute inside.
If he lost, he would have to take Su Ze into the hunting ground.
And then...
Thinking of the consequences, Yu Tianheng couldn't help feeling a little hesitant.
Su Ze saw through him, so he deliberately goaded him.
"Ah, it looks like Senior Yu doesn't dare."
"A Soul Elder doesn't even dare fight a Soul Grandmaster? Senior Yu, heh!"
Su Ze let out a mocking laugh, then deliberately added,
"Looks like I'll have to make sure everyone hears about this."
Hearing Su Ze's words, Yu Tianheng immediately grew anxious.
If this got out, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reputation at Heaven Dou Royal Academy would be completely ruined.
Rumors were already going around the academy that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
If word got out that a Soul Elder didn't even dare fight a Soul Grandmaster, those rumors would be confirmed.
At the thought of his grandfather's reprimand in the letter, Yu Tianheng steeled himself.
"Fine. I'll take you into the hunting ground once. I agree. Besides, I definitely won't lose this time."
"Su Ze, you're far too arrogant! Once my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon reaches the Soul Elder stage, I can undergo Dragon Transformation."
"When that happens, I'll show you why the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is called the strongest Beast Martial Soul on the entire continent."
Hearing Yu Tianheng's words, Su Ze smiled and nodded.
He had a lead on his Third Soul Ring.
Moreover, Su Ze was very interested in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's Dragon Transformation.
In the Original Work, this skill could be said to be the true source of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul's power.
Naturally, Su Ze wanted to experience it for himself.
As for who would win the duel—
He was about to obtain an Immortal Herb.
With the Martial Soul Evolution it would bring, Su Ze wouldn't fear Yu Tianheng in the slightest, even if Yu Tianheng could use Dragon Transformation and had an entire major realm on him.
"Then, Senior Yu, I'll look forward to your challenge."
With that, Su Ze turned and left without looking back.
The auction was about to begin. He didn't have time to stand around chatting with Yu Tianheng.
Watching Su Ze walk away, Yu Tianheng felt the pressure of having to take him into his family's private hunting ground if he lost.
He immediately set off for Thunder Gorge. He needed to get struck by lightning again.
Meanwhile, after Su Ze left the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy,
he got into the carriage Qian Renxue had sent for him.
The carriage brought Su Ze to the entrance of the Heaven Dou Auction House.
Using Qian Renxue's invitation, Su Zhe was led to a private box by a slender, voluptuous attendant wearing a qipao.
He soon arrived at the private box.
As soon as he pushed open the door, a familiar voice rang out.
"Brother Su Ze, you really are a genius!"
"You've only just entered the academy, and you've already defeated Yu Tianheng, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's genius!"
"Yu Tianheng is a highly valued talent nurtured by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He's also the strongest student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"Brother Su Ze, your talent has truly opened my eyes!"
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, came over to Su Zhe and warmly took Su Ze's hand.
Feeling the roughness of his hand, Su Ze looked at Qian Renxue in surprise.
If he hadn't known the truth beforehand, he would never have guessed that the Xue Qinghe standing before him was a woman in disguise.
As he thought this, Qian Renxue warmly led Su Ze to sit beside her on the same chair.
"Brother Su Ze, even a shallow pool can hide a Flood Dragon!"
"I never imagined that a little place like Nuoding City could produce a genius like you!"
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Su Ze immediately realized that, in the span of a day, she had already investigated his background.
But he had expected as much.
After all, Qian Renxue wasn't a fool.
She would naturally look into someone carefully before trying to recruit him.
Su Ze had no objection to that.
His background could withstand scrutiny.
"Your Highness, there are plenty of geniuses on the Douluo Continent, but few become powerful. I still have a long way to go."
Qian Renxue's praise didn't affect Su Ze in the slightest.
It was simple: a genius was still only a genius. Becoming a true powerhouse and living up to one's potential required a long journey.
Seeing how clear-headed Su Ze remained, Qian Renxue's eyes showed her approval.
Even after she praised him, he hadn't grown conceited. His composure really was impressive.
Someone with both such a powerful talent and such a strong mindset would surely become a capable aide if she could bring him into her fold.
As Qian Renxue was thinking this, a female auctioneer in a bright red qipao stepped onto the auction stage beyond the glass. Every move she made brimmed with allure, and she walked with a bewitching sway.
"Welcome, distinguished guests. The annual Heaven Dou Auction is now officially underway."
"I'll be introducing the items up for auction."
Hearing the voice from the auction floor, Qian Renxue immediately said to Su Ze,
"Brother Su Ze, with your mindset, becoming a Titled Douluo is only a matter of time."
"Come, Brother Su Ze, the auction's about to begin. Just tell me what you want, and I'll pay for it today!"
Hearing Qian Renxue's generous offer, Su Ze's eyes lit up.
But he quickly composed himself.
On the way here, he had carefully considered whether to accept Qian Renxue's offer to recruit him.
After weighing the pros and cons,
he decided not to accept.
The reason was simple: Qian Renxue's offer wasn't generous enough.
The items at the annual Heaven Dou Auction were certainly precious.
But they couldn't compare to an Immortal Herb.
At most, Dugu Bo would probably come looking for him tonight.
If things went according to plan, he would obtain all the Immortal Herbs in the garden.
And with his status as Ye Qingshan's disciple,
he would be able to make perfect use of the entire garden of Immortal Herbs that belonged to Dugu Bo.
He wouldn't be short on money or resources then.
Thinking of the resources he was about to obtain, Su Ze felt that Qian Renxue's offer wasn't nearly enough to recruit him.
As long as his deal with Dugu Bo succeeded,
he would have almost no shortage of resources before becoming a Titled Douluo.
If he needed Gold Soul Coins, he could simply duel Yu Tianheng a few more times.
Or he could sell a few Immortal Herbs later. He could easily make his money back.
And, more importantly—
Qian Renxue wasn't trustworthy.
In the Original Work, when she first tried to recruit Tang San, Qian Renxue had actually agreed to Tang San's demand that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo be executed.
She was willing to kill two Titled Douluos just to recruit Tang San.
If he agreed to become one of Qian Renxue's subordinates now, what would happen when he crossed paths with Tang San?
Besides, Qian Renxue had been willing to offer the equivalent of two Titled Douluos for Tang San.
If he agreed for a few tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins, he'd be selling himself far too cheap.
With that in mind, Su Ze had decided to refuse Qian Renxue's offer.
Of course, he would turn her down tactfully.
Not accepting was one thing.
Burning bridges was another.
After choosing his words carefully, Su Ze said, "There's no need for Your Highness to spend so much."
"When I dueled Yu Tianheng, he lost 10,000 Gold Soul Coins to me."
"That should be enough for the auction."
Su Ze's way of refusing was simple: stall.
He would stall, then say he needed some time to consider.
With his talent, Qian Renxue would surely give him a few days to think it over.
If things went smoothly over the next few days, Dugu Bo would become his backer.
Then, even if he turned down Qian Renxue's offer to her face, Dugu Bo's strength as a Titled Douluo would be enough to protect him.
Hearing Su Ze's words, Qian Renxue first looked utterly astonished.
Ever since she had started pretending to be Xue Qinghe, recruiting all kinds of talented people had been easy.
She would state who she was, then reveal a little of what she had in mind.
That was all it took.
And of all the people she had tried to recruit, Su Ze was the one she had made the most generous offer to.
Yet Su Ze had turned her down.
He hadn't refused outright, but they were both smart people.
Qian Renxue understood exactly what Su Ze meant.
After a moment of surprise, Qian Renxue recovered.
It was only one failure.
Besides, Su Ze was the most talented person she had encountered in all these years of establishing her rule.
He was naturally difficult to recruit.
Qian Renxue was confident that if she kept showing him her sincerity, one day Su Ze would submit to her.
Just as the whole world would one day belong to her.
With that, Qian Renxue continued in the same warm tone, "Since Brother Su Ze is being so considerate of me, there's nothing more for me to say. Let's watch the auction."
"By the way, Brother Su Ze, if there's anything you really want, just tell me."
Hearing that Qian Renxue's tone had cooled somewhat but she hadn't openly turned against him, Su Ze breathed a sigh of relief.
If Qian Renxue had actually turned against him and threatened him,
he would have had no choice but to bow and submit.
After all, picking a fight with the young master of Soul Martial Hall would be completely unrealistic.
Fortunately, things had gone just as he'd expected.
Although Qian Renxue had been turned down and was no longer as warm as before, she hadn't lost her temper.
And once he had Dugu Bo's support in a few days,
he wouldn't have to worry for the time being.
As Su Ze was thinking this, the auctioneer's introduction reached his ears.
"This next item is Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber. I'm sure I don't need to explain what it does!"
"I'm sure all the gentlemen here know it's a must-have for a happy household!"
"The bidding starts at 4,000 Gold Soul Coins. Each bid must be at least 100 Gold Soul Coins higher!"
When Su Ze saw the yellowish, rubbery substance displayed on the glass table, his eyes lit up.
Although his Sikong Zhen Martial Soul could also strengthen his body while he meditated,
that effect was simply too slow.
This Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber would conservatively save him several years of hard cultivation.
And now it was right in front of him.
And the price was so reasonable, too.
I have to get it.
Looking at the starting bid of 4,000 Gold Soul Coins, Su Ze once again marveled at the advantage of having information others lacked.
After all, this was before Huo Yuhao's Whale Rubber was discovered to have special effects.
A piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber with decent quality and appearance could sell for the astronomical price of 50,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Now, though, Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber was going for only 4,000.
This was great!
With that thought, Su Ze began bidding, under the strange gaze of Qian Renxue beside him.
In the end, he successfully bought the piece of Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber for 5,500 Gold Soul Coins.
"Brother Su Ze, you have a hobby like this?"
Qian Renxue gave Su Ze a peculiar look.
She had heard something about what Whale Rubber was used for.
She would never touch something so filthy.
And Su Ze, whom she had taken an interest in—a powerful expert with extraordinary talent and an exceptionally strong character—
had actually bought Whale Rubber.
Thinking of what Whale Rubber was used for, then remembering that Su Ze was only seven or eight years old, Qian Renxue's assessment of him took a sharp nosedive.
Her desire to recruit him was no longer nearly as strong as before.
It seemed this boy named Su Ze had simply lacked opportunities to show what he could do while he was stuck in a small place.
Now that he had come to Heaven Dou City and seen the world—
and demonstrated his talent—
he was ready to let himself go.
Qian Renxue was bitterly disappointed. She had thought Su Ze was a genius.
She had even been prepared to offer him more, and had considered resorting to a few special measures.
But now it seemed that, though Su Ze was highly talented, he was already taken with women at such a young age.
His future achievements would surely be limited.
When Su Ze saw the strange look on Qian Renxue's face, he had wanted to explain.
But then he reconsidered. It was good for him if Qian Renxue thought less of him.
So he gave an awkward smile and said nothing.
Su Ze's purchase of the Whale Rubber had a very clear effect.
For the rest of the auction, he could tell that Qian Renxue was treating him more coldly.
Things remained that way until the auction ended and Su Ze took his leave.
Qian Renxue sat in her chair, watching Su Ze's retreating figure. She took out a token bearing the character "Xue."
It was a token that represented her personally.
She had planned to find an excuse to make Su Ze accept it.
But thinking of how Su Ze, at such a young age, had already indulged himself in women, Qian Renxue gave up.
"Looks like the young master and I were wrong about him. Su Ze had simply never seen much of the world."
"Understandable. He did come from a small place, after all. What a waste of that talent."
Snake Lance Douluo's figure appeared in the room. He had seen Su Ze's earlier behavior.
When Su Ze showed that he was unwilling to accept the offer, Snake Lance Douluo had immediately thought that, once the auction was over, he should urge the young master to bring the genius Su Ze into their ranks as soon as possible.
Even if they had to resort to some dirty methods.
But seeing that Su Ze was so young and already fond of women, Snake Lance Douluo decided there was no need.
So what if his talent was exceptional?
He was indulging in this sort of thing during the golden age for Soul Master cultivation.
His future was surely ruined.
Hearing Snake Lance Douluo's words, Qian Renxue's face also showed a hint of disdain.
"Mm, we did misjudge him. I'll try recruiting him again later. If it doesn't work, then so be it."
Meanwhile, after leaving the Heaven Dou Auction House, Su Ze rode back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the carriage Xue Qinghe had arranged for him.
As soon as he returned to the academy, Su Ze went straight to his dormitory.
He took the yellow-brown piece of Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber out of Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night and placed it on the table.
Looking at the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber on the table, Su Ze smiled.
He'd made the right choice buying it.
Once he absorbed it, not only would his physical strength improve—
his act of deliberately tarnishing his own image had also successfully earned Qian Renxue's disdain.
Judging by her colder attitude afterward,
Qian Renxue's desire to recruit him had probably all but disappeared.
It was like killing two birds with one stone.
Before you continue