The Tremor of the Martial Soul, the Way of Caution First

On this day, the person he had been expecting finally came knocking.

Qin Ming led Chen Jieqi toward the Education Committee hall, explaining as they walked, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Xiao Qi, a guest of extremely noble status has pulled strings with the Education Committee and wants to meet you in person."

Chen Jieqi nodded, his expression calm, saying nothing more.

He had long had a premonition that his talent, strength, and insights would sooner or later alarm the core of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Not long after, they stepped into the magnificent hall of the Education Committee.

As far as the eye could see, three committee members were respectfully surrounding a young man.

As expected, it still alarmed 'her'!

Chen Jieqi thought to himself, though his gaze fell upon the young man without a ripple of emotion.

The man was dressed in moon-white court robes embroidered with silver patterns, a jade belt cinched at his waist, and his long hair was pulled up high with a jade crown, leaving only a few strands of hair hanging by his temples, making him look elegant and noble.

His features were handsome and gentle, his skin fair to just the right degree, and his relaxed brows and eyes carried a kind and graceful warmth; when he smiled, it felt like a spring breeze, as if he were a harmless, gentle young master.

This was none other than the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—

Xue Qinghe.

However, only Chen Jieqi knew that beneath this skin lay the young master of the Martial Soul Hall—

Qian Renxue!

The closer he got, the more obvious the throbbing in his heart became; it was an instinctive resonance from their shared origin of martial souls.

Chen Jieqi suppressed his stray thoughts, stepped forward steadily, and bowed to the three committee members:

"Greetings, committee members. I heard from teacher Qin Ming that you were looking for me?"

Looking at the youth before them who was not yet twelve but was already a Soul Ancestor, the three committee members stroked their beards one after another, their smiles warm, their eyes filled with unconcealable satisfaction and amazement.

The chief of the Education Committee, Meng Shenji, stepped forward and spoke gently:

"Xiao Qi, there is no major matter in calling you here today. It is simply that His Majesty heard that a brilliant and talented youth had arrived at the academy and specifically ordered the crown prince to come and offer his regards."

He stepped aside to reveal the young man behind him and introduced him in a clear voice:

"This is the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—Xue Qinghe."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jieqi stepped forward, his posture respectful yet neither servile nor overbearing, and bowed:

"Huangdou student Chen Jieqi, greets the crown prince."

Xue Qinghe's gaze narrowed slightly, lingering on Chen Jieqi for a moment.

The youth before him stood tall, his temperament as pure as the first light of dawn, lacking the restlessness of typical genius disciples, and instead exuding a calm and reserved nature that belied his age.

In particular, the faint, almost imperceptible sacred aura he emitted made the throbbing in "his" heart grow stronger; this pure power of light made her yearn for it.

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, the smile on Xue Qinghe's lips grew warmer, his tone humble to just the right degree:

"Chen Jieqi... what a good name.

A youth with such promise and a calm demeanor; you will surely be a pillar of the Heaven Dou Empire in the future."

He paused, adding a touch of deliberate intimacy and promise to his tone:

"I am a few years your senior; may I call you Xiao Qi?

If you don't mind, you may call me Brother Xue.

In your future path as a soul master, just focus on your cultivation with peace of mind. If you ever have need, the empire and I will be your most solid backing."

The three committee members nodded silently to the side, secretly praising:

"The crown prince is truly benevolent and possesses the virtue of respecting the talented; he will surely be a wise ruler in the future."

"Of course, thank you, Brother Xue."

Chen Jieqi replied, his tone carrying just the right amount of respect and closeness.

And this was exactly one part of his plan.

Chen Jieqi knew that once his talent was exposed, it would inevitably attract the covetousness and attention of various factions.

Although for ordinary petty individuals or sect forces, the existence of Dugu Bo as a 'nuclear deterrent' could basically prevent trouble, he dared not gamble against the Martial Soul Hall, and he certainly dared not gamble against that 'mad empress' Bibi Dong.

Although his martial soul was not a Six-Winged Angel, its pure light attribute and the 'scent' of its sacred aura were even more intense than hers. Whether it was the potential risk brought by attribute suppression or the 'scent' of the attribute stimulating Bibi Dong and reminding her of certain special past events she would rather not recall, this was like a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment.

As a pioneer of the 'survivalist' path, Chen Jieqi would naturally not ignore this blatant risk.

Thus, taking the initiative to contact this 'little angel Qian Renxue' became a logical choice. The two had no prior connection, let alone grudges, making her the safest object to leverage.

On the surface, Xue Qinghe would act as the Heaven Dou crown prince to recruit this Huangdou genius; privately, whether Qian Renxue wanted to subdue him for her own use or to compete in secret against Bibi Dong, she would subconsciously protect him well.

This was the first insurance policy Chen Jieqi had laid out for himself.

He had even deduced more extreme possibilities in his heart; if the two of them truly had the chance to fuse their martial souls, it would be equivalent to holding a "get-out-of-jail-free card."

Of course, this premise relied on being able to balance the identity of Qian Renxue well, otherwise, it might just be a different kind of "protection."

This was the first step of Chen Jieqi's plan: first, seek self-preservation.

The second step was to seek development.

Once the polite pleasantries of the Education Committee concluded, Chen Jieqi accompanied Xue Qinghe and the three committee members to the East Palace.

Inside the side hall, gilded gold reflected off jade, and the fragrance of imperial wine drifted through the air, creating a scene of peace and prosperity filled with song and dance.

After three rounds of drinks, the hall doors were suddenly kicked open violently.

Xue Beng stumbled in, wearing a disheveled brocade robe and reeking of alcohol, shouting boisterously, "Big brother, I heard you invited that genius youth from Huangdou here?

I, your younger brother, must see what kind of person he is!"

His gaze swept over Chen Jieqi's white training suit, his brows darkened, and his tone was caustic, "Is it you? Chen Jieqi?

Defeating Yu Tianheng makes you impressive?

It's nothing more than some wild, reckless tricks.

Among the descendants of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, which one of us isn't more noble in birth and stronger in power than you?

You, a commoner, are you even worthy of sitting here?"

Before his voice had even faded, he raised his hand and smashed a full cup of strong liquor onto the table in front of Chen Jieqi; the liquid splashed, soaking most of Chen Jieqi's lapels.

The expressions of the three committee members changed drastically, and just as they were about to reprimand him, they were gently held back by a wave of Xue Qinghe's hand.

Seeing this, Xue Beng became even more arrogant, circling around to stand in front of Chen Jieqi and looking down at him with a sneer, the stench of alcohol hitting his face, "A commoner is just a commoner, not even possessing a decent spirit bone.

I happen to have a century-old Wind Wolf Skull here; seeing how pathetic you are, I'll bestow it upon you!"

With that, he took a spirit bone box from his Soul Tool, and with a violent flick of his wrist, he hurled it straight at Chen Jieqi's face.

However, Chen Jieqi was only slightly startled, Holy Light suddenly tightened and snapped the box's strap, causing the trajectory of the bone box to change abruptly, smashing back squarely into Xue Beng's own face.

The movement was so fast that the onlookers merely assumed Xue Beng had slipped up himself.

"Bang!"

Xue Beng's nose bridge took the hit, and blood gushed out instantly, causing him to grimace in pain and stumble back two steps.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence, and even the dancers stopped their movements.

Chen Jieqi raised his eyes to look at him, a gentle smile hanging on his face, "Your Highness Xue Beng, since the spirit bone was already gifted, it should have been kept properly.

Though, your reflexes were quite accurate in catching it...

I just don't know, Your Highness, did you intend to gift it to me, or to yourself?"

Xue Beng was both furious and in pain, a muffled sound escaping his throat, "Enough."

Xue Qinghe's voice finally turned cold as he forcibly hauled the disheveled Xue Beng out of the hall.

The tension in the hall dissipated, and the music resumed.

Meng Shenji hurried forward, looking apologetic, "Xiao Qi, I let you be startled; His Highness was indeed out of line today."

Xue Qinghe poured more wine for Chen Jieqi, approval hidden in the depths of his eyes, "Xiao Qi, I let you see a joke."

Chen Jieqi gently swirled his new wine glass, responding with a faint smile:

"Brother Xue, you speak too seriously; it was merely His Highness losing his decorum after drinking."

He knew clearly in his heart that Xue Beng's disruption was by no means a coincidence...