Old Grudges

The Earth Dragon Sect truly deserved its place among the top two sects in Dragon City. Disciples streamed through its courtyard, and Qin Yue could occasionally sense Soul Power erupting repeatedly somewhere nearby. Clearly, the disciples were sparring with one another.

Perhaps because its sect master, Nan Shuishui, was a woman, the Earth Dragon Sect had a majority of female Soul Masters. With a single glance, Qin Yue found that nearly two-thirds of them were women.

However, they looked considerably older than Qin Yue, yet their cultivation was generally rather weak. Most were between Level 30 Soul Elders and Level 40 Soul Ancestors, so Qin Yue merely glanced at them twice before losing interest.

Yet just as beautiful women attracted men's attention, handsome men likewise drew women's gazes. Qin Yue had only been walking behind the guard when he caught the attention of quite a few female Soul Masters.

Perhaps due to their age, these female Soul Masters reacted completely differently from the ones Qin Yue had encountered at Shrek Academy. Not only did they openly gather in small groups to comment on his looks, some even stepped forward on their own to get a closer look.

Experiencing such treatment for the first time, Qin Yue was somewhat taken aback. He could only clear his throat to remind the guard ahead, whose eyes had gone wide, to pick up the pace, then lowered his head and entered the reception hall.

Perhaps unable to gauge Qin Yue's background or intentions, not long after he sat down in the hall, two beauties with pink hair—one older and one younger—walked in one after the other.

One had a tranquil expression and the bearing of a noble lady. The other still looked somewhat immature, but possessed a lively temperament, her eyes and movements brimming with youthful vitality.

Their faces resembled each other, but their temperaments were entirely different. Each had her own unique charm.

Qin Yue rose to his feet and cupped his fists. "I am Qin Yue, from Shrek City."

A trace of confusion flashed through the elegant and dignified beauty's eyes. As a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse, she could naturally tell that the tall and burly Qin Yue was actually quite young.

And in the world of Soul Masters, youth meant one's strength could not be all that great. That so-called "transaction" was probably nothing more than a minor affair.

She instinctively found it somewhat amusing. As the sect master of the Earth Dragon Sect and a notable figure in Dragon City, she had actually been bluffed by such a little brat.

But doubts were doubts. Nan Shuishui showed no outward reaction. Upon hearing Qin Yue greet her first, she likewise cupped her fists in return. "I am Nan Shuishui, the sect master of the Earth Dragon Sect. May I ask why you have come to our Earth Dragon Sect?"

The younger beauty beside Nan Shuishui had bright, lively eyes. While admiring Qin Yue's appearance, she quietly pricked up her ears, clearly just as curious about his purpose.

Qin Yue understood that if he wished to speak as an equal with Nan Shuishui, the master of a sect, he first needed to catch her attention. He immediately brought out the greatest backing he could openly claim:

"This junior was fortunate enough to receive guidance from an elder of my family, the Prison Sea Douluo. I learned that the Earth Dragon Sect once obtained an exceptionally rare ore containing dense ice-elemental energy. It happens to be something I need, so I naturally came for it."

Nan Shuishui's expression hardened. At present, she was the only person in the Earth Dragon Sect who knew about the ice-elemental ore. She had not even had time to tell her daughter, Nan Qiuqiu. How had this mysterious little brat before her learned of it?

Had an ancestor accidentally revealed it, or had someone secretly infiltrated the sect and leaked the information? Nan Shuishui's gaze flickered. Several times, she wanted to suppress Qin Yue and interrogate him thoroughly, but she was wary of the "Prison Sea Douluo" he had mentioned, afraid that acting rashly would bring a powerful enemy to their door.

This boy might have merely been borrowing a tiger's might and possessed no true background at all, but Nan Shuishui, who bore the fate of the entire Earth Dragon Sect on her shoulders, would never gamble on it. Nor did she dare.

Second by second, time passed. Sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere, Nan Qiuqiu quietly moved to the other side, forming a pincer position with her mother, Nan Shuishui, ready at any moment to use Martial Soul Possession and intercept Qin Yue.

Though she was still young and her cultivation was not particularly high, the inherited Martial Soul of her family, the Rouge Dragon, possessed special attributes. This man before her would never dare take it head-on!

After a long while, Nan Shuishui finally ended her internal struggle. She calmed herself, and a smile returned to her face.

"What a coincidence. Although our Earth Dragon Sect is located in Dragon City near the Far North, there are not many ice-elemental Soul Masters in our sect. That special ice-elemental ore is valuable, certainly, but it is not actually important to the Earth Dragon Sect."

"Previously, I discussed a possible trade with the Heavenly Dragon Douluo of the Heavenly Dragon Sect on the other side of Dragon City. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dragon Sect has even fewer ice-elemental Soul Masters than the Earth Dragon Sect, so the matter ultimately came to nothing."

The implication was clear: as long as the boy was willing to pay, she was willing to sell. And she knew Title Douluo too, so he had better not entertain any thoughts of taking it by force!

Qin Yue gave a slight nod after hearing this. His gaze shifted to Nan Qiuqiu, who had moved closer again, and he presented the bargaining chip he had long prepared.

"Has Sect Master Nan ever heard of the Ascending Dragon Pill?"

"The Ascending Dragon Pill? The Ascending Dragon Pill said to enhance the origin of dragon-type Martial Souls?" Nan Shuishui froze, then her expression changed. "The Ascending Dragon Pill... Qin, are you from the Qin Clan of Forest Spirit City?! Has Qin Haichuan, that old... old senior, broken through to become a Title Douluo?!"

"Grandpa Chuan has indeed successfully broken through. His Title is Prison Sea." Qin Yue smiled faintly.

Nan Shuishui instantly clenched her teeth, and even her breathing quickened. In her resentment, Qin Yue's face became increasingly detestable, and she wished she could kick this brat straight out of the Earth Dragon Sect!

Qin Yue sensed that something was off. Could this woman be one of the romantic debts that old fool of a clan head left outside? He cautiously asked, "Sect Master Nan, have you heard of our clan head?"

"Heard of him? Of course I've heard of Qin Haichuan, and of the 'famous' Ascending Dragon Pill!"

Nan Shuishui gritted her teeth. The more she looked at Qin Yue, the angrier she became, until she simply turned around to stare out the door.

Nan Qiuqiu's eyes lit up. Realizing there seemed to be some juicy gossip to hear, she eagerly pricked up her ears, even if it involved her own mother.

"My Innate Soul Power was Level Eight. Even throughout Dragon City, I was considered a genius. From childhood, I vowed to make the Earth Dragon Sect flourish and surpass the Heavenly Dragon Sect on the other side of the city."

"After growing up, I learned of that Old Heavenly Dragon's existence. His Level 95 cultivation made me feel inferior, but that was fine. That old dragon was simply too advanced in age. At most, he could hold on another twenty or thirty years, while the next generation of the Heavenly Dragon Sect was far inferior to me. When the time came, naturally, those who came later would surpass those before them."

At this point, Nan Shuishui abruptly turned around and glared viciously at Qin Yue. It was as if the one standing before her was not Qin Yue, but Qin Haichuan, whom she had unexpectedly encountered all those years ago.

"But all of that was destroyed by Qin Haichuan—destroyed by that damned Ascending Dragon Pill!"