What Do You Mean, Just a Little Lucky?

"Okay, turn around now."

Upon hearing Lin Qingmo's voice, Qian Renxue cautiously turned around.

I breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was really dressed.

But a blush still lingered on her face, like a thin layer of sunset.

"What you just did..." Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, "Was it on purpose?"

"What do you mean, intentional?"

Lin Qingmo looked completely innocent, his expression as pure as a young monk who had just emerged from a temple.

"You were the one who was staring at me blankly."

"Besides, I'm the one who got seen naked, and I'm the one who suffers. What's your rush?"

"You--"

Qian Renxue found herself unable to refute.

That statement does seem to make sense.

wrong.

This is a huge problem!

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

We can't let this guy lead us astray.

This guy has a natural ability.

He turns any serious occasion into his own arena, then defeats you with his vast experience.

"What exactly is going on with your Spirit Ring?"

Qian Renxue changed the subject, her tone becoming serious.

"I've never heard of Spirit Ring Age being increased after birth."

"Moreover, directly skipping the ten-thousand-year bottleneck and becoming Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring completely violates the common sense of the Soul Master World."

"Common sense?"

Lin Qingmo slowly and deliberately adjusted his collar, his movements so elegant that it was as if he wasn't even putting on clothes.

"Common sense is meant to be broken."

Can't you be serious for once?

"I'm very serious."

Lin Qingmo spread his hands, a harmless smile on his face.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Qian Renxue stared at his serious face.

I really want to slap him.

I really want to.

But she held back.

Do you know what this means?

Qian Renxue lowered her voice slightly, her gaze unconsciously sweeping around, even though there were only the two of them in the Secret Chamber.

"Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring —how many people in the entire Douluo Continent possess that?"

"Tang Hao is one, but apart from him, there are very few Titled Douluo who have had such an opportunity."

She paused, then emphasized her words.

"And you're only Level 60 right now."

"Once exposed, do you know how many Titled Douluo will come looking for trouble for you?"

Those Old Monster.

Those madmen who covet the Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Those forces that don't want to see a genius grow up.

They would swarm in like sharks smelling blood, devouring Lin Qingmo until nothing was left.

"So, it's a secret for now," Lin Qingmo said.

"Temporary?"

Yes, temporarily.

Lin Qingmo walked to the window and pushed it open.

The sky outside had been cleansed by the Thunder Tribulation, becoming a clear, bright blue without a single extra cloud.

Sunlight shone on his face.

"When I am strong enough, strong enough that I no longer need to hide myself."

He turned around, a faint smile on his lips, "Let the world see again."

He said this in a very calm tone.

But Qian Renxue saw something in those eyes.

That was absolute self-confidence.

A kind of unwavering certainty that comes from the very core of one's being.

It was as if Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring was just a trivial little goal on his life's to-do list, and once it was checked off, there would be another one.

"You're not afraid at all," Qian Renxue snorted.

"What's the use of being afraid?"

Lin Qingmo laughed and said, "Does being afraid really change the Spirit Ring back?"

"Will fear make those who covet it disappear on their own?"

Instead of being afraid, we should think about how to deal with it next.

He took two steps back, then suddenly stopped.

"To be honest, you staring at me like that puts a lot of pressure on me."

Qian Renxue then realized that she had been looking at him with an extremely complicated expression since the beginning.

His eyes held a mixture of shock, curiosity, scrutiny, and something else that was hard to define.

"Actually, I want to ask... are you human?"

After holding it in for a long time, Qian Renxue finally managed to utter this sentence.

"A genuine human being." Lin Qingmo shrugged. "Just a tiny bit luckier."

"Just a tiny bit?"

Qian Renxue's lips twitched.

From three purple and two black to two purple, two black, and one red, you call that "just a tiny bit"?

If this is considered just a tiny bit, then the entire standard for judging geniuses in the Soul Master World would have to be revised.

Those Soul Master who risk their lives for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring would probably collectively vomit blood upon hearing this.

"And if we're even luckier—" Qian Renxue couldn't help but complain, "Are you planning to dye all your Spirit Ring rings red?"

Lin Qingxu actually thought about it for a second.

"It's not impossible."

"You--"

Just kidding.

Lin Qingmo waved his hand, his smile fading slightly.

"To be honest, this improvement was beyond my expectations."

"I absorbed a special Spirit Ring before, which would attract Thunder Tribulation every once in a while. The natural increase in the Spirit Ring Age is just a byproduct."

He said it so casually.

But Qian Renxue knew that behind that so-called "byproduct" lay the pain of being struck by eighty-one bolts of lightning.

It's a recurring cycle of being struck by lightning, leaving one's skin torn and then forcibly healed.

It is a perilous situation where the slightest misstep could lead to annihilation.

This guy spoke so casually, but Qian Renxue wasn't stupid.

"You must have been in a lot of pain when you were struck by lightning, right?" she suddenly asked.

Lin Qingmo paused for a moment, then smiled.

"It hurts! Why doesn't it hurt?"

He stretched his shoulders. "But I'm used to it."

"The path of cultivation is never without its pains."

Qian Renxue fell silent.

The two of them just stared at each other, neither of them saying a word.

The Secret Chamber fell silent, save for the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.

A while later...

Qian Renxue spoke.

I won't tell anyone your secret.

Her tone was no longer as fierce as before, but had regained the composure and decisiveness befitting Crown Prince.

"But correspondingly--"

"In return, I owe you a favor?" Lin Qingmo finished her sentence for her.

Qian Renxue glared at him. "Can't you let me finish what I have to say?"

"Sorry, it's just a habit."

Lin Qingmo gestured for him to continue, "You may continue."

"I don't want to talk anymore now that you've interrupted me."

Qian Renxue glared at him, annoyed.

"Oh, right."

Lin Qingmo suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Qian Renxue.

"How's it going outside?"

"That was quite a commotion."

Qian Renxue snapped out of her daze, the blush on her face quickly fading, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Although Elder Pork Pufferfish and Elder Snake Lance Pufferfish tried to cover it up, the commotion caused by the Thunder Tribulation was too great."

She said in a deep voice, "Eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning struck in succession; the entire Soul Master of Heaven Dou City probably sensed it."

"It won't be long before spies from all sides swarm in like flies."

"That's troublesome."

Lin Qingmo stroked his chin, his mind racing as he considered possible solutions.

"I've already sent people to spread disinformation."

Qian Renxue said, "No one should be able to find out about the Crown Prince Mansion in the short term."