Gu Qing: Qian Renxue, You're Too Weak! Dai Mubai, You Hypocritical Scoundrel!

Gu Qing did not answer immediately, instead looking Qian Renxue up and down.

"With your current cultivation, you are simply not worth looking at in front of true powerhouses."

He pointed out her weakness without the slightest bit of courtesy.

"Your strength is too pathetic; you must hurry and improve, otherwise you will only hold me back in the future."

These blunt words struck a raw nerve for Qian Renxue.

In the past, she would have undoubtedly retorted without hesitation, or even turned hostile on the spot.

But after experiencing the potent effects of the Life Domain, those words of rebuttal remained stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.

In the end, Qian Renxue could only bite her rosy lips and, in a rare display of compliance, nod her head.

"I understand."

The next morning, the atmosphere inside the Imperial Study of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace was somewhat oppressive.

Sunlight spilled onto the carpet through the carved window lattices, yet it could not dispel the gravity in the air.

Emperor Xue Ye sat upright on the massive dragon throne, his gaze fixed tightly on the refined middle-aged man standing below.

"Sect Master Ning, regarding the matter of me sending Sword Douluo to secretly test that Gu Qing yesterday, what was the result?"

The emperor's voice carried a hint of urgency and inquiry.

A young man who could embarrass the Crown Prince in public and dared to display astonishing strength at the Lantern Festival was someone he could not afford to overlook.

Ning Fengzhi wore a moon-white brocade robe, but his expression was not as composed as usual.

He bowed slightly, his mind filled with the image of Sword Douluo's disheveled appearance from the previous night and that assertion about the potential to become a god.

After a moment of contemplation, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect looked up and met Emperor Xue Ye's gaze.

"Your Majesty."

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, his lips moved slightly, and in the end, he only uttered four words.

"Do not offend him."

These four words struck like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against Emperor Xue Ye's heart.

The old emperor's eyelids twitched violently, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.

"What does the Sect Master mean by this?"

Emperor Xue Ye pressed urgently.

"Sword Douluo is a level 96 Super Douluo; could it be that even he failed to fathom that brat's bottom line? How exactly did the exchange go?"

Faced with the emperor's rapid-fire questioning, Ning Fengzhi chose silence.

He lowered his eyes, refusing to reveal another word.

The rules of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and his future plans would never allow him to leak Gu Qing's true strength to the Imperial House.

Seeing Ning Fengzhi's inscrutable demeanor, Emperor Xue Ye found it difficult to force an answer.

"If Your Majesty has no other instructions, then this humble subject shall take his leave."

Ning Fengzhi bowed in salute once more, then turned and exited the Imperial Study.

As the heavy palace doors closed once again, only Emperor Xue Ye remained inside the study.

The old emperor leaned back against the dragon throne in a state of dejection, his eyes filled with deep apprehension and worry.

To be able to make the typically arrogant Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect give such a high evaluation—to the point where he wouldn't even discuss the details—meant one thing.

Gu Qing's identity and background were absolutely a hundred times more terrifying than what appeared on the surface.

Emperor Xue Ye's mind could not help but drift to the relationship between Gu Qing and Xue Qinghe; the two were still living together.

If these two young men were to cooperate.

One was an unfathomable, mysterious genius, and the other was the future heir to the Heaven Dou Empire.

Both were favored by the heavens, lacking neither strategy nor cunning.

Once they harbored ambitions to usurp the throne, the entire foundation of the Heaven Dou Empire would surely fall into an irreversible crisis.

The old emperor's fingers gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

This empire, he feared, was about to face a great storm.

As dusk gathered, the Heaven Dou Imperial City was gradually lit up by brilliant lanterns.

Gu Qing left the Crown Prince Mansion alone, strolling casually along the bustling streets.

Days of cultivation and planning had left him wanting to find a place to relax for a while.

Without realizing it, he turned into a slightly secluded alley and pushed open the door to a bar with a vintage sign.

The light inside the bar was dim, and soothing music flowed through the air.

Gu Qing had just sat down in a secluded corner and ordered a glass of strong liquor.

The sound of a suppressed argument coming from the next booth caught his attention.

Through the dim, flickering lights, two familiar figures came into view.

They were Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing from Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai sat on the edge of the sofa, his body leaning forward aggressively, almost forcing Zhu Zhuqing back into the corner.

The blonde youth's eyes were filled with undisguised greed and desire, staring fixedly at the hot, alluring body before him.

He had always coveted Zhu Zhuqing's beauty and perfect figure, dreaming of completely possessing this cold and elegant fiancée.

Yet, despite her hot and sexy appearance, Zhu Zhuqing was a woman of extremely traditional values at her core.

No matter how much Dai Mubai fawned over her, she always maintained a cold distance, refusing to submit no matter what.

The long-term frustration of being unable to obtain her, coupled with the irritation caused by Oscar's serious injury, made Dai Mubai completely lose his patience.

"Zhuqing, stop putting on this look of keeping people at a distance."

Dai Mubai reached out, intending to grab the girl's wrist, but she dodged him with vigilance.

This evasion instantly ignited the Evil Fire in Dai Mubai's heart.

He stood up abruptly, bracing his hands on the back of the sofa, trapping Zhu Zhuqing completely in the narrow space.

"Isn't the reason you came here for me?"

Dai Mubai's tone gradually turned sinister as he began to issue threats.

"If you want to cultivate the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with me to break the family's fate, we need to have a relationship to understand each other better."

"Since we need to be in perfect sync, isn't this only natural?"

Hearing these incredibly shameless remarks, Zhu Zhuqing's face turned pale instantly.

She pushed hard against the man who kept closing in, her eyes filled with resistance and disgust.

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

The girl's voice trembled slightly, yet it carried a final trace of stubbornness.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing was still holding out, Dai Mubai completely tore off his mask of hypocrisy.

"If you aren't willing, I will never pay attention to you again."

He straightened his body, looking down at his fiancée huddled in the corner.

"When the family assessment fails, you will only be killed by your sister."

Her fatal weakness was poked without mercy, and Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled violently.

The cruel competition rules of the Star Luo Empire royal family were like a mountain, pressing down on her chest.

If she could not get Dai Mubai's cooperation, she would surely die.

A mist of despair gradually surfaced in those cold, clear eyes.

Under the immense pressure of life and death, the line of defense she had held in her heart began to loosen under Dai Mubai's words.

Seeing that his prey was about to yield, a cold smirk of success curled the corners of Dai Mubai's mouth.

He reached out his hands without hesitation, preparing to wrap them around the girl's slender waist.

Just as those lecherous hands were about to touch Zhu Zhuqing's clothes.

A tall, upright figure suddenly stepped out from the dim shadows.