Before long, a cocktail glowing with an entrancing blue-purple light was pushed to the edge of the bar.
Almost at the same moment, the wooden wind chime on the tavern door gave a soft ring.
A slightly petite young woman in plain clothes walked in.
A few freckles dotted her cheeks, her skin was faintly yellow, and her features were utterly ordinary. She was the sort of person who could disappear into a crowd, never to be found again.
No one could possibly connect the plain girl before them with Xue Qinghe, the exalted Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
This was Qian Renxue in disguise.
She had put a great deal of thought into her appearance for this rendezvous.
Qian Renxue walked up to the bar and pulled out a stool.
As she looked at the vividly colored drink before her, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
"You know how to mix drinks?"
Qian Renxue reached out, picked up the glass, and held it beneath her nose to give it a gentle sniff.
A faint fruity fragrance, mingled with the rich aroma of alcohol, wafted toward her.
Without hesitation, she tipped her head back and drained the glass.
The chilled liquor slid down her throat. At first, it tasted faintly bitter, but then a rich sweetness burst across her tongue.
This fine drink, with its distinct layers and unique flavor, was even a little better than the aged tribute wines kept in the imperial palace.
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly, savoring the lingering fragrance in her mouth.
She said nothing, but the light in her eyes gave away how she felt.
This man before her always seemed able to produce something unexpected.
It only made her all the more curious about Gu Qing.
Setting down the empty glass, Qian Renxue looked up at the man behind the bar.
"Where are we going next?"
There was a hint of anticipation in her voice, though it was barely perceptible.
Gu Qing stepped out from behind the bar and straightened his sleeves.
"The Great Soul Arena."
The four brief, firm words rang out clearly in the quiet tavern.
At the heart of Heaven Dou City, a vast, magnificent oval building stood beneath the night sky.
Although it was already deep into the night, the place remained brightly lit and bustling with people.
Deafening cheers drifted from within its towering walls.
Gu Qing stopped with Qian Renxue outside the main entrance of the Great Soul Arena.
Qian Renxue halted as she looked up at the enormous sign blazing above the entrance.
"Why did you bring me here?"
She furrowed her brow slightly, her eyes full of confusion.
With her current cultivation and status as the Martial Soul Hall Young Master, this sort of arena, built to entertain the masses, was beneath her.
What was more, if she revealed her true strength here, she might draw the attention of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the other factions.
Gu Qing turned around and gazed calmly at Qian Renxue's puzzled face.
"Real combat will always be the best teacher for improving your strength."
"Your Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul is powerful, but you've been pampered and lack real life-and-death battles."
Gu Qing pinpointed the crux of the problem.
"A Martial Soul that has never been tempered by blood and real combat is ultimately just a flashy ornament."
At his assessment, Qian Renxue instinctively wanted to argue.
But when she recalled the terrifying methods Gu Qing had displayed earlier at the Crown Prince Mansion, she swallowed the words that had risen to her lips.
She could only force down her misgivings.
"Since you say so, I'll trust you this time."
Qian Renxue took a deep breath and was just about to turn away to make some preparations.
She had barely taken half a step when a strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
With a slight tug, he pulled her straight back.
"You're going like this?"
Gu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked Qian Renxue's outfit up and down.
"You're certainly in disguise, but the Soul Fighting Arena is a mixed bag, and the place is crawling with spies from every faction."
"Once you fight, the characteristics of your Soul Power fluctuations could easily be detected by powerful experts with keen senses."
Qian Renxue raised her chin, confident in her disguise.
"I developed this technique with great care. Even the Soul Douluo in the imperial palace couldn't see through it."
"As long as I control my Soul Power carefully, no one will recognize me."
Gu Qing paid no mind to her confidence. With a casual flip of his hand, he took an object from the Sign-in System's space.
It was a piece of rough, dark-colored bark.
It looked as though it had been stripped from some old tree by the roadside.
"Take it."
Gu Qing held out the Millennium Banyan Bark to Qian Renxue.
"Stick it against your body."
Qian Renxue stared at the unremarkable piece of bark, her face full of disdain.
"What exactly is this?"
Gu Qing offered no lengthy explanation. He simply pushed the bark into her hand.
"This thing can not only suppress your cultivation completely, bringing it down to around level thirty..."
"More importantly, it can perfectly distort the energy fluctuations when you release your Martial Soul."
"Once you stick it on, even if a Titled Douluo stands right in front of you, they won't recognize your Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul."
Qian Renxue's eyes widened at his words.
As she held the seemingly ordinary bark, she could faintly sense an extremely strange and ancient energy within it.
Even the Spirit Hall treasury had never held a treasure capable of fooling the world like this.
"How many more secrets are you hiding?"
Qian Renxue couldn't help marveling to herself.
Following Gu Qing's instructions, she tucked the Millennium Banyan Bark into the lining of her inner garment.
The moment it touched her, a strange chill quickly spread through her body.
Qian Renxue could clearly feel the vast, sacred Angel Soul Power within her being wrapped in an invisible force.
The aura she gave off plummeted from unfathomable to that of an ordinary Soul Elder.
Even the fluctuations of her Martial Soul's attributes grew indistinct.
"How amazing."
Qian Renxue rotated her wrist, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
With this disguise, she could fight to her heart's content in the Soul Fighting Arena without holding back.
Gu Qing watched Qian Renxue, whose aura had completely changed, then turned and headed for the registration desk.
The Soul Fighting Arena's registration hall was packed with people, and all kinds of commotion mingled together.
Gu Qing walked up to the counter and tapped on it.
The staff member looked up and handed him a registration form.
Gu Qing took the pen and quickly filled in the information.
Qian Renxue leaned closer, wanting to see what level of opponent he had signed her up to face.
The moment her gaze landed on the paper, she froze.
"Are you crazy?"
Qian Renxue lowered her voice and grabbed Gu Qing's arm.
The form clearly stated that the competitor's cultivation was level thirty and the challenge opponent was a level-forty Soul Ancestor.
Gu Qing put down the pen and pushed the form back to the staff member.
"Real combat across a ten-level gap is what will bring out your true potential."
Before you continue