"Hey, hey, this is just unbelievable. No matter how much the leopard was holding back, he couldn't have tripped over the same rock twice in a row." Yu Feng swallowed, his face full of disbelief.
Standing off to the side, Yu Tianheng had already noticed something. Hearing Yu Feng's remark, he said gravely, "No. Rather than saying the leopard is holding back, it's more like Lan Si had already predicted his moves. This Lan Si is no simple opponent. The leopard is completely suppressed. Even without using his Martial Soul, his basic abilities alone are already superior to the leopard's while in Martial Soul Possession. And did you notice his first Soul Skill just now? It seemed like he used it casually, without putting in his full effort."
As he spoke, Yu Tianheng raised a hand and pointed at the eight blades circling around Lan Si.
"Good observation." Qin Ming, standing beside Yu Tianheng, patted him on the shoulder and sighed. "All of us, myself included, underestimated Lan Si."
"Teacher, Tianheng, does that mean Osler has no chance of winning?" Dugu Yan couldn't help asking.
"The outcome is already decided," Qin Ming said with a soft sigh. Yu Tianheng slowly nodded, agreeing.
As the two spoke, Lan Si unleashed his second Soul Skill. Nine Cyan Lotuses transformed into a rain of flying blades, sealing off every direction around Osler.
Osler had no way to dodge and could only endure the attack head-on. But there were simply too many blades, and each one was powerful. They were more than a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master like Osler could handle. Even his strongest move, his third Soul Skill, was a drop in the bucket. Whenever he knocked one wave of blades aside, another wave immediately filled the gap. Then, under Lan Si's control, the first wave would turn around and attack again. The assault was endless.
Before long, Osler was covered in wounds. His Soul Power exhausted, he collapsed to the ground.
Ye Lingling immediately released her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul and began healing everyone in the area.
To Lan Si's surprise, even though he wasn't injured, Ye Lingling's healing reached him too.
Qin Ming walked over with the rest of the Imperial Fighting Team. "Lan Si, on behalf of the Imperial Fighting Team, I congratulate you. From today onward, you're an official member of our team."
Lan Si's strength had clearly exceeded Qin Ming's expectations. At this rate, the Imperial Fighting Team would surely achieve a good result at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament two years from now.
"Lan Si, I'm Yu Tianheng, captain of the Imperial Fighting Team. My Martial Soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and I'm a Level 39 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Welcome to the team." Yu Tianheng met Lan Si's gaze and extended his right hand in friendship.
It was said that one shouldn't refuse a smiling face. Because of Qian Renxue, perhaps the two of them were fated to become enemies in the future. But at least they had no conflicts now. They shook hands amicably, and Lan Si addressed him as "Captain."
Since their captain, Yu Tianheng, had welcomed Lan Si, the rest of the Imperial Fighting Team naturally had nothing to say. Even Dugu Yan introduced herself, though she looked glum.
After everyone had introduced themselves, Qin Ming suggested they go to Heaven Dou City for a celebration to welcome Lan Si.
Everyone readily agreed.
What surprised Lan Si was that Ye Lingling didn't attend the banquet at all. But when he considered her background, he understood and didn't give it much thought.
That night, Lan Si drank a little, which was rare for him. The next morning, he said goodbye to the others and left the hotel ahead of them, making his way to the Crown Prince's Mansion.
"Stop! This is the Crown Prince's residence. Unauthorized persons are not permitted to enter." As soon as Lan Si reached the entrance, two fully armed guards blocked his way.
Lan Si took out the token Qian Renxue had given him in the Star Dou Great Forest. "I'm Lan Si, a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I've come to request an audience with the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince Token?" The guards' expressions changed when they saw the token in Lan Si's hand. Their official manner immediately gave way to obsequious deference. "Please, Lord Lan Si. His Highness gave us instructions. If you came, you were to go straight in without needing to announce yourself."
Lan Si nodded and stepped through the gate.
The first thing he noticed upon entering the Crown Prince's Mansion was that it was huge—extremely, unbelievably huge.
Never mind how lavishly it was decorated. Just crossing the grounds with the maid took nearly ten minutes before they finally arrived at the so-called reception hall.
The reception hall was several hundred square meters in size, yet Lan Si was the only person inside.
He took a sip of fragrant tea and waited in silence. Nearly half an hour passed before the reception hall's doors finally opened. A slightly husky, mid-range male voice sounded from outside. "All of you, leave. Without my permission, no one is to enter this courtyard."
Lan Si looked up and saw a young man, apparently around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, walk through the doorway.
He had short blond hair. Though he wasn't exceptionally handsome, he had a straight nose and a square jaw, and wore a clean, blue cotton robe that gave him a refreshing air. His clothes were plain, but he had a distinctive bearing.
Seeing him approach, Lan Si paused in surprise. While inwardly grumbling about Qian Renxue's theatrics, he rose at once and bowed respectfully. "Lan Si greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
"No need for formalities. Please, sit." The young man smiled faintly and gestured to a seat.
"After you, Your Highness." Lan Si couldn't help wondering: at a time like this, shouldn't she be asking how he knew she was Xue Qinghe?
They took their seats. "Xue Qinghe" first showered Lan Si with polite pleasantries, then said, "Brother Lan Si, I already know why you've come. As soon as you entered the Crown Prince's Mansion, I sent someone to fetch my younger sister. She should be here soon."
Lan Si nodded, not exposing him. Today, he wanted to see what sort of game Qian Renxue planned to play.
Suddenly, the reception hall doors opened again. A golden-haired girl in a brilliant gold court gown walked in. It was Qian Renxue.
"Big brother, why did you call me here in such a hurry?" Qian Renxue complained, then turned to Lan Si and feigned surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Hearing her, Lan Si rolled his eyes. No wonder something had seemed off. As it turned out, this "Xue Qinghe" was a fake among fakes, brought in by Qian Renxue specifically to fool him. She wanted to make a show of how she and Xue Qinghe were truly siblings, and not the same person.
"Xue'er, now that you're here, and Brother Lan Si is your friend, I'll leave you two to talk." As he spoke, "Xue Qinghe" left the reception hall. As he and Qian Renxue passed each other, Lan Si caught a glimpse of them exchanging a look.
"It's really not easy to see you." Lan Si let out a helpless sigh, took a brocade box from his Soul Tool, tossed it to Qian Renxue, then leaned back in his chair.
"What's this?" As soon as "Xue Qinghe" was gone, Qian Renxue relaxed. She caught the brocade box Lan Si had tossed her and asked him what it was.
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