A supple vine cautiously stretched out and gently touched the hem of Chen Xuan's clothes, brimming with affection and adoration.
"..."
A faint smile appeared on Chen Xuan's face. He was about to say something more when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
He turned around and saw Qian Renxue, changed back into women's clothes.
The girl wore a long, goose-yellow dress. Her figure was slender, and her golden hair spilled over her shoulders. In the moonlight, she looked like an ethereal elf untouched by worldly concerns.
Her stunning features, usually hidden beneath the Crown Prince's imposing bearing, were now revealed without reservation. She was truly a sight for sore eyes.
Chen Xuan said, "You don't need to disguise yourself when you're at my place."
"It's safe here. No one will see you."
"..."
After a pause, he added,
"It looks awkward."
At his words, a trace of disappointment stirred in Qian Renxue's heart.
Was it only... awkward?
Was there not even the slightest bit of fondness?
The thought flashed through her mind, and she quickly suppressed it, not daring to voice it.
She gave Chen Xuan a graceful curtsy and said softly, "Yes, teacher."
"I came because there are a few things about using Soul Power that I don't quite understand. I'd like to ask you about them, teacher."
She had chosen the most commonplace excuse.
Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.
"Didn't I explain how to circulate Soul Power through your meridians a few days ago?"
Qian Renxue's cheeks suddenly flushed red, like ripe apples.
She lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"I... I'm just slow-witted, teacher. I forgot after you explained it."
Seeing her like this, Chen Xuan didn't think too much of it. He assumed she had encountered a bottleneck in her cultivation.
"It's all right."
He walked over to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down. "Sit. Tell me again what you don't understand."
"Yes."
Qian Renxue obediently sat on the stone stool beside Chen Xuan and began to repeat her "question."
Chen Xuan patiently explained it to her. His voice was calm and resonant, especially clear in the still night.
As Qian Renxue listened, her thoughts gradually drifted away.
Her gaze fell, beyond her control, on Chen Xuan's handsome profile.
In the moonlight, his features were sharply defined, his eyelashes long. His eyes, usually as still as an ancient well, seemed especially deep as he focused on his explanation.
Qian Renxue's heart began to race for no reason.
As if possessed, she shifted an inch closer to Chen Xuan.
Another inch closer.
Chen Xuan didn't seem to notice anything amiss and continued explaining the finer points of Soul Power circulation.
When he didn't react, Qian Renxue grew bolder.
Her body was nearly pressed against Chen Xuan's arm. She could even feel the faint warmth radiating from him.
Thump, thump, thump.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears like a drum. A sense of nervousness and excitement unlike anything she had ever felt left her both frightened and thrilled.
To keep her teacher from noticing anything strange, she quickly gathered her thoughts and put on the appearance of someone listening intently, her golden eyes fixed on the stone table ahead.
Even as he explained, Chen Xuan sensed that something was off.
The girl's soft body was almost pressed against his, and a faint, delicate fragrance kept drifting into his nose.
He turned his head, but saw only Qian Renxue's serious, earnest expression, as though she were eager to learn.
Chen Xuan found it a little strange, but since she seemed so absorbed, he didn't dwell on it and continued explaining.
The night deepened, and an ambiguous atmosphere quietly spread between them.
Meanwhile.
Outside the gates of Blue Silver Academy, a graceful yet haughty figure had appeared.
She had short, emerald-green hair and a pretty face, though it was tinged with coldness.
Dugu Yan.
The Blue Silver Academy signboard was made from plain, unadorned wood, and its lettering was ordinary too. There wasn't the slightest hint of the grandeur of a great family.
Dugu Yan stood outside the gate with her arms crossed, impatience written all over her pretty face.
Grandpa really had grown senile.
She grumbled inwardly.
He'd been taken in by some nobody who'd appeared out of nowhere and spun him around with just a few words.
Not only had he handed over the family's ancestral treasure, the "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well," but he was also forcing her to come apprentice at some academy she'd never even heard of.
Blue Silver Academy?
She'd barely heard of it before.
And its dean, Chen Xuan—rumor had it his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass.
Dugu Yan's lips curved with a mix of exasperation and curiosity.
Even with some lucky encounters, how capable could a Soul Master with a Trash Martial Soul really be?
And he claimed he could completely cure the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in her and her grandfather... What a ridiculous fantasy.
If her grandfather hadn't insisted, she would never have set foot inside.
Though she was thoroughly displeased, Dugu Yan eventually started forward and entered the academy gates.
The academy grounds were quiet. As she crossed the front courtyard, a voice—not loud, but exceptionally clear—drifted from an open-air classroom.
"..."
Dugu Yan followed the sound with her eyes.
Dozens of young Soul Masters were sitting cross-legged on the grass. On the raised platform in front of them stood a young man dressed in a plain white robe.
He was tall and straight-backed, with ink-black hair. His hands clasped behind his back, he spoke with easy confidence.
Sunlight filtered through the tree canopy and scattered across him in patches, making his handsome face seem otherworldly, like an immortal from a painting.
Dugu Yan's breath caught slightly.
This guy... at least he looked the part.
She gave a quiet scoff and quickly pushed down the fleeting admiration.
What good did a handsome face do?
He might just be a pretty pillow with nothing inside.
She found an inconspicuous corner, leaned against a large tree, and decided to hear what this liar was talking about.
Chen Xuan's calm voice reached her ears.
"...Therefore, Innate Soul Power is not the end. It only determines how high your starting point is; it can't limit how far you'll go in the future."
"Martial Souls aren't inherently superior or inferior. What people call a Trash Martial Soul only means you haven't found the right path to evolve it."
"As for Soul Ring age limits, they aren't fixed either. They depend on the limits your will and soul can endure, not merely your physical body..."
Dugu Yan frowned as she listened.
These theories were practically heretical, completely at odds with the Soul Master knowledge that had been accepted across the Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years.
Beside her, several noble youths who were also newcomers had already begun whispering among themselves.
"What's this nonsense? Innate Soul Power is useless? Trash Martial Souls can evolve? Is this guy crazy?"
"I heard about him ages ago. The dean of Blue Silver Academy is a fraud who just wants attention. I didn't expect him to say things even more outrageous than the rumors!"
"So the rumors are true. He won the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's investment just by running his mouth."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan nodded in deep agreement.
It seemed the people really did have sharp eyes.
Before you continue