An encounter on the street

Flender found nothing strange about that. He closed the book and said gravely:

"If you really want historical records like those, stop wasting your time in these ordinary bookshops."

"The most complete collections of ancient Soul Master texts on the continent are either in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's library, the Spirit Hall Academy in Spirit City, or the Star Luo Empire's academy."

"If none of those three places have the martial soul records you're after, there's no point looking anywhere else."

Lin Feng finished the last book without finding so much as half an ancient text on immortal herbs or special martial souls.

He sighed and shoved the old book back onto the shelf with a smack, disappointment written all over his face.

"The Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

"Can you get me in, old man?"

That had actually been one of his plans for this trip to Heaven Dou City.

His conveniently acquired teacher was currently posing as Xue Qinghe, serving as the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince.

With the crown prince's status, getting into the library would take no more than a word. Best of all, it would keep his teacher from digging into his reasons.

"No."

Flender shook his head, pushed up the crystal glasses on his nose, and shot him an irritated glance.

"I don't have a scrap of a connection with those old fellows at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. That place is the Heaven Dou Empire's treasure vault, and its library is the treasure vault within the treasure vault. You think just anyone can walk in?"

Then he changed tack, narrowing his eyes with a smile.

"But come to think of it, isn't your teacher pretty high up in Spirit Hall? Leaving a connection like that unused would be a waste."

"If you're serious about finding those books, we can make a trip to Spirit City. Spirit Hall's collection is far more complete than the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's."

"Well, well. A mighty Soul Saint, and you haven't made much of yourself, have you, Dean?"

Lin Feng stretched and teased him with a sidelong glance, then turned toward the bookshop's exit.

"Let's see how things go first. Spirit City is thousands of li away. I'll ask my teacher later and see if she has any connections at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Having a junior tell him to his face that he had amounted to little left Flender unable to save face. He scoffed, stiffened his neck, and retorted.

"What the hell do you know, brat? I have old friends in all of the Three Upper Sects, and a scholarly Grandmaster whose theories are unrivaled under heaven is a sworn brother I've faced death with. You think I've spent all these decades in the soul master world for nothing?"

The words "theories are unrivaled" instantly brought Yu Xiaogang's name to Lin Feng's mind. He couldn't hold back a snort of laughter and waved a hand.

"Oh, come on, Dean. There aren't any outsiders here. We're among our own—we know what we're really worth. You're a Soul Saint, and all you've managed is a shabby little academy. How much better could that sworn brother of yours be doing? He might be even worse off than you."

Flender immediately bristled at that. His face flushed red, and he glared at Lin Feng as he defended his good brother.

"What do you know, brat? His theories just lack verification. Sooner or later, they'll shake the entire soul master world."

Lin Feng tilted his head slightly and pressed him with a curious expression.

"Well, Dean, now I'm curious. You make this Grandmaster with his unrivaled theories sound so amazing—what level is he?"

The question caught Flender off guard, and he instantly wilted. His gaze wandered, and his voice lost its confidence.

"Tw... twenty-nine. A Soul Grandmaster."

"A level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, and he dares call himself a Grandmaster of unrivaled theories?"

Lin Feng paused, then stroked his chin and nodded solemnly, speaking with a perfectly straight face.

"All right. I'm a proud level thirty-eight Soul Elder, nine levels above him and only two steps away from becoming a Soul Ancestor. If he can call himself a Grandmaster, surely it's only fair for me to call myself a great grandmaster of theory?"

"Mm! And you're a Soul Saint, old man, so we'd have to call you a saint of theory. Our domination of the Soul Master theoretical world is just around the corner!"

Flender's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. No longer willing to argue over such twisted logic, he clasped his hands behind his back and gave an arrogant snort.

"Words are useless. Once you meet him yourself, you'll know how impressive his theories are."

Lin Feng rolled his eyes and couldn't be bothered to argue any further.

Failing to break through level thirty until past fifty really was impressive. Most people couldn't manage that.

In any case, Yu Xiaogang wasn't his teacher. Whether his theories were impressive or not had absolutely nothing to do with Lin Feng.

Meanwhile,

Xue Qinghe had just left the imperial palace after dealing with a mountain of tedious formalities. Reclining in his jolting carriage, he absently rubbed the space between his brows.

The bustling streets of the imperial capital passed outside the window, but he had no interest in looking. His eyes were filled with the weariness of navigating the court's power struggles.

Suddenly, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar figure on the street out of the corner of his eye.

His languid posture instantly straightened. He flung up the carriage curtain and called urgently to the driver.

"Stop."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The driver hurriedly pulled the reins. All four snow-white steeds raised their hooves together, and the carriage came to a steady halt by the roadside.

"Xiao Linzi?"

Xue Qinghe stared at the handsome figure not far away, along with Flender beside him. Once he was certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, a peculiar expression crossed his face.

What was this fellow suddenly doing in Heaven Dou City?

The exhaustion of maintaining his disguise and the loneliness he could share with no one had weighed on his heart for days. At the sight of Lin Feng, they scattered as though swept away by a breeze. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his spirits inexplicably lightened.

"Xiao Linzi?"

Lin Feng had been bickering with Flender when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He instinctively turned and looked toward the voice.

An extravagantly luxurious gilded carriage stood by the roadside. Beside it was a young man with a gentle, refined bearing, his brocade robes making his distinguished status plain. He was looking at Lin Feng with a smile.

Lin Feng was dumbfounded and turned his head from side to side.

"Who's that? Do I know him? Could he mean someone else with the same name?"

While he was still looking bewildered, Xue Qinghe walked leisurely over and stopped before him.

"Stop looking around. I'm calling you."

Seeing Lin Feng's utterly baffled expression, he couldn't help chuckling.

Lin Feng stared at that completely unfamiliar face, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Have you mistaken me for someone else, brother? Why don't I remember you at all?"

Xue Qinghe smiled warmly and politely.

"You may not know me, but your teacher has mentioned her money-grubbing disciple to me quite often—the little fellow nicknamed the gold-swallowing beast."

"Your teacher and I are... very good friends. Just call me Brother Xue. But what brings you to Heaven Dou City all of a sudden?"

At the words "Brother Xue," Lin Feng immediately thought of his teacher's undercover identity as the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince. His mind buzzed, and realization struck him on the spot.

He gave the wary-looking Flender beside him a meaningful glance, then put on a familiar smile and deliberately adopted the air of someone exasperated by another's failure to do better.

"Come on, Brother Xue. You say you're good friends with my teacher, but today's her birthday. How could you forget that?"

"She used to travel all that way to visit me every time. This time, it's my turn to come find her."

Xue Qinghe froze on the spot.

Over all these years, no one except his student Lin Feng had ever remembered his birthday. Even he had nearly forgotten this special day amid the endless routine of maintaining his disguise.

A wave of warmth instantly enveloped his cold, numb heart. Coming back to his senses, he looked at Lin Feng and couldn't help chuckling, his voice carrying a tenderness he hadn't noticed himself.

"That's my fault. I've been so busy these past few days that I actually forgot something so important. Thank you for reminding me, Xiao Linzi."

As he spoke, he took out a storage Soul Tool and held it out to Lin Feng, speaking gently.

"It's our first meeting, and I haven't had much chance to prepare anything. Take this as a welcome gift. If you run into any trouble in Heaven Dou City or want anything, you can come straight to me."