Qian Renxue: Lan, Congratulations! The Terrifying Strength of One Against Seven! The Shark Boy!

"Yikes... That kid went way too hard!"

"Hard? He downright humiliated her! He went for a girl's chest!"

"But... don't you think that slash just now was as fast as Gui Mei?"

The crowd below the stage buzzed with chatter, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit an egg.

In the VIP seats, Xue Qinghe's body stiffened slightly. He instinctively touched his own chest.

For a moment, he seemed to feel a faint, icy touch there, too.

He watched the boy's retreating figure on the arena, curiosity practically taking shape in the depths of his eyes.

On the other side of the arena,

Ye Lingling, the last remaining member of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, stared blankly at what had just happened.

She wasn't horrified or enraged like everyone else.

Quite the opposite.

A sickly flush spread across her cheeks, and an unusual light ignited in her autumn-clear eyes.

Even her breathing had grown a little quick.

She watched the shocking wound across Dugu Yan's chest, watched the bright red blood, and parted her lips slightly, as if anticipating something.

Lan turned around.

His gaze passed over Dugu Yan, who was clutching her chest and staggering, and settled on Ye Lingling.

He walked toward her, one step at a time.

He made no effort to conceal his killing intent.

He had meant to finish her with one slash.

Quick and clean.

But when he reached Ye Lingling and prepared to swing, he met a pair of eyes... filled with excitement and anticipation?

Lan's movements paused.

His brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Something was very wrong with this woman.

The next second, he flipped his wrist, and Shark Blade traced a dark blue arc through the air.

Thud!

A dull sound rang out.

The hilt, not the blade, slammed squarely into Ye Lingling's soft lower abdomen.

"Ugh..."

Ye Lingling let out a muffled groan. Like a kite with its string cut, she flew backward and fell right off the arena.

The whole place sank into another strange silence.

No one had expected this god of slaughter to show mercy in the end.

"The match is over!"

It wasn't until the referee's ringing voice called out that everyone snapped back to reality.

"The winner—Skywater Academy!"

Lan put away his short blade without expression, and the dark blue weapon vanished into thin air.

He turned and calmly walked off the arena.

As if the person who had just fought seven opponents alone hadn't been him.

The moment he stepped down, a resentful gaze pinned him in place.

It was Dugu Yan.

Soul Masters from the Heaven Dou team's healing division had already treated her wound, but the front of her clothes was still stained with blood.

Lan's gaze didn't linger on her.

He glanced at Ye Lingling, who was being helped up by her teammates.

That abnormal flush remained on her face, and there was even a... satisfied smile at the corner of her mouth?

Lan thought to himself,

The Nine Heart Begonia really is powerful.

"Captain!"

"Lan!"

"We won! We won, ahhh!"

Before he could think any further, a wave of fragrant air swept over him.

The girls from Skywater Academy could no longer contain themselves. Screaming, they surrounded him.

Shui Yue'er was the most direct of them all. She leaped onto him like a nimble koala, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck from behind, and hung off him.

"Captain, you're so strong! So handsome! I love you so much!"

The girl's soft body pressed tight against his back. Her fitted blue uniform traced her youthful curves, and her fragrant hair brushed Lan's cheek. Her long, shapely legs, clad in white thigh-high socks, swung excitedly beside him, drawing plenty of attention.

Shui Yue'er squeezed him until he almost couldn't breathe, but Lan's face remained expressionless.

"We beat the Heaven Dou Royal Team! We beat them for the first time!"

"Captain, you're practically my god!"

The other team members crowded around, their eyes sparkling as they chattered excitedly, gazing at Lan with nothing but admiration.

Shui Bing'er pushed through the crowd and walked over.

She wasn't as lively as her younger sister, but her peerlessly beautiful face was bright with undisguised joy and pride.

She looked at Lan, with her sister still hanging off him. Her usually cool eyes shone like stars in the Far North.

"With big brother here, we'll definitely win the championship at the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

The girl's voice rang out, clear and firm. She straightened her slender waist, accentuating its stunning curve, while her long, jade-like legs stood graceful beneath her uniform skirt.

"We'll become the strongest team!"

As soon as Shui Bing'er finished speaking, Shui Yue'er, still hanging off Lan, eagerly chimed in.

"Right! The strongest team! With our captain here, Spirit Hall Academy and the rest don't stand a chance!"

The girls around them wore proud smiles, chattering excitedly about the glories that lay ahead.

Just then, a warm voice came from behind them, rising clearly above the noise.

"Lan, congratulations on your victory."

Everyone turned at the sound.

The crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe, was approaching with a warm, jade-like smile.

He was tall and graceful, and every movement carried a natural nobility that inspired goodwill.

The girls from Skywater Academy fell silent at once, looking a little tense and self-conscious as they bowed to him.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Xue Qinghe smiled and waved a hand, but his gaze remained fixed on the expressionless boy in the middle of the crowd.

"Your performance truly exceeded my expectations."

He stopped in front of Lan, his eyes full of undisguised admiration.

"There may be no one among the younger generation who can stand against you."

Shui Yue'er tactfully slid down from Lan's back and joined the other team members, curiously sizing up the legendary crown prince.

Xue Qinghe changed the subject, his tone turning as familiar as an elder brother's.

"Tell me, little brother Lan, are you engaged?"

At this, the girls from Skywater Academy pricked up their ears. Even a flicker of something unusual passed through Shui Bing'er's cool eyes.

Xue Qinghe seemed not to notice the change in the atmosphere. He continued in a gentle voice,

"I have a younger sister named Xue Ke. She's sixteen, gentle, beautiful, and talented."

"If you don't mind, I'd be happy to play matchmaker. A young man as outstanding as you would be a perfect match for her."

His words struck like thunder on a clear day.

Marriage to an imperial princess was an honor countless people wouldn't even dare dream of.

Yet Lan's face remained as calm as a still well.

He simply looked at Xue Qinghe and said five words.

"My ambitions lie elsewhere."

Xue Qinghe's smile didn't change in the slightest, as though he had expected that answer.

"Is that so? What a shame."

He paused, then asked as if the question had just occurred to him,

"Then tell me... do you have any brothers or sisters at home? If so, I could vouch for you and help arrange a happy match with the imperial family."

Lan's gaze sharpened slightly.

There it was again.

Xue Qinghe was still probing him without letting it show.

He gently shook his head and said nothing.

"That's all right."

Xue Qinghe kept smiling warmly, as if they really were just chatting.

He took a smooth jade token from his robes. Intricate, elegant patterns were carved across it, with the character "Xue" at the center.

He held it out to Lan.

"This is my token. If you run into any trouble in Heaven Dou City, show it to them. No one will dare make things difficult for you."

Lan accepted it without hesitation.

The jade token felt cool in his hand, carrying a faint, elusive fragrance that drifted into his nose.

The instant their fingertips touched the token, Xue Qinghe's fingers brushed against Lan's palm as well.

Xue Qinghe's body stiffened slightly once more.

An indescribable sense of closeness surged up from deep within his bloodline, making his gaze on the boy before him grow even more complicated.

He looked at Lan and suddenly smiled warmly.

"Your hand is very steady."

"Are all hands that wield a blade like that?"

It sounded like a joke, but also like a wistful remark.

Lan didn't answer. He simply put away the token.

Xue Qinghe withdrew his hand, suppressing that fleeting, strange feeling and regaining the composure befitting a crown prince.

"In a few days, there'll be a grand auction in Heaven Dou City."

"Would you be interested, little brother Lan?"