Capture the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud!

Returning to the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Ye Lingling reported the results to Qin Yao.

"Level forty-one. The fourth soul ring has been absorbed, and its attributes are perfectly compatible with my martial soul."

Qin Yao nodded.

"Good."

Just that one word.

Ye Lingling lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers as if she still wanted to say something.

"Your Highness, I..."

"If you're about to say thank you or something similar, don't bother." Qin Yao leaned back. "Growing strong enough to help me is the best thanks you can give."

Ye Lingling pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.

Dugu Yan patted Ye Lingling on the shoulder from the side:

"You'll get used to it. Every time His Highness receives a favor, he doesn't let anyone thank him. It's quite awkward."

Qin Yao: "Shut up."

Dugu Yan immediately clamped her mouth shut, though her face remained playful.

She had completed the task His Highness assigned her. Hunting a four-thousand-eight-hundred-year soul beast alone, clean and efficient, without any unnecessary trouble.

Although His Highness's "good" was only one word, Dugu Yan could tell it was an acknowledgment.

She liked the feeling of being acknowledged by Qin Yao.

Actually, it was more than just acknowledgment.

Dugu Yan couldn't quite explain it herself. But every time she looked at Qin Yao's profile—that cold, indifferent face that ignored everyone—her heart would skip a beat for no reason.

When did this feeling start?

Probably during those days spent cultivating at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Every day, without fail, Qin Yao would guide her in the use of her soul skills. His tone was always flat, never saying an extra word, yet every sentence hit the mark of her problems precisely.

She had secretly watched Qin Yao cultivate; purple soul power flowed around him, amethyst patterns creeping up his arms, his entire being shrouded in a faint violet light.

He was very handsome.

But she also knew that His Highness had a fiancée.

Martial Soul Hall's young mistress, Qian Renxue.

The granddaughter of the First Worship. The successor of the Angel martial soul. Whether in status, strength, or appearance, she was someone Dugu Yan could not compare to.

Therefore, Dugu Yan never spoke of it.

As long as she could stay by His Highness's side and do things for him, that was enough.

Just as Qin Yao was preparing to resume his cultivation, the sound of wind being broken came from above the valley floor.

Someone was coming.

Dugu Yan immediately stood in front of Qin Yao, the soul power of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor condensing in her palms.

Ye Lingling also retreated to the back.

The newcomer leaped down from the top of the cliff and landed steadily on the rocks at the bottom of the valley. It was Snake Lance Douluo.

Dugu Yan lowered her guard.

Snake Lance Douluo walked forward quickly, knelt on one knee to salute, and presented a wax-sealed letter with both hands.

"His Highness the Holy Son, the young mistress ordered me to deliver this letter overnight."

Qin Yao took the letter, pinched the wax seal, and turned it over, recognizing the Crown Prince's Private Seal of Qian Renxue.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter paper.

There were only a few lines of text.

The banquet in three days, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud will be gifted as a national treasure. Everything is going smoothly. The signature was Qian Renxue's code.

Qin Yao folded the letter and tucked it into his robes, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily.

"Elder Snake Lance."

"This subordinate is here."

"Wait a moment. I will write a reply, and you will take it back."

Snake Lance Douluo: "Understood."

Qin Yao rummaged through the Soul Tool storage bag at his waist and pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen.

Dugu Yan curiously leaned in, wanting to see what His Highness was writing in his reply.

Qin Yao set his pen to the paper.

He did not write any words.

He dipped his brush in ink and meticulously drew a heart in the center of the paper.

Then, he set the brush down, folded the paper, tucked it into an envelope, and handed it to Snake Lance Douluo.

"Send this back."

Snake Lance Douluo accepted it with both hands. Though he had no idea what was written inside, his years of serving the "Crown Prince" taught him not to ask a single unnecessary question.

He turned, leaped onto the cliff wall, and disappeared toward the valley entrance in a few bounds.

Dugu Yan froze for two seconds, then widened her eyes.

"Your Highness, you didn't just draw a shape, did you?"

Qin Yao remained expressionless. "You saw it?"

"No, I didn't! I didn't see anything!"

Dugu Yan waved her hands frantically, but her face turned red from holding back laughter. "Your Highness, I never knew you were so... so..."

"So what?"

"Nothing!"

Dugu Yan quickly shut her mouth, grabbed a bewildered Ye Lingling, and ran far away.

Once they were at a distance, Dugu Yan whispered into Ye Lingling's ear.

"Lingling, you don't know this, but His Highness has a fiancée! That letter just now was from her, and His Highness replied with nothing but a heart—he didn't write a single other word!"

Ye Lingling opened her mouth. "Just a heart?"

"Just a heart!"

Dugu Yan covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Who would have thought someone usually so cold... hahahaha... is such a closet pervert!"

From the valley floor, Qin Yao's voice drifted over: "Dugu Yan, I can hear you."

Dugu Yan's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The palace banquet was scheduled for the Hour of the Rooster, held in Chengming Hall of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Qin Yao changed his attire. He swapped his form-fitting black suit with dark purple patterns for a formal black-and-gold robe. The garment featured embroidered amethyst lion motifs, cinched at the waist with a black belt featuring gold buckles. His purple-silver hair was tied into a half-up style with a black jade hairpin, the remaining locks resting behind his shoulders.

Standing at one meter ninety, dressed in this ensemble—combined with his cold, stern face and the innate pressure of his beast martial soul—he looked so imposing that anyone would believe him to be twenty years old.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling followed behind him.

Dugu Yan wore a purple-black suit with silver trim, her ink-green hair pulled back, and the silver chain with an amethyst pendant around her neck polished to a shine.

Ye Lingling had changed into a sky-blue long dress. Her blue hair cascaded down her back, and she had removed the black veil that usually covered her face.

Her beautiful, large blue eyes were particularly striking under the lights. Her long lashes fluttered as she nervously gripped her sleeves.

"Don't be nervous."

Dugu Yan tugged at her hand. "Just follow His Highness; no one will dare to give you trouble."

Ye Lingling murmured an acknowledgment, though her palms were still slick with a thin layer of sweat.

The three of them stepped off the carriage in front of the main palace gate.

The attendant leading the way had been waiting for some time and guided them all the way into Chengming Hall.

Chengming Hall was the main hall for hosting guests in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, second only to the Golden Throne Hall in status.

The hall was brightly lit. The long tables were covered with gilded brocade tablecloths, laden with over thirty types of delicacies.

The banquet was small in scale, attended only by core members of the imperial family and a few high-ranking court officials.

Great Emperor Xueye sat at the head of the table. His graying beard was neatly groomed, and the golden silk swan patterns on his dragon robe shimmered under the candlelight.

"Xue Qinghe" sat in the first seat to the right of Great Emperor Xueye, dressed in a plain green robe with his hair tied back by a green cloth ribbon. He sat upright, his expression perfectly calm.

Yet, the moment Qin Yao stepped into the hall, "Xue Qinghe"'s eyelid twitched.

This little rascal actually cleaned up quite nicely today.

Qin Yao walked to the center of the hall and bowed to Great Emperor Xueye.

"Martial Soul Hall Holy Son Qin Yao, thank you, Your Majesty, for the invitation to this banquet."

His voice was neither servile nor overbearing, full of vigor.

Great Emperor Xueye studied him for a few moments before nodding slightly.

For a teenager, his stature was already catching up to the adult martial generals in the hall.

With his purple-silver hair and dark purple pupils, he stood there with unwavering composure.

"Holy Son Qin, there is no need for such formalities. Please, take your seat." Great Emperor Xueye's voice was neither cold nor warm. "Today is a family banquet; there is no need to be constrained."

Qin Yao acknowledged this with a nod and was guided to the second seat on the left.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling sat at the attendant tables behind him.

Prince Xue Xing sat in the third seat on the right; his expression was quite unsightly, yet he did not utter a single word.

The few high-ranking officials present had all heard, to varying degrees, about how he had been shut out at the Martial Soul Sacred Hall the day before yesterday.

Seeing Qin Yao in person now, and recalling the scene where he was publicly suppressed in front of the Ye Family Medical Clinic, Prince Xue Xing felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.

Xue Beng was not present.

His confinement order had yet to be lifted, and he could not even step out of the palace gates.

The banquet proceeded with great courtesy.

Great Emperor Xueye was truly worthy of a man who had spent decades as emperor, controlling the atmosphere flawlessly throughout the entire event.

They spoke only of trivial topics: the results of soul master cultivation in the Heaven Dou Empire in recent years, the friendly history between Martial Soul Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire, and the shifting distribution of soul beasts across the regions.

Qin Yao played his part well, picking up the conversation when appropriate and raising his glass at the right moments, maintaining a perfect balance in his conduct.

Xue Qinghe occasionally interjected to smooth things over, while simultaneously steering the conversation in a direction favorable to Qin Yao without leaving a trace.

There was no private eye contact between the two, yet they were as synchronized as if they had rehearsed a thousand times.

After three rounds of drinks, Great Emperor Xueye set down his wine cup and signaled the old eunuch beside him.

The old eunuch understood immediately and clapped his hands twice.

Two attendants entered from a side door carrying a nanmu tray. The tray was lined with bright yellow silk, upon which rested a deep blue, three-dimensional triangular object.

It looked unremarkable, but Qin Yao recognized it at a glance: this was the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

Great Emperor Xueye raised a hand, signaling the attendant to bring the tray before Qin Yao.

"Holy Son Qin."

Great Emperor Xueye had spent most of his life on the dragon throne; his ability to speak diplomatic pleasantries was perfected.

"This is the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud passed down by the ancestors of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. After hundreds of years, even I have never been able to unravel its mysteries. Today, I gift this item to Holy Son Qin; firstly, to acknowledge the long-standing friendship between Martial Soul Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire, and secondly, to offer an apology on behalf of my son."

The words were dignified, and the respect shown was more than sufficient.

Qin Yao stood up and walked to the tray.

He reached out and lifted the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

"Your Majesty's generosity is deeply appreciated; Qin Yao accepts it with gratitude."

Qin Yao stored the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud into his Soul Tool storage bag, turned, and bowed to Great Emperor Xueye.

"A minor misunderstanding is not worth mentioning."

A look of satisfaction appeared on Great Emperor Xueye's face.

Though young, he handled himself with grace, was not insatiably greedy, and offered a way out as soon as he accepted the gift.

Throughout the entire process, neither side mentioned the name of Xue Beng again.

It was as if that incident had never occurred.

The banquet concluded in a harmonious atmosphere.

When Qin Yao led Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling out of Chengming Hall, the night breeze, carrying the chill of early autumn, rushed to meet them.

Ye Lingling let out a long sigh of relief; her palms, clenched tight all evening, were slick with sweat.

Dugu Yan leaned in and lowered her voice:

"Your Highness, what exactly is that Vast Sea Cosmic... thing for?"

Qin Yao did not stop his pace.

"We will discuss it when we return."

The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Family had kept it for hundreds of years without understanding it, but in the original story, it was clear as day: it was the Heart of the Sea God!