Qian Renxue's Identity Exposed?! The Astonished Sword Douluo, The Surprised Ning Fengzhi!

"Please, Your Excellency Sword Douluo, you flatter me; it was merely some casual, aimless practice."

"Not at all, not at all."

Sword Douluo shook his head, still savoring the sword moves he had just witnessed.

"I find it carries quite a bit of the charm of yin and yang in harmony, and the natural flow of the Dao."

Ning Fengzhi, however, had little interest in delving into the intricacies of sword techniques.

He had not come to the Crown Prince's Residence today to watch Qian Renxue practice swordsmanship.

He gently waved his jade fan, steering the conversation toward the matter at hand:

"Does Your Highness the Crown Prince have any understanding of the recent events in Heaven Dou City? The death of Titan, patriarch of the Strength Clan, at the night market yesterday has caused quite a stir."

"Although I have been in seclusion within the residence, I have indeed heard of this matter."

A flash of cold light flickered in Qian Renxue's eyes before she immediately returned to her usual gentle and humble demeanor.

"Regardless of the reason, Titan disregarded the safety of civilians and launched a public assault; according to the laws of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, he should have been punished. However, since he has already fallen, we shall not pursue the matter for now."

"Your Highness speaks truly. This matter is quite complex, and it is indeed best not to delve too deeply."

Ning Fengzhi expressed his full agreement with Qian Renxue's suggestion, which was also the advice he had given to Emperor Xue Ye.

"By the way, how is your recovery progressing, Your Highness? When might you be able to return to the imperial court to handle state affairs and share the burden for His Majesty?"

He paused, his tone tactful yet pointed.

"There have been quite a few unfavorable rumors about you circulating in the streets lately."

Everyone present knew exactly who was spreading those rumors.

"After this period of cultivation and recuperation, I do feel much better. But..."

Qian Renxue's tone was calm, yet a look of determination appeared on her face.

"I feel that compared to handling state affairs, cultivation is far purer and more in line with my heart's desire. At present, the Emperor is in the prime of his life, and with Prince Xue Xing and yourself to assist him, I should focus my efforts on my training. After all, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family has been weak for too long; what we need most is the absolute strength to suppress any unrest."

Ning Fengzhi's gaze sharpened, and he stared at Qian Renxue in disbelief.

He remembered that his disciple had never seemed interested in cultivation, and furthermore, his talent for it was not particularly outstanding.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the talent of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was generally unremarkable.

Why the sudden shift toward the path of cultivation?

Beside him, Snake Lance Douluo was also somewhat startled.

What is going on with the Young Mistress? Could her cultivation have been restored?

Sword Douluo, recalling the sword moves Qian Renxue had just displayed, did not rush to refute her.

"Has Your Highness been practicing swordsmanship lately? Why don't we spar a little?"

Qian Renxue frowned and looked at Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment and nodded.

Although his disciple was gentle and refined, much like himself, he was also extremely strong-willed.

Rather than wasting his breath trying to persuade him, it would be better to see just how much genuine skill he truly possessed.

"Very well, then I shall trouble you for your guidance, Senior Sword Douluo."

Seeing Ning Fengzhi nod, Qian Renxue knew that if she didn't show some real ability, this convenient teacher of hers would surely obstruct her plans, so she agreed.

The two arrived at the center of the training grounds.

Sword Douluo stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering, exuding the aura of a grandmaster of the sword.

"Your Highness, please make the first move."

The disguised Xue Qinghe was at a similar cultivation level to his current state, so Qian Renxue did not need to deliberately suppress her power.

She pointed her Star Sword into the air, A sword intent was unleashed, resembling a light feather drifting down, carrying an extreme gentleness.

It fell just as softly, yet it bore an irresistible momentum.

A gentle barrier of soul power rippled around Sword Douluo, but that sword intent pierced through it unstoppably, leaving several small holes in his sleeve.

"Light as a goose feather, yet heavy as Mount Tai—this sword technique is truly exquisite!"

"I never expected His Highness the Crown Prince to possess such talent in the way of the sword."

Sword Douluo exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"I wonder if Your Highness has a name for this move?"

"It has yet to be named."

Qian Renxue pondered for a moment, "How about calling it 'Lone Goose'?"

"Lone Goose... a fine name!"

Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo thought simultaneously, a lone goose that has strayed from its flock, yet stubbornly flies toward the north—it shares the same essence as this sword intent.

After this exchange, Ning Fengzhi could see that his disciple had indeed made great progress in the way of the sword.

But how much time had passed? How was this possible?

Could it be that her talent had been buried by being occupied with official business before?

Even so, he remained skeptical.

The Xue family's martial soul was better suited for the support type, and it was widely acknowledged that support-type soul masters cultivated slowly with low ceilings, destined to have difficulty achieving great things on the path of cultivation.

While Ning Fengzhi was lost in thought, Qian Renxue and Sword Douluo exchanged blows several more times.

The more Sword Douluo watched, the more excited and pleasantly surprised he became.

Although Qian Renxue intentionally suppressed her power, Sword Douluo still sensed the profound sword intent and exquisite swordsmanship derived from the Taia Sword Art.

This Crown Prince should walk the path of the sword; being a Crown Prince or an Emperor was simply a waste of talent!

He even wanted to take her under his wing and teach her personally.

But then he remembered she was already Ning Fengzhi's disciple... to poach his own sect master's student, he couldn't bring himself to do it!

Sigh, why were the two good sword-cultivation seedlings he encountered both already taken by other teachers?

Sword Douluo lamented inwardly, losing the heart to continue the sparring.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has truly made leaps and bounds during this period of seclusion; it is astonishing.

However, the support type ultimately has too low a ceiling and is too difficult; I hope Your Highness will prioritize the state."

Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment before offering his counsel.

"That is why I intend to focus primarily on the way of the sword, with soul master cultivation as a supplement—perhaps this could carve out an entirely new path for the support type."

Qian Renxue said.

Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up, then dimmed again.

The idea was sound, but the self-enhancement a support-type soul master received with each level-up was significantly weaker than that of a battle-type soul master, and he feared this path would be very difficult to traverse.

Yet, thinking of Qian Renxue's talent for the sword, he felt there was a glimmer of hope.

"Since the Crown Prince is intent on carving out a new path, there is no harm in trying."

Ning Fengzhi thought that even if she failed, she could still return to being the Crown Prince and Emperor; the impact would be minimal.

The two chatted for a while longer, and then Ning Fengzhi left the Crown Prince's Residence with a somewhat heavy heart.

The luxurious carriage of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect slowly drove away from the Crown Prince's Residence.

Inside the carriage, Ning Fengzhi noticed that Sword Douluo had been frowning and silent ever since they boarded the carriage, his expression even more troubled than his own, so he couldn't help but ask:

"Uncle Jian, why are you so worried?"

"I keep feeling that the Crown Prince gives me a sense of familiarity; that sword intent..."

Sword Douluo suddenly grew excited, "That's it! I remember now!

That 'Fei Xue'—the sword intent of the two seems to originate from the same source!"

"Right, and that sword as well, that hidden, restrained sharpness, it is exactly the same as the sword belonging to 'Fei Xue,' even though their appearances are completely different."

Ning Fengzhi furrowed his brows, remaining silent.

"Uncle Jian, what are you trying to say? Are you suggesting they are the same person?"

Ning Fengzhi shook his head, "How is that possible?

That Fei Xue is only level thirty-nine, a fact verified and certified by the Soul Fighting Arena.

The gap between the two is massive; it is impossible for them to be the same person!"