Douluo: My Martial Soul is Jianmu, Am I an Abomination of Abundance?

Two immense waves of spirit pressure bore down on Mu Ci at once, making the sofa beneath him creak continuously.

But pressure of this level was still far from enough to exceed Mu Ci's limits.

His Spirit Emperor-level physique, enhanced by Abundance Power, and his Spirit Douluo-level spiritual strength, elevated by Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew—

Made Mu Ci completely disregard the two Title Douluo-level waves of spirit pressure before him, as though a breeze were brushing past his face.

Of course, that did not mean Mu Ci now possessed the power to contend with a Title Douluo.

But simply relying on spirit pressure to strip him of all ability to resist was far beyond what the hidden Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Title Douluos could achieve.

At the very least, one of the worshippers would have to act personally.

The two hidden figures appeared behind Xue Qinghe at that moment, nine spirit rings rising and falling around each of them.

The old man holding a long spear spoke to Xue Qinghe. "Your Highness!"

Before Snake Lance Douluo could continue, however, Xue Qinghe raised a hand and cut him off.

By then, Xue Qinghe had recovered from his shock. He straightened his back and fixed his bright golden eyes on the composed Mu Ci across from him.

For various reasons, Xue Qinghe did not feel any negative emotions over his identity being exposed.

Factors such as the timing, location, and people involved meant that revealing the truth did not really matter, nor would it affect her plans.

On the contrary, only by laying everything bare could they cooperate better.

"Please, Uncles, go stand guard outside. I want to have a proper talk with little brother Mu Ci."

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo had also come to their senses by then.

Given Mu Ci's identity, even if he had discovered Spirit Hall's greatest secret, they would not become enemies.

His grandmother and cousin were both long-serving high-ranking members of Spirit Hall, and they had been old colleagues with the two of them for many years.

A background like that would not affect their plans in the slightest.

Their earlier actions had merely been the instinctive reaction of someone whose secret had suddenly been discovered.

The two exchanged a glance, withdrew their spirit pressure and martial souls at the same time, bowed to Xue Qinghe, and vanished from the spot in an instant.

Xue Qinghe curiously examined her current appearance before looking toward Mu Ci.

"Little brother Mu Ci, my disguise was quite flawless, wasn't it? How did you see through it?"

She could not help being curious. If the flaw was obvious, then that would be extremely dangerous.

Mu Ci nodded and did not dispute her claim.

"Your disguise was indeed excellent. Without special circumstances, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to see through it."

"But there is no absolutely perfect disguise in this world. If it is fake, there will definitely be flaws, and I just happen to be able to detect them through my martial soul."

Martial soul? Xue Qinghe frowned. It was not appropriate to press further, since it might involve the secret of someone else's martial soul.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Other than me, almost no one can see through your disguise, so there is no need to worry about that."

Mu Ci was not making that up to deceive her.

Even if he truly had not known that Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue in disguise, he could still have seen through it using the Ambrosial Arbor and Abundance Power.

After all, no matter how powerful the Angel Soul Bone's disguise was, it could not conceal things like the pheromones secreted by the human body.

Men and women differed in that regard, and Mu Ci could sense it at a glance.

Xue Qinghe nodded helplessly and did not continue the subject.

"But little brother Mu Ci, you just exposed our greatest secret. You really gave us quite a fright."

"Aren't you afraid that we might be Fallen Spirit Masters plotting to overthrow the empire, or enemies of your family?"

A smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's face again. She picked up her teacup and looked at Mu Ci.

"It was actually easy to guess. Across Douluo Continent, there are only a handful of forces capable of accomplishing something like this."

"The Dai Family of the Star Luo Empire rules with an iron fist. They would never consider doing such a thing. The Clear Sky Sect has been sealed away for nearly ten years, so they had no opportunity."

"Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Sect has a merchant's temperament and is more accustomed to pursuing profit. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan lacks the brains for it. Eliminate all the impossibilities, and what remains is the greatest possibility."

"Spirit Hall!"

Mu Ci spoke eloquently as he looked at Xue Qinghe before him, explaining his reasoning.

In truth, Mu Ci had merely known the answer in advance and casually worked backward from the conclusion. As for whether it was reasonable, that was something the other side needed to consider.

Clap, clap, clap—

Crisp applause came from Xue Qinghe's hands, and admiration and praise appeared on his handsome face.

"Your reasoning is excellent, little brother. Thinking along those lines, it truly is possible to guess that we came from Spirit Hall."

"Since that is the case, we can indeed speak frankly about what comes next."

Mu Ci smiled and nodded as he looked at Xue Qinghe.

"For the sake of fairness between us, shouldn't Your Highness also reveal your true appearance?"

Mu Ci wanted to see what the woman hailed as the greatest beauty in the first part of Douluo Continent truly looked like.

Xue Qinghe paused slightly, then nodded.

She was also curious what expression this genius before her would show once she revealed her true face.

With a thought, ripples like water began spreading across Xue Qinghe's body. Then the layer of disguise shattered into flecks of golden light.

The handsome golden-haired young man, Xue Qinghe, vanished.

Sitting before Mu Ci now was a peerless beauty with golden hair, golden eyes, skin like ice, and bones like jade.

The instant Qian Renxue appeared before Mu Ci, his gaze froze.

The peerless beauty before him made Mu Ci understand many things in an instant.

Why, at such a critical moment during the Heaven Dou Palace Coup in the original story—

Whether it was Tang San or the others resisting alongside him, they had all stood stunned for a moment when Qian Renxue revealed her true face.

Had Tang San and the others never seen beautiful women before? No!

Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing—who among them was not a rare beauty in the world?

Yet everyone present had still been entranced by Qian Renxue's beauty the instant they saw her.

And Mu Ci was not much different from them now.

As he looked at the radiant goddess of light before him, who seemed to have descended from the heavens, Mu Ci suddenly understood the descriptions from an article in a book from his previous life.

What did it mean to be like light clouds veiling the moon, ethereal as a drifting wind turning falling snow?

What did it mean to shine like the sun rising through morning mist from afar, and blaze like lotus blossoms emerging from clear green waters up close?

Cao Zijian had not deceived him!

Seeing Mu Ci's dazed expression, Qian Renxue's lips curved slightly. She was very satisfied with his reaction.

She then waved her slender jade hand before Mu Ci's eyes and said in a light, graceful voice tinged with pride:

"Stunned silly, aren't you? How do I compare to your girlfriends?"

For some reason, Qian Renxue still wanted to ask Mu Ci how she compared to his girlfriends.

"Ahem, each has her own charms. Your Highness is devastatingly beautiful. I was so captivated that I stared for a moment. Please forgive me."

Mu Ci had regained his senses the instant Qian Renxue moved. Hearing her question, he could only laugh it off.

Once beauty reached a certain level, the difference in appearance alone became very small. More often, it depended on other things, such as temperament.

"Your Highness, now that I have seen your true face, I cannot keep addressing you by someone else's name."

Hearing his perfunctory answer, a trace of displeasure appeared on Qian Renxue's lovely face. But after spending nearly twenty years as a prince and Crown Prince, she still knew what mattered.

"Qian Renxue. You can call me Sister Xue as well. In public, call me Brother Xue. I can handle it."

On the Mistakes of These Past Years

"Qian Renxue!?"

Mu Ci pretended to gasp in surprise.

After all, with people in his family holding high positions in Spirit Hall, it would have been far too unreasonable for him not to know the Qian surname.

"I heard that the young mistress of Spirit Hall's Qian Clan died young. It seems that was merely a smokescreen released by the higher-ups within the Hall..."

"I truly never expected Sister Xue to have come to the Heaven Dou Empire at such a young age!"

Qian Renxue was not particularly surprised by Mu Ci's words. That rumor had been deliberately spread in the first place.

However, hearing it still brought back scenes from her childhood, and her mood suddenly fell. She lost any interest in teasing Mu Ci.

"Back to the main subject. Let's discuss Xue Ye first. You must have guessed it by now, right?"

Though Qian Renxue phrased it as a question, her tone was certain.

Mu Ci nodded and did not deny it.

"Since Sister Xue replaced Xue Qinghe so early, and considering the rumors that Xue Ye's health has worsened over the years, the poison must have been administered long ago."

Qian Renxue looked at Mu Ci. "That's right. Ten years ago, Spirit Hall sent troops against the Clear Sky Sect and won a great victory, capturing members of the Four Affiliated Clans on the way back."

"One of them was named Yang Wushuang, the younger brother of Yang Wudi, the head of the Soul-Breaking Spear Yang Clan. He was skilled in refining medicine and poisons. After he submitted, he was sent here specifically to poison Xue Ye."

"But recently, perhaps because Xue Ye has spent too long in the inner palace, his body has become somewhat weak. The dosage that had originally been just right became excessive, leaving Xue Ye bedridden these past few days."

After hearing that, Mu Ci looked curiously at Qian Renxue.

"So you mean you want me to restore Xue Ye?

Honestly, since Xue Ye has fallen ill, why not simply let him die while the opportunity is there? As the first in line to inherit the throne, wouldn't you be able to ascend directly?"

Hearing Mu Ci say something so unconventional for Douluo Continent, Qian Renxue hurriedly shook her head.

"No, no. Xue Ye has some problems now, but they are not too serious.

If he died just like this, the ministers at court would definitely investigate thoroughly. With Xue Xing and the others involved as well, the plan would be thrown into chaos."

"And the Star Luo Empire is watching like a tiger from the side. The whole world could descend into chaos at any moment."