Xuan Qing suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Dugu Bo.
"You said Yu Tianheng was pursuing Dugu Yan, but she still hasn't accepted him, right?"
Dugu Bo shook his head.
"Not yet. To be honest, Yan Yan looks down on him a little now. If her Martial Soul hadn't evolved, things might've been different, but now she outclasses him in every way. The kid's pretty frustrated about it."
Xuan Qing's expression grew serious. "You should go find your granddaughter."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Xuan Qing patiently explained.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one thing, but don't forget, there's also a Titled Douluo on the continent being hunted by Spirit Hall."
Dugu Bo's expression changed. "You mean... Tang Hao?"
Xuan Qing nodded, confirming he was right.
"Exactly. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has only one Titled Douluo, so they might show you some consideration. But what about the Tang Family? I don't need to tell you what they're like, do I?"
Dugu Bo's expression changed completely. Of course he knew the Clear Sky Sect's ways. They were domineering and capable of anything.
"They're even more overbearing than Spirit Hall. At least Spirit Hall observes some rules in public, but them? Heh."
Dugu Bo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Xuan Qing gave a cold laugh.
"Why do you think those damned hammers of theirs are called the number one tool Martial Soul in the world?"
He started counting on his fingers.
"Let me lay it out for you. Yu Yuanzhen has two Soul Bones. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong each have no more than three."
"Here's the question: as one of the Upper Three Sects, how could the Clear Sky Sect gather a complete set of Soul Bones for Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, while the other two sects are so poorly equipped?"
Dugu Bo's frown deepened. He had never thought about it before.
Xuan Qing gave him the answer outright.
"Put simply, when the Clear Sky Twin Stars went out into the world, they slaughtered high-level Soul Beasts and took the Soul Bones for themselves. To them, Spirit Hall's rule against indiscriminate hunting of Soul Beasts was nothing but a fart."
"After all, Qian Daoliu lost to Tang Chen back then. Do you think people like that might get ideas if they ran into your granddaughter? With Dugu Yan's talent now, would they leave her alone?"
Dugu Bo broke out in a cold sweat, because the Clear Sky Sect really could pull off something like that.
Xuan Qing drove the point home.
"And do you really think they stopped hunting for Soul Rings after they closed their gates? If other members of the Clear Sky Sect ran into your granddaughter, might they get ideas too?"
"After all, barring a mutation, the higher the quality of both parents' Martial Souls, the more talented their descendants will be. That's common knowledge."
"How many girls in the younger generation can match Dugu Yan?"
Dugu Bo couldn't sit still. "I'm going right now!"
Xuan Qing sighed and grabbed hold of him.
"What's the rush? Do you know where they are now? Let's ask at Heaven Dou Royal Academy about their travel route first. We'll go with you, so you don't rush off and run headfirst into a hammer."
Dugu Bo finally calmed down a little. The three of them didn't even enter Heaven Dou City; they turned around and headed straight for Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The academy was in the suburbs and covered a vast area. When the three arrived, afternoon classes were just beginning.
They went straight to see the three education committee members, only to find someone else in the committee office.
The Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe! Or rather, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe.
Seeing Dugu Bo, Xue Qinghe greeted him politely. "Greetings, Mianxia Dugu."
The three committee members also hurried to their feet and bowed. As a Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo wasn't someone they could afford to offend.
And now that he had made another breakthrough, his standing was even higher.
Dugu Bo returned the greeting with a slight clasp of his hands. "Greetings, Your Highness."
His tone was exceptionally courteous. After all, he was here to ask for help.
Xue Qinghe turned her gaze to Xuan Qing and Zi JI. "May I ask who these two are?"
Dugu Bo introduced them. "This is Young Master Xuan Qing, an old friend despite our difference in age. As for this senior..."
Zi JI glanced at them and released a trace of her pressure. It was faint, but enough to intimidate them.
The three committee members' expressions changed, and Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted slightly.
A Titled Douluo! And one stronger than Dugu Bo!
Meng Shenji asked carefully, "May I ask this Mianxia's title?"
Zi JI paused, then uttered two words. "Demon Dragon."
Her true form was the Hell Demon Dragon King, so the title suited her.
Qian Renxue was in turmoil.
She had grown up in the Worship Hall and was exceptionally perceptive when it came to Titled Douluos. This Demon Dragon Douluo was definitely at least Rank 97!
Aside from her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, none of the other enshrined elders could be certain of defeating her.
Where had these two come from? Why had there been no information about them before? Questions swirled in her mind.
Dugu Bo paid no mind to what they were thinking and got straight to the point.
"Your Highness, Committee Members, I'd like to know the route Yan Yan and the others are taking."
They all paused.
Xue Qinghe spoke up. "Mianxia Dugu, what do you need that for?"
Dugu Bo's expression darkened. "There's a Tang Hao being hunted by Spirit Hall out there. Do you know where he is now?"
"I'm not worried about the others. With their talent, Tang Hao wouldn't even look twice at them. But if Yan Yan really runs into him, can their Soul Emperor teacher protect her?"
The three committee members' expressions changed too. They were indeed on the same side when it came to opposing Spirit Hall, but what went on in private was another matter.
Given the Clear Sky Sect's nature and Dugu Yan's current talent, it was a real possibility!
Qian Renxue's expression turned dark. Her father had died at Tang Hao's hands, and she knew better than anyone how dangerous he was.
Meng Shenji didn't dare waste time. He immediately took out a map.
"They set out ten months ago, and their last stop was Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom. They planned to travel for a year, but if they moved quickly, they might already be there."
Xuan Qing furrowed his brow.
This was the first time he'd learned the timeline in such detail. According to the original story, Tang San joined Shrek at twelve, trained under Yu Xiaogang for three months, then spent a month Soul Fighting.
By that reckoning...
Xuan Qing's expression turned a little strange. He was about two years younger than Zhu Zhuqing, the youngest of the Shrek Seven Devils.
He'd known he was young, but he hadn't realized he was that much younger! If he stood in front of Tang San at his current level...
He wouldn't have to do a thing. Tang San would probably start questioning his whole life.
The three took the route map and immediately said their goodbyes. After they left, Xue Qinghe finally spoke.
"Committee Member Meng Shenji, could you sense the young man's Soul Power fluctuations?"
Meng Shenji thought it over, his expression grave.
"Hard to say. His Soul Power is so vast that I've never seen anyone like him. Based on my perception and calculations... he's probably already close to Rank 40! How is that possible? He's so young!"
Bai Baoshan's eyes widened.
"You're joking, right? That kid looks ten at most."
Zhi Lin suddenly spoke.
"I sensed a kind of suppression coming from him. No, I should say Martial Soul suppression. It was the contempt of a superior being toward an inferior one."
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath.
"Sorry to trouble the three of you. Please go to the imperial palace and report this to my father. I'll go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to see my teacher and find out whether they know anything about those two."
The three committee members nodded. They knew this matter was serious and had to be treated with the utmost care.
Xue Qinghe turned and left, wondering how she could win them over.
Before you continue