Douluo: One Man Returns, Heaven-Defying Seal Smashes Tang San to Death

Fortunately, he had kept these things back then. Otherwise, he really would not have known how to shake off this young lady.

Dugu Yan was beautiful, and her water-snake waist was especially eye-catching. Lu Yu would be lying if he said he had no thoughts about her.

But the problem was...

If he plucked the Water Spirit Cabbage that Dugu Bo had raised for over a decade right under the old man's nose, who knew whether the old fellow would go berserk?

Before his strength had fully developed, he had to proceed cautiously!

Not long after Dugu Yan left, someone from the academy's Dean's Office came to his door.

They handed over the champion's reward of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, along with his cultivation allowance for the month, totaling one hundred and ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Including the ten thousand Gold Soul Coins he had received last month, Lu Yu's total assets now amounted to one hundred and twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

But he knew very well that taking this little money to the Heavenly Dou Auction would not even be enough to make a dent...

Still, he did have some treasures in his possession.

If something he needed appeared at the auction, he could completely add that Golden Red Fruit as a temporary auction item.

A fruit capable of evolving the Dragon Bloodline would surely spark a scramble among Soul Masters with Dragon Martial Souls.

Early the next morning, Lu Yu's dormitory received an unexpected visitor.

Meng Shenji!

The chief of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Dean's Office had actually come in person!

This alone showed that the soul ring configuration Lu Yu had displayed yesterday, one that surpassed the limits, had further elevated his standing at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

This was also intentional on his part. Since he had joined the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had to display enough value if he wanted to obtain greater benefits and cultivation resources.

What Lu Yu had not expected, however, was that Meng Shenji had brought along a young man he did not recognize.

The young man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He was handsome, with golden hair, luxurious attire, and an elegant, composed bearing. Yet unlike ordinary nobles, he lacked any arrogance and instead gave off a highly approachable impression.

"Lu Yu, this is His Highness the Crown Prince of our Heavenly Dou Empire! He heard about you and has specially come to visit today!"

Meng Shenji made the introduction, unable to conceal the shock in his eyes.

He had never imagined that Lu Yu's talent would actually draw the attention of His Highness the Crown Prince!

More importantly...

The other party had personally come to visit, showing Lu Yu tremendous respect!

One had to know that even Prince Xue Xing, who had always been arrogant and overbearing, acted meek and submissively before His Highness the Crown Prince, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Xue Ye was old and frail, and His Highness the Crown Prince now controlled nearly half of the empire's power.

Everyone knew that once Xue Ye passed away, His Highness the Crown Prince would become the next ruler of Heavenly Dou, with no one able to contend with him!

Hearing Meng Shenji's introduction, Lu Yu was equally shocked.

But he was not shocked that His Highness the Crown Prince had come to visit in person. Rather, he had never expected that, before he had fully grown, he still had not managed to avoid contact with Spirit Hall.

Others might not know it, but Lu Yu knew full well that Xue Qinghe, the Heavenly Dou Empire's Crown Prince standing before him, had long since been replaced by Qian Renxue, the daughter of Spirit Hall's Pope!

It was no exaggeration to say that Xue Qinghe, disguised by Qian Renxue, was the foremost spy on the entire Douluo Continent!

Though these thoughts ran through his mind, Lu Yu quickly composed himself outwardly and bowed with respectful but unyielding poise. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xue Qinghe waved a hand and smiled gently. "No need for such formality. I came today only because I wanted to meet our Heavenly Dou Empire's number one genius!"

"Number one genius?" Lu Yu froze for a moment.

Meng Shenji smiled and explained, "After yesterday's match ended, word of your deeds had already spread throughout Heaven Dou City."

"You are now recognized throughout the empire's Soul Master world as the foremost genius of the younger generation!"

"An eleven-year-old Three-Ring Soul Master, with a thousand-year soul ring as his Second Soul Ring—those two points alone put you beyond anyone else!"

Lu Yu finally understood. After Meng Shenji finished speaking, he glanced at Xue Qinghe and tactfully added:

"Your Highness, Lu Yu, you two talk first. The Dean's Office still has some matters to attend to..."

Xue Qinghe nodded. "Thank you for showing me the way, Chief Meng. Go attend to your duties."

After Meng Shenji left, Xue Qinghe pulled Lu Yu over to sit on the sofa and said with a smile, "No need to be nervous. I came today both on my own behalf and on behalf of the imperial family. There are a few questions I would like to ask you."

Lu Yu noticed that Xue Qinghe's fingers were slender and long, with no pronounced knuckles.

Though Qian Renxue's disguise had been flawless and had not revealed any cracks for over a decade, she was still a woman. Some details were difficult to perfect completely.

Yet based on such trivial details alone, no one would ever suspect that Xue Qinghe had been replaced.

Lu Yu withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Please ask whatever you wish, Your Highness. I will tell you all I know."

A glint flashed through Xue Qinghe's eyes as he got straight to the point. "Why were you able to attach a thousand-year soul ring as your Second Soul Ring?"

Just as expected. Lu Yu remained calm on the surface as he said, "When I awakened my martial soul, I possessed Innate Full Soul Power. When I obtained my first soul ring, I had not yet formally learned about soul beasts."

"Thus, I could not distinguish a soul beast's exact cultivation age and could only wander through the Soul Hunting Forest searching aimlessly."

"By chance, I found a cave, accidentally ate a fruit, and then fell unconscious."

"When I woke up, I found that my physical constitution had greatly strengthened. I could even easily kill ordinary hundred-year soul beasts with physical strength alone."

"I obtained the soul ring of a Great Strength Ape, only to later discover that its cultivation had actually reached six hundred years. That far exceeded the age a Soul Master could endure for their first soul ring."

"Afterward, I guessed that the limit of the soul rings a Soul Master could absorb should be related to their physical constitution, so I kept training my body."

"Combined with the fruit's effects, when I broke through to level twenty, I tried absorbing a thousand-year soul ring. I never expected to succeed!"

This was the explanation Lu Yu had prepared long ago.

If he could not give a reasonable explanation for his soul ring configuration that surpassed the limits, people would inevitably suspect he carried some great secret.

It was better to guide the situation than block it. Giving a half-true, half-false, relatively reasonable explanation would instead save him a great deal of trouble.

Xue Qinghe listened carefully, then asked about the fruit's appearance. Lu Yu casually made something up. In any case, neither the Heavenly Dou Empire nor Spirit Hall would be able to find it.

"The age of the soul rings a Soul Master can obtain is related to their physical constitution..."

Xue Qinghe murmured before saying, "Lu Yu, please do not reveal this matter to anyone else!"

As he spoke, Xue Qinghe handed Lu Yu a metal bracelet and continued:

"Once your theory is confirmed, it will greatly improve the overall strength of the empire's Soul Masters!"

"You have contributed to the empire, and the empire naturally will not treat you poorly. There are three million Gold Soul Coins inside, a small token of goodwill from my father through me."

Lu Yu did not refuse. The other party had clearly come prepared. Knowing he came from a commoner background and that the one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coin reward he had just received was far from enough to support any spending at the Heavenly Dou Auction, Xue Qinghe had given him this money.

Taking the bracelet, Lu Yu thanked him, only to hear Xue Qinghe ask again, "Lu Yu, what do you think of Spirit Hall?"

Lu Yu's eyes narrowed at Xue Qinghe's question.

If it had been anyone else asking, he would probably have declared his loyalty to the Heavenly Dou Empire without hesitation.

But Lu Yu knew clearly that the Heavenly Dou Empire's Crown Prince before him was also the daughter of Spirit Hall's Pope!

After pondering briefly, he answered frankly, "Spirit Hall is the holy land of Soul Masters. Naturally, I yearn for it greatly."

"I am a subject of the Heavenly Dou Empire. I was born in the Heavenly Dou Empire and raised in the Heavenly Dou Empire. Even if I join Spirit Hall in the future, my heart will still belong to the empire."

Lu Yu's answer was very clever. He began with Spirit Hall being the holy land of Soul Masters, expressing his longing for Spirit Hall.

Yet he also called himself a subject of the Heavenly Dou Empire, while declaring his loyalty to the "Crown Prince" before him.

This way, Xue Qinghe would believe that Lu Yu did not dislike Spirit Hall, but merely had a sense of belonging to the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Simply put...

Spirit Hall had a chance to win Lu Yu over for its own use!

Hearing Lu Yu's answer, Xue Qinghe smiled, patted Lu Yu's shoulder, and said:

"Lu Yu, you are the empire's number one genius. Work hard. In two years, the empire will have you participate as the captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"

"If you need anything, you may bring this token to the palace and find me."

As he spoke, Xue Qinghe handed Lu Yu a token.

Lu Yu reached out and accepted it, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xue Qinghe nodded. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lu Yu, he rose to take his leave.

Lu Yu escorted him all the way out, putting on a thoroughly convincing performance.

Once Xue Qinghe had left and Lu Yu returned to his dormitory, he let out a long breath.

He had no doubt that if either of his answers to the two questions had shown even the slightest flaw, great trouble would have awaited him!

If he had firmly declared that he stood on the Heavenly Dou Empire's side, Xue Qinghe would likely have found a way to contact Spirit Hall after returning and have Spirit Hall send someone to eliminate him!

And if he had been unable to explain his soul ring configuration that surpassed the limits, Spirit Hall would sooner or later capture him and slice him up for research...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the grand Heavenly Dou Auction arrived as scheduled!