Vast Sea Universe Shroud, Good Boy, Tang San, Stop Thinking!

Under Yang Teng's seemingly sincere explanation, bolstered by his claim that "Tianshui Academy uses them too," Xue Qinghe finally nodded, though his heart remained full of doubt.

"I see. So it possesses such miraculous effects..."

Xue Qinghe turned his gaze back to the dark wooden box, his tone returning to its usual gentle warmth, though a faint redness remained at the tips of his ears.

"It is I... who was ill-informed. I accept this generous gift from Brother Yang Teng with gratitude."

He reached out to take the box, his fingertips brushing the wood grain and feeling the exceptionally pure, stabilized energy fluctuations contained within, clearly the result of special processing.

If what Yang Teng said was true... the value of this item likely far exceeded that of ordinary heavenly treasures.

As Xue Qinghe pondered in silence, Yang Teng breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Tap, tap, tap...

A series of light, rhythmic footsteps approached from a distance.

Yang Teng's ears twitched, and the "sincere" expression he had worn for Xue Qinghe vanished instantly, replaced by a bright, animated look. He looked up toward the sound, a radiant smile curling his lips before he even realized it.

"Xiao Na! Over here, come quickly!"

A cold, peerless silver figure stood nearby, looking over.

Gu Yena was dressed in her usual simple attire, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall and her violet eyes clear. Yet, framed by the warm yellow lights of the shop and the table full of colorful desserts, she lost some of the sharp intensity she displayed in the arena, replaced by a quiet, grounded serenity.

Hearing Yang Teng's overly intimate "Xiao Na," a faint, imperceptible blush rose on her cold cheeks.

She was still not quite used to such an unreserved way of being addressed by him.

Gu Yena's gaze lingered on Yang Teng for a moment before naturally shifting to Xue Qinghe, who sat opposite him.

Xue Qinghe had already adjusted his demeanor. As Gu Yena looked his way, he stood up first, wearing the impeccable, gentle smile of the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, and took the initiative to greet her.

"Miss Gu Yena, I am the First Prince, Xue Qinghe. A pleasure to meet you. Your Element Control in the arena today was truly breathtaking."

Gu Yena moved gracefully to the table and gave a slight nod to Xue Qinghe.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. Gu Yena."

Her introduction was extremely brief. Her gaze swept calmly over Xue Qinghe's face, and deep within those violet eyes that seemed capable of peering into the void, a trace of faint confusion flickered and vanished.

Xue Qinghe was incredibly sharp! He caught that fleeting look of scrutiny and confusion in Gu Yena's eyes almost instantly.

His heart skipped a beat, and a more intense thought struck his mind.

No! This feeling... could she have actually sensed something? That shouldn't be possible! My disguise soul bone skill is flawless, and Gu Yena is only at the Soul King realm!

Xue Qinghe felt truly uneasy. Why did he always feel a sense of trepidation when dealing with Yang Teng and Gu Yena?

However, having spent years infiltrating the Heaven Dou royal family, Xue Qinghe showed no outward sign of his inner turmoil.

Gu Yena sat down beside Yang Teng. Her gaze fell upon the dazzling array of exquisite, cute cakes on the table, and her cold eyes seemed to brighten for a fleeting moment.

She picked up the clean, small silver fork Yang Teng had already prepared for her, targeted a cake topped with fresh red strawberries and white cream, carefully cut a corner, and brought it to her lips.

Watching from the side, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, feeling a strange sense of contrast.

Who would have thought that such a cold, aloof girl would show such focus, and even a hint of satisfaction, when faced with desserts in private?

"First Prince Xue."

Yang Teng's voice pulled Xue Qinghe out of his brief distraction.

"Do you have business with me?" He asked directly; such a coincidence was highly unlikely.

Xue Qinghe quickly gathered his thoughts, suppressing the strange emotions stirred by Gu Yena, and his expression turned more solemn.

He nodded, looking at Yang Teng with a frank gaze. "To be honest, there is indeed a matter that may require the use of your abilities, Brother Yang Teng."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Yang Teng leaned back, signaling his willingness to listen.

Xue Qinghe lowered his voice. "Recently, friction between my Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire has been constant at the border. The Star Luo military is powerful and aggressive, and our forces are falling behind in almost every respect."

He furrowed his brows, revealing a perfectly measured look of concern for the nation.

"Conventional tactics are failing to break the stalemate, which is why I thought of the miraculous space-manipulation ability you demonstrated, Brother Yang Teng."

"I wonder if your space ability could support... a tactical, small-scale, but highly elite military raid?"

Gu Yena, who was quietly eating her cake, paused slightly. She lifted her violet eyes to look at Xue Qinghe, then turned to Yang Teng, a flicker of understanding crossing her eyes.

So this was what the Crown Prince was after—using space abilities for a strategic offensive. The idea was not bad at all.

Yang Teng stroked his chin, feigning deep thought while calculating rapidly in his mind.

"Hmm..."

Yang Teng pondered for a moment before speaking slowly under Xue Qinghe's expectant gaze.

"Large-scale troop transportation in one go is beyond my current cultivation level; the consumption is too high and it's unstable. However..."

He shifted his tone, a confident arc appearing on his lips.

"If it's a raid by an elite squad, I could give it a try. As for the numbers... it shouldn't be a problem to handle up to a hundred people at once."

"One hundred people?!"

Xue Qinghe's body trembled slightly, a flash of pleasant surprise erupting in his eyes; he nearly lost his composure and raised his voice.

His original expectation was that being able to transport a dozen or twenty elite Spirit Masters for a decapitation strike or sabotage mission would already constitute a massive strategic advantage.

He had not expected Yang Teng to offer a hundred people right off the bat! The destructive power and strategic value they could generate would increase exponentially!

"Brother Yang Teng, are these words true? A hundred people at once?!"

Xue Qinghe could not help but confirm again, his voice slightly hurried due to excitement.

A hundred people! he shouted inwardly. I thought it would be at most a dozen or so! Such talent, no matter the cost, must be recruited into the Spirit Hall camp! I absolutely cannot let him go to Heaven Dou.

Yang Teng nodded affirmatively.

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart, and a sincere, eager smile bloomed on his face once more.

"That is wonderful! If Brother Yang Teng can truly help my Heaven Dou resolve this border crisis, the Imperial Family will certainly not treat a hero poorly! Money, cultivation resources, titles of nobility... as long as it is within the Empire's power, we will surely reward you generously to express our gratitude!"

However, upon hearing this promise, Yang Teng merely twisted his mouth and rubbed his palms together.

Yang Teng said slowly.

"Could I trouble His Highness the First Prince to pass a message to His Majesty first?"

Xue Qinghe was in a good mood and immediately said, "Please speak, Brother Yang Teng. What message? I will certainly convey it."

Yang Teng leaned forward slightly, looked into Xue Qinghe's eyes, and said clearly.

"If I am truly able to resolve the border crisis for the Empire when the time comes... may I request some special soul guidance devices from His Majesty as compensation?"

"Soul guidance devices?"

Xue Qinghe was clearly stunned, the smile on his face freezing for an instant.

He had envisioned all sorts of demands Yang Teng might make: massive amounts of gold soul coins, rare spirit bones, assistance in hunting high-level spirit rings, or even a wealthy fiefdom... but he never expected that what Yang Teng wanted was soul guidance devices.

In this current era, many soul guidance devices unearthed from ancient ruins possessed impressive power, but they were extremely rare and difficult to operate.

Overall, the value and appeal of soul guidance devices were far inferior to resources that directly boosted strength or titles that symbolized power and status.

Xue Qinghe could not help but ask in confusion.

"Brother Yang Teng, while soul guidance devices certainly have their value, there are perhaps treasures in the Imperial treasury that would be more directly beneficial to your cultivation... Are you certain you want to prioritize soul guidance devices?"

Yang Teng merely smiled faintly, his gaze deep and inscrutable, making it impossible for anyone to see his true thoughts.

Soul guidance devices? What he truly wanted was not some ordinary soul guidance device; he wanted that "Vast Sea Universe Shroud" hidden deep within the Imperial treasury!

To be honest, he did not necessarily value it highly, but he clearly remembered that in the original trajectory of fate, it was precisely by relying on this item that Tang San gained the recognition of the Sea God, initiated the Nine Trials of the Sea God, and ultimately inherited the position of the Sea God.

In that case, he naturally could not let Tang San have it easy. I may not need to use it, but I cannot be without it!

Heh, Tang San...

Yang Teng sneered inwardly.

You hypocrite, Sea God inheritance? Vast Sea Universe Shroud? You will never get your hands on them in this lifetime.