Qian Renxue, you once thrice...

As the words fell, Xue Qinghe reached up to wipe his face, and his entire body was instantly enveloped in a soft, golden glow.

Within that radiance, his originally masculine silhouette began to shift, his frame becoming slender and delicate.

When the light faded, standing before Ye Qiong was no longer the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, but a golden-haired woman in a golden palace gown, possessing a peerless face and a sacred, noble aura.

"My true name is Qian Renxue."

"My Chat Group nickname is 6G Sky Wing. Now, do you still intend to keep up the act, Group Owner?"

Good grief, she truly is the future Angel God. This presence, this beauty—it's top-tier.

Ye Qiong praised her inwardly, though he maintained a look of shock on his face, as if rendered speechless by this sudden turn of events.

Qian Renxue watched his reaction, a satisfied curve tugging at the corner of her lips.

She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having everything under her control.

She believed that now that she had revealed all her trump cards, this mysterious Group Owner should finally show his sincerity as well.

"The reason I am being so candid is that I am well aware that, in the face of your abilities, any disguise is meaningless."

Qian Renxue spoke slowly, her voice returning to a calm state.

"I am curious: who exactly are you? Where do you come from? And what, exactly, is that Chat Group?"

Ye Qiong finally snapped out of his "shock." He looked at Qian Renxue and said with a smile, "Since you've put it that way, there's no point in me pretending anymore."

"However, as for my origins, I'm afraid I cannot disclose them."

"As for your offer to recruit me..."

"I refuse."

Kada, koto waru.

Qian Renxue had clearly anticipated this answer, as there was not a hint of surprise on her face.

"I guessed as much."

She paced slowly, her golden hem brushing lightly against the carpet.

"Someone like you would not easily bow to another. Very well, since recruitment is off the table, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" Ye Qiong raised an eyebrow.

"That's right."

Qian Renxue turned around, her emerald eyes fixed intently on Ye Qiong.

"You tell me about my future, and in exchange, I will grant you any request within my power."

"Any request?"

"Any request."

Qian Renxue's tone was resolute.

"Whether it be power, wealth, or status, I can give it to you."

"I have no interest in those things."

Ye Qiong shook his head. As a Trailblazer, he had no use for the petty power struggles of this small world, the Douluo Continent.

His goal had always been the stars of the universe.

"I have only one request. I will post a commission in the group; I need you to accept it and help me complete it."

He paused, then added, "This task might be a bit difficult, but with your abilities, if you put in the effort, you might be able to pull it off."

A flicker of curiosity crossed Qian Renxue's eyes.

What kind of task could it be?

"Fine, I agree."

She didn't hesitate, nodding immediately.

To her, nothing was more important than knowing her own future.

"Then, you may tell me now—what exactly does my future hold?"

Ye Qiong looked at her, smiled, and began his "spoilers."

"Your future... well, it's quite entangled with a young man named Tang San."

Tang San?

Qian Renxue frowned. She had heard that name more than once in the Chat Group; the previous leaks from the Group Owner had all been related to this kid.

"Later, during the Spirit Master Tournament qualifiers, Ning Fengzhi will introduce him to you. You will try to build a rapport by mentioning how Tang Hao left the Clear Sky Sect and fought Spirit Hall to become a Title Douluo, hoping to recruit him. He will decline, citing the need to prepare for the tournament, but you will still have him accept your Crown Prince token."

"Later, at your sister Xue Ke's graduation ceremony, he will go by the alias Tang Yin. You won't recognize him, but you will be drawn to his harp performance and try to recruit him again, only to be rejected directly once more."

Huh? Me? Rejected twice by a junior? What kind of joke is this?

Qian Renxue's expression darkened instantly. She did not believe she would ever act in such a graceless manner.

But she did not know that in this world, there existed a thing called the Author's Will—or perhaps, Heaven's Mandate—which could dictate everything.

Hardly anyone can escape the dictates of fate.

Except for an otherworldly demon like Ye Qiong.

"That's not all; later on, you even developed feelings of love and hate for him."

There was a hint of mockery in Ye Qiong's voice.

Playing the part of a Crown Prince, yet you can't even recruit someone properly. Using Tang Hao's affair as bait while deliberately hiding key information—Tang San isn't stupid, so how could he possibly fall for that?

You should have learned your lesson after being rejected once, but you went back for a second time, purely asking for trouble.

And that Crown Prince's medallion—were you afraid Tang San wouldn't have proof to break into the palace later?

Handing a knife directly to your opponent; that's a move like no other.

And this second time, are you blind? He changed his name to Tang Yin, and while his appearance became more handsome, his foundation wouldn't have changed much. You couldn't recognize him? And later, you developed an obsession of love and hate—it's practically the soap opera of the year.

"Shut up!" Qian Renxue hissed, flushed with shame and anger.

She could never, ever fall for that guy!

"Don't be so impatient; this is only the beginning." Ye Qiong ignored her fury and continued.

"You spent decades lurking in Heaven Dou, plotting to usurp the throne. You planned to use a slow-acting poison to kill Emperor Xue Ye, triggered by spices you provided."

"As it turned out, Prince Xue Xing had long since invited the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, to stand guard, and Tang San had taught Dugu Bo how to identify the poison."

"After Emperor Xue Ye fell critically ill, you mobilized over three thousand Spirit Hall soul masters to control the palace in Heaven Dou City and sent four elders to surround the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and monitor Shrek, yet Tang San still managed to expose you."

"Even then, you were still thinking of recruiting him. After being sternly rejected, you wanted to fight, but you couldn't beat Tang San, and in the end, you could only flee in disgrace."

"Ah! Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Qian Renxue slammed her hand against the table, her powerful Soul Power instantly reducing the side table to powder.

"I have the Snake Lance and Pufferfish Douluo under my command, and more than three thousand powerful soul masters—three thousand! How could that commoner Tang San possibly break a plan I had so meticulously laid out!"

She could not accept that her decades of scheming would end in such a humiliating fashion.

Hearing this, Ye Qiong laughed.

"It's entirely possible. That Tang San is a master of the way of poison, and that Poison Douluo is also an expert in using toxins."

Using spices to poison someone—you actually used such a cliché palace drama trope. Anyone with half a brain would know how glaring that flaw was. With Dugu Bo around, getting exposed was just what you deserved.

As for the others, you sent them all out and still let Tang San infiltrate—your deployment skills are practically child's play.

When the situation collapsed like a mountain, you were still thinking of recruiting him; your skin is thicker than most.

Only after being rejected did you think to take action—what were you doing before?

Damn it, decades of undercover life, all wasted just like that. You didn't use your own brain at all.

An innate talent of level twenty—a foundation so many soul masters dream of—and you wasted it all on playing palace politics. Instead of cherishing your prime cultivation time, you had to mess around with power struggles. In the end, your talent wasn't utilized, and you were reduced to fleeing for your life. It's simply a waste of heaven's gifts.

Ye Qiong looked at Qian Renxue, silently complaining in his heart, but continued aloud.

"After fleeing back to Spirit Hall..."