What is Efficiency! A Royal Marriage Alliance

Happiness had arrived so suddenly that both Ye Qinru and Ye Lingling were momentarily unable to process it.

You said you had a way when you left this morning, and by the afternoon, you'd already brought the solution back.

This speed, this efficiency—it was all a bit too fast.

"Oh, right, take this too, Mother. Please give it to Aunt Yuehua."

As if suddenly remembering something, Fang Xuan reached into his Hundred Treasure Pouch and pulled out an immortal herb.

"This is a Nine-Rank Immortal Ganoderma. Its medicinal power is potent enough that it might help her break through the limitations of her soul power."

Yu Xiaogang had only broken through the shackles of level 29 after consuming this very thing; Tang Yuehua's situation should be quite similar.

The grade of the Ruyi Ring shouldn't be inferior to Luo Sanpao, after all, it was a martial soul that came with its own domain.

If he remembered correctly, besides Tang Yuehua, it seemed only one other person possessed such a privilege.

That was Qian Renxue, who possessed a god-level martial soul. The Angel Domain inherent to the Holy Angel martial soul could purify and incinerate all evil, while simultaneously providing a boost to the user.

He didn't know what was going on in that pig-brained Tang San's head. Tang Yuehua was his own aunt, yet he helped that trash Yu Xiaogang instead of giving his own aunt a hand.

One had to realize that without Tang Yuehua's help, he wouldn't have known when he would have ever managed to control his own killing intent; she deserved much of the credit for his mastery of the Killing God Domain.

One could even say that without Tang Yuehua's help, there would be no Asura God Tang San later on.

Initially, Fang Xuan had hesitated over whether to help Tang Yuehua, as she was Tang Hao's sister and held special feelings for him.

He already had a grudge with Tang San, and they were bound to clash in the future; there was a certain possibility that Tang Yuehua would stand on the opposing side.

His current actions might very well be aiding the enemy.

But a favor received should be repaid with a fountain of gratitude.

Recalling the scenes where Tang Yuehua had helped him, he realized that without her assistance, he might have collapsed long ago.

His reason urged him not to give it, but his conscience told him to follow his heart.

Fang Xuan never considered himself a good person, nor did he consider himself a bad one, but at the very least, he was a human, not a beast.

People have feelings, and he wasn't yet capable of having a heart of stone.

Perhaps this decision would bring him trouble, but he accepted it; after all, this dilemma wasn't entirely unsolvable.

At worst, he could just kill Tang Hao and Tang San without anyone knowing.

If that didn't work, he still held an ace up his sleeve.

An ace capable of making Tang San lose all his allies and become an enemy of the entire world.

Of course, all of this assumed that Ye Qinru would actually hand the Nine-Rank Immortal Ganoderma to Tang Yuehua.

The same item, delivered by different people, would yield different results.

"I hope the final outcome will be a good one."

On the other side, inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Qinghe was playing chess and chatting with his 'father,' Emperor Xue Ye.

The topic they were discussing was none other than Fang Xuan.

"Qinghe, what is your opinion of this man, Fang Xuan?"

Hearing this, Xue Qinghe paused his chess move, then spoke slowly.

"This son believes that this man is worthy of being entrusted with important responsibilities."

"Oh? You think so highly of him?"

Xue Ye seemed somewhat surprised by Xue Qinghe's words. He knew his son's judgment was always sharp; ordinary people rarely caught his eye.

"How so?"

Facing Xue Ye's follow-up question, Xue Qinghe's expression remained calm, and he replied without the slightest fluctuation in his emotions.

"First, he is a disciple of Dugu Bo. That alone is enough to explain his importance."

"Currently, the only Title Douluo within the empire who truly stands on the side of the imperial family is Dugu Bo. Winning over Fang Xuan is equivalent to winning over Dugu Bo."

Xue Ye nodded, acknowledging the premise.

The importance of Dugu Bo to the Heaven Dou imperial family was beyond doubt.

Although the Heaven Dou Empire nominally possessed the seven great sects, the Upper Three Sects remained independent despite their nominal submission to the throne; it was nearly impossible for the imperial family to mobilize them.

Then there were the Lower Four Sects, a group of rebellious elements who listened to orders but never acted; without absolute power to crush them, they would never obey the imperial family.

It could be said that Dugu Bo alone was the greatest reliance of the Heaven Dou imperial family today.

On this point alone, Fang Xuan's importance could skyrocket.

"And the second point is that Fang Xuan himself is a rare genius. I have checked some information on him and discovered that his true age is no more than eighteen, yet his strength has already reached the Soul King realm."

As these words were spoken, Xue Ye's expression froze, and a strange ripple flashed through his eyes.

"To be such a genius and yet remain undiscovered by those sect factions—that is truly a wonder."

The sect forces within the Heaven Dou Empire were immense, and most geniuses were snatched up by the major powers the moment they were discovered.

Excluding Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was the most aggressive in its recruitment.

Relying on their own independent intelligence network, they had managed to recruit nearly every genius they could get their hands on.

The reputation of being the second-ranked sect in the world was certainly not unearned.

Someone like Fang Xuan was truly a rare exception.

"Perhaps it was a rare oversight. Fang Xuan's personality is rather low-key, and he has almost no social interactions."

"Coupled with the fact that he is an orphan and the person who adopted him passed away when he was young, if not for the connection he formed with the daughter of the Ye Family, he would likely still be living in obscurity in Soto City."

Fang Xuan's innate soul power was a secret of Spirit Hall; she had sent people to seal the information the moment she discovered it. Even if the Heaven Dou Empire wanted to investigate, they would find nothing, so there was naturally no need to inform Xue Ye.

"Indeed, this child is gifted with extraordinary talent and an excellent temperament. With proper cultivation, he may well become the next pillar of the empire."

Possessing a Title Douluo of one's own was something every faction dreamed of.

However, Title Douluos were incredibly rare; even the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had only two, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had only Yu Yuanzhen.

With the Clear Sky Sect now in seclusion and the influence of Spirit Hall growing increasingly rampant, Xue Ye, as the Emperor of Heaven Dou, was naturally worried about the future.

The appearance of Fang Xuan gave him a glimmer of hope, as the boy's talent was plain for all to see.

"I have heard that the daughter of the Ye Family has a unique constitution, with a high probability of bearing daughters, and the mother of the Ye Family is also willing to find a suitable match for her."

Xue Ye paused, his gaze shifting to Xue Qinghe, who was sitting across from him.

"Ke'er is of a similar age; why not arrange a marriage between them?"

In the imperial family, there was no such thing as affection; women were merely tools for political marriage.

Xue Ke was Xue Ye's youngest daughter and his favorite child, whom he doted on, and Xue Qinghe also cared for her deeply.

However, they did not share the same mother, and if she were to be married off to Fang Xuan, it might give others cause for speculation.

Xue Qinghe was currently only the Crown Prince, not the Emperor.

"I defer to Your Majesty's decision, though I have one suggestion I hope Your Majesty will consider."

"Speak."

Xue Ye was curious about what his Crown Prince might have to say.

"The daughter of the Ye Family is gentle and virtuous, and Fang Xuan is deeply devoted to her. If we were to force a marriage, it might breed resentment in him. It would be better to ask for his opinion before making a final decision."

She did not refuse, nor did she agree, instead shifting the problem onto Fang Xuan.

If it were anyone else, there would be no need to consider so much regarding an imperial decree, but Fang Xuan was different; he had become the model of romance within the empire.

Furthermore, with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect now eyeing him as well, such a move could easily push him into their camp, which would truly be a case of losing the bait to catch the fish.

Of course, none of that was important; what mattered was that she, Qian Renxue, had set her sights on him.

He is the person I want, and none of you are allowed to take him.