After breakfast, Fang Xuan escorted Ye Lingling to Heaven Dou Royal Academy as usual.
After kissing her goodbye, he turned and headed toward the imperial palace.
Someone had been waiting here for him for quite some time.
The imperial palace covered a vast area. It took Fang Xuan about half an hour to reach the part of the palace where Xue Qinghe was.
At that moment, a familiar figure stood outside the main hall.
Taking a closer look, he saw his cheap master, Dugu Bo, who had been missing for several days.
"You brat, something this important, and you didn't even give me a heads-up."
Dugu Bo had been a little surprised that Fang Xuan had thrown in his lot with the Crown Prince.
But it was only a little surprise. After all, the current Crown Prince was all but guaranteed to become the next Emperor of Heaven Dou.
Joining his side early meant reaping the benefits early. It just seemed unnecessary for someone with Fang Xuan's talent and the added status of being his disciple.
Of course, he wouldn't interfere with Fang Xuan's decision. Young people had their own ideas, just as he hadn't interfered with Yu Tianheng or Dugu Yan.
"I would've told you, but you've been nowhere to be seen these past few days. How was I supposed to tell you?"
It was ridiculous. Although he'd already figured out why Dugu Bo had acted that way, the old man was still poking him right in the lungs, and that took some real nerve.
Speaking of which, how had he managed to walk out of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in one piece?
Dugu Bo didn't look like he'd been hurt at all. Was Yu Yuanzhen really that good-tempered?
"Haha, there was a little mishap."
It really was a little mishap—he'd only nearly angered the other man to death.
"Enough about that. Have you decided what you're going to take?"
"Want your master to pick it out for you?"
As far as Dugu Bo knew, Fang Xuan came from an ordinary background and had limited experience. He might fail to recognize the good stuff and let a treasure slip right through his fingers.
The Imperial Treasury had plenty of good things. The kid sure knew how to negotiate—he'd even come up with such a crafty approach.
"We'll see when the time comes."
Dugu Bo had it all figured out, but Xue Ye wasn't an idiot. There was no way he'd agree.
Letting a Titled Douluo into the treasury was no different from letting a thief into your own home.
And if Dugu Bo took a liking to one of the treasures, would you give it to him or not?
Dugu Bo didn't say anything more. He simply led Fang Xuan inside.
Xue Qinghe was already waiting there, and Xue Ye was with him.
Looking at Xue Ye's tall, straight figure, now beginning to show his age, Fang Xuan sighed inwardly.
As expected, being an emperor is hard work, no matter what world you're in.
Standing together, Xue Ye and Xue Qinghe looked more like grandfather and grandson.
"This commoner Fang Xuan greets Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."
Fang Xuan bowed, but didn't kneel as ordinary people did when meeting the emperor.
As the saying went, you knelt to Heaven, Earth, and your parents. He didn't kneel to Heaven or Earth, let alone some mortal emperor.
And as Dugu Bo's disciple, he had the right not to bow to the emperor—especially when his master was standing right beside him.
"So you're Fang Xuan. You certainly live up to the rumors—you're a fine-looking young man."
This was Xue Ye's first time meeting Fang Xuan. With one glance, he could tell there was something different about the young man before him.
As a ruler, he had met all kinds of people.
Fang Xuan gave him a very unusual impression. It was as if, in Fang Xuan's eyes, he wasn't a lofty emperor at all, but merely an ordinary elder.
The feeling was unique, and it made him even more curious about Fang Xuan.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I'm just an ordinary person. I'm fortunate that the Crown Prince thinks highly of me and has given me the chance to meet you."
Since he had decided to accept Qian Renxue's invitation, it was time to make his position clear.
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe, standing beside Xue Ye, gave a faint smile but said nothing.
After a few brief pleasantries, they got down to business.
"The Crown Prince said you wanted to enter the Imperial Treasury and choose an item yourself. I'm curious—what kind of treasure are you looking for?"
"Of course, I don't mean anything by it. The Imperial Treasury holds a great many things, which can make choosing difficult. If we narrow it down to a general area, it'll be easier for you to find what you want."
Xue Ye had ruled for so many years, after all. He had his doubts about Fang Xuan's sudden request to enter the treasury and choose a treasure.
If it had been anyone else, he never would have agreed.
Not even if it had been Dugu Bo. After all, Dugu Bo and the imperial family were merely partners, and the royal family had no way to keep him in check. Even though he was the Guardian Douluo, Xue Ye still had to guard against him.
But Fang Xuan was different. His background was spotless, making him an ideal confidant to cultivate.
He could even use Fang Xuan to bind Dugu Bo more tightly to the imperial family.
Then there was Fang Xuan's talent. At eighteen, he had already reached the Soul King realm. His future prospects were limitless.
Becoming a Titled Douluo was all but certain. Spending a few treasures to build a good relationship with him was an excellent bargain.
If Fang Xuan had agreed to marry into the imperial family, Xue Ye would have given him ten treasures without a second thought, let alone let him choose one from the treasury.
Unfortunately, Fang Xuan had no such intentions, which left Xue Ye somewhat disappointed.
"If possible, I'd like to choose a treasure related to Soul Tools."
Fang Xuan didn't bother hiding it. Since Xue Ye had asked, he might as well say so.
Besides, Xue Ye didn't know what he was looking at. As for the Heart of the Sea God, he seemed to regard it as nothing more than a somewhat rare Soul Tool.
It was an inheritance item from a god! If Xue Ye had known that, he never would have given it to Tang San.
The only reason Fang Xuan hadn't asked for it outright was that he'd been afraid Qian Renxue would notice.
After all, that woman really was a god's chosen inheritor. If he asked for it directly, she might see through him.
To be safe, he still had to guard against her.
"Soul Tools? You're interested in those?"
Dugu Bo was puzzled. He hadn't expected his cheap disciple to take an interest in something like that.
Most of the methods for making Soul Tools had been lost on the Douluo Continent. The only crafting technique that remained was for storage Soul Tools.
The Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Pouch he had given Fang Xuan was one of those, and a fairly advanced one at that. Ordinary Soul Tools couldn't store living things.
As for all the others, they were mostly antiques from ancient times, and few of them were useful.
"A little. Actually, I got the idea because of you, Master."
"Me?"
Dugu Bo was dumbfounded. How had this gotten anything to do with him?
"Master, don't you think Soul Tools are a bit like artificial Soul Bones?"
As soon as he said it, the other three were all startled.
"Artificial Soul Bones?!"