"Dugu Yan, how much has your Soul Power increased?"
At Lan Yu's question, the shyness that had just risen in Dugu Yan's face vanished. She arched a brow, excitement and pride in her voice. "Level thirty-eight. Impressive, right?"
A thirty-eight-level Soul Elder at sixteen?
Dugu Yan watched Lan Yu rub his chin, looking thoughtful, and asked curiously,
"What? Sure, I can't compare to a freak like you, but I'm still way ahead of people my age, aren't I?"
Way ahead of people her age? Not as far ahead as Dai Mubai, the drinker, gambler, womanizer, and glutton.
"Mm." Lan Yu gave a slight nod and smiled faintly. "Not bad."
Dugu Bo stood nearby with his hands behind his back, gazing at the two of them with a complicated, rueful look. "What a twist of fate! The curse that plagued my Dugu Family for generations was lifted just like that..."
Then he suddenly changed the subject and looked at Lan Yu. "By the way, Little Monster, that little girl has broken through to Soul Elder too, hasn't she?"
He thumped his chest with a hearty laugh. "If you need help Soul Hunting, just say the word."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Old Poison." Lan Yu didn't refuse.
Love-Hate Yin-Yang Well, two days later.
"I've returned!"
The three of them were meditating cross-legged when a loud shout rang out overhead. They opened their eyes and looked up.
Dugu Bo came swooping down from the sky, holding a colossal creature thirteen meters long in one hand. He tossed it to the ground, where it crashed down with a thud and made the earth tremble.
The Soul Beast was dragon-like, its body covered in dark, corrosive patterns. Its claws were half a foot long, and its breathing was heavy. It was a six-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Devouring Earth-Claw Dragon.
"Little Monster, what do you think of this Soul Beast?"
Dugu Bo kicked the dying creature, then furrowed his brows. "About six thousand five hundred years old. Can that little girl handle it?"
Lan Yu didn't answer directly. He turned and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Xiao Shan, what do you think?"
"Let me try, Brother. I've eaten Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, after all." Tang Shan rose onto her tiptoes, leaned against Lan Yu, and lifted her head to whisper into his ear.
Her face flushed, and her body trembled slightly, as if she had remembered something.
"Don't push yourself." Lan Yu tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger.
Nearby, Dugu Yan watched the two act so intimately, oblivious to everyone else. Her brows drew tighter and tighter until she finally couldn't hold back. "Lan Yu, are you really willing to let your little sister take such a huge risk?"
In the eyes of someone local to Douluo like Dugu Yan, the ideal age for a third Soul Ring was only a little over a thousand years.
Lan Yu's three thousand-year Soul Rings were already an astonishing exception. There was no way anyone could reproduce that feat.
Even after taking an Immortal Herb said to be miraculous, her fundamental understanding remained unchanged.
Lan Yu glanced at her and shook his head with a faint smile. "I believe in her."
He couldn't be bothered to explain everything to these old-fashioned Douluo.
With two top-grade Immortal Herbs to build on, plus the body-tempering effects of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, if she couldn't absorb a third Soul Ring that was less than six thousand years old, then he'd have to put little Tang Shan through her paces!
As Tang Shan approached the Devouring Earth-Claw Dragon, she suddenly shivered. The thought rose in her mind that if she successfully absorbed this Soul Beast's Soul Ring, she would regret it.
Suppressing the thought, Tang Shan brought her hand down, blade-first.
Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Mansion.
Today, Qian Renxue had unusually dropped her Xue Qinghe disguise. She stood by the window in a plain white dress, her golden hair fluttering in the wind.
Two shadows appeared silently behind her. Snake Lance and Pufferfish dropped to one knee, their voices edged with trepidation. "Young Mistress."
"Have you found them?"
Qian Renxue didn't turn around, and her voice revealed nothing.
"Reporting to Young Mistress, we confirmed that after parting ways with you, Lan Yu and Tang Shan returned to Lanya Pavilion. They didn't set off for Heaven Dou Academy until dusk, and on the way..."
"What happened on the way?" Qian Renxue's hand tightened slightly on the window frame. Her voice turned cold.
"They disappeared." Snake Lance and Pufferfish both lowered their heads.
"Disappeared?"
Qian Renxue finally turned around, her beautiful eyes filled with icy intent. "You're two Titled Douluo, and you investigated all day, only to give me the words 'they disappeared'?"
Well...
Snake Lance and Pufferfish exchanged a quick glance, heads bowed, then answered in unison. "Please calm down, Young Mistress."
"Calm down?"
Qian Renxue slammed her palm against the window frame. The wooden frame cracked. "No one saw them alive, no one found their bodies dead. How am I supposed to calm down?"
It was rare for Qian Renxue to meet a man with greater talent than her. She couldn't help feeling a hint of admiration for the strong and a desire to take control.
The two looked at each other, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Damn, even after becoming Titled Douluo, we still have to act like their lackeys. Boo-hoo-hoo~
As the atmosphere grew more and more tense, Pufferfish racked his brains. Then he abruptly looked up, as if he'd suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly reported, "Young Mistress! On the route Lan Yu took back, I faintly sensed traces of the Soul Power of a poison-type Titled Douluo.
"Also, Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan, hasn't been to Heaven Dou Academy for two days."
Qian Renxue furrowed her brows. "You mean... Dugu Bo took them away?"
She turned and sat back in her chair, gently pressing a jade-white finger to her temple. "Why?"
Pufferfish hurriedly nudged Snake Lance with his elbow.
Snake Lance understood at once. He raised his head and cupped his fists, making his case sound quite convincing.
"Young Mistress, after Lan Yu enrolled, he clashed with Yu Tianheng over the position of Heaven Dou Team captain. This subordinate believes Yu Tianheng is the source of the problem."
"Who won?" Qian Renxue suddenly asked.
"Lan Yu took on six opponents alone and won every match!"
"As expected of the man I've set my sights on." A glint flashed in Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Yu Tianheng?"
Qian Renxue repeated the name, then suddenly gave a scornful laugh. "Yu Yuanzhen's grandson?"
Only level thirty-three at sixteen. What trash talent.
"But what does Yu Tianheng's business have to do with Dugu Bo?" Qian Renxue asked, puzzled.
"Young Mistress, there's something you don't know."
Pufferfish hurriedly explained, "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is short on successors and relies entirely on Yu Yuanzhen, their sole Titled Douluo. They've long wanted to recruit Dugu Bo, who belongs to no faction, but haven't found a way.
"Yu Tianheng is Yu Yuanzhen's legitimate grandson, and he wanted to get close to Dugu Yan. I suspect he holds a grudge against Lan Yu and asked Dugu Bo to take revenge."
The two didn't know the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul had a flaw. They took turns speaking, and together spun a tale that sounded entirely plausible.
"Outrageous!"
"With a mere Jade Phosphor Snake, why invite your own destruction?"
Qian Renxue slapped the table and sprang to her feet, icy light flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Snake Lance, Pufferfish!"
"Present!"
"Set out at once and bring Dugu Bo to me!"
What?! The two of us were supposed to take on Dugu Bo?
The courage they'd just mustered drained away in an instant. They froze, looking at each other.
"What, is there a problem? Isn't Dugu Bo the weakest Titled Douluo?" Qian Renxue challenged.
"Reporting to Young Mistress... Dugu Bo is elusive. The two of us truly don't know where he is," Snake Lance replied, forcing himself to stay composed.
He might be the weakest, but he could still wipe out an entire clan and leave only its strongest member standing.
Qian Renxue's brows knitted together, and the disappointment in her eyes was plain to see.
Seeing this, Snake Lance hurriedly said, "But, Young Mistress, if we can't find Dugu Bo, we can start by taking action against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"Who from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is in Heaven Dou City?"
Qian Renxue picked up the teacup on the table, idly running a finger around its rim.
"Yu Yuanzhen's younger brother, Yu Luomian."
"Yu Luomian's illegitimate daughter, Liu Erlong."
"Yu Yuanzhen's son, Yu Xiaogang."
"Yu Xiaogang?! The one Bibi Han keeps talking about all the time?!"
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes narrowed abruptly. She stared at Snake Lance and questioned him, each word sharp and deliberate.
Snake Lance didn't know how to answer. He only lowered his head almost imperceptibly.
"Heh... Break both of Yu Luomian's legs!"
Qian Renxue's tone was calm. After speaking, she broke into a sinister grin. "Break all three of Yu Xiaogang's legs!"