Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace Training Grounds.
"Hah!"
"Ha!"
Two figures darted and clashed, fierce gusts sweeping sand and gravel into the air. One was a level-fifty Battle Soul King; the other was a handsome youth barely ten years old.
Though the youth appeared to be only ten, two gleaming hundred-year Soul Rings already floated behind him. On the surface, he was a genuine Soul Grandmaster.
Yet no one knew that beneath this youthful shell lay the foundation of a level-thirty-seven Soul Elder.
He was Qian Renxue.
Eleven years old this year, daughter of Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong, she had been ordered to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial palace. Using body-possession to replace the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe, she would wait until adulthood and ascend the throne.
It was a gamble, but one with extremely high odds of success.
At least so far, no one in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had detected her true identity.
This Soul King is fairly capable. If I deliberately lose now, it will make me seem humble despite my youth and keep people from becoming suspicious.
Qian Renxue's thoughts shifted, and she deliberately exposed an opening.
The Soul King was quick-eyed and quick-handed. How could he miss such an opportunity? His fourth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Crane Wing Wind Blade!"
A shrill whistle tore through the air!
A cyan wind blade slashed toward her like a razor. Though Qian Renxue swiftly twisted aside, the thousand-year Soul Skill still carved a bloody gash into her forearm.
"Insolence!"
A furious roar shook the entire arena. Prince Xue Xing's face turned ashen as he pointed at the Soul King, his eyes wide with rage. "You dared injure my nephew! Men, drag him away and execute him!"
"Uncle Xue Xing, wait!"
Qian Renxue immediately spoke up to stop him. She pushed away the maid who had stepped forward to dress her wound and stood in front of the Soul King. Her tone was mild and proper. "Sparring injuries are unavoidable. I am not seriously hurt, so why become angry?"
"But he..."
"Father has always taught me that, as a prince of Heaven Dou Empire, I must be benevolent and treat others generously." Qian Renxue lowered her eyes slightly, her posture respectful. "It was merely an unintentional mistake. Why punish him so severely?"
"Well said!"
From the seat of honor, Xue Ye showed clear approval. His gaze toward "Xue Qinghe" below was full of satisfaction.
"Since my son has pleaded for you, I will spare your life this time. Men, escort the eldest prince back to his quarters for treatment."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The instant she bowed and withdrew, Qian Renxue sneered inwardly.
Sure enough, aside from that woman, no one in this world could resist such a perfect heir as her.
Exceptionally talented, humble and courteous, benevolent toward the people...
She was nearly flawless.
Judging by Xue Ye and Xue Xing's attitudes, in a few more decades, the throne would inevitably be hers.
She never imagined that the moment she turned and left, Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing would exchange a knowing glance. In grim silence, they dismissed every guard and palace maid before heading straight into a secret chamber deep within the imperial palace.
The chamber was dim, and the atmosphere was grave.
"Big Brother, are we really going to... test it?"
Prince Xue Xing held two crystal-clear glass containers in his palms. One contained blood that had dripped from "Xue Qinghe's" wound earlier. The other held the strange item Lin Ya had previously delivered for bloodline testing—Black Silver Liquid.
As he stared at that scarlet drop of blood, struggle and pain churned in Xue Ye's eyes.
More than anyone, he wanted his suspicions to be nothing more than needless worry.
But the second prince had died mysteriously, with countless suspicious details surrounding his death. After investigating every possibility, the only remaining suspect was his most beloved eldest son.
"I would rather believe that he killed his brother over the throne." Xue Ye's voice was hoarse.
The struggle for imperial power had always been bloody. If Xue Qinghe had truly slaughtered his own brother, Xue Ye would be heartbroken, but he could still accept it.
But if the truth was the outcome he feared most... everything would be different.
Taking a deep breath, Xue Ye's gaze abruptly turned resolute.
A thread of Soul Power flickered from his fingertip, sending "Xue Qinghe's" blood into the Black Silver Liquid. He then forced out a drop of his own essence blood and let it fall inside as well.
Merge... merge quickly!
He prayed madly in his heart.
Yet in the next instant, both their hearts plunged into an icy abyss.
Inside the Black Silver Liquid, the two drops of blood remained distinctly separate, floating opposite each other without the slightest sign of merging.
"Thud—"
It was as though all strength had been drained from Xue Ye's body. He collapsed onto the cold stone seat.
"Big Brother!!" Prince Xue Xing flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead. "That fake! I'll take men and slaughter her right now! I'll tear her into a thousand pieces!"
The eldest prince was a fake!
Someone had possessed the audacity to replace the Heaven Dou Empire's eldest prince!
And perhaps... the real Xue Qinghe had already met with disaster!
"Come back!"
Xue Ye abruptly seized his wrist and stopped him with a sharp shout.
"What are you doing?!" Xue Xing's eyes were bloodshot. "I'm going to kill that impostor and bring Xiao Ya back to the palace!"
"Idiot!"
Xue Ye angrily rebuked him. "Soul Skills that can disguise one's face and alter one's physique are not uncommon. But a power capable of perfectly imitating even one's martial soul, aura, and habits has only one record in our imperial family's ancient texts!"
"What is it?!"
"Spirit Hall." Xue Ye enunciated each word, an icy chill filling his eyes. "Legend says Spirit Hall possesses a set of ninety-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year Limit Soul Bones. One of those Soul Bones possesses a Soul Skill—flawless disguise!"
"The fake Qinghe... came from Spirit Hall?!"
Prince Xue Xing shuddered from head to toe and finally realized the gravity of the situation. Thinking about it, it made sense. The Star Luo Empire did not even have enough princes of its own—how could it possibly send someone to infiltrate their nation?
But his recklessness had not yet faded. "So what? Kill her, take the Soul Bone, and give it to Xiao Ya!"
"Fool! Do you want to drag the Heaven Dou Empire into eternal ruin?"
Xue Ye was so furious that the veins at his temples throbbed. "Anyone able to inherit that Soul Bone must be a direct descendant of Spirit Hall's upper ranks, perhaps even a relative of that person! Do you think there isn't a Titled Douluo secretly protecting her?"
"I can invite Poison Douluo to act and mobilize a thousand elite Soul Masters and ten thousand divine archers. We may not be unable to keep her here!"
"And what if you do? If we kill her, can you withstand Spirit Hall's retaliation?" Xue Ye's voice was low, carrying undisguised fear. "Qian Daoliu, a level-ninety-nine Limit Douluo, an invincible existence in this world. Can you stop his assassination? Can Xiao Ya?"
The words Limit Douluo struck Xue Xing's heart like a heavy hammer.
His body stiffened, and the cold terror instantly extinguished his towering fury.
That was right. It was an existence even an empire dared not provoke lightly.
"Must we... just watch this fake run wild in the palace?" Xue Xing growled unwillingly.
Xue Ye slowly raised his eyes, and a deep, unreadable malice and coldness flashed through them.
"An enemy exposed in the open is no longer a threat." He sneered, his tone sinister. "As long as she remains here with us, Spirit Hall will not act rashly. What we need to do now is buy Xiao Ya enough time to grow."
He paused, then gave his order. "Once you leave, immediately double every class in 'Xue Qinghe's' curriculum—literature, etiquette, imperial history, and the arts of rulership."
A prince's studies were already arduous, greatly squeezing his cultivation time.
If her coursework was doubled again, how much spare time would she have left to condense Soul Power and improve her cultivation?
"Didn't Spirit Hall send someone in?"
A cold curve lifted at Xue Ye's lips.
"This time, if I don't raise her into uselessness, I will have failed Spirit Hall's painstaking efforts!"
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