Xue Qinghe Recruits Meng Chen—What a Brother Xue, Little Brother Meng!

After listening to Meng Shenji's account, Xue Qinghe was both shocked and delighted.

Innately full soul power, a mutated martial soul, and already possessing an exceptional soul ring configuration of two purple and one black rings as a Soul Elder—he absolutely could not let such a talent slip away.

With a little cultivation, his future accomplishments would surely be extraordinary. He might even break records and become the youngest Titled Douluo on the Douluo Continent.

With that in mind, Xue Qinghe unconsciously quickened his pace.

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

Inside the special training room, Yu Feng had just finished his weighted flight training.

When he saw Dugu Yan return, he removed his weights and jogged over to her, hurriedly asking, "Sister Yan Yan, you're back. What happened at the cafeteria? There was thunder and lightning everywhere. Don't tell me Brother Tianheng got into a fight with someone?"

Ao Si Luo also stopped sparring with the Shi brothers and looked toward Dugu Yan.

"It wasn't Tianheng. It was the newly admitted special-enrollment students teaching those good-for-nothing trash at the academy a lesson."

Dugu Yan shook her head and briefly recounted what had happened in the cafeteria. Yu Feng was left utterly stunned, crying out in shock again and again.

"Really? Two thousand-year soul rings and one ten-thousand-year soul ring! Teacher Qin wasn't fooling us? How did that guy manage something so outrageous?!"

"Sister Yan, are those two special-enrollment students really six or seven years younger than us?"

Ao Si Luo stepped forward to ask. If that was true, just how heaven-defying were their talents?

Dugu Yan nodded, a strange glimmer appearing in her beautiful eyes.

"Gasp—"

Even the normally calm Ao Si Luo lost his composure and drew in a sharp breath.

They were so much younger than them, yet their soul power cultivation was several ranks higher.

By the time they reached their age, wouldn't they be Soul Kings, or perhaps even Soul Emperors?!

What kind of monsters were they?

Seeing that Dugu Yan seemed to have developed a different sort of interest in the special-enrollment student, Yu Feng inwardly cried out in alarm.

Brother Tianheng had spent the past year relentlessly pursuing Sister Yan Yan, and he was just about to win her over.

At such a critical moment, Sister Yan Yan had become interested in another boy. Wouldn't all of Brother Tianheng's efforts go to waste?!

Yu Feng immediately tested the waters. "Sister Yan, you seem very interested in that special-enrollment student?"

"A guy who's younger than us, stronger than us in soul power, and has an extraordinarily abnormal soul ring configuration. Forget me—aren't you all just as curious about him?"

Dugu Yan turned the tables on Yu Feng, leaving him completely numb.

It's over, Brother Tianheng! Your rival in love has appeared! He's younger and better than you—you're in danger!

"By the way, where's Lingling?" Seeing that Ye Lingling was absent, Dugu Yan asked Ao Si Luo.

Ao Si Luo said, "Lingling went home not long ago."

"She went home? What a pity."

Dugu Yan revealed a regretful expression. She had wanted to ask Ye Lingling more about Meng Chen.

Oh no! Could that girl be trying to take a shortcut behind her back?

Fine, fine, fine. This friendship is over!

Dugu Yan was indignant.

Once Ye Lingling returned, she had to let her know how formidable a snake's water-sucking prowess could be.

If she didn't suck until Ye Lingling begged for mercy, she, Dugu Yan, would write her name upside down!

"Achoo! Achoo!"

Meng Chen, who was reading a medical text, sneezed twice in succession and could not help shivering.

Xiao Wu, who was munching on a carrot beside him, noticed something was wrong and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Ah Chen? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"I'm fine. My nose is just a little itchy."

Meng Chen rubbed his nose and did not think much of it.

He continued flipping through the medical text. The records on medicinal herbs were extremely detailed. Every herb contained annotations from several, or even more than a dozen, predecessors of the Ye Family. Each generation had updated the herbs' effects, keeping pace with the times.

Moreover, Meng Chen found traces of the immortal herbs mentioned in the original work.

The ancestors of the Ye Family had once seen those immortal herbs in certain strange mountains and remote lands, but they had all been guarded by powerful soul beasts, making them impossible to obtain.

Meng Chen recalled an auction Tang Wulin and Wu Changkong had attended during the era of Legend of the Dragon King. An immortal herb called Mysterious Ice Grass had appeared there, though it had not reached the quality of the Eight-Angle Mysterious Ice Grass.

This showed that immortal herbs did not exist only in the Icefire Yin Yang Well.

Meng Chen spent the entire afternoon immersed in the book, absorbing its knowledge of medicinal principles.

"Student Meng, Student Meng..."

Suddenly, someone called out beside Meng Chen's ear, pulling his consciousness back to reality from the medical text.

Meng Chen looked up and saw that, at some unknown point, Meng Shenji had appeared before him with a handsome young man.

"Chairman Meng, why are you here? Sorry, I was too absorbed in reading and didn't notice you."

Meng Chen closed the medical text with an apologetic expression, then instructed Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, pour tea for our guests."

Xiao Wu nodded and brought tea to Meng Shenji and Xue Qinghe.

Meng Shenji stroked his beard and smiled. "We were the ones disturbing you. I nearly forgot to introduce him. This is His Highness the Crown Prince of our Heaven Dou Empire."

Xue Qinghe also smiled faintly at Meng Chen, giving off the illusion of a gentle spring breeze.

Meng Chen clasped his hands toward Xue Qinghe. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Xue Qinghe quickly extended his hand, making a gesture as though to support Meng Chen.

"No need for such formality. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Xue."

Seeing the crown prince treat talent with such humility, Meng Shenji's weathered eyes were filled with approval.

Though both were members of the royal family, the gap between Prince Xue Beng and Crown Prince Qinghe was truly enormous!

Meng Chen had not expected Xue Qinghe to be so familiar right from the start, asking to be called big brother. His intent to win him over was far too obvious.

Still, Meng Chen did not stand on ceremony. "Brother Xue."

At that, a pleased look appeared on Xue Qinghe's face, and his voice grew even gentler.

"Little Brother Meng, I came today to apologize to you on Xue Beng's behalf. Xue Beng is not bad by nature; he was merely incited by others at the academy and came to cause trouble for you. My father has already reprimanded him and placed him under house arrest."

As he spoke, Xue Qinghe took out a Gold Soul Card from his robes. It bore five patterns, and he held it out before Meng Chen.

"This Gold Soul Card is a small compensation from the Heaven Dou royal family. It contains one hundred thousand gold soul coins. I hope Little Brother Meng will not blame Xue Beng for his rudeness and will forgive him this once. If he offends you again in the future, there will be no need for you to act—I will personally discipline him."

The moment she heard that the apology gift was one hundred thousand gold soul coins, Xiao Wu's eyes immediately lit up.

That ten thousand gold soul coins from back then had allowed her and Meng Chen to live comfortably in Notting City for six years.

Now they had received another hundred thousand in compensation. Xiao Wu did not even dare imagine how extravagant her life would become!

She would eat one carrot and throw away another. As for big chicken legs, she would eat three chickens a day!

"Brother Xue is thoughtful. Since you've spoken, if I kept pressing the matter, I'd only seem petty."

"Then let the matter between Xue Beng and me end here. I only hope he won't come provoke me again in the future."

Meng Chen smiled as he accepted the Gold Soul Card. For now, the conflict between him and Xue Beng had been put behind them. But if Xue Beng provoked him again, then he could not blame Meng Chen.

Xue Qinghe told Meng Chen not to worry, saying that he would keep Xue Beng in line.

Immediately afterward, Xue Qinghe took out a pale golden token and handed it to Meng Chen.

"Now that the compensation has been delivered, I won't disturb Little Brother Meng's studies any longer. This is my token. If you run into any trouble in Heaven Dou City in the future, you may come to the Crown Prince's residence to find me..."