Summer Insects Cannot Speak of Ice, Well Frog Cannot Speak of Sea (Revised)

From the City of Slaughter to Heaven Dou City, they had to cross the borders of the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire.

Whether they traveled from the Yunluo Duchy above, passing through the Pelage Kingdom, crossing the border, entering Fasinuo Province under Heaven Dou rule, and following the route from Notting City to Suotuo City, then Xilu City and Jialing Pass, before finally reaching Heaven Dou City,

or traveled from Antonio Province below, passing through the Golden City Mountain Range, entering the neutral territory of Spirit Hall, crossing the border, and heading straight for Sylvis City, then crossing the Frost Gallop River and reaching Heaven Dou City by the western waterway,

no matter which route they took, they had to cross the border.

Qian Renxue ultimately chose the first route.

That was, she chose the route through the Yunluo Duchy.

In terms of distance, the route through Antonio Province below was closer. However, by the same logic, it was also more dangerous. Not only did it pass through the Golden City Mountain Range, a defensive barrier extremely close to Star Luo City, it also passed through Spirit Hall's headquarters, Spirit City. Qian Renxue did not want to see that greedy woman at all, even if that woman was her biological mother.

Moreover, they had unicorns as a means of transportation.

Even if the route through the Yunluo Duchy was longer, it was not much longer.

The eight unicorns spread their wings.

They pulled the carriage into the air.

It took only about eight hours to cross the Yunluo Duchy and the Pelage Kingdom, pass over the border, arrive in Fasinuo Province within the Heaven Dou Empire, and stop in Notting City to rest.

To the lord of Notting City, this heaven-sent fortune had finally fallen into his lap. He wished he could receive the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the honored guest whom even the Crown Prince treated with courtesy as if they were his own parents.

Over the years, Qian Renxue had built up an excellent reputation.

She respected the worthy and treated the humble well, with quite the bearing of a wise ruler.

In sharp contrast to Qian Renxue, this "imitation Xue Qinghe," were the other useless, spoiled princes of Xue Ye.

For example: Fourth Prince Xue Beng.

He often rode through Heaven Dou City, frequently leaving people seriously injured. Whenever he went out, the petty merchants and peddlers fled as if they had seen a wolf.

For example: the Third Prince, who had died young.

He was addicted to women and abducted young girls. Although no one among the common people dared to criticize him, after his death, every household closed its doors and applauded.

And then there was the Second Prince, who had suddenly died.

He had been wildly ambitious and had tormented the people of Heaven Dou. Only after he suddenly died in his residence did Xue Ye, deeply suspicious, send people to investigate the Second Prince's estate. They discovered that the Second Prince had maintained a private army of two thousand men for five years. The expenses had been drawn from many illicit industries, and his reach had even extended into the national treasury. This discovery enraged Xue Ye, who directly demoted all the Second Prince's descendants to commoners. However, for the sake of the imperial family's reputation, he still told the outside world that the Second Prince had died of illness, leaving the truth unrecorded.

But virtually every official knew what had happened.

Thus, Qian Renxue, this "imitation Xue Qinghe," was not actually all that outstanding. She had no achievements in expanding the empire and no accomplishments in controlling floods. She had merely worked diligently to handle Heaven Dou's governmental affairs in Xue Ye's place. With Xue Ye's health deteriorating by the day, as long as she did not make a mistake, she was certain to become Heaven Dou's future ruler. After all, who else could she compete with when all her rivals were useless?

As for whether these princes were truly useless, one could only say that Qian Renxue's methods were too brilliant!

The bright and just one was her.

The dark and evil one was also her.

Not even Xue Ye had a Titled Douluo guarding him. Poison Douluo was merely a consecrated member of the Heaven Dou Empire, not Xue Ye's bodyguard. Yet Qian Renxue had two Titled Douluo at her disposal. If that was not enough, she could still ask her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, for reinforcements. The several consecrated elders in the Worship Hall were around the same age as Qian Daoliu, and they had all watched Qian Renxue grow up. They called her Young Master out of respect for the Angel God, but that did not mean they lacked familial affection beyond that reverence.

If Qian Renxue held such a powerful hand and still failed in a palace coup, then it would not be her abilities that deserved questioning, but her intelligence.

"The only thing I'm worried about now is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's reaction."

"If everyone in Heaven Dou stands united."

"With Dugu Bo at the head, all the deans of the Four Elements Academy are Soul Douluo, and the three education committee members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy are Soul Douluo as well. Add in the sects and families, such as the Nine Heart Begonia lineage, the Mystic Tortoise Xu Family, and the Four Element Families that once belonged to the Clear Sky Sect."

"This is a highly unstable force."

"They have the ability to delay us until the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect arrives."

"By then, I won't be facing one Titled Douluo and a dozen or so Soul Douluo, but three Titled Douluo and more than thirty Soul Douluo."

Sitting in the carriage and watching the increasingly familiar scenery outside, as well as the magnificent Heaven Dou City in the distance, Qian Renxue sighed regretfully. "It's like I cooked a whole table of food, but two tables of guests showed up. How are we supposed to eat?"

"Eat it like a banquet!" Ye Qingcang, like Qian Renxue, watched the Heaven Dou City drawing closer and delivered a revelation. "First, turn the raw rice into cooked rice and swallow Heaven Dou City whole. Then slaughter Xue Beng, Xue Xing, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to the last man. Find an excuse to keep Ning Rongrong in Heaven Dou City and have your people watch her closely. You should personally visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, lay everything out before Ning Fengzhi, and give him two choices. He must choose one. The first is to continue being your teacher, follow you in your struggle for the world, kick the Clear Sky Sect from its position as the world's number-one sect, and elevate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in its place. The second is to kill you, invite Spirit Hall's all-out retaliation, and have Ning Rongrong, who is in Heaven Dou City, die in an accident."

Spear Douluo and Porcupine Douluo both lowered their heads.

We don't dare say anything. We don't dare ask anything.

As long as you two God Trial Takers are happy.

"It's a little ruthless, but I like it..." The corners of Qian Renxue's lips curved up slightly. "Ning Fengzhi is a smart man. He knows which choice would be most beneficial to himself, to the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and to his daughter, Ning Rongrong!"

"If his stance resembles the Clear Sky Sect's—supporting the Heaven Dou Imperial Family rather than any particular person within it—then he really could become one of the unstable factors in the palace coup to come."

"Unfortunately, he wants too much."

"Once he obtains the position he wants and becomes your teacher, he will be bound tightly to you. He will become a blade in your hand. At that point, as long as you give him even the slightest glimmer of hope, he will follow you onward and unwillingly become your devoted follower."

As Ye Qingcang spoke, he took a palm-sized jade tablet from his ring. He pressed a finger against it, and the jade tablet immediately lit up.

Several messages, marked with black-bordered boxes, popped up on the jade tablet one after another.

Black text on a white background, clear as day.

"No matter how many times I see it, I'm still amazed by your talent..." Looking at the jade tablet Ye Qingcang had put back into his ring, Qian Renxue praised him sincerely. "The Jade Seal Machine you developed alone is an extraordinary invention. You did not propose the concept of Soul Tools, nor did you create the first Soul Tool. But only in your hands have Soul Tools been able to shine. Without anyone realizing it, they have already influenced our lives and even affected the outcomes of battles between Soul Masters!"

"You're flattering me."

"I'm only a successor who picked up the wisdom of those who came before."

"I inherited the wisdom of my predecessors and brought it to this world."

Ye Qingcang shook his head, exceptionally clear-minded. "The progress of an era cannot be stopped. Even without me, someone else would have brought Soul Tools before the eyes of the people and let them see their appeal. I was merely one step ahead of others. I wouldn't dare compare myself to the pioneer."

Qian Renxue merely shook her head when she heard this.

She understood Ye Qingcang's personality.

Ye Qingcang was excellent in every way. His only flaw was that he was too humble.

However, as Ye Qingcang put it, he was merely speaking the truth. When someone had a higher mountain in their heart that they wished to climb, they would not care about the swamp beneath their feet. In the eyes of those who could not climb it, he had already reached the summit and was a legend. But on the mountain in his own heart, he might have climbed only one-tenth, one-hundredth, one-thousandth, or one-ten-thousandth of the way. Faced with all the heights that remained, what did he have to be proud of?

People were different from one another.

Some people never tasted abalone or lobster in their entire lives.

Others could eat abalone and lobster until they were sick of it.

Summer insects could not speak of ice, and well frogs could not speak of the sea. That was all there was to it!

Open the map.