3. A Move Decides the Realm (II) (Revised)

"Your eyes are still as sharp as ever."

"So sharp they're a little annoying."

Qian Renxue lifted her eyelids, her tone helpless.

At this moment, whether in appearance or martial soul, she was the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe. She had relied on a soul bone to disguise herself as Xue Qinghe, and the soul skill attached to that soul bone was disguise. Unfortunately, her disguise could fool everyone unaware of the truth, except Ye Qingcang, who possessed a special eye technique.

Thinking back on what had happened two years ago, even after all this time, she still found it both laughable and absurd whenever she recalled it.

She closed her book and gestured for Ye Qingcang to sit.

Without ceremony, he picked up a White Chess Piece and placed it in the very center of the board, claiming Tianyuan. "Now, the title Child of God is finally no longer something others bestowed upon you. It is the truth. From now on, you are a Child of God, an unquestionable Child of God. How does it feel? Isn't it wonderful?"

"You know I've never taken that title seriously, nor have I ever thought this identity was something to be proud of..." Ye Qingcang picked up a Black Chess Piece. As he placed it, he said, "The reason I fought for this identity was to cut off his retreat. If he had listened and not come to Blue Tyrant Academy to stir up trouble, and if that worthless teacher of his had not rekindled his old relationship with my mother, I would not have targeted him. He could take his Yangguan Road, and I could cross my Single-Plank Bridge. But if he insisted on doing so, then by cutting off his retreat, I would have the confidence to kill him swiftly at any time and in any place. In short, I have no intention of harming others, but one must always guard against others."

"I feel sorry for you. If the person who found you back then had not been that mother of yours with such a complicated background, but someone with a clean background—even someone who wasn't a soul master—you would have shone even brighter than you do now."

"But I'm also fortunate. If the person who found you back then had been my mother, I think I would never have wanted to stand against you. Becoming your enemy would mean being schemed against by you until death. Your grasp of the human heart is beyond anything I can match. But there are some things that cannot be changed simply because I do not wish for them. A battle will eventually take place between her and me. So, since you were adopted by her, I have ample reason to suspect that you will bring me countless nightmares."

"Perhaps this is the best outcome."

"We have met and come to understand one another, and our identities are the same."

"The road ahead is blocked and long, yet we are not alone."

Qian Renxue picked up a chess piece and set it on the board.

With Tianyuan as its center, she began to compress the Black Chess Pieces' space.

Putting an end to the somewhat heavy topic, she smiled. "By the way, I still don't know which god's trial taker you are. Tell me. Let me tell you, the gods of the Divine Realm are ranked as well."

"The Asura God." Ye Qingcang's single sentence wiped the smile from Qian Renxue's face. Then, amid her gloomy expression, he stabbed another knife viciously into her heart. "The Asura God is one of the five God Kings and one of the three Enforcers. The Rakshasa God is his wife, and the Angel God is also his wife..."

As she watched Ye Qingcang place his pieces on the board,

Qian Renxue's expression gradually shifted from gloominess to a smile that was not a smile.

Who was the Rakshasa God's trial taker?

Bibi Dong!

Her mother.

And who was the Angel God's trial taker?

Qian Renxue!

Herself.

Not only did you dare to think it, you truly dared to say it!

She picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board, neatly blocking the Black Chess Pieces' path and making things unpleasant for them. Her gaze swept over the two Titled Douluo pretending to be quails before settling on the boy before her, who was not even fourteen. "There's no need to mention those later rumors. The previous generation is the previous generation. As juniors, it is better that we not involve ourselves in the emotional entanglements of the previous generation. Don't you agree?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes..." Ye Qingcang replied perfunctorily. Picking up another piece, he blocked one of the White Chess Pieces' routes as well, then changed the subject and turned to business. "A warning: before the Soul Master Competition, I have a major operation planned. Considering our relationship, I advise you to speed things up, lest all your efforts go to waste and you blame me for not informing you."

"A major operation?"

"What kind of major operation?"

"Can it affect my usurpation process?"

Qian Renxue looked gravely at Ye Qingcang. She did not think this was an excuse he had made up, because ever since she had known him, he had never joked or lied about matters of such importance.

"If this operation could not affect you, I would not have informed you. Since I have informed you, I am one hundred percent certain that it will affect you."

"As for what this operation is, you would not believe me even if I told you now. Success comes from secrecy, so it is better left unsaid."

"I simply think there are too few Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in this world."

"And I want to see whether there might be another Divine Realm beyond the Divine Realm."

Ye Qingcang picked up another chess piece and slowly but firmly placed it on the board. Deep within his black eyes, a flickering flame seemed to dance. "As a friend, that is all the advice I can offer you. If you do not believe me, there is nothing I can do."

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Snake Lance Douluo and Spiny Porpoise Douluo looked at each other.

Yet neither dared interrupt the conversation between these two God Trial Takers.

Only when Qian Renxue picked up another chess piece did the atmosphere inside the carriage ease. "You are still the same. Fortunately, you are right: success comes from secrecy. I can understand that. But a plan that has already been laid out cannot be changed just because I suddenly wish to change it. I need your help. You would not refuse a friend's request, would you?"

"Of course not." Ye Qingcang added another Black Chess Piece to the board. Before they knew it, the black and white pieces had occupied one-fifth of the entire board. "Tell me. If it is within my ability, I will certainly help."

"I originally wanted to borrow the more than twenty geniuses under your command who possess domains. Since we are going to reveal our hand and force the palace, we must display unmatched strength and suppress every voice of opposition within the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Everything else is easy enough."

"It is the matter of dealing with the various academies that is troublesome."

"I need a group of geniuses capable of shattering the resolve of Heaven Dou Empire's younger generation, breaking the last remaining backbone of the Heaven Dou Empire for me. Only when they realize that Spirit Hall will grow stronger by the day will some of them abandon their insignificant loyalty to the Heaven Dou Empire, turn around, and join Spirit Hall as members of Spirit Hall."

At this point, Qian Renxue sighed, her disappointment plain to see. "But looking behind you, there is not a single genius. I suppose they all perished in Hell Road. Though exchanging more than twenty geniuses for the status of a God Trial Taker was worthwhile—extremely worthwhile—you know what kind of person I am. I like perfection. Unless an accident beyond human control occurs, I will not allow myself to leave behind future troubles. I must shatter the last fantasies certain stubborn people hold for the Heaven Dou Empire's future. And there is no more thorough way to shatter them than having their peers crush them."

"So what are you planning to do?" Ye Qingcang propped his cheek on one hand and carelessly placed a piece. "You are not planning to enter the competition yourself, are you?"

"Could I possibly transfer the Golden Generation here?"

"Would they listen to me?"

"And besides, do you not know their identities?"

"Sending students from Spirit Hall to suppress the Heaven Dou Empire's academies—are you crazy, or am I crazy? Wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire?"

"I will handle public opinion myself."

"But the people must come from the Heaven Dou Empire."

Qian Renxue rolled her eyes. She picked up a chess piece and gently placed it on the board, yet it seemed to shatter the Heaven Dou Empire's backbone from thousands of miles away. "A stance is, in the end, merely an excuse. As long as I am better than everyone else, as long as I am more perfect than everyone else, as long as there is one person to take the lead, more and more people will betray the stance that was wrong to begin with and submit to my truth. It does not matter whether I am Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. What they believe in is simply someone who can bring them a happy life. It does not even have to be me. As long as it can bring them a happier life, even if it is a soul beast or an object, they will regard it as truth and revere it as emperor!"