Forcibly Taken Away

The candlelight flickered gently, stretching Xue Qinghe's shadow long behind him. An elderly man in plain clothes and of average build slowly emerged from his shadow.

It was Ci Xue, the Porcupinefish Douluo.

"Porcupinefish Douluo, in your opinion, is what this letter says true or false...?"

Xue Qinghe showed Ci Xue the contents of the letter.

"Miss, this subordinate does not know..."

Even Ci Xue, whose Porcupinefish martial soul had carried him to the rank of Titled Douluo, was extremely guarded about this matter. It was precisely because he had become a Titled Douluo and witnessed the unprecedented feat of innate soul power reaching level twenty.

That he did not dare deny it rashly.

Xue Qinghe could not make up his mind either.

But the captain of the guards had spoken with certainty, and he had verified it himself, so a desire to recruit talent arose within him.

If this person could be used by Spirit Hall, it would be no bad thing.

"With you here, Porcupinefish Douluo, I suppose there is no harm in meeting him."

Xue Qinghe tossed the letter into the candle flame and watched it be devoured completely.

As the crown prince, Xue Qinghe did not travel ostentatiously.

He brought only two attendants as a token gesture. This meeting needed to remain secret; the fewer people who knew, the better.

If the man truly was a genius, then there was no way he could be handed over to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

That would be aiding an enemy.

Outside the imperial capital's palace, the disguised Xue Qinghe easily found the soul master he had come to see.

However...

No matter how he looked at him...

He did not seem like a proper soul master.

Xue Qinghe looked at En Zuo, who had wrapped himself up tightly, and asked, "May I ask if you are En Zuo, the one who sent the letter?"

"Should I call you His Highness the First Prince, Xue Qinghe, or should I call you Qian Renxue, daughter of the current Pope?"

Xue Qinghe... no, Qian Renxue, had not expected her identity to be exposed so quickly.

The identity she had painstakingly concealed for years had been revealed just like that.

Her fury nearly burned away her reason as she shouted, "You dared deceive me?!"

En Zuo removed his hood, revealing a handsome face and a gentle smile. "I would not dare deceive His Highness the First Prince."

"When it comes to soul power cultivation, I do indeed possess considerable talent."

In full view of everyone, En Zuo fearlessly released his martial soul. Demon Ding flew excitedly around him, hissing and screeching.

Four soul rings—black, black, black, and dark purple—radiating immense pressure appeared in the Douluo Continent of the First Era.

Whispers rose around them.

"What? Those soul rings have to be fake, right? He's so young, yet he's not only a four-ring Soul Ancestor, he's even broken Master's six-hundred-year soul ring theory limit."

"Do you see the First Prince beside him? The imperial family will probably recruit him. Which sect's young master is he? His cultivation is terrifying."

Qian Renxue had not expected the most absurd thing written in the letter to be true.

Even though she possessed innate soul power at level twenty, had cultivated to level thirty at the age of nine, and had now broken through to become a four-ring Soul Ancestor at twelve, she had believed that no one in the world could rival her talent.

Yet someone had surpassed her.

Even if En Zuo was one or two years older, it did not matter. Such talent was enough to overlook the vast majority of minor flaws.

Suppressing her anger, Qian Renxue actually smiled. So what if her identity as Spirit Hall's young mistress had been exposed? As long as En Zuo could join Spirit Hall, it would all be worth it.

To take such a genius for herself.

He would surely reach the pinnacle of an Ultimate Douluo in the future.

He would become a supreme expert like her grandfather.

At that thought, Qian Renxue could not help glancing at En Zuo several more times. She urgently asked, "Since you know my identity, then let me ask you this: are you willing to join Spirit Hall...?"

"I can guarantee that you will become a disciple of the current Grand Worshipper. Your talent will never be wasted. Even if you want the position of Grand Worshipper of Worship Hall, it would not be impossible to discuss in the future."

"You've asked me so many questions. It's only fair that I ask you one." En Zuo said with interest, "Are you willing to cast aside your identities as the First Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the young mistress of Spirit Hall, join my Monster Academy, and become part of the team under my command?"

"What did you say?"

Qian Renxue's chest rose and fell slightly. She had not expected En Zuo to be even bolder than she was. Both sides actually wanted to poach the other into their own faction.

What kind of logic was that?

"Not willing?"

En Zuo's gaze turned cold. There was no need to use a gentle approach on Qian Renxue like he had with Huo Yuhao and Tang San.

Only by completely surpassing her in raw strength and crushing her pride beneath his feet would Qian Renxue submit sincerely.

Such a relationship would be even more stable than the ones he had built with Tang San and Huo Yuhao.

The underlying code of the Douluo Continent was simply at work.

En Zuo would not stand here wasting time. Before Qian Renxue could react, he waved his hand and ordered, "Demon Ding, use Dark Assault."

Qian Renxue had not expected En Zuo to act so decisively. Shock appeared on her face, and she no longer cared to maintain her disguise as she revealed her true form.

Though her body remained that of a man, her appearance changed into a cold and beautiful woman's face.

With a straight nose, slightly narrow phoenix eyes, and a face carrying a trace of imposing majesty, she bore some resemblance to Bibi Dong.

The golden light in her hand intensified. With a sweep of her slender right hand, a massive golden light slash three meters wide descended from the sky, shooting toward Demon Ding as it unleashed Shadow Assault.

Scarlet claw light carrying the momentum to destroy everything crashed fiercely into the golden light slash, and a violent explosion of air rang out.

Ring after ring of shockwaves spread from the point where the two attacks collided, sweeping up rolling clouds of dust.

Qian Renxue was forced two steps back by the aftermath. The ground beneath her feet suddenly vanished, and she stared at the golden doorway that had appeared beside her, unable to understand what kind of soul skill this was.

The next instant, her entire body was swallowed.

Within the dust, En Zuo easily entered his own space through the Narak Domain and retreated.

Meanwhile, Ci Xue, the Porcupinefish Douluo secretly protecting Qian Renxue, felt his blood run cold and could not move at all.

The aura of an Ultimate Douluo had locked him in place. If he took even one step forward, he would die.

Ci Xue could only watch helplessly as the young mistress and En Zuo vanished into the dust as though they had evaporated from the world, leaving no trace to be found anywhere on the Douluo Continent.

Above Monster Academy.

Qian Renxue fell from the sky. She barely managed to release her Six-Winged Angel martial soul to withstand the wind pressure as she looked down at the unfamiliar scene below.

"En Zuo, where exactly have you sent me? You had better think this through. Spirit Hall will never let my disappearance go."

"Spirit Hall?"

En Zuo stepped out from the golden doorway. As the Crystal Staff appeared within Monster Academy's grounds, wind stirred across nearly half the school without warning.

A violent storm was brewing.

"I would rather they could chase after us, but unfortunately, their strength alone is nowhere near enough to support that."

A storm gathered in En Zuo's palm, forming a rapidly spinning sphere of wind. Looking down at Qian Renxue from above, he said, "Don't die so easily. I'm still hoping you'll be able to stand up and accept training tomorrow."