Not long after leaving the city gates, she suddenly sensed that something in the air seemed to have changed.
"This is..."
Xue Qinghe had grown somewhat accustomed to this sensation lately—the strange feeling of her cultivation speed doubling.
Now, she was completely certain that this matter was closely connected to this "young master."
They hurried onward for another half hour, traveling nearly the distance of one city away from Heaven Dou City before finally stopping.
Not far ahead of them stood a table, beside which a figure sat reading a book.
Scarlet King turned sideways and said to Xue Qinghe,
"This is our young master. Go speak with him."
"Mm..."
Xue Qinghe walked over to the table and sat across from the boy. Though she appeared calm on the surface, she was practically unable to suppress the urge to complain inwardly.
Was this child, who looked to be only around ten years old, really their young master?
Although "young master" referred to status rather than age, and even a newborn infant could be called young master... the young master Xue Qinghe had imagined should at least have been over fifteen, roughly her own age.
What could a ten-year-old child possibly understand?
If she had known that the child before her was already using Simulation to disguise himself, and that his true age was only six, her reaction would have been even more exaggerated.
Bai Chen put down his book and smiled.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I heard you wanted to see me. What did you wish to discuss?"
Xue Qinghe composed herself and asked in a low voice,
"Can you first tell me who you are? Before we speak, shouldn't both sides introduce themselves?"
"Who we are isn't important. If you insist on an answer, just think of us as one of the Hidden Families."
Bai Chen answered Xue Qinghe's question leisurely, looking utterly at ease.
In truth, he really was not in the least bit anxious. He knew perfectly well that Qian Renxue was far, far more anxious than he was at this moment.
Xue Qinghe's lips twitched. Bai Chen's answer seemed to address her question, yet revealed absolutely nothing. Their true identities remained shrouded in mist.
Xue Qinghe sighed inwardly and asked,
"Then at least tell me how I should address you. I don't believe this will be our last meeting, will it?"
"Mm, you have a point."
Bai Chen nodded in agreement.
"My surname is Bai, and my given name is Yan. You can call me Little Brother Bai."
"You must be joking, Young Master Bai."
Xue Qinghe shook her head helplessly.
It seemed she would not be able to pry out any more information about their identities anytime soon.
Since that was the case, she might as well get straight to the point.
Xue Qinghe straightened up and asked seriously,
"I'll ask directly. Was the disturbance in Heaven Dou City caused by you? What exactly is the connection between you and the increased cultivation speed appearing among Heaven Dou City's soul masters?"
In the end, she could set aside the boy's identity for now. This was the question she cared about most.
Trade
Bai Chen smiled as he watched her for a moment, then nodded lightly.
"We did cause it. I have a method that produces the phenomenon you know of in the soul masters around me. As for exactly how it works, please allow me to keep that confidential."
After some thought, Bai Chen decided to reveal part of what made him special.
After all, this anomaly appeared wherever he went, so there was no way to keep it hidden. Rather than stubbornly concealing it, he might as well use this trait to secure more benefits as early as possible.
"Then what is your purpose?"
Just as he had predicted beforehand, Xue Qinghe asked in a low voice,
"You caused such a huge disturbance in Heaven Dou City and specifically summoned me here. You must be after something, right?"
"That's right."
Bai Chen admitted it frankly.
He stood and said,
"Our family possesses considerable strength, but we've lived in seclusion for far too many years and have almost completely lost contact with the outside world. We're somewhat lacking in both wealth and political connections. Yet recently, we've wanted to develop our influence in the outside world, so we need the help of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family."
He walked over to Xue Qinghe's side. At ten years old, he was nearly at eye level with the seated Xue Qinghe.
He stared into Xue Qinghe's eyes and said pointedly,
"With the Crown Prince's influence, this little matter should be easy enough, shouldn't it?"
Xue Qinghe's gaze wavered for an instant before she quickly calmed down and said in a low voice,
"Being able to do something and choosing to do it are two different things. I have no reason to agree to your request."
"That's why, naturally, we'll offer you compensation."
Bai Chen smiled and returned to his seat.
Both parties seated across from each other understood that the most important moment of this meeting had finally arrived.
Xue Qinghe no longer held any contempt for Bai Chen. Though he looked only ten years old, neither his way of thinking nor his tone of speech resembled that of a ten-year-old child. To be honest, she even suspected that he might be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had rebuilt its cultivation.
Xue Qinghe asked first.
"What compensation are you referring to?"
"Of course, the two things you care about most."
Bai Chen raised two fingers and smiled.
"Soul Tools and cultivation enhancement. Those are the two things you currently care about most, aren't they?"
Xue Qinghe silently watched Bai Chen and tacitly accepted his statement.
Bai Chen continued,
"I can tell you plainly that I do possess the technology to mass-produce Soul Tools, and the types of Soul Tools we can mass-produce far exceed your imagination."
"So you're willing to sell all of those technologies to me?"
"Haha, how could that be? Your Highness the Crown Prince must be joking."
Bai Chen said calmly,
"I can guarantee that you will receive priority supply rights, and I can offer you discounts within a certain range. In return, you must help us establish a sect and an academy."
"A sect and an academy?"
"That's right."
Bai Chen smiled.
"Mm... let's call them the Mandate Pavilion and Heaven Eye Academy. Heaven Eye Academy will recruit talent and teach soul master abilities, while the Mandate Pavilion will teach the techniques for crafting Soul Tools."
The academy-and-sect model supporting one another was somewhat similar to Shrek and the Tang Sect. In the Douluo world, it was indeed a highly practical operational model.
With his group cultivation enhancement effect, there would be no shortage of talent willing to join. Heaven Eye Academy, which would gather a large number of gifted individuals, would become the Mandate Pavilion's talent reserve, allowing the Mandate Pavilion to develop at the fastest possible pace.
Once they had developed to a certain scale, they could reveal the matter of Soul Spirits.
Xue Qinghe sighed and said with a headache,
"If you want to establish an academy and a sect, I can provide support in terms of funding and connections. But let me make this clear first: once your ability to increase cultivation speed is discovered, countless troubles will come knocking. I will not provide you with protection."
"No problem."
Bai Chen laughed without the slightest fear.
What a joke. The thing he lacked least was top-tier muscle.
Someone wanted to cause trouble? They could go talk to his Di Tian, Bear Lord, Myriad Demon King, and Scarlet King.
Even without mentioning the first three, Scarlet King alone was already a rare match for anyone in this era.
In terms of overall strength, the Star Dou Great Forest stood above all humanity. They merely could not openly carry out large-scale destruction because of the Divine Realm. Even so, killing a few human experts who came looking for trouble would hardly be a problem.
"Then let us properly discuss the specific terms of the deal."
After that, Xue Qinghe and Bai Chen spoke for two hours before parting ways.
In the end, they agreed that the headquarters of both Heaven Eye Academy and the Mandate Pavilion would be built near Heaven Dou City. Xue Qinghe would find a way to fund the construction of their basic facilities, while also providing several high-level soul masters to serve as academy instructors.
In return, Heaven Eye Academy would prioritize accepting talent recommended by Xue Qinghe, while every product the Mandate Pavilion sold to the Heaven Dou Empire over the next five years would receive a thirty percent discount.
This discount was not to be underestimated. In just half a month, Bai Chen had earned over ten million Gold Soul Coins by selling Soul Tools. A thirty percent discount meant saving roughly three million Gold Soul Coins.
That was only half a month. The benefits the Heaven Dou Empire could gain over five years would undoubtedly be astronomical.
On the way back, Scarlet King no longer accompanied Xue Qinghe. A figure appeared beside her and asked,
"Young Master, are we really going to let them proceed as they please?"
"Of course."
Xue Qinghe smiled.
"His current plan is absolutely more beneficial to us than harmful."
The reason she had specifically had Bai Chen build the academy near Heaven Dou City was so that the Heaven Dou Empire's soul masters could cultivate nearby.
Moreover, Xue Qinghe could use this opportunity to send her trusted subordinates to Heaven Eye Academy for cultivation.
As for the dangers brought about by Bai Chen's actions... judging by his manner, he seemed to have a way to handle them.
The risks would mainly be borne by Bai Chen's side, while her own side would gain plenty of benefits. Xue Qinghe considered this a sure-profit deal.
"Understood."
Seeing that Xue Qinghe had made up her mind, the figure said no more and vanished once again.
In truth, he was also rather wary of clashing with Bai Chen's side.
From Scarlet King, he had sensed an unfathomable depth. He had only ever felt that sensation from the First Worship and the Second Worship.
That mysterious expert was at least Rank 98, and he might not even be the strongest member of that mysterious family.
Who knew where such a powerful mysterious family had emerged from? Before learning the other side's true strength, it was indeed more appropriate to remain cautious.
Xue Qinghe said no more and quickly returned to Heaven Dou City, calming the disturbance while beginning preparations to establish Heaven Eye Academy.
Meanwhile, Bai Chen and the others returned to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Information on Dragon Valley
"So you returned after being away for less than a month, and now you want me to send Myriad Demon King out with you?"
After hearing Bai Chen's report, Di Tian's expression turned somewhat strange.
Bai Chen was also rather helpless.
"I never expected to have such a trait either..."
On the day he awakened his Martial Soul, he had been captured by the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and brought to the Star Dou Great Forest. His cultivation enhancement had no effect on Soul Beasts, and in the entire Star Dou Great Forest, the only Soul Beast that could benefit from it was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. How could he possibly have guessed this would happen?
"However, I just obtained another piece of information from the future era. It concerns the Dragon Clan, and I believe it will be useful to you."
"Go on."
When Di Tian heard that Bai Chen had information from the future, his expression finally softened.
Bai Chen took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Di Tian.
Di Tian accepted it, glanced over it, and raised his brows.
"A map?"
What Bai Chen had given him was a hand-drawn map. More surprisingly, it was not a map of Douluo Continent, but a map of the entire Douluo Star.
On the map, a landmass far away from Douluo Continent had been circled and specially marked.
Bai Chen nodded.
Before you continue