Tang San's Shock, Lin Tian's Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?!

Xue Qinghe pressed her lips together, her gaze lingering on Lin Tian for a moment.

"Go outside first."

Lin Tian nodded.

"Alright."

He rose from the bed and walked toward the door.

When he reached the doorway, Lin Tian paused.

"If the effects of the medicine worsen again, remember to call me."

Xue Qinghe did not answer.

Lin Tian pushed the door open and left.

The door closed behind him.

Outside, the royal guards still stood watch on either side.

When they saw Lin Tian emerge, their expressions carried a trace of confusion, but they did not ask any questions.

Lin Tian stood beneath the corridor eaves and looked up at the distant sky.

Night gradually fell over Starfall City.

The lights along the streets flickered on one by one.

No sound came from the room.

After a long while, the door finally opened again.

Xue Qinghe stepped out from within.

She had changed back into her robes.

However, her face was still flushed red, and fine beads of sweat remained on her forehead.

Xue Qinghe raised a hand to straighten her collar, forcibly restoring her usual composure.

Yet whenever she thought of what had just happened, a wave of humiliation rose within her.

The dignified prince of Heaven Dou and the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall had actually been forced to do such a thing within the City Lord's Manor.

No matter who had poisoned her, she had to find them.

This matter could not be allowed to pass so easily.

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and walked over to Lin Tian.

"Soul Master Lin."

"Just call me Lin Tian."

Xue Qinghe glanced at him.

"Lin Tian."

She solemnly bowed.

"Thank you for saving me this time."

"No need to be polite."

Lin Tian turned to look at the room.

"The poison in your body has already been removed. As long as you rest for a few days, there will be no lasting effects."

Xue Qinghe nodded.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I am from Spirit Hall."

Lin Tian took out his identity token and waved it before her.

The Seraphim emblem on the token stood out particularly clearly beneath the lamplight.

Xue Qinghe accepted the token and examined it carefully for a moment.

"Spirit Hall?"

She raised her head again and sized Lin Tian up from head to toe.

When Lin Tian had summoned the Primordial Chaos Azure Lotus earlier, she had already sensed how extraordinary it was.

Now that she learned Lin Tian came from Spirit Hall, the questions in her heart only grew.

When had Spirit Hall produced such a genius?

At Soul Power Rank 20, his first Soul Ring was already a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

He also possessed formidable life energy.

Such talent could not be found anywhere else on the entire continent.

"I truly never expected Spirit Hall to produce a genius like you."

After saying that, Xue Qinghe quickly regained her calm.

She did not continue asking about Lin Tian's martial soul, nor did she investigate his relationship with Spirit Hall.

As a prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, she knew exactly which questions should be asked and which should not.

"Where are you planning to go next?"

"The Great Star Dou Forest."

Lin Tian answered.

"I am going to search for my second Soul Ring."

Xue Qinghe's eyes shifted slightly.

"You are going to the Great Star Dou Forest too?"

"Mm."

Lin Tian nodded.

"My Soul Power has already reached Rank 20. I cannot delay obtaining my second Soul Ring any longer."

Xue Qinghe fell silent for a moment.

She had originally planned to head to the Great Star Dou Forest herself.

She had only come to Starfall City this time to handle a few matters.

Now that Lin Tian was entering the forest as well, they could look after each other if they traveled together.

Besides, she also wanted to see just how capable this Spirit Hall genius truly was.

"I am planning to visit the Great Star Dou Forest as well."

Xue Qinghe looked at Lin Tian.

"If you do not mind, we can travel together."

Lin Tian did not hesitate.

"Alright."

Xue Qinghe nodded faintly.

"Then we will set off tomorrow."

"There is no need to wait until tomorrow."

Lin Tian glanced at the sky.

"If we leave the city now and travel through the night, we can enter the forest by dawn tomorrow."

After giving it some thought, Xue Qinghe agreed.

"Alright."

The two did not remain at the City Lord's Manor.

When Zhou Yuanshan learned that Xue Qinghe had recovered, he immediately came in person to see them off.

"Your Highness, Soul Master Lin, it is already late, and the Great Star Dou Forest is fraught with danger."

"If you set out now, I fear it may not be safe."

Xue Qinghe waved a hand.

"My body is already fine."

"City Lord, there is no need to worry."

Zhou Yuanshan could only nod.

"Then I wish Your Highness and Soul Master Lin a safe journey."

Lin Tian and Xue Qinghe left the City Lord's Manor.

Night shrouded Starfall City.

The two followed the official road outside the city.

Lin Tian carried a travel pack on his back, his steps steady.

Xue Qinghe had changed into a fitted golden outfit suitable for travel. The hem of her robe was tied up, revealing her long legs.

Her long hair was gathered beneath a golden crown. She carried less of a prince's stately bearing and more of a sharp, capable air.

The two maintained neither too close nor too distant a gap.

Neither took the initiative to speak.

After they had walked several miles, Xue Qinghe turned her head.

"You do not seem curious about my identity at all."

"Aren't you the Heaven Dou prince?"

Lin Tian looked ahead.

"Other than that, I do not need to know more."

Xue Qinghe's eyes flickered.

"You are quite cautious."

"Living a little longer has never been a bad thing."

After saying that, Lin Tian quickened his pace.

Xue Qinghe followed him.

The two figures gradually disappeared into the night.

Elsewhere.

Shrek Academy.

Flender stood at the academy gates. When he spotted Yu Xiaogang and Oscar returning in the distance, he immediately went to meet them.

"How did it go?"

Flender looked at the two of them.

"You treated an important member of the imperial family this time. The City Lord's Manor should have given you quite a generous reward, right?"

Shrek Academy had not been doing well lately.

Academy repairs, the students' daily expenses, and the medicine and food needed for soul masters' cultivation all required Gold Soul Coins.

If they could obtain support from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family this time, the academy's financial strain would ease considerably.

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"Was that noble's illness cured?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened, and he did not answer.

Oscar could not hold back any longer.

"It was all Lin Tian's fault!"

Flender frowned.

"Lin Tian?"

"What did that useless brat do?"

"It was all Lin Tian's fault!"

As Oscar's words fell, Flender's brow immediately furrowed deeper.

"Lin Tian?"

The students resting nearby heard the commotion and gathered around.

Tang San also walked out of the room, his gaze falling on Yu Xiaogang.

"Teacher, I just heard Lin Tian's name."

"What happened to him?"

Yu Xiaogang's face was grim.

The frustration in his chest had not dissipated throughout the journey back from Starfall City.

Now that he heard Tang San's question, he immediately recounted what had happened at the City Lord's Manor.

"We were originally just about to cure that noble's illness."

"Lin Tian suddenly appeared and released a black Soul Ring, disrupting the entire situation."

Flender looked puzzled.

"Lin Tian?"

"What could that useless brat without a Soul Ring possibly do?"

In his eyes, Lin Tian had always been nothing more than a burden to Shrek Academy.

Other than doing odd jobs, he had never been of any use at all.

Yu Xiaogang raised a finger, his expression filled with anger.

"He somehow got his hands on a black Soul Ring."

"Once that Soul Ring appeared, everyone believed him."