The Grand Event at Heaven Dou Lake!

Wu Qingkong was startled by this sudden thought of his own.

Why had such a thought suddenly popped into my head?!

Xiao He was indeed remarkably handsome, so his sister had to be stunning as well.

If he did not like him, why would he introduce his own sister to him?!

With that in mind, there was even less chance Wu Qingkong would accept Hu Liena's confession.

After hearing Hu Liena's confession, Wu Qingkong shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but we're not suitable for each other..."

"Please forgive me, but I can't accept your confession."

Hearing Wu Qingkong's rejection, Hu Liena lowered her head and gave a bitter laugh. A tear quietly slid from the corner of her eye. "Just as I expected. I understand..."

"Thank you, Wu Qingkong."

"I was very happy during the days I got to know you..."

"You should go. I was the one who disturbed you."

Seeing Hu Liena reduced to such a state because of him, Wu Qingkong could only say softly, "Sorry."

Then, he left without looking back.

It was not that Wu Qingkong was cold or heartless. Rather, his Ultimate Ice martial soul, coupled with the portion of Shura Divine Power instilled into him during childhood—

Had somewhat affected his personality.

Unless someone had spent a long time by his side, it was indeed difficult for the affairs of others to move him.

After Wu Qingkong left, Hu Liena wept bitterly for a while before wiping away her tears. She turned to Bibi Dong and said, "Teacher, thank you..."

"You helped me fulfill my wish. Let's go..."

After saying that, Hu Liena's eyes lost their former radiance.

Seeing her disciple so dejected, Bibi Dong could not bear it. In order to encourage her, Bibi Dong persuaded her:

"Nana, don't be sad..."

"Actually, this is a good thing. I can sense that Wu Qingkong is already a Soul King, while you're still only a Soul Elder."

"If you like him, you need to become stronger than him before you can draw his attention! Right now, you're a whole major realm below him."

"How could he possibly give you a second glance?!"

"Really?"

After hearing Bibi Dong's words, Hu Liena seemed to have grasped a lifeline.

"Teacher, I'll listen to you. I'll cultivate properly and raise my Soul Power rank as soon as possible."

"When the time comes, I'll tell Qingkong that I can definitely be worthy of you!"

Hu Liena's eyes were now filled with fighting spirit...

After rejecting Hu Liena, Wu Qingkong covered his feet with Soul Power and hurried home.

"Xiao He, for your sister's sake, I turned down a Spirit Hall Holy Maiden. You'd better not be fooling me!"

"You have to arrange for me to meet your sister as soon as possible!"

Inside the Eastern Palace of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Qinghe was bent over her desk, reviewing memorials.

Earlier, she had used slow-acting poison to render Emperor Xue Ye unconscious, throwing the entire palace into turmoil and giving her an opportunity to slip away.

Now that she had called off the engagement—

She naturally had to hurry back and handle state affairs before Xue Ye woke up, lest anyone become suspicious.

Yet after being gone for only a short while, the memorials on her desk had already piled up like a mountain.

Just looking at them gave Xue Qinghe a headache, and she raised a hand to rub her forehead.

"My head hurts. How did so many memorials pile up in such a short time?!"

After complaining, Xue Qinghe immediately began dealing with them.

At one corner of the desk, the wooden basket beside her continuously emitted faint wisps of cold air.

These were the food items Wu Qingkong had left for her earlier.

Looking at the basket, a faint smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's lips.

"Thankfully, Qingkong is there to keep me company."

After saying that, she reached into the basket.

Soul Power covered her palm. With a gentle pull, a grilled fish appeared in her hand. As Soul Power warmed it, wisps of steam rose from the fish.

Savoring the fragrant aroma of the fish, Xue Qinghe ate while handling the memorials.

Xue Qinghe reviewed them quickly. After several grilled fish had gone into her stomach—

More than half the memorials on the desk were gone.

A knock sounded from outside the door. "Knock, knock."

"Who is it?"

Xue Qinghe asked softly.

"Hehe, it's me, Brother."

As the words fell, the door creaked open.

A lively, mischievous young girl walked in.

Though the girl was not very old, her skin was exceptionally fair. Her brows and eyes curved sweetly, and two tiny dimples appeared on either side of her cheeks as she giggled, making her look especially adorable.

The visitor was Xue Ke, the princess of the current Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Seeing Xue Ke suddenly visit, Xue Qinghe was somewhat curious.

"Why aren't you taking care of His Majesty? What are you doing here?"

"Did you come to help me share some of these memorials?"

Hearing that, Xue Ke hurriedly waved her hands.

"Brother, don't bully me."

"These memorials are all yours. Don't come looking for me."

"I'm not doing them!"

After saying that, Xue Ke mischievously made a face at Xue Qinghe and stuck out her tongue.

Seeing Xue Ke like this, Xue Qinghe smiled. "You never come unless you have business."

"Just tell me what it is!"

Xue Ke held out her little hand and presented a gilded invitation.

"Brother, have you been so busy that you've lost track of time?"

"Did you forget about next month?"

"Next month?!"

Xue Ke opened the invitation and said, "There's a major event at Heaven Dou Lake next month. It's a huge occasion for the younger generation of our Heaven Dou Kingdom!"

"All the outstanding young men and women of our generation will be attending. Quite a few noble ladies have admired you for a long time."

"But you're like a block of wood, Brother. You haven't taken a liking to a single woman."

"I'm starting to suspect you like men!"

Xue Qinghe took the invitation and glanced at it, immediately understanding.

The purpose of this so-called Heaven Dou Gala was to settle the marriage affairs of male and female soul masters within Heaven Dou.

This tradition had always been popular and had been passed down for over ten thousand years.

Many beautiful women and talented young men of the Heavenly Dou Empire would gather on Heaven Dou Lake, get to know one another, and create countless romantic tales.

Earlier, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had registered the long-single Xue Qinghe for it.

But Xue Qinghe was naturally "uninterested in women." No matter how beautiful a woman was, she could not move her.

Naturally, she had declined the invitation, leaving one extra invitation behind.

Seeing Xue Qinghe's look of realization, Xue Ke smiled. "Brother, do you still want this extra invitation?"

"If not, I'll throw it away!"

Xue Qinghe naturally had no interest in such an event.

She had initially intended to wave it away, but then another thought occurred to her.

She was planning to introduce herself to Wu Qingkong anyway, so perhaps...

At that thought, Xue Qinghe hurriedly snatched it over. "Yes, I want it. Who said I didn't? I'll give it to a friend later."

"Huh?"

Hearing that her brother intended to give it to a friend, Xue Ke could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. "Fine, do whatever you want!"

"Anyway, you're just a block of wood. Giving it to you is a waste. I hope your friend can successfully meet another beauty and form a bond at Heaven Dou Lake. I'm leaving, Brother."

"Bye-bye."

After saying that, Xue Ke left without looking back.

Watching Xue Ke's departing figure, Xue Qinghe clutched the invitation tightly to her chest.

"Qingkong, you must come back within the next month!"