Qian Renxue Came to Recruit Him, Rongrong Publicly Defended Her Man

Ning Rongrong tugged on Gu Feng's sleeve and skipped over lightly.

"Dad, why did you come over with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Ning Fengzhi rubbed Ning Rongrong's head and looked toward Gu Feng.

"Little Feng, Qinghe specifically accompanied me here today mainly to see you."

Gu Feng stood where he was and gave a slight bow.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward half a pace and supported Gu Feng by the arm, closely examining the twelve-year-old boy before him.

He stood tall and composed. Facing the crown prince himself, he showed not the slightest hint of unease or panic.

Such steady bearing was not something an ordinary commoner's child could possess.

"Brother Gu Feng, there is no need for such courtesy."

Xue Qinghe's sincere tone carried Xue Xing's admiration.

"A twelve-year-old Level 42 Battle Soul Ancestor with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring—such a thing has never been heard of throughout history."

"I am a few years older than you. If you do not mind, just call me Brother Qinghe."

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance beside them.

A crown prince of an entire nation addressing a twelve-year-old boy as his brother—such treatment would be enough to shake Heaven Dou City if word got out.

Ning Fengzhi stood between them. Seeing that the timing was right, he spoke.

"Little Feng, Qinghe spoke with me in the palace this morning and praised your talent and abilities highly."

"He thinks very highly of you. He hopes that after you graduate from the Royal Academy, you can enter the court and assist him, becoming his right-hand man."

The moment those words fell, the surroundings went silent.

Qin Ming stood at the back without saying a word.

Ning Rongrong instinctively tightened her grip on Gu Feng's arm. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but Ning Fengzhi stopped her with a look.

Xue Qinghe stood before Gu Feng, quietly waiting for his answer.

Gu Feng understood perfectly well.

The gentle, jade-like crown prince before him was actually Qian Renxue of Spirit Hall.

She had lurked in Heaven Dou for more than a decade, ruthless in her methods and placing profit above all else.

The other party wanted to recruit him for no more reason than the talent and opportunities he had displayed.

But Tang San had lost the immortal herbs to Gu Feng, so the future Heaven Dou Palace Coup likely would not happen.

If the Heaven Dou Palace Coup did not happen and Xue Qinghe successfully ascended the throne, would Bibi Dong still attack the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect during the Soul Hunting Operation?

This was something Gu Feng needed to figure out. If Qian Renxue could make Bibi Dong abandon the Soul Hunting Operation against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then maintaining a good relationship with Qian Renxue was still necessary.

Although Gu Feng had confidence in his own talent, he still needed a long time to grow.

Gu Feng realized that he seemed to have no room to choose. On the surface, the current crown prince was the disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sect master, while he himself was a core disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. His position seemed naturally aligned with the crown prince's.

Not to mention that in the original story, during the Heaven Dou Auction House incident, Prince Xue Xing had intended to buy that catgirl whose Martial Soul awakening had failed, only for Ning Fengzhi to snatch her away first.

Ning Fengzhi's stance was self-evident.

Even so, Gu Feng could not simply agree to Xue Qinghe at once. This matter had to proceed step by step.

Gu Feng stood there in thought for a while before finally clasping his hands and replying.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Your Highness. However, I am still young, and this is a crucial period for improving my Soul Power. My mind is entirely on cultivation, so I am afraid I will not have time for anything else in the near future."

Those words were plain and honest.

For a twelve-year-old boy, focusing wholeheartedly on cultivation truly was the most important thing.

After hearing this, the smile on Xue Qinghe's face did not diminish. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

"Brother Gu Feng is absolutely right. To possess such self-restraint at such a young age is truly rare."

"Your cultivation should naturally come first."

Xue Qinghe turned his wrist, and an exquisite long box carved entirely from rosewood appeared in his palm.

"Since this is our first formal meeting, I have prepared a small gift. I hope Brother Feng will accept it and not refuse."

Gu Feng lowered his eyes to glance at the wooden box before accepting it with both hands.

"Your Highness is too generous."

"Since it is a reward from His Highness, Little Feng, just accept it."

Ning Fengzhi smiled at the side, extremely pleased by the scene before him.

"Qinghe, Little Feng, you young people should spend more time together and exchange ideas more often."

Xue Qinghe waved a hand, correcting how Gu Feng addressed him.

"Brother Gu Feng, calling me Your Highness makes us sound distant. From now on, just call me Brother Qinghe."

"I shall take the liberty of calling you Brother Feng from now on."

"Brother Qinghe."

Gu Feng went along with it and agreed.

Near the edge of the spirit fighting platform, Shi Mo nudged Shi Mo beside him with an elbow.

"See that? He's already got himself a big brother."

Shi Mo muttered quietly, "The crown prince personally gives you an opening and even sends a meeting gift. If it were me, I'd have knelt down and called him brother already."

Yu Feng lowered his voice as well.

"Give it a rest. Gu Feng is a twelve-year-old Level 40. At minimum, he has the makings of a Titled Douluo. You two are just a pair of turtle shells built to take hits."

Shi Mo backhandedly smacked Yu Feng on the back.

"Yu Feng, when Gu Feng was pinning you down and beating you in the air just now, why didn't you have so much to say?"

Dugu Yan stood to the side with her arms folded and gave a soft snort.

"His Highness has always valued talented people, but Gu Feng is the only one in the entire academy whom he has personally given a gift to."

Yu Tianheng nodded in agreement. "His strength deserves this treatment."

Amid the quiet discussions, Ning Rongrong stepped forward half a pace and tugged at the back hem of Gu Feng's clothes.

She lifted her face and leaned over curiously to look at the wooden box.

"Brother Qinghe, you're playing favorites. You gave Gu Feng a gift, so what about me?"

Xue Qinghe laughed, his tone indulgent.

"What does Sister Rongrong want? Later, just go to the Crown Prince's Residence treasury and pick whatever you like. Put it on my tab."

Ning Rongrong smiled. "Haha, then thank you, Brother Qinghe!"

Seeing Ning Rongrong act spoiled, Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a laugh.

"Alright, Qinghe. The team has just finished their joint training. Let them wash up and rest."

"Teacher is right. I have disturbed them."

Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then patted Gu Feng's shoulder once more.

"Brother Feng, if you lack any cultivation resources at the academy, send someone with my token to the Crown Prince's Residence to collect them."

"Thank you, Brother Qinghe."

Gu Feng put away the wooden box and watched Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe turn and leave.

Once their figures completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, the atmosphere in the training ground instantly livened up.

Yu Feng pounced over, heading straight for the box in Gu Feng's arms.

"Brother Feng! Hurry up and open it for us to see! Anything the crown prince gives has to be extraordinary!"

Osler also stepped forward, his face full of curiosity.

"Could it be a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone?"

Dugu Yan walked over and slapped away Yu Feng's outstretched paw.

"What are you thinking? How could someone carry around a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone as a meeting gift?"

"Still, the royal treasury has plenty of good things. It is probably some medicinal herb that aids cultivation."

Ye Lingling quietly walked at the very end. She did not crowd forward, merely watching in silence with barely any presence.

Ning Rongrong immediately stepped in front of Gu Feng, fiercely protective.

"Go on, get lost. Stop crowding around. This was given to my Gu Feng. What are you all staring at?"

The words "my Gu Feng" slipped out, and Ning Rongrong froze first.

The Shi Mo brothers began cheering and laughing from the side.

Yu Feng shrugged and raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine, Rongrong's getting protective. Break it up, break it up. Let's go wash up and eat."

After wiping away his sweat, Yu Tianheng nodded at Gu Feng.

"There's tactical coordination training tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Don't worry," Gu Feng replied.

The members of the Imperial Fighting Team gradually left the spirit fighting arena in pairs and groups, heading toward the dormitory area.

Only Gu Feng and Ning Rongrong remained in the spacious spirit fighting arena.

Ning Rongrong turned around, grabbed Gu Feng by the collar, and pulled him a little closer.

"Hurry and take it out. There's no one here now. Let me see what treasure Brother Qinghe gave you."

Gu Feng took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist and lowered his head to whisper by her ear.

"Who was it just now that called me 'my Gu Feng'?"

His warm breath brushed against Ning Rongrong's neck, making her face instantly flush crimson.

Ning Rongrong's body went soft. She pushed lightly against Gu Feng's firm chest, her voice becoming sweet and soft.

"Brother Feng, stop teasing me. Hurry and open it."

Gu Feng stopped teasing Ning Rongrong. He was also very curious what treasure the young master of Spirit Hall would offer to recruit him.