Xue Qinghe's Imagined Chu Lan! Chu Lan: My Power Depends Entirely on My Opponents' Imaginations!

In the reception room.

Chu Lan and Xue Qinghe stared at each other. Neither spoke first again.

Tang Yuehua waited quietly outside the door.

Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo watched the situation inside the reception room closely.

As Titled Douluo, they had heard every word of the conversation between the two of them.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Xue Qinghe finally spoke.

All of a sudden.

He felt that he had underestimated the people of the world.

All this time, he had seen himself as the one moving the pieces, feeling as though everything was under his control.

But...

Today, Chu Lan had taught him one thing: he was not the only chess player in this world!

Facing Xue Qinghe's question, Chu Lan smiled. "Just as you said earlier, I'm merely a genius Soul Master from some remote little village, with no powerful background whatsoever."

Xue Qinghe was in no mood to dwell on that now. He asked solemnly, "How did you see through me? You know what I'm talking about!"

"Must you know the reason? What meaning does that have? You only need to know that your identity is no secret to me, isn't that enough?" Chu Lan's expression remained unchanged, his tone calm.

Xue Qinghe's tone turned icy. "Originally, I only thought you were a genius worth recruiting. I never expected you to suddenly become a threat to me!"

"Do you think you'll be able to leave here today if you don't explain everything?"

"Heh!" Chu Lan could not help laughing.

"What are you laughing at? Do you think I don't have that ability?" Xue Qinghe gritted his molars.

"Of course I believe that the young master of Spirit Hall has that ability. But... do you think I would come here and expose your identity without making any preparations?" Chu Lan said teasingly, flashing a wicked smile.

Upon hearing that, Xue Qinghe suddenly grew nervous, his vigilance rising to the maximum.

Seeing Xue Qinghe frightened into such a state, Chu Lan found it amusing.

"Even if Xue Beng was just a dog, you should still look at who its owner is before beating it!"

"You killed Xue Beng. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Chu Lan lightly dipped his finger into the tea and casually wrote three words on the tabletop.

Qian! Ren! Xue!

Xue Qinghe had been staring intently at Chu Lan's every move. The sight made his scalp go numb.

"Y-You... what do you want?"

Xue Qinghe's throat bobbed.

At first, he had only wanted to eliminate Xue Beng as a threat, then find an opportunity to recruit Chu Lan to his side.

But now...

Chu Lan's mysteriousness had exceeded his imagination!

Even in Spirit City, fewer than twenty people knew his true identity!

Yet Chu Lan had directly called out his real name!

How could that not leave him utterly bewildered?!

Xue Qinghe could not help wondering whether there were Chu Lan's people among Spirit Hall's higher-ups and elders!

"Give me the Tiandou Empire's national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, as compensation for killing Xue Beng. Then we can discuss a deal," Chu Lan said lightly.

Xue Qinghe fell into a storm of thoughts.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Since you know that the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is a national treasure, then you should know just how difficult it is to get it out!"

"Hehe—!"

Chu Lan sneered disdainfully. "Difficult? Is that really difficult for you?"

Xue Qinghe took a deep breath and asked, "Then what is this deal you mentioned?"

"Wait until you bring me the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud before we discuss it. I'll give you one month. Once you get it, hand it to Tang Yuehua." Chu Lan rose and walked toward the door.

Xue Qinghe asked in a deep voice, "What is your relationship with the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?!"

Chu Lan stopped, glancing sideways with contempt. "They are nothing more than my tools!"

When one traveled the world, one's identity was whatever one claimed it to be!

In any case, Xue Qinghe had no way to verify his words. Even if he wanted to investigate, he would have nowhere to begin!

There was nothing he could do!

Xue Qinghe might doubt whether those words were true, but he had no way to confirm it!

After all...

Chu Lan really had exposed Xue Qinghe's true identity. That was an undeniable fact!

"Master~"

The moment Chu Lan stepped out of the reception room, Tang Yuehua came forward, her tone respectful.

"Let's go back."

Chu Lan walked ahead.

"Yes."

Tang Yuehua followed closely behind him.

Hearing their exchange, another wave surged through Xue Qinghe's heart.

Master?

The biological younger sister of the Clear Sky Sect's leader actually called a boy barely over ten years old her master!

It was simply horrifying!

"Chu Lan, who exactly are you?!"

"How can there be such a mysterious force in this world, one that Spirit Hall knows absolutely nothing about?!"

Xue Qinghe clenched his fists tightly.

What he had experienced today was more thrilling than the past decade or so combined!

The hidden Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo exchanged a look and nodded.

Crash—!

The window moved for no apparent reason, and two middle-aged men of different builds were suddenly standing behind Xue Qinghe.

"Young Master, should we kill him?!"

Killing intent filled Snake Lance Douluo's eyes.

"Kill him? Heh!"

Xue Qinghe laughed once, but that single laugh sent a chill through the hearts of Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo.

"Can you confirm that no one is secretly protecting him?"

"What if the person protecting him is even stronger than you?"

Xue Qinghe's face was cold.

Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo lowered their heads in silence.

"Who would have thought... killing one Xue Beng would draw out such a huge fish!"

"My days won't be boring from now on!"

An excited smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's face.

"Then... Young Master, should we continue investigating and monitoring him?" Pufferfish Douluo asked cautiously.

"Withdraw everyone!" Xue Qinghe waved his hand, turned his back to them, and sighed. "Being played like a monkey by someone else really doesn't feel good!"

In his view, since Chu Lan knew so much and had such a mysterious background, how could he possibly not know he was being watched in secret?

He simply could not be bothered to expose it! He was just toying with him!

"Also!"

"I don't care what methods you use. Get the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud for me!"

"I want to see what kind of deal he intends to make with me!"

Xue Qinghe's expression was grave.

"Yes!"

After respectfully saluting, Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo turned and left.

"If my perception is correct, the Soul Power fluctuations around Chu Lan are at least at the Soul Ancestor level."

"Three years ago, he had only been a one-ring Soul Master."

Xue Qinghe sat down on the sofa and fell into deep thought, remaining there until late at night.

More than ten days later.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Inside the classroom.

The moment Chu Lan entered the classroom, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere was off.

Dugu Yan swiftly pulled him over.

"Chu Lan, I've got some explosive news. Do you want to hear it?"

Seeing Dugu Yan's mysterious expression, Chu Lan paused, then subconsciously glanced at the composed Ye Lingling beside her.

"Lingling, what happened?"

After being desk mates for two years, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's relationship was no longer what it had been at the beginning.

Now, whenever Dugu Yan had any gossip, she would tell Ye Lingling about it.

Ye Lingling had a cold temperament and spoke little, but because of that, whenever Chu Lan asked her something, she would answer directly.

Just as Ye Lingling was about to answer Chu Lan's question... Dugu Yan hurriedly covered her mouth, shot Chu Lan a glare, and said irritably:

"I told you to ask me. Why are you asking Lingling?"

Chu Lan smiled. "Then hurry up and tell me. What happened?"

Dugu Yan leaned close to Chu Lan's ear and lowered her voice. "Xue Beng has disappeared, but my grandfather said... he might already be dead!"