Reactions of the Various Powers

The turmoil at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had completely come to an end. Chen Ling and his group strode openly out of the academy gates, paying no heed whatsoever to the students surrounding them and watching.

Dugu Bo casually swept his gaze across the crowd. That seemingly weightless glance carried the intimidation of a Titled Douluo, frightening the onlookers into scattering like birds and beasts. In the blink of an eye, they had run off completely, not daring to linger even a moment.

Chen Ling walked at the front, with Xiao Wu clinging to his side as always. The group proceeded at an unhurried pace, heading straight for Blue Tyrant Academy within Heaven Dou City.

Everything that had happened inside the academy had been witnessed by spies from the various factions hidden among the crowd.

Reports were swiftly passed along. In only a short while, all the major powers in Heaven Dou City had caught wind of the news.

Chen Ling did not care about any of it. If anything, he was secretly pleased to see it happen.

He understood the Soul Power landscape of this era all too well.

Unlike the flourishing age ten thousand years later, when powerful experts could be found everywhere, Titled Douluos were scarce on the present-day Douluo Continent. Most of them were concentrated in Spirit Hall, while peak experts at the level of Super Douluo and above were even rarer, numbering only a handful.

Chen Ling was deliberately making himself stand out. As for the saying that the tallest tree in the forest would be the first to be battered by the wind, what he wanted was a stronger wind. The stronger the enemy, the stronger he became; the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish.

Xue Qinghe, disguised by Qian Renxue, sat before her desk, carefully reading through the intelligence her subordinate had delivered.

Her clear, lovely eyes brimmed with keen interest.

The report recorded the entire conflict at Heaven Dou Royal Academy in meticulous detail. It particularly highlighted the terrifying strength of the mysterious swordsman and the crucial news that the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, had been crippled, while the rest of the trivial details were glossed over.

As a legitimate prince of the Heaven Dou royal family, Xue Beng being crippled in public had already caused an uproar within the imperial household. Chen Ling's actions had inadvertently done Xue Qinghe a great favor.

After all, the Heaven Dou Empire could not possibly hand the throne to someone with no descendants. Otherwise, it would effectively mean the royal bloodline had ended.

With that, Xue Qinghe's position as heir apparent became even more secure, impossible for anyone to shake.

Of course, in a sense, the bloodline had already ended. After all, Xue Qinghe had long since become Qian Renxue.

Xue Qinghe lightly tapped her fingers against the solid wood desk, her eyes full of curiosity and scrutiny as she softly asked, "Uncle She, just how strong is this man truly?"

A Sword Martial Soul... could he be a descendant of the Chen Family?

But the instant that thought surfaced, she rejected it.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin had never married in his life. It was impossible for him to have left behind any descendants.

Moreover, the other party was already a Titled Douluo despite being so young. Such talent and speed of cultivation completely defied common sense.

She Long stood respectfully to one side, his posture exceedingly humble as he did not dare show the slightest negligence. "This subordinate cannot accurately judge his strength. His cultivation far surpasses mine, so I did not dare approach rashly to investigate. However, this subordinate did see his complete Soul Ring configuration."

"Soul Ring configuration?"

The interest in Xue Qinghe's eyes deepened. Her tapping fingers paused slightly, and the crisp knocking against the desk abruptly slowed.

For She Long to specifically emphasize it, it could not have been an ordinary configuration.

"His Soul Ring configuration was three purple, three black, and three red, completely beyond all reason. In particular, those three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings possessed a terrifying aura."

The instant he finished speaking, Xue Qinghe's tapping fingers stopped. The relaxed air around her instantly vanished, replaced by solemnity as she urgently asked, "Is that true?"

"Absolutely true. This subordinate saw it with his own eyes. There is not a word of falsehood," She Long replied firmly.

Xue Qinghe's mind began racing, countless thoughts surging and intertwining as she instantly grasped the key point.

Other than the legendary Divine Trial, she could think of no other possibility.

As the inheritor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, she knew all too well the secrets surrounding divine trials.

Such a heaven-defying Soul Ring configuration could never have been obtained through ordinary hunting of soul beasts. The only explanation was that it had been a gift exclusive to a Divine Trial.

After a brief moment of thought, Xue Qinghe made her decision and ordered in a deep voice, "Uncle She, immediately control all intelligence personnel from Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City. Suppress the news. Do not allow Spirit City to learn of this too quickly."

She knew that countless people had witnessed the incident firsthand, so completely sealing off the information was simply unrealistic. But as long as she controlled the intelligence channels of the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Branch, she could delay the news reaching Spirit City as much as possible and buy herself sufficient time.

"As you command!"

She Long bowed to accept the order. His figure flickered, and he vanished from the hall in an instant.

Qian Renxue clasped her hands behind her back and slowly rose to stand before the window, gazing in the direction of Heaven Dou City as her thoughts churned.

Titled Douluos were nothing unusual to her. Even young Titled Douluos would have earned no more than a little of her curiosity.

She had every reason to be proud. With innate full Soul Power at level twenty, no one on the entire continent could rival her. She had never believed that anyone's talent could surpass her own.

Yet this Chen Ling, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, had thoroughly stirred her curiosity. She decided to meet him in person.

Meanwhile, within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Inside the sect's main hall, Ning Rongrong sat listlessly, her gaze repeatedly drifting toward Heaven Dou City, looking utterly preoccupied.

Only when a sect disciple hurried into the hall carrying intelligence did her eyes light up. She rushed forward impatiently.

Her desperate eagerness made the two Titled Douluos in the hall feel a little jealous.

Ever since the little princess had returned from outside, she had guarded the main hall every day. Either she would stare blankly in the direction of Heaven Dou City, or she would wait eagerly for intelligence from the outside world.

She looked exactly like a pink wife-waiting stone. That appearance made the two Titled Douluos, who had already held quite a grudge against Chen Ling, feel even more resentful.

Ning Fengzhi watched his daughter's energetic rush with a gentle smile in his eyes and helplessly reminded her, "Slow down. You're already grown up, yet you're still so reckless."

Yet unlike the two Titled Douluos nearby, whose gazes were dark and brooding, his face was beaming with delight.

A wife-waiting stone was wonderful. He was waiting too, though he was waiting for a son-in-law.

Ning Fengzhi raised a hand to accept the report and slowly unfolded it. Ning Rongrong immediately leaned in, and the moment she saw its contents, she cried out in delighted surprise, "It really is news about Brother Chen Ling!"

Upon hearing that, the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, who had been standing quietly nearby, flashed behind the father and daughter in an instant and lowered their heads to look at the report together.

As she read the contents on the paper, Ning Rongrong's face filled with confusion. She scratched her little head and murmured in puzzlement, "That's not right. Brother Chen Ling was clearly still a Soul Douluo before. How could he..."

Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly and reread the report several times. Then he turned to exchange looks with the Sword and Bone Douluos, and all of them shared the same astonishment in their eyes.

The report clearly stated information about a mysterious Titled Douluo with a Sword Martial Soul, as well as his current approximate destination: Blue Tyrant Academy in Heaven Dou City.