Qian Renxue's Tears, Lovesick Heartbreak Red!

Dai Mubai reached out for Qian Renxue.

Qian Chen raised his hand.

Slap!

The crisp sound rang out across the long street.

Dai Mubai was sent flying sideways.

He crashed through a wooden rack by the roadside and slammed onto the stone-paved street.

Dai Mubai had barely finished speaking.

Qian Chen raised his hand and clamped down on his wrist.

"Who are you trying to take away?"

Dai Mubai's expression darkened.

"This has nothing to do with you."

"She is standing beside me."

Qian Chen glanced at Qian Renxue.

A sharp pain shot through Dai Mubai's wrist.

He tried to break free, only to find Qian Chen's hand was like an iron vise. No matter how he circulated his Soul Power, he could not budge it in the slightest.

"Let go of me!"

Soul Power suddenly erupted from Dai Mubai's body.

Four Soul Rings rose at once.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple.

The White Tiger Martial Soul condensed behind him.

Sharp tiger claws tore through the air and clawed at Qian Chen's chest.

Pedestrians on the street immediately retreated to either side.

Shui Bing'er raised her hand to shield Qian Renxue.

Xue Wu and Yu Hairou also released their Martial Souls, watching Dai Mubai warily.

Qian Chen did not retreat.

His fingers tightened slightly.

Crack!

Dai Mubai's wrist bone let out a crisp snap.

His expression changed drastically, and his other hand immediately punched toward Qian Chen's face.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

A white beam erupted at point-blank range.

Qian Chen tilted his head aside.

The beam grazed his sleeve and blasted into the wall of the shop behind him.

Stone bricks shattered, and dust billowed outward.

Taking the chance, Dai Mubai wrenched his wrist free as his fourth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

"Fourth Soul Skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower!"

Dozens of white light bullets rained down from the sky, enveloping the area around Qian Chen.

Qian Chen raised a hand.

White frost rapidly spread across the ground.

Every light bullet froze in midair.

The next moment, azure frost energy swept through from all directions.

All the white light bullets shattered.

Dai Mubai's pupils contracted.

Qian Chen was already standing before him.

"Before you attacked, did no one tell you about the consequences?"

"You're just a guard!"

Dai Mubai raised his fist.

Qian Chen struck his chest with a palm.

Dai Mubai flew backward, smashing through the wooden door of a jewelry shop.

Zhu Zhuqing immediately stepped forward.

"Dai Mubai!"

She supported Dai Mubai by the shoulder.

Blood trickled from the corner of Dai Mubai's mouth, and his blood and energy churned violently in his chest.

He glared at Qian Chen, his eyes filled with fury.

"Zhu Zhuqing, aren't you going to make a move?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not answer.

She looked at Qian Chen.

His white robes were completely undamaged, and his Martial Soul had not even appeared behind him.

Qian Chen had held back in that palm strike just now.

Otherwise, Dai Mubai could not possibly still be standing.

Dai Mubai shoved Zhu Zhuqing away.

"What are you waiting for?"

"We're from Shrek Academy!"

"Are you really going to watch him bully me?"

Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen in place.

Her gaze fell on Dai Mubai once more.

The Dai Mubai of the past had indeed been powerful.

But now, before Qian Chen, he did not even have the right to fight back.

Qian Chen walked toward him.

Dai Mubai subconsciously took a step back.

"What else do you want?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"The third prince of the Star Luo Empire."

Qian Chen stopped in front of him.

"You already said that."

"And you still dare lay a hand on me?"

Dai Mubai forced himself to straighten up.

"The Star Luo Empire won't let you off!"

Qian Chen raised his hand.

Crimson-gold Soul Power descended from his fingertips.

Dai Mubai immediately released his White Tiger Martial Soul, and all four Soul Rings lit up at once.

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

His body rapidly swelled.

But the next instant, Qian Chen pressed a palm onto his shoulder.

Dai Mubai's knees slammed heavily into the ground.

The stone slabs cracked on the spot.

"You..."

Dai Mubai braced both hands against the ground, trying to rise.

Qian Chen lifted his foot and stepped on his back.

"A Soul Ancestor."

"And you dare behave so arrogantly before me."

Dai Mubai's face was pressed against the shattered stone slabs.

"Who exactly are you?"

Qian Chen withdrew his foot.

He stood in the middle of the long street as eight Soul Rings rose one after another from beneath his feet.

The first and second Soul Rings were deep black.

The third, fourth, and fifth Soul Rings were equally black.

The sixth Soul Ring lit up.

The seventh Soul Ring followed immediately after.

Finally, a crimson Soul Ring slowly emerged behind him.

Five black, three red.

The aura of an eighty-ninth-rank Soul Douluo spread outward.

Every pedestrian on the street stopped in their tracks.

Shui Bing'er looked up at the eight Soul Rings, pride surfacing in her eyes.

Qian Renxue stood frozen as well.

She knew Qian Chen was powerful, but she had never expected him to have already reached rank eighty-nine.

Zhu Zhuqing's figure stilled.

She looked at the Soul Rings behind Qian Chen, then at Dai Mubai kneeling on the ground.

The previously arrogant third prince of the Star Luo Empire was now utterly incomparable to Qian Chen.

Dai Mubai raised his head to look at the five black Soul Rings and three crimson Soul Rings.

The expression on his face gradually froze.

Dai Mubai finally understood what kind of person he had just faced.

He was not a guard.

Nor was he an ordinary Soul Master.

Dai Mubai suppressed the churning blood and energy in his chest.

"I can apologize."

Qian Chen looked at him.

"Too late."

Dai Mubai's expression immediately changed.

"What do you want to do?"

Qian Chen raised his hand.

Crimson-gold light fell beneath Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai's body suddenly tensed.

The next moment, agonizing pain tore through between his legs.

His mouth fell open. He covered himself with both hands and crashed heavily to the ground.

Zhu Zhuqing's face went pale.

She immediately turned around and stopped looking at Dai Mubai.

Qian Chen withdrew his Soul Power.

"Since you can't control your hands, don't use that sort of intent to provoke others again."

Dai Mubai clutched himself, his forehead covered in sweat.

"You actually dare..."

At the other end of the long street.

Qian Renxue walked beside Qian Chen.

She looked at their clasped hands, then at Qian Chen's calm profile.

"Why did you attack Dai Mubai just now?"

"He blocked our path."

"Just because of that?"

"You."

Qian Renxue halted.

Her golden hair settled over her shoulders as she stopped.

"You crippled him... just because of that..."

Qian Renxue did not continue.

She recalled how Qian Chen had stood in front of her.

When Dai Mubai attacked, Qian Chen had not allowed her to be affected in the slightest.

The moment he heard Dai Mubai say he wanted to take her away, Qian Chen had stepped forward at once.

In the end, he had directly crippled Dai Mubai.

Qian Renxue lowered her head to look at their clasped hands.

"Qian Chen."

"What is it?"

"Did you do that because you liked me?"

Qian Chen stopped in his tracks.

"No."

Qian Renxue raised her eyes to him.

"You don't need to explain."

"I understand."

"What do you understand?"

Qian Renxue shook her head lightly.

She looked at Qian Chen, a little more brightness appearing in her eyes.

"You don't like seeing others pester me."

"You don't want to see me suffer."

"That's why you stepped in yourself."

Qian Chen's brow twitched slightly.

"It's not what you think."

"I know."

Qian Renxue did not give him a chance to continue explaining.

She tightened her fingers around Qian Chen's hand, her golden dress swaying gently with her steps.

"Don't worry."

"I won't cause you trouble anymore."

"And I won't let others approach me so casually."

Qian Chen looked at her.

"You don't need to do this."

"But I want to."

Qian Renxue lowered her head, a smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"Because you care about me."

Shui Bing'er walked on the other side and heard their conversation clearly.

She glanced at Qian Renxue, then looked at Qian Chen.

Qian Renxue did not let go.

She already had her answer.

Qian Chen refused to admit it because he was not ready yet.

But his actions just now had already explained everything.

From this day onward, she would no longer back down because of Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and the girls from Skywater Academy.

She would make Qian Chen understand that she could stand by his side as well.

The next day.

The rear courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence.

Qian Chen arranged several jade boxes on a stone table.

Fine patterns were carved across the surfaces of the jade boxes, which sealed Immortal Herbs of different attributes within them.

Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, and Yu Hairou stood nearby, their gazes repeatedly falling on those jade boxes.

Qian Renxue had come as well.

She had changed back into her pale gold dress.

Her long golden hair draped behind her shoulders, and the wing-shaped hairpin Qian Chen had given her yesterday was still tucked into her hair.

Qian Chen opened the last jade box.

A crimson flower lay quietly inside.

Its petals were vivid, yet a touch of pure white sat at its center.

Its stem had no leaves, with only a slender stalk supporting the entire flower.

A rich fragrance spread on the breeze.

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er looked over at the same time.

"What Immortal Herb is that?"

"Lovesick Heartbreak Red."

Qian Chen looked at the flower in the jade box.

"It does not require a Soul Power Level, nor does it demand a particular martial soul attribute."

"As long as one earns its recognition, it can be refined."

Qian Renxue's gaze fell upon the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

"How does one earn its recognition?"

"Water it with the blood from your heart."

Shui Yue'er's eyes immediately widened.

"With your own blood?"

"And you must think of the most important person in your heart."

Qian Chen nodded.

"As long as your feelings are unwavering, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red will acknowledge you as its master."

Shui Yue'er looked at Qian Chen, then at Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue ignored everyone's gazes. She walked to the stone table and reached out to take the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

The instant its stem fell into her palm, the crimson petals swayed gently.

Qian Chen's brow shifted slightly.

The Lovesick Heartbreak Red did not reject her.

Blood from Qian Renxue's heart emerged.

A drop of blood fell onto the center of the flower's pistil.

She closed her eyes.

The night they had met by the lake surfaced in her mind.

Qian Chen had wiped away her tears.

Qian Chen had come to her side when she was upset.

Qian Chen had stood before her and blocked Dai Mubai's outstretched hand.

And there was also the sentence she had never been able to forget.

You are very important to me.

Qian Renxue's fingers slowly tightened.

"The most important person in my heart is Qian Chen."

As her words fell.

The Lovesick Heartbreak Red suddenly blossomed.

The crimson petals spread outward, while the pure white pistil turned into a beam of light and shot directly into Qian Renxue's brow.

The jade box shattered at the same time.

A rich aura of life spread from within her body.

Golden light intertwined with a crimson floral shadow, enveloping Qian Renxue's entire body.

Qian Chen stood before her.

His spiritual power entered Qian Renxue's body, and he quickly sensed a special connection.

It was not an ordinary Soul Power link.

The origin of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red had already fused with Qian Renxue's spirit and bloodline.

More precisely, it had bound itself to someone.

Qian Chen closed his eyes and investigated along that connection.

The next moment.

His body froze in place.

The other end of that connection was himself.

Qian Chen opened his eyes.

The golden light around Qian Renxue gradually receded. She opened her eyes, her golden irises brighter than usual.

"I succeeded."

She looked at the flower stem in her hand.

The crimson petals had all merged into her body, leaving only a faint floral fragrance lingering at her fingertips.

Qian Chen did not answer.

Qian Renxue noticed his expression, and the joy in her heart slowly faded.

"What's wrong?"

"The person the Lovesick Heartbreak Red bound itself to is me."

Qian Chen looked at her.

Qian Renxue froze where she stood.

"Bound itself to you?"

"Mm."

Qian Chen raised his hand, golden Soul Power flowing between them.

A thread of crimson light emerged from Qian Renxue's brow and followed the Soul Power into Qian Chen's palm.

The moment the two forces touched, they immediately produced a clear response.

Qian Renxue looked at that light.

Joy returned to her eyes.

"That means I chose correctly."

But Qian Chen did not smile.

"The Lovesick Heartbreak Red can strengthen your bloodline, and it will also establish a deep connection between you and the person you chose."

"I know."

"Do you know what that means?"

"I'll always remember you."

"That isn't merely remembering."

Qian Chen withdrew his hand.

"Your origin has already been bound to mine."

Qian Renxue's gaze shifted slightly.

"So what?"

Qian Chen fell silent for a moment.

"So we can't be together."

The wind in the courtyard stopped for an instant.

The expression on Qian Renxue's face froze.

She looked at Qian Chen as though she had not heard him clearly.

"What did you say?"

"We can't become lovers."

Qian Renxue's gaze fell upon her palm.

She could no longer feel the physical form of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red there, yet she could clearly sense Qian Chen at the other end.

That connection would not vanish because Qian Chen rejected her.

Instead, it grew firmer as her Soul Power circulated.

"But the Lovesick Heartbreak Red chose you."

"You are the person it acknowledged."

"That does not mean we must become lovers."

Qian Chen raised his hand and pressed it against her shoulder.

Qian Renxue lifted her eyes.

"What if I can't do that?"

Qian Chen did not answer immediately.

Qian Renxue's eyes gradually reddened.

"The first time was by the lake, and the second time was here."

"I have already given the Lovesick Heartbreak Red to you."

"What else must I do for you to believe how I feel?"

Qian Chen withdrew his hand.

"You don't need to do anything else."

"But I have no way back now."

Qian Renxue raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.

The aura connected to Qian Chen was slowly flowing there.

"The Lovesick Heartbreak Red has already acknowledged me as its master."

"I can feel you, and you can feel me."

Qian Chen looked at her.

"Time will change you."

"Time won't."

Qian Renxue shook her head.

Her golden hair slipped over her shoulders, concealing half her face.

Qian Chen remained silent.

Qian Renxue raised a hand and brushed the winged hairpin in her hair.

"I'm giving this hairpin back to you."

"Keep it."

"Didn't you say you didn't want to accept my feelings?"

"This has nothing to do with your feelings."

Qian Chen looked at the hairpin.

"This was my gift to you."

Qian Renxue clenched her skirt.

"I understand."

She continued walking forward.

The hem of her golden dress swept over the stone steps and soon vanished at the end of the corridor.

Shui Yue'er watched the direction Qian Renxue had left in and softly said:

"It seems she still hasn't let go."

Shui Bing'er said nothing.

Qian Chen put away the jade box on the table.

"For now, cultivate."

Shui Bing'er nodded gently.

"Yue'er and I have been practicing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill lately."

"But every time we reach the final stage, our Soul Power clashes with each other."