Even the Crown Prince Had to Pay for Internet Access!

Ding-ling—

The clear chime of the wind bell rang at the Internet Cafe entrance.

Flanked by a group of Royal Guards, Qian Renxue pushed open the door to the Origin Internet Cafe.

Even as the well-traveled crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, she could not help pausing the moment she stepped inside.

There was none of the cramped clutter she had expected from a low-end shop.

Everything in sight was silver and blue.

The strange floor was polished enough to reflect a person's face. The furniture was unlike anything she had seen before. And the air carried a scent that... made her mouth water with a single breath!

"Ahem... Where is the owner?"

Beside Qian Renxue, a Guard Captain cleared his throat and barked the question, trying to intimidate this somewhat shady-looking shop.

The young man behind the counter merely lifted his eyelids lazily. He did not even stand.

"Welcome! Check the price list for noodles and internet access. No haggling, and no shouting." Lin Ye pointed at the holographic projection on the wall.

"How dare you! You commoner, why aren't you kneeling before His Highness the crown prince?!" The Guard Captain flew into a rage and instinctively tried to release his Martial Soul.

Hum—

The instant he gathered his Soul Power, an invisible pressure descended on him, crushing the power he had just mustered into nothing!

The Guard Captain's legs buckled. He nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.

Horror flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

What terrifying power!

Even a Titled Douluo couldn't strip someone of their Soul Power so completely without making a sound...

What was this shop?

To maintain her poise as crown prince, Qian Renxue immediately raised a hand to stop the guard. A polished, false smile appeared on her face. "No matter. An expert naturally has their own rules! Boss Lin, the aroma drew us in. Those Braised Beef Noodles at five Gold Soul Coins a bowl..."

"Zhu Qing, make His Highness a bowl of noodles," Lin Ye instructed without looking up.

"Yes, boss."

A cool voice came from the corner.

Qian Renxue turned toward it.

An extraordinarily beautiful girl in black, with a striking figure and a comical pink apron, walked over carrying a paper bowl.

Behind her was an all-too-familiar figure in green, flailing her arms and shouting at the air:

"Zhu Qing! Hurry up! That Maelstrom gang has spawned again! Come take some hits for me! My Mantis Blades are almost out of durability!"

Qian Renxue's carefully controlled expression collapsed.

Was that... Ning Rongrong, the little devil of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!

Just two days ago, Ning Fengzhi had raged at court over his precious daughter running away from home. He had been frantic with worry.

Yet here was that pampered young princess, holed up in a remote, shady shop and yelling at a screen like a wild girl?!

And the girl in black carrying the noodles—Qian Renxue had never met her, but that cool, noble bearing was certainly not a commoner's!

She was working here as... a waitress?!

"Your noodles. That'll be five Gold Soul Coins." Zhu Zhuqing set the bowl down and held out her fair hand.

"Your... Your Highness, there's something strange about these noodles." The Guard Captain swallowed. "Allow me to test them for poison first..."

"Stand down."

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, suppressed her turmoil, and pulled five Gold Soul Coins from her storage ring. She handed them to Zhu Zhuqing.

She picked up the fork with practiced elegance, lifted some noodles, and put them in her mouth.

An exquisite savory flavor burst across her tongue.

But the taste was not what shocked her...

My Spiritual Power... and the sacred Soul Power of my Seraphim Martial Soul... they're circulating and recovering on their own?!

Qian Renxue was utterly astonished.

As one of Spirit Hall's most important heirs, she had consumed countless rare treasures.

Yet this commoner's meal, costing a mere five Gold Soul Coins a bowl, restored her strength as effectively as a top-grade Soul Pill—with no side effects!

"Boss Lin."

Qian Renxue set down her fork, all trace of condescension gone. "Besides these miraculous noodles, what else does this shop offer?"

"The noodles are just a bonus." Lin Ye pointed toward Ning Rongrong. "Our main business lets you experience another real world! Internet access costs two Gold Soul Coins an hour, plus a 298-coin fee to unlock the game."

"Another... real world?"

Qian Renxue looked at Ning Rongrong's rapt expression, and curiosity took hold.

This place had kept the young princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect from going home, and it could produce a miraculous food that restored Spiritual Power in moments.

If Spirit Hall could make use of the secret behind this shop...

"Fine. Set me up at a machine! Let's see what sort of illusion is worth 298 Gold Soul Coins!"

Qian Renxue waved a hand and paid without hesitation.

Following Zhu Zhuqing's directions, she found a seat.

When her fingers touched the helmet's cool metal shell, a thought suddenly occurred to her: Could this illusion reveal who I really am?

She frowned, then relaxed.

No. It couldn't.

This was a little shop on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. However strange it was, it couldn't possibly see through the Seraphim's disguise.

She slowly put on the helmet.

A moment before she closed her eyes, Qian Renxue was still sneering inwardly:

An illusion? I, Qian Renxue, possess the supreme Seraphim Martial Soul. My Spiritual Power is steadfast. Any false vision will crumble before its sacred light.

Let's see what you have that could possibly shock me!

Qian Renxue stood in a void. A Holographic Mirror appeared before her.

A face appeared in the mirror.

Qian Renxue's face.

Her fingers froze in midair. She glanced around quickly, made sure no one could see her screen, then slowly let out a breath.

[Please create your character (codename: V).]

Her gaze settled on the "Gender" option and lingered for a moment.

In the real world, the first thing she did every morning was wrap herself in the shell of "Xue Qinghe."

Binding her chest. Padding her shoulders. Lowering her voice. Imitating a man's gait.

She could no longer remember how many years it had been since she had shown anyone her true face.

But here, no one knew her. No one watched her. No one needed her to play a role.

The darkness before Qian Renxue's eyes was violently torn apart!

She opened her eyes to find herself standing in a narrow alley that reeked of engine oil and the acrid tang of acid rain.

Above her, smog and holographic billboards lit the night sky as bright as day.

Skyscrapers hundreds of stories tall loomed on every side. Overhead, a massive armed Aero Car roared past, exhaust blazing behind it.

Qian Renxue stood rooted to the spot.

She had been raised on Spirit Hall's teachings that gods were supreme and sacred purity was everything. The moment she saw the people on the street, that entire worldview took a devastating blow!

A burly man walking past had most of his head encased in metal. All four limbs were mechanical cyberware with exposed wiring, and even his eyes had been replaced by cameras glowing red!

"What... What kind of monsters are they?! They replaced their own flesh with that lifeless metal?!"

As the bearer of the Seraphim Martial Soul, Qian Renxue found such desecration of the body absurd.

A person's body was a gift from their parents—especially the hard-trained body of a Soul Master!

Had everyone in this world gone mad?!

While Qian Renxue was still reeling, several street thugs at the end of the alley noticed her. They carried Kinetic Pistols and had cheap metal cyberware embedded in their bodies.

"Hey, look at the new girl. Soft skin, pretty face—bet she hasn't got any Countermeasure Cyberware. Boys, cut out her organs and sell them to the Scavengers!"

The thugs grinned viciously and raised their cold guns toward Qian Renxue.

Her gaze turned icy.

No one in the Heaven Dou Empire dared speak to her that way.

And certainly no one in Spirit Hall did.

She was a Seraphim, the closest thing to a god walking among mortals.

"Ignorant insects. You dare offend a god?"

She raised her hand, ready to summon her Martial Soul and cleanse these monsters who desecrated life with her Sacred Sword.

But...

One second passed. Then two.

There was nothing behind her. She could not sense a trace of the surging Soul Power that had always filled her body!

Bang!

Before the proud Angel God Heir could react, a Kinetic Pistol round tore through the air and punched straight through her right leg!

"Ah—!"

Blinding pain overwhelmed Qian Renxue's senses.

Even with the game reducing the pain, the feeling of a metal bullet tearing through flesh drove her down onto one knee in a filthy puddle.

"How is this possible... My Soul Power... my Martial Soul... they're both gone?!"

Qian Renxue clutched her bleeding thigh. For the first time, genuine terror showed on the face that, here, was unmistakably her own.

She stared down at her wounded leg, struck by the absurdity of it.

The Seraphim's heir, the young mistress of Spirit Hall, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—she was kneeling in a filthy alley, shot through the leg by street thugs who did not possess a shred of Soul Power.

If my mother Bibi Dong found out...

She did not dare finish the thought.

It seemed...

Another victim's entire worldview was about to be shattered!