Qian Renxue's discovery

However, not long after Lin Xuan left, a series of orderly footsteps echoed down the long street outside the alley.

"Quick! Surround them!"

A squad of Heaven Dou City Patrol Guards clad in silver armor rushed into the alley, their spears held level in unison.

The head Guard Captain, his hand on the sword at his waist, stepped onto the scorched bluestone ground, blackened by Lightning.

The sight in the dead end made him gasp.

The thick blue brick walls on both sides were blasted with several huge cracks by the violent force, and the ground was pitted and scattered with a layer of hard ice that had not completely melted.

Large patches of blackened and purplish-brown scorch marks remained in the corners of the walls and on the ground, and a pungent, burnt smell permeated the air.

"Captain, something's not right here."

A guard stepped forward and poked the ground with his spear.

"Half a foot of the ground was shaved off, leaving only charred remains underneath. Just how powerful must that Soul Skill be?"

"Wide-area Lightning, frost, and scorch marks on the ground with a slight toxic reaction."

The Guard Captain crouched down, pulled out his dagger, scraped off a bit of charred dirt, sniffed it lightly, and his expression changed.

"Lightning and ice attributes, plus a potent poison. And despite the huge commotion, it lasted extremely short, with no signs of a prolonged battle."

He stood up, his face serious.

"The deceased was completely obliterated, not even a bone fragment remained. The residual Soul Power fluctuations at the scene were extremely complex, but definitely reached the level of a high-level Soul Master."

"Captain, should we report this to the Spirit Hall?" a guard asked in a low voice.

"Why report to the Spirit Hall!"

The Guard Captain slapped him on the back of the head.

"This is the inner edge of Heaven Dou City! A brutal fight and murder between Soul Master has occurred right under the Emperor's nose. This case falls under the Empire's jurisdiction. Seal off the scene; no one is allowed to touch anything inside. I will personally go to the Crown Prince's Residence to explain the situation!"

The Qualifying Tournament of the Soul Master Tournament are Heaven Dou City, where various forces are mixed together, and the slightest mistake could cause great chaos.

A quarter of an hour later, in the Crown Prince's Study.

Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, was reviewing the competition materials from various colleges.

There was a gentle knock on the study door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open, and the bodyguard strode in, handing over a confidential report with both hands.

"Your Highness, a murder has occurred in an alley near the Great Soul Arena, suspected to be a private duel between high-level Soul Master. This is an emergency investigation report from the patrol team."

"Bring it here."

Xue Qinghe took the official document presented by the patrol captain, which contained detailed information.

Widespread Lightning strikes, a thick layer of solid ice, and residual toxins burned the deceased to ashes.

Only one person's Soul Power fluctuations and footprints remained at the scene.

One person alone possesses Lightning and frost, and also carries a highly corrosive and poisonous substance?

Where do normal Soul Master get so many attributes?

Xue Qinghe closed the official document on the table and tapped the table lightly with his index finger.

In the entire Heaven Dou City, there is only one Soul Master possesses both lightning and ice attack methods and is extremely close to the Dugu Family, who use poison.

Lin Xuan, captain of the Blue Tyrant Team.

"Prepare the car."

Xue Qinghe stood up and straightened his collar.

"Since this case occurred near the Heaven Dou Inner City, and was committed by a high-level Soul Master with multiple attributes, I will personally go and investigate."

The bodyguard bowed and accepted the order.

"Your Highness, should we dispatch two more squads of Imperial Guard Battalion to accompany them? The enemy's ability to destroy evidence suggests they are extremely ruthless."

"No need, the murderer is long gone."

Fifteen minutes later.

The dead end was surrounded by a tight cordon of wooden stakes erected by the City Defense Army.

Xue Qinghe stepped onto the slightly charred Bluestone Slab and slowly walked into the depths of the alley.

The lingering smell of thunder and fire still hung in the air. The gaps in the walls on both sides, blasted down by Thunderclap, were remarkably clean. The ground was sunken, and the soil was indeed mixed with traces of toxins.

As for who the deceased was?

Someone who could make Lin Xuan go so far as to kill them is definitely not an ordinary person.

Most likely, some unlucky fool had his eye on him and ended up getting killed on the spot.

However, such a good opportunity naturally requires Lin Xuan to acknowledge his favor.

Xue Qinghe turned around and gave an order to the Guard Captain of the guard behind him.

"Seal and archive the case file."

"Officially, we'll say it was caused by a lightning strike that ignited the ground. The City Defense Army have already completed their investigation. We forbid any unfounded speculation from the public, and we must not allow any disturbance to the various academies participating in the Qualifying Tournament."

The Guard Captain clasped his hands in response.

"Understood!"

"Patrol teams, return to your posts and proceed to the Blue Tyrant Academy."

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan returned to the Blue Tyrant Academy.

Back Hill Courtyard.

The windows of Tang San's room were tightly closed, and from time to time, faint metallic clanging sounds could be heard coming from inside.

Clearly, the Tang Sect Sect Master was still working overtime tinkering with Hidden Weapon, not even moving an inch from his room.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong are probably still watching the excitement at the Great Soul Arena, cheering on Tai Long and his friends.

The entire Back Hill was deserted; you could hear even the fluttering of a bird's wings clearly.

Lin Xuan closed the wooden door behind him.

The commotion we caused in that dead end was quite significant.

With hundreds of bolts of lightning striking down, along with the freezing air and poisonous smoke billowing everywhere, any city patrol soldiers nearby who weren't blind could easily follow the commotion.

"Investigate or don't, there's no way to prove it now that the enemy is dead."

Lin Xuan pulled out a stone bench and sat down.

By Shi Nian, all the ashes had been scattered, leaving not even a scrap of cloth behind. The remaining piece of skull lay quietly in the Storage Ring.

If someone really comes knocking, without any evidence, who can pin this on a fourteen-year-old Soul Master?

Lin Xuan shook his wrist, deciding to put these trivial thoughts behind him.

It's rare to have such a peaceful and undisturbed time; I can't let it go to waste.

The Purple Demon Eye requires absorbing purple energy every morning at sunrise, so it's impossible to train at this time.

However, the skills of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track can be honed anytime, anywhere.

Lin Xuan stood up, focused his energy in his dantian, and activated his Soul Power according to the Qi circulation channels of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Soul Power flowed along the Ren and Du Meridians, quickly pouring into his palms.

The palms, originally a healthy wheat color, gradually lost their color at a visible rate, revealing a warm and smooth texture like Mutton-Fat Jade.

The Mysterious Jade Hand is immune to all poisons and as hard as refined steel.

Lin Xuan casually picked up a bluish-gray pebble from beside the stone table and suddenly clenched his five fingers together.

Without any fancy display of Soul Power, the extremely hard stone crumbled inch by inch in his palm, crushed into fine powder, and fell through his fingers.

"This technique is indeed very effective."

It can not only be used to catch Hidden Weapon with bare hands and defend against poison, but also to withstand Soul Skill.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Xuan slightly bent his right palm, and pulled his Soul Power in reverse, using the move "Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon".

Three zhang away, a withered yellow leaf hanging on a tree branch spun around, detached itself from the branch, and was pulled over by a suction force, landing steadily in his palm.

Lin Xuan changed his footing again, his figure leaving a series of elusive afterimages in the courtyard.

With the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track combined with his own Gale Talisman, his movement speed can be increased to another level.

After practicing the set of movements smoothly, Lin Xuan broke out in a light sweat. Continuously using Tang Sect Secret Techniques at the minor completion stage was somewhat taxing for Lin Xuan.