Three People, One Room?

Lin Ye recognized the bidder at a glance.

It was Qian Renxue.

But...

This woman was currently posing as Xue Qinghe, crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Just then,

Qian Renxue nodded at him.

Her faint smile seemed to say: Leave Prince Xue Xing to me.

"You know His Highness the Crown Prince too?"

Shui Bing'er was astonished.

She had never imagined Lin Ye had such a powerful connection.

"No."

Lin Ye clearly had not expected Qian Renxue to greet him either.

"Six hundred thousand."

"Six hundred and fifty thousand."

"Seven hundred and twenty thousand."

"..."

The bidding continued.

Prince Xue Xing's expression grew even uglier.

He had not expected Xue Qinghe to appear after he had dealt with Lin Ye.

In both influence and wealth, the crown prince was his equal.

More importantly...

Xue Qinghe was clearly coming after him.

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand."

"Eight hundred thousand."

"Nine hundred thousand."

"..."

The price climbed to a million before their eyes.

The guests present were dumbfounded.

No one had expected a Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to stir up such a storm in Heaven Dou City.

What a find!

What a story!

They could boast about this for a whole year.

"One million one hundred thousand."

"One million two hundred thousand!"

"..."

When no further bids came, the auctioneer excitedly brought down the gavel.

Qian Renxue won the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus for one million two hundred thousand.

An astronomical price!

A truly astronomical price!

No one had expected a Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to sell for one million two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Nine hundred thousand of that had been spent out of sheer spite.

"Hmph—"

Prince Xue Xing swept away in a huff.

He had endured enough humiliation for one day.

"Let's go too."

Shui Bing'er could only feel regret.

She had watched the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus for days, only for Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to win it in the end.

Just then,

Qian Renxue walked toward them.

Lin Ye looked again to make sure.

There was no mistake!

Qian Renxue was coming straight for him.

"Brother Lin Ye."

"I've long heard of you."

"You broke through to Soul King while still in your teens."

"My name is Xue Qinghe."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Please accept this small token of my regard."

"I hope we can become friends."

"..."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue offered him the bidding paddle she had used earlier with both hands.

It was obvious.

Qian Renxue meant to give him the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus she had just won.

"You're too kind, Your Highness," Lin Ye said with a smile. "It's my good fortune to be your friend."

Since Qian Renxue wanted to give him the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus,

he had no reason to refuse.

"If you consider me a friend, don't call me 'Your Highness' anymore. Just call me Qinghe."

Qian Renxue smiled faintly.

Their first meeting did not give rise to much conversation.

After exchanging pleasantries...

Lin Ye took the bidding paddle to claim the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus.

Just then,

an elderly figure appeared silently behind Qian Renxue. "Why did you give the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to Lin Ye, young mistress?"

"You're mistaken."

"I didn't give the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to Lin Ye."

"I bid on it specifically for him."

"Lin Ye is a Soul Master whose talent appears once in a thousand years."

"One day, a man like him must serve me."

"..."

Pufferfish understood.

It made sense!

By the time Qian Renxue succeeded as Pope, old fellows like them would probably be in their graves.

When that day came,

how could she secure her position as Pope without a few capable aides at her side?

Qian Renxue intended not only to become emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, but more importantly, to build Spirit Hall's future leadership.

Meanwhile,

Lin Ye had claimed the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus.

He could not help marveling...

After all its twists and turns, this fifty-thousand-year-old Ice-Type Herb had ended up in his hands after all.

That was how it went.

What belonged to him would always be his. There was no escaping it.

"I can't believe His Highness gave us the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus."

"I thought..."

"I never expected His Highness to be on our side."

Ye Lingling beamed.

The auction had been full of twists and turns, but the outcome was a good one.

Shui Bing'er added, "Everyone wants to be friends with the strong."

Lin Ye merely smiled.

Was that really all it was?

Qian Renxue had not given him a Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus merely to make a friend.

But...

if that woman thought she could use him,

she had another think coming.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"To get a room and sleep, of course."

"No!"

The two women spoke almost in unison.

Shui Bing'er had no intention of agreeing to that bizarre arrangement.

Ye Lingling objected even more fiercely.

She had never even tried it with one person...

"You've got the wrong idea."

"I meant it's getting late, so we should find somewhere to rest."

"I need to take the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus next. When would I have time to reward you two?"

Shui Bing'er and Ye Lingling looked embarrassed.

Hmph!

They did not believe him for a second.

That remark had clearly been meant to test their reactions.

The Heaven Dou Grand Hotel.

In the end, the three of them got a room.

Inside,

Lin Ye sat cross-legged on the bed.

He put the entire Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus into his mouth. Its petals instantly dissolved into a clear, icy stream that sank into his dantian.

"Aooh—"

A dragon's cry rang through his sea of consciousness.

The Mystic Ice Dragon Mark slowly traveled along his meridians, guiding the cool medicinal energy through his sinews and bones again and again.

As the cold settled deeper,

his Soul Power grew denser.

A thin layer of ice crystals formed over his skin.

A moment later,

Lin Ye's Soul Power suddenly surged.

Dragon might swept through the room on a wave of bitter cold, breaking through the barrier in one stroke.

"Soul Emperor."

"I've advanced to Soul Emperor!"

Lin Ye burst out laughing.

In his excitement, he kissed Shui Bing'er on one side, then Ye Lingling on the other.

Both women looked awkward.

The fierce jealousy between them seemed to overpower even the extreme cold.

A few breaths later,

Shui Bing'er exclaimed, "You really reached Soul Emperor?"

"Of course!"

He had already been level fifty-nine when he led the Imperial Fighting Team out to train.

After a month of training,

he had begun to feel the threshold of Soul Emperor, though he was still a little short of breaking through.

And today,

the fifty-thousand-year-old Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus had bridged that gap and helped him break through to Soul Emperor in one stroke.

"You're an absolute monster."

At that moment, Shui Bing'er could think of no better way to describe him.

An eighteen-year-old Soul Emperor!

Lin Ye had gone from rank forty-eight to Soul Emperor in just a few months.

And to think—

That was a lifetime's work for so many people.

If she told the family elders, her father and the Elders would be so shocked their faces would twist out of shape.

"I'll tell my family tomorrow to help you obtain a Soul Ring in the Frozen Forest."

As Shui Bing'er spoke, she cast Ye Lingling a sidelong glance.

Hmph—

You're not coming!

She would make Ye Lingling see who Lin Ye's lawfully wedded wife really was.