Three to five minutes later, Xue Qinghe brought Qin Lan and Lu Zheng to find Hu Liena and her group.
Why did he come over... Damn it, is he here to laugh at me?
No, my disguise is so good that she couldn't possibly recognize me. She must have been drawn over by Na'na.
In that case, I'll just endure it for a bit. When we reach the fork in the road, I'll find an excuse to leave.
When Bibi Dong saw Xue Qinghe, a trace of imperceptible complexity flashed through her eyes, and her head lowered slightly, as if she were afraid of being seen in this outfit by Xue Qinghe.
Suddenly, Bibi Dong froze:
Why am I hiding? I am the Pope, I haven't done anything wrong, I'm her mother!
Bibi Dong herself did not know why, at this moment upon seeing Xue Qinghe, she had the guilty feeling of a thief.
Those who achieve great things do not sweat the small details!
Bibi Dong reined in her gaze, standing quietly beside Hu Liena with a cold, desireless posture.
Perhaps this was the final stubbornness of a strong-willed mother.
She would never bow her head to Qian Renxue, that unfilial daughter.
Xue Qinghe's peripheral vision had been fixed on the figure in the black robe, taking in every single one of the black-robed person's little actions.
Seeing that the black-robed person could not bear to face him, he was in high spirits and practically confirmed the black-robed person's identity.
It really is you, Joker. You hit me over some good-for-nothing, so today I'm going to settle accounts with you all at once.
Xue Qinghe's peripheral vision fell upon the strawberry shake milkshake and oil wrapping paper in Bibi Dong's hands, a bold idea taking shape in his mind.
"Hu Liena of Spirit Hall Academy greets His Highness the Crown Prince." Seeing the newcomer, Hu Liena offered a slight salute, her tone neither servile nor overbearing. "I wonder why Your Highness the Crown Prince has stopped us?"
Spirit Hall Academy was an academy established by Spirit Hall, located at the base of Pope Mountain. Its students were entirely orphans adopted by Spirit Hall from all over the continent and the offspring of soul masters under its command.
When these children turned six, Spirit Hall would arrange for soul masters to conduct a unified awakening ceremony at the Spirit Hall Plaza.
Those with soul power could remain at Spirit Hall Academy to study.
Those with outstanding natural talent had the chance to be taken as disciples by the powerhouses of Spirit Hall who were present.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan were all senior students of Spirit Hall Academy.
During their studies, students could apply for graduation once their soul power reached rank 40.
After graduation, students could choose to go out for experiential training to broaden their horizons.
They could choose to begin carrying out various tasks for Spirit Hall, such as going to remote villages to help commoners awaken.
They could also remain at the academy for further advanced study, preparing for events like the high-level soul master elite tournament and others.
However, while remaining at the academy, they would not enjoy student privileges.
Xie Yue and Yan offered polite salutes to Xue Qinghe without saying much else.
In their eyes, Xue Qinghe was no different from an ordinary soul master, and they had no thoughts of sucking up to him or trying to curry favor.
Had the other party not been the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, they wouldn't have even bothered to spare Xue Qinghe an extra glance.
Bibi Dong remained unmoved, standing quietly in place as she silently observed Xue Qinghe.
"Oh? You know me?" Xue Qinghe asked in surprise. "This should be our first time meeting, shouldn't it?"
Xue Qinghe didn't have a shred of goodwill toward Hu Liena; the only reason he recognized her was because he had heard of her from Qian Zong.
Otherwise, he wouldn't bother paying attention to such a brain-damaged girl.
In the future, despite being the spirit hall holy daughter, she would actually let go of a mortal enemy of Spirit Hall for her own selfish desires, causing Spirit Hall to suffer a crushing defeat.
Of course, he himself was not much better off.
However, he certainly wouldn't indulge in self-reflection.
Anyway, with Qian Zong around now, he would listen entirely to Qian Zong in the future, and the tragedies of the previous life wouldn't happen again.
"When Your Highness the Crown Prince was confronting that group of soul masters from the Star Luo Empire, we were at the Library, so naturally we recognize Your Highness."
Hu Liena countered:
"As for Your Highness the Crown Prince, stopping us so abruptly-could it be that you know us as well?"
Xie Yue and Yan cast inquiring gazes toward Xue Qinghe.
Just as Xue Qinghe had said, it was the first time they were meeting each other.
Xue Qinghe smiled warmly, explaining:
"I also happened to hear Library Director Qian Zong mention it casually when chatting with him, saying that Spirit Hall Academy has produced three genius students.
"Judging by the appearances of you three, you do look somewhat like the three genius students Director Qian Zong spoke of, so I wanted to come over and make your acquaintance."
Bibi Dong frowned slightly.
How did this Qian Zong know about everything?
And this Xue Qinghe, why did he go blabbing about everything?
You don't even have a filter on your mouth-is this how you act as a spy?!
Yan stepped forward and asked out of curiosity:
"What did the director say about us?"
Yan held an exceptional reverence for Qian Zong; the other party's theoretical knowledge was simply invincible.
According to his own deductions, he still needed at least four more months to break through to rank 37.
Yet two months ago, he had read the chapters on weight training and dietary therapy in the Martial Soul Basics Encyclopedia compiled by Qian Zong.
Following the methods of exercise and diet in the book thereafter, in less than two months of time, he had broken through to rank 37, drastically reducing his cultivation time.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena were also full of anticipation in their eyes, as they held equally supreme admiration for Qian Zong.
Hu Liena in particular made it a point to check in every week at the Martial Soul Amusement Park developed by Qian Zong.
The phantom theater there featured lifelike characters, and mountains, rivers, and earth so vivid they truly stirred her yearning.
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe paused.
What did the director say?
One was a licking dog, another was an idiot just like Bibi Dong, and only Xie Yue could be considered a normal person.
Could he actually say that out loud?
Obviously not.
"Director Qian Zong merely brought up the mention of you all, without going into too much detail."
Xue Qinghe brushed past the topic and smiled:
"Since you are genius members of Spirit Hall Academy, why don't you go find Director Qian Zong in person?
"Director Qian Zong's vast knowledge is rarely seen in this world, and perhaps he can offer you a pointer or two regarding your cultivation."
Hu Liena and Yan both wore expressions of disappointment.
On the surface, Xie Yue showed no emotional fluctuations, but a trace of helplessness was also revealed in the depths of his eyes.
Had the Star Luo Empire not caused trouble at the Library today, they wouldn't have even known that Qian Zong was the director of the Martial Soul Library.
Even knowing it now, given their status, they weren't qualified to see Qian Zong.
Seeing the three of them wearing troubled expressions, Xue Qinghe asked in confusion:
"What is it? Is there something wrong?"
"Sigh..." Hu Liena let out a sigh and said helplessly, "Your Highness might not know, but the Young Hall Master has a busy schedule. We are merely students of Spirit Hall Academy, and getting an audience with the Young Hall Master is not easy."
Yan stood to the side, shaking his head repeatedly as well.
Merely by reading some theoretical knowledge compiled by Qian Zong, his cultivation speed had nearly doubled.
If he could receive pointers from Qian Zong, he didn't dare imagine just how fast his cultivation speed would become.
Yet, he could only think about it.
A person of Qian Zong's status-was he someone they could see just by wanting to?
Xue Qinghe burst into hearty laughter, saying:
"What's so difficult about that? Tomorrow, I'll take you to find Director Qian Zong."
In his words, Xue Qinghe vaguely revealed a sense of pride.
Seeing others hold Qian Zong in high esteem, he felt proud from the bottom of his heart.
"You?"
Hu Liena looked at Xue Qinghe, her eyes full of confusion.
You, a member of the imperial royal family, are going to take us to find the Spirit Hall Young Hall Master?
She simply couldn't understand.
Yan and Xie Yue were also at a loss. Since when had the relationship between the empire and Spirit Hall become this good?
Xue Qinghe smiled, reaching out his hand as a purple-gold token appeared in his palm.
The front of the token was inscribed with the character "Qian", while the reverse side depicted a six-winged angel pattern, with the five characters "Martial Soul Library" marked beneath the pattern.
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