Xue Qinghe's attempt! Qian Renxue got exposed?

"Golden Crow!"

"Golden Crow!"

"Golden Crow—!!!"

In the stands.

Countless spectators sprang to their feet, faces flushed, waving their arms wildly.

They offered their purest adoration to the boy on the platform, who shone as brilliantly as the blazing sun.

Deafening cheers swept through the entire Great Soul Arena like a tsunami, their frenzied roar threatening to tear the roof clean off.

On the other side of that revelry, the gamblers who had wagered fortunes on Ge Ming were red-eyed with their losses.

They tore their betting slips to shreds and hurled them viciously at the floor.

Pointing at Ge Ming, who lay at the edge of the platform with his fate unknown, they unleashed torrents of abuse.

Then, filled with resentment and fury, they turned and left, cursing all the way.

Amid the mingled cheers and curses, Lu Xuan stood straight on the ravaged Soul Fighting Platform.

He ignored the frenzy around him and tilted his head slightly upward, his brilliant golden eyes sweeping his surroundings.

Who was it?

Lu Xuan frowned slightly, trying to pick out the person whose martial soul had resonated with his from the vast sea of people.

But there were simply too many people, their auras too mixed, and the other party was deliberately suppressing that resonance, leaving it faint and intermittent.

Left with no choice, he gathered his thoughts and turned to leave the Soul Fighting Platform.

He headed backstage to register his seventeen consecutive victories, along with his considerable points and prize money.

Meanwhile, inside the VIP room.

Qian Renxue watched Lu Xuan's subtle movements below.

He noticed... is he looking for me? Let's wait a little longer.

Qian Renxue murmured inwardly, her fair fingers unconsciously tightening.

She was curious, too, whether she and that boy could actually perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

If they could, she would have to bind him to her side, no matter the cost.

"Xiao Xue." A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.

Xue Qinghe took an exquisite token symbolizing his royal status from his robes and held it out to Qian Renxue.

"Take this token and find Golden Crow. Ask whether he can come meet with me later!"

Xue Qinghe produced a token and handed it to Qian Renxue as he spoke.

He might as well treat a dead horse as though it were still alive. With such a peerless genius, how could he know the boy's attitude without trying to win him over?

What if the boy was willing to serve under him?

Qian Renxue respectfully accepted the token, lowering her head slightly to conceal the unusual gleam in her eyes. "Yes, Your Highness."

Backstage at the Great Soul Arena, there was a luxurious lounge reserved exclusively for Lu Xuan.

The Great Soul Arena's management had specially arranged it for him.

His spectacular record had brought the Great Soul Arena a considerable increase in revenue.

Seventeen fights and seventeen consecutive victories essentially proved that he was nearly invincible at the Soul Elder level.

Many Heaven Dou City residents and Soul Masters who had previously paid no attention had come on the strength of his reputation, buying tickets to watch him fight.

The Great Soul Arena had even offered him an astronomical sum to become its official resident fighter.

But Lu Xuan had politely declined without hesitation.

When he pushed open the door, a faint fruity fragrance filled the lounge.

Leng Yaozhu lounged lazily on the soft sofa, her long legs crossed.

She held a plate of chilled, juicy fruit, her bearing elegant and relaxed.

"Big sister, I have a question." Lu Xuan sat down opposite her, his expression serious.

"Hmm? What is it?" Leng Yaozhu swallowed the sweet fruit in her mouth and looked at him gently.

"When I stepped onto the platform, my Golden Crow martial soul resonated with something, as though it was attracting something. But I couldn't find the source."

"???"

Leng Yaozhu abruptly stopped peeling her grape and lifted her head, a flash of surprise crossing her beautiful eyes.

"It wasn't the Soul Master you just fought?"

Leng Yaozhu asked.

"No!"

Lu Xuan shook his head with absolute certainty.

"Interesting... let me take a look!"

Leng Yaozhu immediately grew interested.

She knew better than anyone what a Martial Soul Fusion Skill meant.

More importantly, Lu Xuan was the source of the attraction, which meant he would hold absolute dominance in this potential fusion!

For something to resonate with the Three-Legged Golden Crow, which possessed ultimate fire...

The other party's martial soul was certainly extraordinary. Someone like that could not be allowed to slip away so easily.

A terrifying surge of spiritual power, vast as an abyss and utterly formless, instantly swept out from the lounge and across the entire Great Soul Arena.

After only a few seconds, an amused smile curled Leng Yaozhu's lips.

"We won't have to trouble ourselves looking. She's delivered herself right to our door." Leng Yaozhu chuckled, a hint of wonder in her voice.

"I never imagined it would actually be the legendary Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul!"

"I suppose this must be the Angel God recorded in history, the one from the War of the Three Gods?"

Leng Yaozhu directly revealed the visitor's origins.

Upon hearing "Six-Winged Angel," Lu Xuan began connecting all the clues in his mind.

The situation was clear now.

The Heaven Dou Empire's real Xue Qinghe was still alive.

Qian Renxue was currently lurking at Xue Qinghe's side under the guise of a maid.

This was precisely the most crucial deployment stage in the early phase of the nation-stealing plan!

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, a crisp knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Lu Xuan gathered his thoughts and spoke calmly.

A Senior Manager of the Great Soul Arena pushed the door open and bowed with the utmost respect.

"Lord Golden Crow, a young lady outside requests an audience. She says she carries a token from the First Prince. Would you be willing to see her?"

"Someone from the First Prince? Then let's meet her. Please show her in."

An almost imperceptible smile touched Lu Xuan's lips.

The manager respectfully withdrew.

A moment later, a lovely figure walked into the lounge.

She was a girl with dazzling golden hair.

She was young, but her figure had already begun to develop gentle curves, radiating the vitality unique to youth.

Her features were as exquisite as a porcelain doll's, and the lingering baby fat in her cheeks lent her an extra touch of innocent charm and cuteness.

After showing her in, the manager tactfully closed the door and left.

Qian Renxue stood where she was, her gaze swiftly scanning the lounge.

Golden Crow, whom she knew, was there.

But there was someone else in the lounge.

An unfamiliar, mature red-haired woman.

When Qian Renxue saw Leng Yaozhu sitting on the sofa, her breath caught slightly.

Though she was still young and her features had yet to fully mature...

She considered herself exceptionally beautiful.

Yet the mature, noble, unfathomable air of the red-haired woman before her...

Actually gave her the illusion that she paled in comparison.

But she quickly composed herself, adopting a gentle, appropriate professional smile as she dipped into a slight bow toward Lu Xuan.

"Greetings, Lord Golden Crow. I am a maid serving the Heaven Dou Empire's First Prince!"

"His Highness greatly admires your talent and strength. He sent me here expressly to invite you to meet with him later."

She fulfilled a maid's duties perfectly, her tone neither servile nor overbearing.

Lu Xuan, however, did not respond to her invitation.

Looking at Qian Renxue, who was still putting her acting skills to work, he suddenly smiled.

Buzzz—!

Without the slightest warning.

Golden light blazed behind Lu Xuan, and the phantom of the Three-Legged Golden Crow abruptly emerged amid searing heat!

The instant he released his martial soul, the perfect smile on Qian Renxue's face froze.

That pull from the depths of her soul struck again!

This time, they were far too close—so close that the soul power inside her began surging wildly.

Golden light threatened to burst uncontrollably from beneath her skin.

Her breathing instantly quickened, and even her legs began to weaken.

While she desperately suppressed her rampaging martial soul, Lu Xuan had already risen and walked toward her, step by step.

The distance between them shrank to less than half a meter, and Lu Xuan watched her quietly.

Those brilliant golden eyes seemed capable of seeing through every disguise.

Lu Xuan rose onto his toes and leaned toward Qian Renxue's ear.

In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said casually:

"Stop hiding, Miss Angel. You're not the First Prince's maid at all..."

At those words, Qian Renxue's body instantly went rigid.

Lu Xuan paused, sensing how utterly taut the girl had become, and chuckled.

"The Six-Winged Angel, Spirit Hall's hereditary martial soul. You're a member of the Qian Family, aren't you?"

Qian Renxue: Seriously, you're exposing my identity just like that? Who does that?!!!