This prince was no ordinary man

Bai Shuangshuang looked at the fat man and blinked.

She said nothing, releasing her Martial Soul directly instead.

When three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—appeared, the fat man's mouth fell open in shock.

"No way, she really got a Soul Ring?

They're actually not scammers???"

The Skinny Monkey and the Fox-Charming Woman were equally shocked by Bai Shuangshuang's Soul Rings, turning to look at Dai Chengqian.

Beyond surprise, a measure of awe had crept into their expressions.

In just half a day, the two had helped someone obtain a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Anyone who wasn't an idiot could tell that Dai Chengqian and his companion had some real ability. Otherwise, they could never have pulled this off.

Even if they had formed a Soul Hunting squad to take this job, they probably couldn't have completed it so quickly.

Seeing the fat man's dazed expression, Bai Shuangshuang covered her mouth with a chuckle and said:

"Thanks for looking out for me. These two really are very capable. They're not scammers."

"Uh..."

The fat man's face flushed with embarrassment. He rubbed his head and laughed, unsure what to say.

Just then, Dai Chengqian stepped forward and patted the fat man's shoulder, then took out a gold badge engraved with a White Tiger and showed it to him.

The instant the fat man saw the badge, his mind buzzed.

Everyone in the Star Luo Empire recognized the design on it. It represented the Star Luo Imperial Family.

If the badge was made of gold, it identified its bearer as a prince.

This masked young man was His Highness, a prince.

He had actually called a prince a scammer!

The fat man's legs went weak, and he was about to kneel and beg forgiveness.

Dai Chengqian caught him by the arm and whispered into his ear:

"Shh...

No need to make a fuss. I'm not looking to punish you.

I just wanted to tell you, as a student of an Advanced Soul Master Academy in the Star Luo Empire,

when you're out in the world, you must never underestimate anyone.

Someone you look down on might just be a hidden master living beyond the world's cares.

I'm leaving now. Help me pass that advice along to your classmates, too.

Oh, and my name is Dai Chengqian. Come visit my Imperial Prince's Residence when you have time."

With that, Dai Chengqian patted the fat man's shoulder and walked into the town.

Behind him, Ye Lingling and Bai Shuangshuang glanced at the fat man before following Dai Chengqian.

Once Dai Chengqian was far away, the fat man wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned to the Lufeng Academy group.

Seeing him return, the Fox-Charming Woman hurriedly asked:

"What happened? You looked strange just now. What did that man whisper to you?"

"Don't even ask. We'd better watch what we say when we're out in the world from now on."

With a sigh, the fat man told them Dai Chengqian's identity and repeated what he had just said.

After hearing him out, they all fell silent.

A while later, the Fox-Charming Woman remarked:

"This Sixth Prince is no ordinary man."

The others nodded in agreement, then wisely stopped discussing the subject.

After entering the town, Dai Chengqian no longer concealed his identity as a prince and began chatting with Bai Shuangshuang.

Their conversation ranged from the history of the Douluo Continent to all sorts of amusing stories and gossip circulating among ordinary people.

Gathering news and intelligence was precisely the Speed Clan's specialty.

And Bai Shuangshuang happened to love sharing gossip.

From her, Dai Chengqian heard all sorts of rumors making the rounds.

For instance, some claimed that Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall had once wanted to marry Bibi Dong, the current Supreme Pontiff.

The two had later fought in secret, which was why Spirit Hall was now split into two factions.

Others claimed that Ning Fengzhi, the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, preferred men, and that his daughter Ning Rongrong had actually been adopted from within the sect.

Although he knew most of this gossip was false, Dai Chengqian still listened with relish.

Naturally, Ye Lingling did not join in such discussions, but she pricked up her ears and listened.

Dai Chengqian noticed that whenever Ye Lingling heard something interesting, the corners of her mouth would lift almost imperceptibly.

A love of gossip really was in women's nature. Even someone with Ye Lingling's temperament couldn't escape its allure.

In this way, the three gradually grew more familiar with one another.

Throughout the process, Bai Shuangshuang never triggered Dai Chengqian's Red Luan identification.

Dai Chengqian guessed it was because Bai Shuangshuang's innate potential was too low. The Red Luan system did not identify people whose talent fell below its threshold.

If it were Bai Chenxiang, who had the greatest innate potential in their clan, the Red Luan system might identify her.

As Bai Shuangshuang prepared to leave town and return to the Speed Clan, Dai Chengqian addressed her seriously:

"Wait a moment. There's one last important thing I need to tell you.

After you return, pass a message to your clan chief for me.

Tell him I understand the suffering your Speed Clan is going through.

In all these years since the Clear Sky Sect abandoned you, your clan has had the hardest time of the Four Great Single-Attribute Clans.

The other factions don't dare offend Spirit Hall, so they don't dare get too close to you.

Circumstances have forced you to fend for yourselves, but unfortunately, you have only extraordinary speed and no way to earn a living, so life has been incredibly difficult.

Tell your clan chief that I have something that can resolve your predicament of having speed but no combat power.

If he's interested, he can send someone to the Star Luo Empire to find me at the Imperial Prince's Residence of the Sixth Prince.”

After hearing Dai Chengqian's words, Bai Shuangshuang nodded firmly and said:

“Thank you, Sixth Prince. I'll make sure the message reaches him.”

Dai Chengqian nodded. “Good. We'll meet again if the opportunity arises.”

“Goodbye, Sixth Prince.”

After seeing Bai Shuangshuang off, Dai Chengqian and Ye Lingling continued waiting for Soul Hunting jobs.

Since their price was low, they soon landed another job.

With Dai Chengqian there, it was completed quickly.

Dai Chengqian's team finished all three Soul Hunts in less than two days.

The other two teams still needed quite some time to finish their three jobs.

During their free time, Dai Chengqian spent time alone with Ye Lingling, continually taking the initiative to find things to talk about.

As they talked more, Ye Lingling gradually opened up, no longer as reserved as she had been at first.

As Ye Lingling gradually developed affection for Dai Chengqian, the Red Luan system identified her as well.

Dai Chengqian checked her Affection: 10 points.

A few days later, all the teams had completed their three Soul Hunts and gathered at the meeting point.

Dai Chengqian shuffled the teams, forming three new groups that continued heading to the town for Soul Hunting.

Time flew by.

After a little over a month, everyone had completed three Soul Hunts with every other member of the group.

The first phase of their hellish training officially ended, and the group returned to the Star Luo Empire.

Dai Chengqian had made considerable gains during this time.

While teamed up with Meng Yiran, Dai Chengqian had bound her as a Red Luan and earned one roulette reward.

While teamed up with Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and Asuya, all three women's Affection for Dai Chengqian had increased considerably.

As for his time teamed up with Zhu Zhuyun, although her Affection could not increase, their connection level had soared to lv18.

Aside from his personal gains, the greatest reward of the month was that the team's sense of unfamiliarity had vanished.

They had developed considerable rapport with one another in battle.

Dai Chengqian looked at everyone and nodded in satisfaction, then said with a smile:

"Congratulations, everyone. The first phase of our hellish training is over.

Now we're moving on to the second phase."

As soon as Dai Chengqian finished speaking, two figures suddenly appeared above them.

They were Qingyue Douluo and Poison Douluo, whom they had not seen in quite some time.

Dai Chengqian pointed at the two Titled Douluo and said:

"In the days ahead, our opponents will no longer be Soul Beasts.

They'll be—Titled Douluo."