Inside the side hall of the Crown Prince's Residence, the earth-dragon burned intensely.
Qian Renxue sat upright behind the Rosewood desk, reviewing the memorials sent from the various provinces.
The hall doors were pushed open with a bang, and a figure wrapped in wind and snow rushed in. The fatigue between Qian Renxue's brows instantly dissipated.
"Brother Xue, I've broken through to level twenty!"
Meng Chen ran over without even brushing the snowflakes off himself.
Qian Renxue put down the brush in her hand, picked up a soft cloth to wipe the ice crystals off his ears, and said with a smile.
"Look at you, still so clumsy even at your age. What's done?"
"Look!"
Meng Chen took a deep breath, and the soul power within his body began to circulate.
Qian Renxue hadn't paid much attention at first, but upon sensing the soul power contained within Meng Chen's body, she was instantly startled to her feet.
"Level twenty?"
She grabbed Meng Chen's wrist, and her soul power entered his body along his meridians.
His meridians were tough, his blood Qi surged, and the soul power in his dantian was already fully charged, solidly resting against the bottleneck of level twenty.
"Didn't you say you were level nineteen just a few days ago?"
It had only been half a year, yet he had charged all the way from level thirteen to level twenty; not a second person like this could be found in the history of Spirit Hall.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to the medicinal diet Brother Xue gave me plus my hard training in the Mimicry Cultivation Room."
Meng Chen grinned and pressed the advantage while the iron was hot. "Big Brother, I'm stuck at level twenty. If I don't absorb a second soul ring, all my subsequent arduous training will go to waste. So I want to set off tomorrow to hunt a soul ring in the Star Dou Great Forest."
As soon as those words fell, the smile on Qian Renxue's face vanished instantly, and she instinctively gripped his arm tightly.
"No, absolutely not."
Meng Chen was taken aback. "Why? The Star Dou Great Forest has the most soul beasts and is the most likely place to find a soul ring that suits me."
Qian Renxue's chest rose and fell slightly.
An accident had happened the very first time this little fellow went to hunt a soul ring in the Star Dou Great Forest, and by the time she received the news, he had already been taken to Spirit City by Bibi Dong.
Had her grandfather not intervened personally, Meng Chen probably would have been kept in the Papal Hall by that woman.
She did not want to taste that feeling of watching someone being snatched away a second time.
"The Star Dou Great Forest isn't the only place with soul beasts."
Qian Renxue said in a firm tone, "There is the Sunset Forest to the north of the city. The Imperial Hunting Ground also raises quite a few rare soul beasts. Whatever you need, Big Brother will personally lead the Imperial Knights to find it for you. But as for the Star Dou Great Forest, don't even think about it."
Meng Chen sighed inwardly.
Most of the soul beasts in the Sunset Forest were of low age and very chaotic, completely unable to meet his demands.
If he wanted to find a high compatibility, he could only try his luck in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Since the hard approach wouldn't work, he would try the soft one.
Meng Chen took half a step forward, his rabbit ears drooping, and gazed straight at the crown prince before him with a pair of large eyes.
"Brother Xue, you have to agree."
"Last time was just an accident, and besides, you can have the men from the Imperial Knights accompany me this time. Even if I encounter danger, I can still run, right?"
Unmoved, Qian Renxue turned her face away to directly avoid Meng Chen's gaze.
Seeing this, Meng Chen tried even harder.
"Oh, my good big brother, just let me go. I swear I'll only wander around the outer perimeter and won't go near the Core Area. I'll come right back as soon as I find a suitable soul ring, okay?"
Listening to Meng Chen rattle on endlessly with his little mouth, Qian Renxue's thoughts were in chaos right now.
She could handle those old foxes in the imperial court with ease and suppress those harboring evil intentions within Spirit Hall.
Yet she was completely helpless against this little bun burrowing into her arms.
"Fine, fine, I must have owed it to you in my past life."
Qian Renxue sighed, giving his rabbit ears a fierce rub as if venting her frustration.
"You can go, but you must agree to three conditions."
She held up three fingers. "First, bring two soul saint guards above level seventy. Second, only operate in the outer perimeter. Third, if you can't find a suitable soul ring within three days, return immediately."
"Deal, thank you Brother Xue!"
Fearing that Qian Renxue would go back on her word, Meng Chen scurried away in a flash.
"I'm going to the academy to ask for leave right now."
Watching that little bouncing figure vanish into the wind and snow, the amusement in Qian Renxue's eyes gradually subsided.
Having experienced what happened last time, she no longer trusted anyone else.
Not to mention that besides soul beasts, there might also be secret agents from Spirit Hall in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Uncle She."
Qian Renxue lowered her voice in a transmission. "Arrange for people to spread the word that the crown prince has caught a chill and is in seclusion for quiet cultivation for three days, receiving no outside visitors."
In the void, the voice of Snake Lance Douluo carried a hint of astonishment. "Young master, you are planning to..."
Looking at the falling snow outside the window, Qian Renxue said calmly, "I am going to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest myself."
Heaven Dou Junior Soul Master Academy, Academic Affairs Office.
With a snap, the teacup in the hand of the director of the Academic Affairs Office dropped to the ground and shattered. Boiling hot tea flowed down his trousers, but he didn't even feel it.
"What did you just say? Say it again."
Looking completely innocent, Meng Chen handed his leave application to the director of the Academic Affairs Office. "Teacher, my soul power has reached level twenty, and I'd like to take a few days off to hunt for my second soul ring."
"That's impossible!"
The director of the Academic Affairs Office slammed the table, stood up, and stared at Meng Chen in astonishment.
"You were level thirteen during the Freshman Tournament. How much time has passed since then? How could you possibly be level twenty?"
Faced with the shock of the director of the Academic Affairs Office, Meng Chen had already thought of an explanation.
"Teacher, I live in the Crown Prince's Residence, and every day I have a large amount of medicinal supplements aiding me. Coupled with endless cultivation, my soul power naturally grew quickly."
Saying this, Meng Chen pressed his hand onto the testing crystal ball at the corner of the table.
The golden light shone brightly, steadily stopping at the position of level twenty, full, refined, and not the least bit unsubstantial.
The director of the Academic Affairs Office drew a sharp breath, slumped back into his chair, and failed to utter a single word for a long while.
A freak, he truly was a freak.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he stamped the leave application without another word.
Humming a little tune, Meng Chen walked out of the Academic Affairs Office. Just as he reached the corner, a goose-yellow figure blocked his path.
"Meng Chen! You big liar!"
"How did you break through so fast? This young lady is exhausted and is only level fourteen!"
Ning Rongrong placed her hands on her hips, her large eyes filled with grievance.
For the past half year she had been cultivating for her life, having just broken through to level fourteen yesterday, and today she had even thought of giving Meng Chen a surprise.
As a result, as soon as she arrived at the Academic Affairs Office, she overheard the conversation between the director of the Academic Affairs Office and Meng Chen inside.
Looking at the little girl before him, Meng Chen was somewhat amused, yet he also understood that for this proud daughter of heaven, this gap was indeed too crushing.
"All right, all right, Miss Rongrong."
Breaking all precedent, he took the initiative to lower his head and shook his rabbit ears in front of her eyes.
"Stop crying, I'll let you pet them twice."
Choking up for a moment, Ning Rongrong instinctively reached out her two small hands, grabbed that pair of furry ears, and gave them a fierce rub.
"Hmph, don't think a pair of broken ears can bribe this young lady. Where are you going to hunt your soul ring this time?"
"The Star Dou Great Forest."
Hearing those five words, the expression on Ning Rongrong's figure stiffened, and worry flashed through her eyes.
"I heard my dad and the others say that place is very dangerous. No, I can't let you just go like this. Wait for me here, I'm going back right now to find my dad and have Grandpa Sword take us."
Meng Chen was taken aback. He hadn't expected this young lady to think this way, and hurriedly grabbed Ning Rongrong as she turned to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, there's no need to go to all that trouble. I've already told Brother Xue, and guards will accompany me when the time comes."
He was well aware of the status Ning Rongrong held in the hearts of those two Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
As long as this lass opened her mouth, even if she wanted stars from the sky, the two great Douluo, Sword and Bone, would probably have to give it a try.
If a Titled Douluo were to really follow along and eventually discover the anomaly within his body, that would be true trouble.
Yet Ning Rongrong was displeased. In her view, Meng Chen was simply treating her like a burden.
"You really take a good heart for donkey's lungs! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Though she said that, her heart was truly and solidly devastated.
If she continued to fish for three days and dry her nets for two like before, she feared she wouldn't even be able to see his back in the future.
No, this young lady must never be left behind by him.
Biting her lip, Ning Rongrong gave Meng Chen a deep look, then turned and ran outside the school gates.
Watching her figure, Meng Chen rubbed his burning ears, shook his head with a smile, and turned to leave.
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