The changes in Qian Renxue

Word that Lu Yang had not joined Heaven Dou Team One soon reached the Crown Prince's Residence through Heaven Dou Academy. Looking at the slip of paper in her hand, Qian Renxue chuckled.

"Uncle She Long, just as you said, that little fellow really didn't join Heaven Dou Team One." No particular emotion could be heard in Qian Renxue's voice. In fact, she had also guessed that Lu Yang would not join the first team, because something had seemed a little off in his reaction when she had previously heard him talk about Qin Ming, so she had paid special attention.

"Young Mistress, you know Qin Ming's background now, too. What ability could a student from some fly-by-night academy we've never even heard of possibly have? I think those three old fellows at Heaven Dou Academy misjudged him, too. That brat may have hoodwinked them," She Long said.

"Forget it. Let's leave the matter there for now. Qin Ming is only a Soul Emperor. He can't stir up much of a wave," Qian Renxue said indifferently.

She did indeed want to form a team with Lu Yang at its core to enter the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, then defeat Spirit Hall Academy's team in the competition and teach that little fox in Spirit Hall a lesson.

But the next Soul Master Tournament was still several years away, so there was no rush to form a team. With her working behind the scenes as the "crown prince," there would be no major problems.

Qian Renxue then picked up another slip of paper. Written on it was a medicinal bath formula that Lu Yang had developed just recently. This formula could improve a Soul Master's physical constitution more significantly, making it an optimized version of the previous formula.

After reading the formula, Qian Renxue handed it to Ci Xue and said, "Uncle Ci Xue, sorry for the trouble, but please make a trip to Spirit City and hand this prescription to Grandpa in person. Also, ask Grandpa to retrieve the books containing records of humanoid soul beasts from Spirit Hall's Library Pavilion and have a copy transcribed for you to bring back to Xiao Yang. Bypass the Pope's Palace entirely this time. Don't let that woman intercept it halfway again."

"Yes, Young Mistress." Ci Xue accepted the order, took the prescription, and prepared to leave.

"Wait. Have someone prepare a medicinal bath according to the formula. I'll try it myself," Qian Renxue said.

"Young Mistress, wouldn't that be ill-advised?" Ci Xue asked worriedly.

"It's fine." Qian Renxue shook her head. "These formulas are only handed to me by Xiao Yang after he has tested and verified them many times. Uncle She Long can vouch for that. There's no need to worry."

Everything Lu Yang developed at the Ye Family together with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling would be copied and delivered to Qian Renxue. Combined with the results reported by the informants she had secretly sent, Qian Renxue was indeed very interested in Lu Yang's medicinal baths. However, she was more interested in the formulas that improved the skin than in this kind that improved physical constitution. One could only say that even when they were Soul Masters, girls still loved beauty.

Not to mention that Qian Renxue's feelings toward Lu Yang seemed to have undergone some subtle changes lately, especially when she heard her informants report things such as Lu Yang and Dugu Yan freely fooling around together.

She did not know what was happening to her, either. This feeling was very much like envy, but Qian Renxue did not think so. She believed it might be a kind of longing, because she had never received maternal love as a child, and her special identity meant she had few friends. After coming to the Heaven Dou Empire to go undercover, making friends had become even more impossible, so naturally she would develop a longing for what Lu Yang and Dugu Yan had.

Fortunately, Lu Yang had no intention of escaping her control, and even showed her everything he developed, one by one. Otherwise, what went through Qian Renxue's mind might not have been quite so simple.

Lu Yang had just returned to the Crown Prince's Residence from the Ye Family's Medical Clinic when someone brought him straight before Qian Renxue. At that moment, Qian Renxue was showing her true appearance. An opulent court gown completely concealed her shapely curves, and her long golden hair fell down her back as a maid carefully tended to it.

"Xiao Yang, your new medicinal bath formula works very well. It can have quite a significant effect on Soul Masters below Soul Elder, and it's a great help to me," Qian Renxue said, getting straight to the point.

"As long as it helps you, Snow Sis," Lu Yang replied with a smile.

"Then is there anything you want? I can give it to you as a reward," Qian Renxue asked with a smile.

Lu Yang thought for a moment, found that there was nothing he wanted, and shook his head. He currently lacked neither food nor clothing, had plenty of money to spend, and certainly lacked no cultivation resources. There truly was nothing he particularly wanted.

Seeing Lu Yang like this, Qian Renxue sighed inwardly. She actually very much wanted Lu Yang to ask her for something-even a few excessive demands would have been fine. At least that would prove she was a little more important to Lu Yang than Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, wouldn't it?

A moment later, Qian Renxue spoke. "Since there's nothing you want, I'll give you some more spending money. I heard Uncle She Long say that you had most of the money I gave you before sent back to Windbreath Village?"

"Yes. Without the uncles and aunties in the village looking after me, I might have died long ago. Now that I have money, naturally I should repay them a little more," Lu Yang said.

Hearing him say this, Qian Renxue nodded silently. That alone made her feel that investing in Lu Yang would not be a loss.

The two then turned their conversation to the Soul Fighting Team Heaven Dou Academy was putting together. "I heard you refused Qin Ming's training. Was there something about his instruction you weren't satisfied with?"

Although Qian Renxue had investigated Qin Ming's circumstances, she had no way of finding out certain specifics. So this time, she wanted to ask Lu Yang just what sort of person Qin Ming really was.

"Don't even get me started, Snow Sis. Qin Ming's method for training Soul Masters actually turned out to be running-running around the field for an entire morning. Tell me, what use is that kind of training? Rather than train under him, I'd be better off sitting and meditating here in the residence." Lu Yang curled his lip and voiced his thoughts.

"Running? That's all?" Qian Renxue was stunned to hear it.

She had originally thought that, as the second-youngest Soul Emperor, Qin Ming ought to have at least a trick or two up his sleeve. Yet this method of training Soul Masters probably wouldn't even be used at a Junior Soul Master Academy, would it?

"That's all. Today, he had those people from Heaven Dou Team One run for an entire morning, and whether they were Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, or Support System Soul Masters, the standard was exactly the same. With that level of ability, I really don't think his teaching could be very good. So, Snow Sis, you absolutely mustn't force me into the first team. That would only hold back my cultivation."

"You little brat, you're getting more and more ridiculous. Am I that kind of person?" Qian Renxue shot Lu Yang a dissatisfied glare through the dressing mirror in front of her before asking, "Speaking of cultivation, what level is your Soul Power now? Judging by the Soul Power fluctuations you revealed at Heaven Dou Academy earlier, you must have been at least level thirty-four or thirty-five, right?"