Qian Renxue shrugged off the hand Long Yue had placed on her shoulder. She had grown used to calling him "Brother Long," but not to this gesture.
It was still too intimate.
Long Yue did not mind. He dusted his hands together as though brushing off dirt. "What sort of place is the Moonlight Pavilion?"
Am I filthy?
Watching his gesture, Qian Renxue was speechless. She even felt an urge to put his hand back on her shoulder.
I'm the princess of the Angel Clan, the most exalted person on the Douluo Continent. You're not allowed to turn your nose up at me!
Qian Renxue suppressed these strange thoughts and explained:
"You can think of the Moonlight Pavilion as the Heaven Dou Empire's Court Etiquette Academy. It trains the empire's next generation of nobles. Anyone studying there must at least hold a noble title and be no older than thirty."
Long Yue raised an eyebrow. At last, he remembered.
Isn't this the noble finishing school run by Tang San's aunt, Tang Yuehua?
If he could not meet Tang San or Tang Hao, meeting Tang Yuehua would be nice too, especially with Qian Renxue leading the way.
"Do you study there too?"
Long Yue draped an arm around Qian Renxue's shoulders again. "No wonder you have that courtly air. Quite elegant."
"Yes." Qian Renxue's spirits inexplicably soared. She lifted her chin with restrained pride. "I used to study at the Moonlight Pavilion. I've already graduated."
"Congratulations!" Long Yue removed his hand from her shoulder. "Let's take a look. I'd like to see what the Heaven Dou Empire's courtly style is like."
Qian Renxue's heart stirred. This was clearly an excellent topic of conversation. "Brother Long, doesn't your Divine Realm Empire have a Court Etiquette Academy?"
"Of course it does."
Long Yue walked ahead, raising his arms and spreading his elbows, his hands clasped behind his head.
Qian Renxue asked casually, "Then why do you act so... well, unlike a noble?"
In truth, she was putting it very delicately. Long Yue's behavior could only be described as utterly extraordinary.
"Because my family aren't nobles. We're commoners."
Despite that lowly status, Long Yue raised his head proudly.
"So I don't know noble etiquette. Of course, I don't need to know it either. In the end, strength is what matters."
"You don't need to? But the Divine Realm Empire has nobles, and an etiquette academy too, doesn't it? Wouldn't knowing noble etiquette make it easier for you to enter the empire's upper ranks?"
Qian Renxue asked.
On the Douluo Continent, everyone knew that holding office required a noble title.
Without a noble title or soul power, one could forget about rising above the crowd in this lifetime.
Long Yue shook his head unconcernedly. "With enough talent for cultivation, getting a noble title is easy. It just can't be inherited. But official posts and noble titles aren't what I'm after. I want to reach the pinnacle of the Soul Master Path."
The pinnacle of the Soul Master Path?
Something suddenly stirred deep within Qian Renxue.
That afternoon many years ago, the setting sun had shone warmly.
Beneath the golden Six-Winged Angel statue in Spirit City's Douluo Hall, Qian Daoliu had said to the young Qian Renxue:
"Grandpa knows someone who is both an enemy and a friend. He's very proud, and very powerful. He's spent his entire life seeking the pinnacle of the Soul Master Path. I'm afraid Grandpa will never reach that level in this lifetime."
Qian Renxue still remembered looking up as the golden evening sunlight shone from the horizon, spilling through the Douluo Hall's crystal dome onto the gleaming golden Six-Winged Angel statue.
She had asked, "Who is he? Aren't you already at the pinnacle, Grandpa? Level ninety-nine, a Peerless Douluo."
Qian Daoliu had smiled without answering.
"A level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, or even a realm beyond that?"
A dazzling light burst from Qian Renxue's eyes as she looked at Long Yue, her face radiant.
"Is that your ambition?"
Long Yue looked straight into Qian Renxue's eyes. Even though the face before him was Xue Qinghe's, he answered earnestly, "Yes. The realm beyond level ninety-nine. Reaching level one hundred and attaining godhood."
Once, Long Yue, the Mountain Dragon King, had wanted only to become a Titled Douluo before his life ended. Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena had stifled his ambition.
In that era, he could never have surpassed Tang Wulin, the Plane Master's own grandson.
But now, Long Yue wanted to become a god.
"Brother Long, I've heard about the origins of your Spirit Ice Continent. It came from a god, didn't it?"
As Qian Renxue spoke, she recalled the legend passed down within the Angel Clan, a story Qian Daoliu had often told her when she was little: their ancestor, the Angel God, had attained godhood.
Gods truly existed in this world.
Along with soul tools, the people of the Divine Realm Empire had brought books introducing their empire.
"Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao."
Long Yue recalled the empire's standardized official history, the "Divine Realm Book: Spirit Ice Chronicle," written personally by Emperor Dai Tianling.
"He was the ancestor of the Divine Realm Empire's imperial family. He held back the Sun Moon Federation's invasion, then eventually came to the Douluo Continent to challenge Beast God Di Tian and ascended to the Divine Realm."
It had to be said: Emperor Dai Tianling truly was an inventor of history.
"Beast God Di Tian... When I first heard your legend of Spirit Ice Douluo, I could hardly believe it. The Douluo Continent actually had a soul beast god?" Qian Renxue had never heard Di Tian's name before.
"That was ten thousand years ago." Long Yue had little enthusiasm for the topic.
The Divine Realm Empire consisted of refugees from another time and space. Even with a fabricated history, giving the people of this time and space too many details was inconvenient. If someone spotted a clue, wouldn't their lies be exposed?
Qian Renxue could also tell that Long Yue did not want to elaborate. She asked, "Is your martial soul the same kind as Spirit Ice Douluo's? I remember you call that kind... a body martial soul?"
"Don't just ask about mine." Long Yue turned the question back on her. "What is your martial soul?"
"A swan." Qian Renxue gave an elegant, scholarly "Xue Qinghe-style" smile. "The inherited martial soul of our Heaven Dou Imperial Family is the swan."
"My martial soul is the Mountain Dragon." Long Yue left it at that.
No matter what Qian Renxue asked next, Long Yue refused to say another word about it. When pressed, he simply said, "You'll see it if you take part in the exchange tournament."
"..." Qian Renxue fell silent.
How did someone so young get so good at deflecting questions? Not a single crack in anything he says... All those times I called him "Brother Long" were wasted!
Soon, the two arrived in Heaven Dou City's bustling center. A small building stood before them.
It was five stories tall, elegant and tranquil. Its plaque bore only two simple words: Moonlight Pavilion.
"Brother Long, this is the Moonlight Pavilion. I'll introduce you to Aunt Yuehua in a moment."
Qian Renxue was just about to lead Long Yue inside when two young men dressed in blue stopped them.
"Sorry, please stop. The Moonlight Pavilion does not admit people who are improperly dressed... er... wearing outlandish clothing."
"You!"
A fierce light flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes almost instantly.
You dare stop someone I brought? Don't you recognize the face of First Prince Xue Qinghe?
But Qian Renxue still held herself back. She put on that standard, warm "Xue Qinghe-style" smile and patiently explained, "This is an honored guest from the Divine Realm Empire. My friend."
"..." Long Yue now understood why Qian Renxue was so repressed.
Every day, she had to face people wearing a gentle, refined mask, unable to release even a little anger lest she be deemed discourteous and lacking in virtue.
It would have been a miracle if she weren't repressed!
[History]
Duke Yuhao, the Spirit Ice Douluo, was a descendant of White Tiger Dai. He was the concubine-born son of Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke. His mother, Huo, died of illness in his early years, leaving him lonely and without support. At twelve, the duke concealed his ancestral surname and traveled to study at the Monster Academy. Dragon God Douluo Mu En saw him and recognized his extraordinary gifts, accepting him as a disciple and personally imparting his supreme arts. Later, at his master's command, he journeyed to the Sun Moon Federation to study soul tools.
... The Sun Moon Federation raised its armies and invaded. Duke Yuhao, wielding his ultimate martial soul, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, led his forces to repel the enemy at the nation's gates. Wherever his icy edge reached, the three armies scattered before him, and thus the fighting ceased. That year, he returned to his clan and acknowledged his father. Yet he coveted neither power nor rank, instead founding the Divine Realm Empire and opening a new chapter that would span ten thousand years... In the end, as a Limit Douluo, he challenged Beast God Di Tian in the Star Dou Great Forest. In a single battle, he shattered the void and ascended to the heavenly realm.
People of the time said: "To rise from the lowly station of an illegitimate son to the highest seat was not merely the mandate of heaven, but also the fruit of perseverance. Behold how he proved his path with twin martial souls and used war to end war. Was he not the pillar standing firm amid the torrents of a troubled age?"
-"Divine Realm Book: Spirit Ice Chronicle" (excerpt)
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