Liu Ruyan's eyes suddenly widened, and she exclaimed, "That figure... it's actually the Sixth Prince, Xue Shiming!"
At her words, Zhu Wuneng's eyes darted about. He leaned closer curiously and asked, "Sister Ruyan, you know him?"
Liu Ruyan nodded, recalling, "Yes, I've met him a few times at various tournaments. Xue Shiming is His Majesty Xue Yingtao's youngest son, born when His Majesty was nearly fifty. He's also a genius the imperial family rarely sees even once in a century, one of Heaven Dou Academy's three great prodigies. And both his character and reputation are excellent."
Xixi tilted her head slightly, revealing her serene profile. An arresting gleam shone in her clear eyes as she asked softly, "Then just how strong is he now? How would he compare to Xiaojun?"
The moment she spoke, the atmosphere around them grew tense.
Zhu Wuneng immediately perked up, his ears seeming to stand even straighter, afraid of missing a single word.
Even Xiao Yi turned her head at the question, fixing Liu Ruyan with an intense gaze as she waited for her answer.
Liu Ruyan drew a deep breath, her expression turning solemn, as though she meant to gather everything she knew into this one moment. She said slowly, "His soul power has already reached the level of a high-rank Soul Ancestor, and his actual combat strength is extraordinarily formidable-enough to inspire fear. People regard him as the imperial family's future guardian deity, and that is by no means smoke without fire."
"However, in my opinion, if he faced the young master in a battle between geniuses, he would certainly be a formidable opponent, but I would still favor the young master! His strength and talent are unlike anything I've ever seen."
Up on the elevated platform, however, the atmosphere was entirely different.