Bibi Dong's open scheme? Opposing the Nation-Stealing Plan, saving the big-headed angel pawn, and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

Time flashed past like a white horse glimpsed through a crack.

Before they knew it, two and a half months had quietly slipped away amid daily sword swings and sweat.

For Lu Xuan, those two and a half months brought two pieces of good news and one piece of bad news.

The first piece of good news was that his Soul Power had risen by one level, reaching level 28. In roughly another month, he would be able to reach level 29.

As for the bad news, it was naturally that he had endured one-sided "beatings" from Qian Renxue on the training grounds almost every day for those two and a half months.

Still, those beatings had not been for nothing, which led to the second piece of good news.

Under the intense pressure of fighting Qian Renxue, Lu Xuan's swordsmanship had improved at astonishing speed.

At first, he had lost in three moves. Now, relying on his swordsmanship, he could face Qian Renxue head-on for dozens of exchanges when neither used Soul Power.

Although most bouts still ended in a crushing defeat, at least he was no longer a live target utterly incapable of fighting back.

That evening, the setting sun was as red as blood, dyeing the sky over Spirit City a brilliant orange-red.

Lu Xuan and Qian Renxue met in the little pavilion where they had first encountered each other.

A breeze swept past, stirring Qian Renxue's long golden hair.

She sat on a stone stool with her head lowered, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her eyes slightly red.

Her usual pride and overbearing swagger had vanished without a trace.

"Hey, Lu Xuan..." Qian Renxue's voice was a little hoarse, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

"I might be going to the Heaven Dou Empire. Once I leave... I don't know how long it'll be before I can come back!"

Lu Xuan frowned at her words and pressed her. "Why? Why would you suddenly go to the Heaven Dou Empire?"

"Because... perhaps this is the only way I can prove how outstanding I am and show her what I'm capable of!"

Qian Renxue raised her head and shook her fist forcefully, a glimmer of stubbornness and unwillingness flashing in her eyes.

The "her" Qian Renxue spoke of was naturally Bibi Dong.

Lu Xuan sighed inwardly.

The "Nation-Stealing Plan" had come after all. This was an open scheme: it could both slow Qian Renxue's progress in strength and infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire, truly killing two birds with one stone.

All he could say was that, after turning dark, Bibi Dong's intelligence made her seem like an entirely different person from her former, love-addled self. She could devise all sorts of plans with effortless ease.

And in the original story, Qian Renxue, that foolish daughter of a wealthy landlord so desperate to prove herself to Bibi Dong, had actually accepted this mission.

She had squandered twenty years of her youth on it, and later, her own love-addled tendencies had even flared up, leading her to spare Tang San repeatedly.

The more Lu Xuan thought about it, the chillier his neck felt.

No. To be safe, I can't let Qian Renxue go!

"Teacher said you have the talent to become a god." Lu Xuan looked straight into Qian Renxue's eyes, his tone more serious than ever.

"You shouldn't waste your time on something like this. If you devote yourself to cultivation, undertake the Divine Trials, and inherit the Angel Godhood as soon as possible, wouldn't that prove your worth even more? Who would dare look down on you then?"

Qian Renxue froze.

Looking into Lu Xuan's clear, resolute eyes, her determination to go to the Heaven Dou Empire began to waver.

That's right. Wouldn't becoming a god sooner prove my worth even more?

Why should I waste my talent going undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire?

"What you said... does seem right." Qian Renxue bit her lower lip, her expression hesitant. "Then let me think about it some more. Don't tell Grandpa yet. This is my own business!"

At this point, she seemed to remember something. Turning to Lu Xuan, she keenly noticed the gloom between his brows.

"But why have you been so preoccupied lately? Is something wrong with your cultivation, or has something happened?"

Something stirred in Lu Xuan's heart. He knew his opportunity had come.

Lately, he had been racking his brains over how to bring up the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well naturally.

Speaking of it directly was clearly unrealistic, but what if he borrowed the name of a "deity"?

"Lately... I've kept having a strange dream!" Lu Xuan deliberately lowered his voice and knitted his brows, putting on a bewildered expression.

"The scene in the dream is a forest. There's a valley in the forest, and in that valley is a pool of strange spring water."

"Half of it is an extremely cold ice spring, and half is a scorching fire spring. The two intertwine, yet strangely, neither affects the other."

"And all around that spring, there are all kinds of peculiar medicinal herbs I've never seen before."

He was not lying. For some reason, he really had been dreaming of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well frequently lately.

Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes widened at his words.

She had long since learned of Lu Xuan's talent from Qian Daoliu, and she also knew that some deity had very likely taken an interest in him.

After all, a God-level Martial Soul was, ultimately, a God-Bestowed Martial Soul, and innate level 20 Soul Power was also bestowed by a god.

Without a god taking an interest, it was impossible to awaken a God-level Martial Soul or possess innate level 20 Soul Power.

In other words, Lu Xuan's dreams were very likely guidance from a deity!

"Come on, let's go find Grandpa!" Qian Renxue grabbed Lu Xuan's hand. The Six-Winged Angel instantly possessed her, and golden wings spread wide.

Carrying Lu Xuan, she became a streak of light and flew straight toward the Worship Hall.

Inside the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu was still running his NPC code, day after day.

After hearing Lu Xuan's description, Qian Daoliu slowly turned around, his gaze settling on Lu Xuan, his brows deeply furrowed.

A spring where ice and fire intertwined, and peculiar medicinal herbs?

He had roamed the Douluo Continent for more than a hundred years, yet he had never heard of such a place.

"This is no small matter. If it truly is guidance from a deity, then it must be a peerless treasure land!" Qian Daoliu said gravely.

He immediately summoned the other six Enshrined of the Worship Hall.

Before long, six figures with imposing auras appeared in the hall one after another.

Yet after hearing the description, the Enshrined merely exchanged bewildered looks, without a clue.

Just then, the Fifth Enshrined, Light Feather Douluo, remarked casually:

"Big brother, that little chrysanthemum from the Papal Palace claims to know all the flowers and plants under heaven like the back of his hand, doesn't he? Call him over and ask. Perhaps he knows?"

Qian Daoliu nodded in agreement.

Although Yue Guan was still serving in the Papal Palace and following Bibi Dong's orders,

he was also a veteran from Qian Xunji's time in office, and his loyalty to Spirit Hall was beyond question.

Soon, Yue Guan was summoned to the Worship Hall.

After hearing Lu Xuan describe the spring and the medicinal herbs around it, Yue Guan's formerly alluring expression instantly became one of immense excitement.

"Please wait a moment, Great Enshrined. Your subordinate will be right back!" Yue Guan hurried away. Before long, he returned carrying a book that appeared to have been very well preserved.

He hastily flipped through its pages and soon found what he was looking for. Pointing at an illustration and several lines of text, his voice grew even shriller with excitement.

"This spring is called the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well! And the medicinal herbs this child described are known as immortal herbs. Every single one has the power to change one's fate!"

Lu Xuan leaned closer. Looking at the crude illustration in the book, he immediately pointed at it and exclaimed, "Yes, that's it! That's the place I dreamed of!"

"That place seems to be in a forest, but the trees aren't the kinds found in the Star Dou Great Forest. They're more like those in the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"Then it should be the Sunset Forest!" A sharp gleam flashed in Qian Daoliu's eyes as he settled the matter with a decisive word.

Then he looked at the six Enshrined and ordered gravely:

"Azure Luan, Guang Ling, and Yue Guan, the three of you will accompany little Xuan to the Sunset Forest. You must find this treasure land! If anyone occupies it and resists, kill them without exception!"

"Grandpa, I want to go too!" Qian Renxue took the initiative to step forward. She, too, was filled with curiosity about that place.

"Very well!" Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Renxue and did not refuse. "With Azure Luan and Guang Ling there, they'll be more than capable of keeping you both safe. Go and see just what sort of opportunity it is!"