Admittedly, Xue Ye's decision to make Xue Ke his student was merely Shi Xing, and he hadn't even paid much attention to it.
However, after becoming his student, Xue Ke was always very diligent. She not only fulfilled the responsibilities of a disciple, but also helped him build Dragon's Glory City so well, which can be described as an indispensable contribution.
Therefore, Qi Ling has always regarded Xue Ke as her own disciple, and now that her disciple is in trouble, Qi Ling, as her teacher, naturally cannot stand idly by.
" Qi Ling, wait!" Seeing that Qi Ling was about to head to the palace alone, Flender hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Since we know the situation is so critical, how can we let you go alone? I'll go and get some people; we'll go with you!"
"No, Dean Flender, you don't need to come with me. Even if you did, it probably wouldn't be fruitful," Qi Ling said. "Now that Xue Qinghe has made his ambitions public, he has no shame left, so he will definitely only see me."
"Moreover, and more importantly, Xue Ke is now in his hands, so at least until we see Xue Ke, we can't act rashly. We can only follow their arrangements. It's safer for me to go alone, so I can act according to the situation."
"But Qi Ling, are we just supposed to wait here and do nothing?" Flender said unwillingly.
"Dean, what you should do now is quickly gather all of us together to prevent any unforeseen events," Qi Ling said. " Xue Qinghe's ascension to the throne must have been premeditated; he may have already dispatched his troops to await him."
"In the event of an emergency, we must mobilize all our forces immediately, whether to retreat or attack; we must seize the optimal moment."
"Okay, Qi Ling, I understand. Don't worry, I will handle this secretly and won't alert them!" Flender said.
Just then, Dugu Bo said to Qi Ling, " Qi Ling, I know I can't stop you now, but if you go, please be very careful! There are experts on the other side; I was injured by them!"
"An expert? Could it be Titled Douluo?" Qi Ling said. It wasn't surprising that Xue Qinghe would have Titled Douluo by his side, after all, the Divine Court had so many people, it was normal for them to lend him a few.
"No, Qi Ling, if I were just an ordinary Titled Douluo, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state," Dugu Bo said. "Although my Martial Soul might not be that strong, it does have some expertise in escaping."
"There are things there beyond your imagination. I can sense that they don't really want to kill me, otherwise, I wouldn't have made it out of there alive!"
"Even you could barely escape?" Qi Ling asked in surprise. Dugu Bo's Soul Power had now reached level 94. As someone second only to Super Douluo, the fact that he could be easily captured was something even a regular Super Douluo couldn't do.
" Old Poison, how many of them are there, and how many possess the kind of power you described?" Qi Ling couldn't help but ask.
"I'm sorry, Qi Ling, I don't know about that, because I only saw one woman, the one who always followed Xue Qinghe!" Dugu Bo said, "Just her alone has turned me into this."
Qi Ling suddenly remembered that Xue Qinghe was always accompanied by a Lingling and beautiful woman who almost never showed any expression, and Qi Ling had never seen her say a word.
It's unbelievable that such a woman would be such an unimaginably skilled expert. It seems that Xue Qinghe was indeed planning everything from the very beginning. There must be some terrifying force behind him helping him.
"I understand, Old Poison, I'll be careful." Qi Ling said, quickly walking towards the door. "Don't worry, I was able to escape from Qian Daoliu's place, so the mere Heaven Dou City Imperial Palace is nothing to me."
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Dugu Bo was saying, but Qi Ling had already disappeared outside the door. "That Qi Ling, how come she left so fast!"
"What's wrong, Dugu Bo? Is there anything you haven't said to Qi Ling?" Flender asked from the side.
"Yes, I want to tell him that woman may not be weaker than Qian Daoliu!" Dugu Bo said.
After hurriedly leaving Shrek Academy, Qi Ling headed straight for the Heaven Dou City Imperial Palace and quickly arrived at her destination.
"Halt! This is the imperial palace, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter!" At the palace gate, a group of soldiers in full armor blocked Qi Ling's way, seemingly not intending to let anyone in.
These soldiers were all unfamiliar faces. Qi Ling, who always had an exceptional memory, was certain that these people had never appeared in the palace before, but had been newly transferred here; otherwise, they would have recognized Qi Ling.
Clearly, these people were Xue Qinghe's subordinates, and they only obeyed his troops. This also shows that Xue Qinghe had indeed completely taken control of the palace, and even replaced the patrol teams with his own people.
"I am Qi Ling, the princess's teacher and an imperial marquis. I have come to the palace today to discuss important matters with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe," Qi Ling said slowly. "I presume you have already heard about it from the Crown Prince?"
"You're Qi Ling?" Upon hearing Qi Ling's name, the leading soldier was visibly startled, his Middle God showing a hint of wariness. "Come with me, I'll take you to see the Crown Prince."
The soldier led Qi Ling into the palace, while the other soldiers continued their patrol. Qi Ling also noticed that after she entered, the palace security seemed even tighter, as if they were constantly on guard.
Qi Ling knew what the other party was wary of, because what Xue Qinghe feared most about him, besides his strength, was his status as the Dragon Splendor Alliance Leader. Naturally, he was afraid that he would lead a large force to attack this place, just like he had when he dealt with the Divine Court.
Walking through the palace corridors, Qi Ling arrived at the door of a large hall. The soldier gestured to Qi Ling, "Go in, His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting for you inside."
Qi Ling slowly pushed open the door of the main hall and walked in. A figure stood there with his hands behind his back, facing away from her. From his figure, Qi Ling recognized him as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe himself.
"You've finally arrived, Qi Ling." Xue Qinghe slowly turned around, a smile on her face, and said, "I thought you wouldn't dare to come. It seems your courage has indeed exceeded my expectations."
"Enough nonsense, where is Xue Ke?" Qi Ling said. "You used Xue Ke as bait to lure me here, didn't you? Now that I'm standing here, what do you want?"
"Alright, Qi Ling, you are indeed a straightforward person. Since that's the case, you must already know what I've done," Xue Qinghe said. "Then I won't say anything more. Qi Ling, I only have one question for you: Are you willing to join my ranks and share wealth and glory with me?"
"I must admit, of all the people I've ever met, you are the most outstanding, even to the point that I sometimes feel a deep sense of envy! If you agree to stay here and help me achieve my ambitions, I guarantee you endless wealth and glory!"
"Wealth and honor? Very well, but I'm used to being lazy and can't handle so much work. Your Highness, you should find someone more capable," Qi Ling said.
" Qi Ling, don't you dare refuse a polite offer and then suffer the consequences!" Xue Qinghe roared. "If you don't do as I please today, this will be your burial ground!"