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A few days later, Heaven Dou City seemed to have returned to its usual calm, but the undercurrents were becoming increasingly turbulent.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe personally visited Dugu Bo's residence.
He was led to the living room by a servant, where he saw Dugu Bo sitting alone in the main seat, but he did not see the two figures he wanted to see.
"What brings Your Highness to my humble abode today?"
Dugu Bo stroked his beard, his tone indifferent. He was naturally aware of what had happened a few days ago, though he felt no sympathy for the Xue Beng.
However, they maintained basic politeness on the surface, after all, they had received a favor from Prince Xuexing in the past.
Xue Qinghe wore a gentle and polite smile and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty Dugu is too kind. If your residence is a humble abode, then there are not many houses in Heaven Dou City that are worthy of your attention."
"I have come today for two reasons. First, it has been a long time since we last met, and I have come to pay my respects to Your Majesty. Second, I have heard that Your Majesty has recently received two exceptionally talented young guests. A few days ago, I had a misunderstanding with my younger brother, and I am feeling uneasy about it. I have come to apologize and wonder if Your Majesty could introduce them to me?"
He spoke eloquently, downplaying the "dethronement of the prince" as a "misunderstanding," adopting an extremely humble posture.
Dugu Bo sneered inwardly, pondering how to make an excuse, when Jiang Zhen's calm voice transmission echoed in his mind: "Have him come here."
Dugu Bo made up his mind, but his face remained expressionless. He stood up and said, "Your Highness is too kind. In that case, please come with me. The young master is at the training ground."
"Young master?"
Xue Qinghe was shocked. Dugu Bo, a titled Douluo, actually addressed that young man with such respect.
He suppressed his shock and followed Dugu Bo toward the training ground in the backyard.
At the same time, he also recalled that he had indeed caught a glimpse of Jiang Zhen at the auction, but he hadn't paid attention at the time, and he hadn't recognized him when the incident happened a few days ago.
At this moment, I felt that the young man was even more mysterious and unpredictable.
On the training field, Dugu Yan had returned to the academy after her vacation, leaving only Jiang Zhen and Lan Xi there.
Jiang Zhen is instructing Lan Xi on some delicate operations to manipulate the Blue Silver Emperor Vines.
Seeing Dugu Bo bring Xue Qinghe over, Jiang Zhen stopped giving instructions and casually pointed to the stone table and benches placed on the side of the field: "Sit down."
His tone was indifferent, as if the visitor was not a prince, but an ordinary visitor.
Dugu Bo tactfully cupped his hands and said, "Young Master, Your Highness, please continue your conversation. I still have some herbs to tend to, so I won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving them alone.
Lan Xi obediently picked up the teapot on the stone table and poured a cup of tea for Jiang Zhen and Xue Qinghe respectively. Then she sat quietly on the stool next to Jiang Zhen, like a gentle little maid.
Xue Qinghe's gaze swept over Lan Xi , and his heart stirred again. Although the girl was young, she had already shown signs of being exceptionally beautiful, especially her gentle, pure, and flawless temperament, which made people forget the mundane world upon seeing her.
How could he be surrounded by such outstanding women?
He composed himself, picked up his teacup, and carefully began to speak: "My brother was reckless a few days ago and disturbed... Your Excellency. I apologize again on his behalf. Although I mediated, my father, out of love for his son, is still somewhat furious about this matter."
He tried to apply a little pressure to see Jiang Zhen's reaction.
Jiang Zhen took a sip of tea and immediately stated his name: "My name is Jiang Zhen."
Then his tone suddenly turned cold, and an invisible yet heavy pressure instantly enveloped Xue Qinghe, "If Emperor Xue Ye wants revenge for his useless son, he can come directly to me!"
"!!!"
Xue Qinghe felt his breath catch in his throat, as if all his soul power had been frozen. A shiver from the depths of his soul almost made him kneel down!
This oppressive aura... she had only ever felt it from her grandfather and the Golden Crocodile Douluo!
This is definitely at the peak Douluo level!!
And he's a high-level peak Douluo!
A storm raged within him, and his gaze towards Jiang Zhen was filled with disbelief and terror! Such a young peak Douluo?!
This is simply a myth!
She forced herself to steady herself and spoke with difficulty, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I... I will tell Father Emperor everything you said..."
After easing the tension, Xue Qinghe changed the subject, attempting to find common ground, or rather, to probe Jiang Zhen's views on the mainland's political landscape:
"I wonder... Your Excellency Jiang, what is your view on the current situation on the continent, especially... the Spirit Hall?"
Jiang Zhen chuckled, his tone laced with a hint of cynicism: "Watch from the sidelines, and laugh as you watch."
Xue Qinghe: "..."
This is impossible to talk to!
She gritted her teeth and decided to reveal some of her true intentions: "Your Majesty..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Jiang Zhen interrupted him, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through his disguise and look straight into the depths of his soul:
"Now that I've already shown you a bit of my strength, then... Your Highness, or rather, this beautiful angel, shouldn't you also be a little more honest?"
Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted sharply, and her hand holding the teacup trembled violently, spilling a few drops of tea. She forced herself to remain calm: "I...I don't know what Your Majesty is talking about?"
A faint icy blue light flashed in Jiang Zhen's left eye, allowing him to see through the exquisite disguise and gaze directly at the stunningly beautiful face and terrified soul beneath it.
"Do I really have to spell it out, Miss Angel? Lying isn't a good habit, you know~"
"you...!"
Qian Renxue was struck dumb, her whole body stiffened, and her mind went blank.
How could he know?! This secret is known to no one outside of Grandpa and a very small number of core high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall!
Overwhelmed by immense fear and panic.
Seeing her flustered state, Jiang Zhen spoke slowly, his tone carrying an all-knowing indifference:
"Do you think the Spirit Hall is still a monolithic entity? The high-ranking elders are only concerned with vying for power and are utterly corrupt; most of the mid-level bishops are just occupying positions without doing their jobs, deceiving their superiors and subordinates."
"Only the lower-level deacons and soul masters are still working silently, but morale has long since collapsed. This Spirit Hall is nothing but a show of strength on the outside and weakness on the inside."
"impossible!"
Qian Renxue seemed to have been stepped on, and she excitedly slammed her hand on the table and stood up, forgetting to maintain her disguise and revealing a bit of her original clear and melodious voice.
"Under that woman's leadership, the Spirit Hall has developed rapidly, its influence spreading across the continent. How could it be as you describe!"
She couldn't accept that someone would speak so disparagingly of the Spirit Hall.
After she finished speaking, she realized her lapse in composure, looking at Jiang Zhen's calm and unwavering eyes, as if he had already seen through everything.
She felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and slumped back onto the stone bench, completely devoid of any spirit.
"I...I..."
Jiang Zhen was too lazy to argue with her: "Whether it is or not, you can investigate it yourself. Start by investigating this Platinum Bishop Salas in Heaven Dou City and see what he has been doing behind the scenes."
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask, Miss Angel?"
Although Jiang Zhen's attitude was terrible, Qian Renxue took a few deep breaths and forced herself to calm down.
The strength and mystery of the person before me far exceeded my imagination.
She suppressed her humiliation and anger, and spoke again, this time with a much more solemn tone:
"I...I would like to formally invite Your Majesty to join the Spirit Hall's Hall of Worship! With Your Majesty's strength, you can directly become a Worshipper, enjoying supreme authority and resources!"
"No interest," Jiang Zhen refused outright. "I will not join any faction."
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth and compromised, "Then... would Your Majesty be permitted to travel to Spirit City for a formal ceremony to confer the title of Title Douluo? The Spirit Hall can then officially recognize your title and announce it to the world!"
"I...I can guarantee that the Spirit Hall will not make things difficult for Your Majesty. I will handle the communication with the Grand Elder!"
She revealed her last card, attempting to leverage her grandfather Qian Daoliu's reputation to increase her leverage.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhen pondered for a moment.
A trip to Martial Soul City to meet Qian Daoliu seems like a good idea.
He nodded: "Okay, I'll go check it out when I have time."
"Then I'll wait for Your Majesty's news."
"I'm leaving now."
Xue Qinghe said, then stood up, nodded slightly, and went back.
...