The Zhu Clan's inherited top-tier martial soul, the indispensable marriage partner of the Star Luo Imperial Family's Dai Clan!
"Innate Soul Power Level Seven!"
Zhu Zhan's voice carried a faint, nearly imperceptible tremor as it rang clearly throughout the entire hall through Soul Power.
The crystal sphere in his hand, used to measure Soul Power, shone with a bright yet gentle radiance, fixed at Level Seven.
For a direct descendant of the Zhu Clan, this result was not the very best, but it was unquestionably excellent, more than enough to support the path of a future powerhouse.
Yet this announcement sounded like the tolling of a funeral bell!
"Heh…"
The corner of Dai Weisi's lips curved into an amused smile, as though he were watching the grand opening of a splendid play.
His fingers paused in their motion of rubbing the ring on his thumb, a trace of cruel delight flashing through his eyes.
Dai Mubai, however, looked as if he had been struck by lightning!
His final sliver of hope was utterly shattered. His complexion instantly turned from pale white to ashen gray, and his body swayed violently. Had a guard behind him not reacted quickly and steadied him, he would have collapsed to the floor.
The fear in his heterochromatic eyes had completely transformed into an abyss of despair. His lips trembled soundlessly, unable to utter a single word. He could only stare fixedly at Zhu Zhuqing and the martial soul phantom behind her, as though it were some indescribable horror.
Zhu Zhuyun closed her eyes in pain. Two lines of tears silently slipped from the corners of her eyes as she turned her face away, unable to bear watching any longer.
The Star Luo Emperor remained expressionless, his gaze deep and unreadable, his finger lightly tapping once against the armrest.
Zhu Yu frowned slightly. Her eyes swept quickly between Lin Xia and Zhu Zhuqing, carrying a trace of regret and deeper contemplation.
As for the nobles and ministers, their expressions varied, some sighed, some were indifferent, some calculating. Complex gazes intertwined as they fell upon the small figure of Zhu Zhuqing.
Standing in the center of the formation, Zhu Zhuqing narrowed her eyes slightly as the light faded and the dimness of the hall returned.
She first looked blankly at her open little hands, as if confirming something, then slowly raised her head and swept her gaze across the surroundings.
Those eyes directed at her held pity, coldness, schemes, and the scrutiny one might cast upon a sacrifice.
At last, her gaze stopped on her father, Zhu Zhan.
Her tiny body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Not from coldness.
But from a chill and despair buried deep within her bones.
She looked at the complex, heavy, unspeakable pain in her father's eyes, and at everything around her that felt like an inescapable prison.
Suddenly, she forcibly tugged at the corners of her lips and managed a smile.
That smile was stiff, fragile, and heartbreakingly broken.
"Father…"
Her voice was soft, carrying the clear tone unique to a child, yet strangely dry. It echoed through the silent hall, striking every heart present.
"My martial soul is the same as yours."
"It's also the Netherworld Hellcat."
Those words were like a blunt knife, viciously carving into Zhu Zhan's heart.
He looked at his daughter's forced smile, at the fear and fragility she struggled to suppress yet could not hide. This patriarch of the Zhu Clan, famed for his iron-blooded methods, suddenly felt his throat tighten as though blocked by something, and his eyes reddened instantly.
Zhu Zhan drew in a sharp breath, his chest heaving violently, as if using all his strength to suppress the emotions on the verge of bursting forth.
He forced his expression back into sternness, even layering it with unquestionable authority. He knew that as clan head, and as a father, he had to personally place these shackles around his daughter's tender neck.
This was the cold rule passed down for a thousand years in the Star Luo Empire.
This was the inescapable fate binding the Zhu and Dai families.
He stepped forward, his voice low and powerful, carrying a decision that tolerated no argument. Every word struck Zhu Zhuqing like an icicle.
"Zhuqing, since you have awakened your martial soul and successfully inherited the glory of our Zhu Clan's Netherworld Hellcat, then…"
His voice carried the weight of an official proclamation, every syllable like a frozen hammer crashing down upon the frail figure standing in the center of the formation.
"From this moment on, you are the fiancée of His Highness Dai Mubai, Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire!"
"You—"
"Father!"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out suddenly—clear, resolute, and carrying an almost shattered calmness. It forcibly cut off the rest of Zhu Zhan's words, words that were destined to be unbearably cruel:
You will shoulder the duty of this marriage alliance. In the future, you must compete together with His Highness Dai Mubai. The victors live; the defeated perish.
This abrupt interruption was like a thunderclap thrown into stagnant air.
The entire Star Soul Hall fell into deathly silence.
The expressions on every noble and minister froze—some in shock, some amused, some with subtle scrutiny.
The Star Luo Emperor's tapping finger halted midair.
The amusement on Dai Weisi's face deepened.
Dai Mubai suddenly lifted his head, disbelief erupting in his heterochromatic eyes. It was not only fear, but also a trace of humiliation and confusion at being interrupted in public.
Zhu Zhan's unfinished words lodged in his throat.
For the first time, obvious astonishment and helpless surprise appeared on his authoritative face, as if the sentence of judgment he had carefully prepared had been forcibly halted by the accused.
Behind him, Zhu Zhuyun covered her mouth in shock. Tears still clung to her face, while her eyes filled with immense disbelief and a faint sense of dread.
Zhu Zhuqing did not look at Dai Mubai.
Nor did she look at the lofty figures surrounding her.
She stared only at her father.
Deep within those clear eyes, the last weak flicker of struggle and hope, like a candle in the wind was extinguished the moment Zhu Zhan was forced to stop.
What remained was an abyss of cold, deathly despair.
Her tiny body still stood straight, almost unnaturally rigid.
But Lin Xia clearly saw that the fingers clutching her skirt had dug so deeply into her palms that her nails had pierced the flesh.
A thread of vivid red slowly seeped down her pale fingers, dripping onto the dark obsidian floor beneath her feet and blooming into a tiny, tragic flower unnoticed by all.
"I already know."
Zhu Zhuqing spoke again, calmer than before.
So calm that it was terrifying.
It was as though she were stating a fact unrelated to herself.
"There is no need to say any more."
"You know what?"
Zhu Zhan's voice trembled faintly.
He tried to maintain the dignity of a patriarch, but the storm in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze slowly passed over her father, then finally settled on her sister Zhu Zhuyun, whose face was deathly pale and expression conflicted.
Her voice was not loud, yet it pierced the frozen air of the hall with perfect clarity.
"I actually knew long ago."
"Father, Sister when you spoke in the study that day…"
"I was not asleep."
At those words, Zhu Zhuyun's body jolted violently.
Her face became even paler than Zhu Zhuqing's.
She subconsciously stepped back half a pace, lips trembling, yet unable to say a single word.
Zhu Zhan looked as if he had suffered a heavy blow.
His tall body swayed, the mask of authority completely shattered, leaving only indescribable shock and anguish.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze locked onto them tightly.
Those eyes that should have been filled with childish innocence now contained only the emptiness of one betrayed by the people closest to her, along with one final plea for confirmation.
With a faint hope born of desperation, she asked softly, almost begging:
"Tell me…"
"This isn't true, right?"
"All of this…"
"Isn't real right?"
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