...
"Your Highness, I advise you to be more polite in your speech."
When Qian Renxue told Xuan Hao to "get lost," he not only didn't leave, but instead turned around, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and wore a meaningful smile on his face.
"You have to know that in this world, opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared and sensible."
"Be polite? Treat me well?"
Qian Renxue sneered, "What? You expect me, the Crown Prince, to serve you tea and water?"
"That's not the case."
Xuan Hao waved his hand and said with a mysterious expression, "However, if Your Highness treats me well, maybe one day I'll be in a good mood and get you some good stuff to try."
Upon hearing the words "good stuff," Qian Renxue's expression changed instantly.
She's not stupid; on the contrary, she's more perceptive than anyone else.
Dugu Yan's martial soul evolved into the Azure Phosphorous Poison Dragon, causing her strength to surge, which was no secret at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
This qualitative leap allowed Dugu Yan to practically roam freely in the academy.
Even the main members of the Royal Fighting Team, who were highly anticipated and preparing to participate in the next Continental High-Level Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, were no match for her.
This was clearly Xuan Hao's doing.
But what shocked her even more was...
Hu Liena.
According to the accurate information she obtained, just this day, Hu Liena, who was less than eleven years old and had a soul power of level thirty-four, actually killed the evolved Dugu Yan with just a glance at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
While mind control type Soul Masters do have an advantage at the same level, it also depends on who their opponent is.
With her current strength, Dugu Yan could even put up a fight against an ordinary Soul Master.
How could she possibly be instantly killed by a Soul Venerable of the same level?
This is not only unreasonable, it's downright outrageous!
The only explanation is that Hu Liena's mental strength has far exceeded her own cultivation level, and has even reached an unimaginable height!
And all of this is clearly related to Xuan Hao!
"What...did you feed them?"
Qian Renxue stepped forward, staring intently at Xuan Hao, her eyes gleaming with undisguised longing.
"Is it the treasure you mentioned before... the kind that's comparable to a 100,000-year-old soul bone?"
"you guess?"
Xuan Hao blinked, his face looking like he wanted to punch someone.
"Xuan Hao!"
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety, and said in a deep voice:
"Stop playing coy with me. I know you have something good.
Wasn't that what caused your soul power to surge last time?"
Name your price.
"If you can give me that thing, I'll give you anything you want!"
"I said, I don't want money, I don't want the soul bone."
Xuan Hao shrugged and passed the buck back to him, saying, "You'll have to figure that out yourself."
"What exactly do you want?!"
Qian Renxue was getting a little frantic.
Last time, this bastard casually offered a set of six top-grade soul bones, each over 50,000 years old!
Those are treasures that even Title Douluos would fight tooth and nail for.
Even with the Spirit Hall's resources, it would be a huge struggle to assemble a complete set!
This is simply outrageous!
"It seems Your Highness still hasn't figured it out."
Xuan Hao shook his head, looking at Qian Renxue's exasperated expression, with a disappointed look on his face.
"In that case, there's nothing to discuss."
"When Your Highness has figured things out and feels that your bargaining chips are strong enough, then come to me again."
After saying that, Xuan Hao stopped talking nonsense, stood up, and didn't even bother to look at Qian Renxue again, heading straight for the door.
"stop!"
Qian Renxue instinctively wanted to stop her.
"Don't waste your energy."
Xuan Hao waved his hand without turning his head, "Forced sales won't work on me. Besides..."
"Your Highness had better not forget that I have something on you."
"If you really piss me off, we'll all go our separate ways, and then..."
"It might not be me crying."
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut.
Qian Renxue stood there, staring at the tightly closed door, trembling with anger, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
asshole!
That greedy, stubborn little brat!
But...
The angrier she got, the stronger her desire for "good things" became.
It can evolve a person's martial spirit, cause a surge in soul power, and even bring about a qualitative change in mental power...
If only I could get my hands on this incredible treasure...
"What do you want..."
Qian Renxue slumped back into her chair, Xuan Hao's words echoing in her mind.
I don't want money, I don't want power, I don't want my soul.
So what does he really want?
Or...
What he wanted wasn't these material possessions at all, but rather...
Qian Renxue's gaze inadvertently swept over her reflection in the mirror.
Although the face disguised as Xue Qinghe was handsome, it was still a man's face.
And her true form...
Qian Renxue suddenly thought of something, and her expression instantly became extremely strange, even turning slightly red.
"Could it be..."
"This little pervert... wants to..."
"No! Impossible!"
Qian Renxue shook her head violently, banishing the absurd thought from her mind.
"He's only nine years old! He's not even fully grown yet!
How could he possibly have such thoughts?!"
"I must not have figured out his intentions yet..."
"There must be other bargaining chips!"
...
For the next two weeks, Tiandou City was bustling with activity.
Just as he said, Xuan Hao showed no intention of avoiding suspicion.
Instead, he took Hu Liena and her entourage on a grand tour of Tiandou City.
Today I'll go to the Heavenly Battle Arena to watch the match, tomorrow I'll go to the Moon Pavilion to listen to music, and the day after tomorrow I'll go to the biggest auction house to spend money like water.
Moreover, the group is growing stronger and stronger.
Not only are Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, the two school beauties of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, accompanying him, but Ning Rongrong, the little devil of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, is also sticking to Xuan Hao's side like a little tail every day, afraid of being outshone by that blonde "fox spirit".
This luxurious lineup of "one leading four" plus Xuan Hao's face, which is enough to bring ruin to a country, makes him the absolute focus wherever he goes.
As they made their high-profile trip, information about Hu Liena's identity quickly came to the attention of various powerful forces.
The truth will eventually come out, especially since Xuanhao never intended to cover it up in the first place.
...
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Council Hall.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Ning Fengzhi looked at the urgent intelligence that had just been delivered to him, raised an eyebrow, and then smiled knowingly.
"It really was her."
Ning Fengzhi handed the letter in his hand to Sword Douluo Chen Xin beside him and said softly:
"Hu Liena, Pope Bibi Dong's personal disciple, is hailed by the Spirit Hall as the core of the Golden Generation and a prodigy."
"I didn't expect that the Spirit Hall would actually send out someone like this."
"The Pope's personal disciple?
The Golden Generation?"
Gu Rong frowned.
"Why would someone of this caliber suddenly come to Tiandou City?
And why is he acting like a timid wife, following that kid Xuanhao around all day?"
"This doesn't make sense!"
"No." Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Uncle Gu, you're wrong."
"This is not only reasonable, but... it's perfectly normal."
Ning Fengzhi stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and gazed in the direction of Tiandou City.
"Who is Xuan Hao? He is nine years old and has reached level 42.
He possesses a top-tier True Dragon Martial Soul and has an unfathomable hidden family behind him."
"Such an unparalleled genius, no matter which power sees him, would be tempted to possess him."
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wants to win them over, the Heaven Dou Royal Family wants to win them over, and even Dugu Bo has sacrificed his granddaughter..."
"If that's the case, how could the Spirit Hall possibly remain indifferent?"
At this point, Ning Fengzhi turned around, looked at the two Title Douluos, and said, word by word:
"If the Spirit Hall doesn't react, then that would be truly suspicious!"
"Moreover, this also shows that the Spirit Hall attaches great importance to Xuan Hao to such an extent that it has to spare no expense."
"Taking it seriously?" Bone Douluo Gu Rong muttered from the side, "Given the Spirit Hall's usual domineering behavior of 'those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish,' shouldn't they just send someone to assassinate or forcibly abduct such an uncontrollable genius?"
"The practice of assassinating each other's geniuses is something that is not respectable in the world of Soul Masters, but everyone knows it perfectly well.
The Spirit Hall is an expert in this area."
"But this time, they're actually playing the appeasement game?
And even using... a honey trap?"
Gu Rong shook his head, clearly puzzled by the Spirit Hall's unusual actions.
Whether it's the Seven Great Sects or the Spirit Hall, assassinating each other's geniuses is a very common occurrence.
However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will only take decisive action if they offer a sufficient price, are certain that the other party still cannot be won over, and may become an enemy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the future.
To put it bluntly, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School always calculates the costs and benefits before taking any action, considering whether the person's life is good or bad for them, and the potential cost of taking action.
They don't do business at a loss.
But the Spirit Hall?
They have a history of assassinating each other, even among their own geniuses, if they fail to win them over.
Read 20+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
patreon.com/TaroYamato