...
After everyone had been lying on the grass outside the city for a while, finally suppressing the churning in their stomachs, Xuan Hao led the group of people whose legs were still trembling into Tian Dou City.
Knowing the way well, the group headed straight for the most luxurious Tiandou Royal Hotel in the city center.
Xuan Hao had already booked the entire top-floor luxury suite here, and it was a yearly reservation.
It wasn't that he lacked the money to buy a grand, detached mansion; it was simply that he felt that houses, as fixed assets, had little practical value.
With his personality of being able to pack up and leave at any time and roam the world freely, it's really unnecessary for him to be tied down by an inanimate building.
Staying in a top-tier hotel means having someone to take care of your meals and daily needs around the clock; you can stay whenever you want and leave whenever you want—it couldn't be more convenient.
However, no sooner had Xuan Hao settled back into the hotel and taken a shower than a familiar figure showed up at his door.
It was Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Dou Empire, who had received the news and rushed over in a great hurry.
Having not seen each other for half a year, Xue Qinghe skipped even the superficial pleasantries and pulled Xuan Hao into a secluded private room as soon as he entered.
As soon as the door closed, the Crown Prince, disguised as Qian Renxue, coldly launched into a barrage of questions:
"Didn't you say before you left that you were just going to Soto City to bring Ning Rongrong back?
Does it really take half a year to find someone?
Also, what's the story with that new girl, Zhu Zhuqing, who's with you?"
Hearing these words, which were full of accusation, Xuan Hao was speechless.
Why is this Crown Prince suddenly starting to meddle in his private life?
Is there anything wrong with him going out for a walk, making some friends, and bringing someone back with him?
"Your Highness," Xuan Hao said, leaning back on the sofa, his tone somewhat displeased, "Na'er is by my side every day, and that girl hasn't said anything.
So what gives you the right to stand here and interfere? Aren't you being a bit nosy?"
Over the years, Qian Renxue's desire to control him has become stronger and stronger.
Sometimes, her possessiveness is so natural that he can't be bothered to pay attention to her.
She's even more of a meddlesome person than a housekeeper.
Faced with Xuan Hao's merciless retort, Qian Renxue gritted her teeth in anger.
But she sadly discovered that she couldn't find a suitable position to refute it.
What kind of relationship did she have with Xuan Hao?
It seemed that they didn't have any real status or title; at most, they were "allies" who kept each other in the dark.
However, Qian Renxue was quick-witted and immediately found a new excuse to attack.
"Fine, I won't concern myself with your personal matters.
Let me ask you something important!"
Qian Renxue stepped forward, staring intently at him.
"Who was it that had the audacity to say that once I broke through to Soul Saint, you would teach me how to condense a Soul Core?
And what happened?
Almost two years have passed, and I'm already level 75, and you haven't even taught me a shred of what a Soul Core is!"
"I've been busy out here for the past six months, haven't I..."
Xuan Hao rubbed his temples helplessly, then simply tilted his body and lay down on the large sofa.
"Condensing a soul core is no joke; it can't be done in a short time. Besides, I'm about to break through level 70.
I'll deal with it all at once after I get my seventh soul ring."
Hearing the slightly tired and weak tone, Qian Renxue realized that something was wrong.
She frowned, carefully examining Xuan Hao, who was slumped on the sofa.
Although his appearance was clean and there were no visible injuries, his listless and lethargic aura could not be hidden from her.
"What's wrong? You're not acting right." Qian Renxue's expression tightened, her tone shifting from accusation to concern.
"Who could have done this to you?"
Xuan Hao stared at the ceiling of the private room and gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"I've been living in Tiandou City for the past few years, crushing so many newbies that I've gotten a bit cocky.
This time when I went out, I almost crashed in a ditch."
He is capable of fighting beyond his level. With this foundation, he can easily defeat Soul Saints and even ordinary Soul Douluos, despite his Soul Emperor cultivation level.
But this time, Tang Hao was someone who was a top genius who could fight against a Title Douluo with only the cultivation of a Soul Douluo.
It's pure, overwhelming power.
When you've been dominating weaker opponents for too long, it's easy to lose sight of your own limitations.
"Who did you run into?" Qian Renxue frowned, her eyes full of confusion.
"With your strength, who could possibly cause you to suffer such a setback?"
She knew Xuan Hao's background perfectly well.
Even now, having reached the level of a Soul Saint at level seventy-five and able to activate her Martial Soul True Body at will, she would still be the one to lose once both sides went all out.
When she activates her Martial Soul True Form and unleashes her Angel Domain, across the entire Douluo Continent, apart from true Title Douluos, most Soul Saints and even Soul Douluos are helpless against her.
Since Xuan Hao can defeat her with certainty, there is almost no one below the Title Douluo level who can make him suffer such a great loss.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath.
"So... the other party is a Title Douluo?"
Xuan Hao lay on the sofa and readily admitted without hiding anything:
"Yes, I ran into Tang Hao outside Soto City."
"The power of the Clear Sky Hammer is truly exaggerated."
Xuan Hao rubbed his aching chest and sighed, "If the difference in soul power were within ten levels, even if he had a 100,000-year soul ring, I might have a chance to compete with him.
But with this nearly thirty-level difference in soul power, there's no way I can fight him. He didn't even exert much effort; it was pure numerical crushing. I'm about to give up."
"Tang Hao?!"
Qian Renxue's expression changed instantly, and she stood up straight.
"He actually showed up in Soto City?"
Qian Renxue stared at Xuan Hao anxiously.
"Now that you've discovered him, why didn't you contact the Spirit Hall immediately?"
Xuan Hao looked at her like she was an idiot, then rolled his eyes speechlessly:
"Contact the Spirit Hall? Are you sending a few cannon fodder to their deaths?"
"you..."
"Stop with the 'you, you, you'." Xuan Hao interrupted her.
"Let's not even talk about those useless trash from the Spirit Hall in Soto City who aren't even Soul Douluos.
Even those old fogies in the Spirit City Elder Hall, go back and ask them one by one, how many of them dare to stand up and fight Tang Hao one-on-one?"
Qian Renxue was speechless for a moment.
Xuan Hao's words were harsh, but they were all true.
Back then, Tang Hao had just broken through to the Title Douluo level.
He single-handedly used his Clear Sky Hammer to forcefully repel the encirclement and attack of Qian Xunji, the former Pope of the Spirit Hall, and two Title Douluos, achieving a terrifying feat of defeating three opponents with a single blow.
That battle left many elders in the Elder Hall with deep psychological trauma from that man and that black hammer.
Qian Renxue knew very well that if they obtained Tang Hao's exact whereabouts and prepared to take action, the Elders' Hall would absolutely not dare to provoke him if they had fewer than three Title Douluos.
However, even if three Title Douluos were to besiege him, with Tang Hao's strength, if he was determined to leave, who could truly stop him?
Read 20+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
patreon.com/TaroYamato