"Quick! Get the imperial physician!"
Prince Xuexing rushed out from Qian Daoliu's courtyard and jumped into his carriage, shouting anxiously.
The three ugly women arranged by Qian Daoliu—two of them were actually diseased!
If he caught such a disease, not only would it be excruciating, but he'd also lose all his dignity!
He was absolutely furious with Qian Daoliu. It was obvious that the man was pushing him toward ruin!
Once back at the palace, he sought treatment from the imperial doctors, hoping to prevent any potential venereal infections.
But when he asked to see Emperor Xue Ye to voice his grievances, he was told the emperor was still resting and that he, Prince Xuexing, was not allowed to remain in the palace and had to leave immediately.
Fuming with resentment, Prince Xuexing returned to his own residence.
Before he could even begin venting his anger—
He received terrifying news.
Someone had tried to assassinate him!
And worse, the assassination was considered "successful"!
The guards he had left behind failed to protect his "self" in the manor!
Prince Xuexing held his forehead, almost fainting."Unbelievable… Unbelievable! You didn't even manage to capture the assailant?!"
He roared in fury.
A Soul Saint (Soul Sage) sighed, "Apologies, Your Highness. The assassin was too powerful. There's a high chance… they were a Titled Douluo."
Prince Xuexing's face turned pale. He collapsed into a chair, nearly passing out.
Titled Douluo?!If a Titled Douluo had set their sights on him, he was as good as dead!
"How… How could this happen? What did I do to warrant an assassination from a Titled Douluo?!"
He murmured in confusion, unable to make sense of it.
The Soul Saint added, "Your Highness, it would be wise to use more body doubles and keep your whereabouts confidential. Also, about the Crown Prince…"
"What Crown Prince? What does Xue Qinghe have to do with this? This is no time to worry about him!"
Prince Xuexing paced anxiously around the room.
Now he was truly afraid!
Why had Emperor Xue Ye previously granted so much honor to a Spirit Hall sect?
It was because of the threat posed by Titled Douluo!
If such a being truly wished to destroy you, not even the emperor could guarantee survival—unless you constantly hid from sight…
"Bang!"
The door suddenly swung open.
Prince Xuexing jumped in fright and ran behind a folding screen.
"Royal Uncle, no need to panic. It's me,"
Qian Renxue entered with a smile.
Halfway through his escape, Prince Xuexing recognized the voice and sighed in relief, but then frowned.
"Crown Prince, how dare you barge in without warning? So rude!"
Qian Renxue smiled calmly and shook her head."Because this is urgent. And with the attack on you tonight, I was worried!"
Prince Xuexing's eye twitched violently.Tonight had been a complete disaster!
"What do you want exactly? Out with it!"
He was already at his wit's end and had no patience for "Xue Qinghe."
Qian Renxue's expression turned serious."Very well. Since time is short, I'll be direct. I'm here for Mr. Dan Heng. I hope Royal Uncle will stop interfering with him. He has no interest in court politics. Please respect his wishes."
"Royal Uncle, can you understand my determination?"
She stared directly into his eyes.
Prince Xuexing sneered, "So that explains those policy papers of yours! He's been advising you! If he can help you, why not help me?"
Qian Renxue replied coldly:
"Because I said we should respect Mr. Dan Heng's will! But if you're worried he'll only support me, then let me assure you—any advice he gives from now on, the credit will go to both you and me. How about that?"
She took a step back. Her main goal now was to keep Dan Heng on her side. She didn't care about the rest.
Prince Xuexing waved his hand, indifferent,"Fine, fine! I won't trouble him anymore… Now leave, will you? The estate's in chaos—I've got serious matters to handle!"
He had no intention of talking to "Xue Qinghe" about Emperor Xue Ye's affairs. In fact, he couldn't tell anyone.
As for recruiting Dan Heng, he had already given up.
His priority now was finding a way to stay alive!
Elsewhere – Blue Tyrant Academy
Dan Heng and Zhu Zhuqing arrived early in the morning and split up.
Zhu Zhuqing went to join Liu Erlong's team—it was time for her to hunt for her third spirit ring.
Along with her, six other students were also going out to hunt for their third rings.
Students like Huo Wushuang had already left for Sunset Forest.
Huo Wu stayed behind to accompany Zhu Zhuqing—she had a close relationship with Liu Erlong and clung to her arm immediately.
"Godmother, were you waiting especially for me?"Huo Wu giggled.
Liu Erlong ruffled her hair, smiling,"Wait for you? You've got your Blazing Fire Academy teachers with you. I came especially for Zhuqing. I want to see what kind of spirit beast Mr. Dan Heng prepared for her."
Liu Erlong looked at Zhu Zhuqing with curiosity.Her fourth ring was to be a ten-thousand-year one—she was extremely intrigued!
Zhu Zhuqing replied honestly,"Teacher gave me a list of seven optimal spirit beasts. He also gave me a map of the Sunset Forest…"
She handed Liu Erlong a document.
It was a detailed record from Dan Heng of spirit beast information—best age, behavior, distribution… Everything was covered. Extremely thoughtful!
Liu Erlong clicked her tongue,"To have a teacher like Dan Heng—Zhuqing, you're truly blessed! With this guide, we might not even need three days to find the right spirit beast."
Zhu Zhuqing gave a gentle smile, eyes full of gratitude.
Meeting Dan Heng really was the luckiest thing in her life.
"All right, let's head out!"
"Maybe we'll run into the earlier group!"
With a wave of her hand, Liu Erlong led the group forward.
Several academy teachers accompanied them—all at Soul Sect or Soul King level. Not especially strong, but enough to protect the students.
Meanwhile, in the library,Dan Heng stood by the window, watching the group depart.
Among them, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to feel his gaze and looked back.
"Mr. Dan Heng, isn't it dangerous for a fourth spirit ring to be a ten-thousand-year one?"
Qian Daoliu asked from behind.
Dan Heng gently shook his head."For Zhuqing… it should be fine."
His suggestion had been a spirit beast around 11,000 years old, the optimal range.
Actually, if she were willing to take a risk, she could even aim for 13,000 or 14,000 years!
Qian Daoliu nodded in admiration."Only Mr. Dan Heng's disciple could make their fourth ring a ten-thousand-year one."
His praise was genuine.
If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't been Dan Heng's student, he might've tried to abduct her for Spirit Hall!
A talent like her—if not part of Spirit Hall—could reshape the balance of power in the entire continent!
After watching them go, Dan Heng turned back to the desk.
Qian Daoliu followed with a grin,"Mr. Dan Heng, I really gave that Xuexing a harsh lesson. He paid a hundredfold for offending you."
"But… he probably has no idea it was because of you."
He quickly clarified—he didn't want to cause unintended trouble.
Dan Heng nodded slightly and thanked him.
His impression of Prince Xuexing had always been unpleasant.
So, if someone caused trouble for Xuexing… he didn't mind at all.
"!!"
Qian Daoliu's eyes lit up.
He had been wondering how to please Mr. Dan Heng.
Now that he had his blessing…He would absolutely go back and make Xuexing's life even more miserable!
On the other side, Liu Erlong led Zhu Zhuqing and the other students, arriving at the Sunset Forest two hours later.
Before long, they reunited with the previous group of teachers—Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others.
There were over twenty students in total there to hunt for spirit rings.
"How's it going? How many are left?"Liu Erlong asked with a smile.
Flender looked a bit embarrassed and shook his head.
Zhao Wuji added, "Dean Liu, something's up with the Sunset Forest—spirit beasts here are unusually strong! In the past few days, we've come across seven or eight beasts that are over thirty thousand years old!"
"Right now, only five students have successfully obtained their spirit rings!"
Zhao Wuji said with a frown, clearly frustrated.
This was exactly why some soul masters ended up with white-colored first and second rings—hunting spirit rings was by no means easy.
After all, Douluo Continent had more ordinary beasts than spirit beasts!
Liu Erlong frowned. "It's that difficult? Could something strange be going on again? Let's stay near the outskirts for now—if we can't find suitable beasts, we'll have to apply to the Spirit Hall for help. They probably have thousand-year spirit beasts in captivity."
Flender sighed and changed the topic. "So Zhu Zhuqing is really going to try for a ten-thousand-year spirit beast?"
"Of course. Still doubting her? Look—"
Liu Erlong handed over Zhu Zhuqing's data chart.
Flender and Zhao Wuji glanced at it, and were both shocked.
"As expected of Mister Dan Heng! His theoretical knowledge is levels above Grandmaster's!"Flender exclaimed.
Zhao Wuji chuckled, "No comparison at all! That so-called master even said Zhu Zhuqing was going down the wrong path. But I think her soul power foundation is rock-solid. None of the other students come close to her."
"If we're raising little monsters, then Zhu Zhuqing is the monster among monsters!"
Zhao Wuji outright praised Zhu Zhuqing.
Flender's expression soured slightly—was he saying Shrek Academy was inferior?
"I think we should follow Mister Dan Heng's chart and look for nearby spirit beasts. Once Zhu Zhuqing has hers, maybe the others can rely on Spirit Hall's stock, like you said."Flender suggested.
"Good idea." Liu Erlong agreed—there weren't many options anyway.
They gathered the students and set off again.
Just then, Huo Wushuang and the others joined up with them.
"Brother, did you find a suitable spirit ring?"Huo Wu asked curiously.
Huo Wushuang nodded and smiled, "Got lucky—found a 4,600-year-old Flaming Red Thunderbug. Almost got chased down by a powerful beast, though. Something's off in the forest lately…"
"Only 4,600 years? Brother, I'm so disappointed in you!"Huo Wu sighed and patted his shoulder.
Huo Wushuang was stunned—Zhu Zhuqing was right there too! Being looked down on by his own sister made his face flush red.
"You… what are you saying, Wu? Don't boast too much…"
He rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Huo Wu giggled and said smugly, "Before I came, I specially trained with Dan—"
Before she could finish, Zhu Zhuqing shot her a look.
Huo Wu quickly corrected herself, "Anyway, just watch. I can absorb a ring up to 6,000 years!"
"6,000?! But the recognized safe limit is around 5,000… Wu, don't be reckless!"
Huo Wushuang panicked.
Huo Wu blinked at Zhu Zhuqing and said, "Then why don't you stop Zhuqing? She's trying for a ten-thousand-year ring!"
"Zhuqing… Zhuqing is in a different league…"Huo Wushuang muttered weakly.
Huo Wu snorted. Such double standards!What, was she that much worse than Zhu Zhuqing?
Zhu Zhuqing ignored Huo Wushuang entirely.
In her mind, aside from her teacher, all other men were like chickens and dogs—utterly beneath her.
She was now considering whether to stick to Dan Heng's 11,000-year estimate.
She was sure Dan Heng had understated the risk!
As night began to fall, a sudden burst of firelight appeared ahead of the group.
A scouting teacher called out loudly:"A Flaming Fire Dove just flew past—thousand-year spirit beast!"
"Nice! We haven't even reached the target area and already found a good one!"
Liu Erlong laughed and immediately flew into the air, transforming into a fire dragon and diving swiftly after it.
The students watched in amazement as she displayed her skills.
The Fire Dove barely flew a hundred meters before Liu Erlong caught it, knocked it unconscious with two punches, and returned carrying it by the neck.
The firelight illuminated the area as the students curiously examined the captured beast.
Its once-fiery feathers had dimmed. Its size was like that of a water buffalo, with a sharp beak.
Liu Erlong said, "This one's close to 7,000 years old… this is a problem. None of our students here are suited for it."
Huo Wu immediately stepped forward and raised her hand:"Godmother! Me, me, me—!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
Huo Wushuang panicked, "Wu! Don't be reckless! That thing's almost 7,000 years old!"
Zhu Zhuqing also looked at Huo Wu, surprised.
But Huo Wu ignored them, walking swiftly up to the Fire Dove and staring at it intently—it was perfect!
Liu Erlong frowned."Girl, don't act on impulse. You should play it safe with your fourth ring…"
Huo Wu leaned in and whispered into Liu Erlong's ear,"Don't worry, Godmother—I trained under Mister Dan Heng. He said I can absorb it."
Liu Erlong nodded. "Then I won't worry."
Huo Wu acted quickly. She summoned her spirit, a flaming blade appearing in her hand, and cleanly severed the Fire Dove's neck.
Soon, a deep purple spirit ring emerged from the corpse.
It hovered briefly in the air before Huo Wu began absorbing it.
She sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes in meditation.
By the time Huo Wushuang arrived, it was too late to stop her.
"Sigh… Wu, you're too reckless…"
He didn't even dare to scold her loudly, afraid to disrupt her.
Zhu Zhuqing watched Huo Wu—this might set a precedent for her.
"Mister Dan Heng… do you think Huo Wu can break Grandmaster's so-called limit?"
Flender chatted with Zhao Wuji as they observed Huo Wu.
Everyone else was full of anticipation too.
After all, absorbing a nearly 7,000-year-old spirit beast as a fourth ring—was a major challenge!
(End of Chapter)