Qian Renxue...
The entire hall fell silent, all eyes converging on Ning Rongrong.
"Xue Qinghe is Qian Renxue?" Ning Fengzhi was the first to react.
It wasn't that he didn't believe Ning Rongrong, but the revelation was simply too shocking.
A crown prince being replaced? When did this happen?
Ning Fengzhi had interacted closely with Xue Qinghe numerous times. Neither Sword Douluo nor Bone Douluo had noticed anything amiss about Xue Qinghe.
While Xue Qinghe was emotionally detached enough to eliminate his two brothers, the gap between that and not being Xue Ye's actual son was astronomical.
The former Spirit Hall Pope's daughter, current Worship Hall high priest Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, and god trial inheritor - what reason would she have to pose as Xue Ye's son?
This made no logical sense!
Seeing Ning Fengzhi's expression, Ning Rongrong sighed and explained:
"Xue Qinghe and Qian Renxue give me similar impressions - that divine trial aura surpassing normal soul power."
"Do you remember the spirit fruit fire dragon fruit given to Xue Qinghe? His letter claimed it boosted his strength by three levels."
"Theoretically, that's impossible."
"The Swan martial soul's attributes don't synergize well with fire dragon fruit's effects."
"But if we substitute Qian Renxue for Xue Qinghe?"
Ning Rongrong paused briefly before continuing,
"The Seraphim martial soul, besides its sacred nature, also leans toward fire attributes. This perfectly explains the soul power increase."
"I see." Ning Fengzhi lowered his head in contemplation.
If Ning Rongrong said so, it was likely true. Knowing her personality, she wouldn't have mentioned it without near certainty.
"Rongrong, there's something I don't understand." Dugu Yan raised her hand politely.
"What is it, Sister Yan?"
"Well, hypothetically speaking..."
"If Xue Qinghe and Qian Renxue are the same person, how did she become Xue Qinghe?"
"She's only two years older than me. Isn't that unbelievable?"
"I'm not entirely sure either. It might involve soul bones."
"But regarding the timing - when the second and third princes were killed, Qian Renxue might have already replaced Xue Qinghe."
"Oh, Father." Ning Rongrong turned to the silent Ning Fengzhi. "Emperor Xue Ye has been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin."
"You understand what I mean?"
"Hisss—"
Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo exchanged glances, inhaling sharply. "Emperor Xue Ye is poisoned?"
"Yes, an extremely complex poison." Ning Rongrong nodded. "At first I thought someone else did it, but now reconsidering, Xue Qinghe is the most likely culprit."
"And..." Ning Rongrong hesitated before continuing, "Our earlier apology arrangements with Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing may have been completely exposed to Xue Qinghe."
"How would he know?" Bone Douluo frowned deeply.
"Probably has informants." Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"If Xue Qinghe truly is Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, any anomaly could prompt her to forcibly hypnotize Xue Beng for the truth."
"Yes, that's what I thought too." Ning Rongrong sighed. "I was equally surprised when Qian Renxue appeared before me using her real identity."
"However, her promise to protect the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan seemed genuine."
"If Xue Qinghe is Qian Renxue seeking to subjugate our clan, we still have time."
"Ah..." Having organized his thoughts, Ning Fengzhi remarked, "My disciple being the Worship Hall high priest's granddaughter - quite the honor."
"Rongrong, what do you suggest we do moving forward?"
"Hmm..." Ning Rongrong pondered briefly. "Father, before answering, has Xue Qinghe visited our clan recently?"
"No." Sword Douluo shook his head.
"Recently he sent a letter saying Emperor Xue Ye's health had issues, delaying his visit."
"Considering your information, he likely couldn't come due to intervening matters."
Being hunted by the Dark Devilgod Tiger and nearly losing a Title Douluo.
Regardless, probably needed time to recover!
"I see..." Ning Rongrong seemed thoughtful before looking up. "Father, we can feign attitudes toward Xue Qinghe."
"But we must keep the Medicine Pavilion and Soul Tool Pavilion secret, especially the latter - it could revolutionize warfare."
"Only when we possess mutually assured destruction capability against Spirit Hall can we reveal our full hand."
Recognizing his daughter's concern, Ning Fengzhi asked: "You're worried about Spirit Hall?"
"Yes." Ning Rongrong sighed. "All powers inherently oppose rivals' growth."
"Even if Qian Renxue protects us, demonstrating strength without means to overturn the gameboard would be dangerous."
"We must use your master-disciple relationship with Xue Qinghe to conceal our capabilities."
"It won't last long." Ning Rongrong's gaze sharpened.
She then retrieved three immortal herbs prepared earlier from her storage bracelet.
"These I specially selected from Senior Dugu's garden in Sunset Forest."
"I believe these suit Father, Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone best."
Approaching, she presented jade cases containing the herbs to each.
Nine Treasure Purple Fungus for Ning Fengzhi, Eight Petal Immortal Orchid for Sword Douluo, and Chrysanthemum Devil for Bone Douluo - explaining their effects and consumption methods.
The Nine Treasure Purple Fungus could remedy the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda's innate defects.
The Eight Petal Immortal Orchid's gentle nature suited Sword Douluo's 96th-rank consolidation period.
While the Chrysanthemum Devil strengthened meridians and forged an indestructible body,
perfect for taking hits... no,
perfect for Bone Douluo's strong defense and offense. Combined with his nearing 96th-rank bottleneck, it should enable his breakthrough.
Though prepared, Ning Fengzhi's trio still marveled at the herbs' potency - the gulf between immortal and spirit herbs became starkly apparent.
They stood to thank Dugu Bo formally.
Though newly joined and perhaps not deeply bonded, Dugu Bo's willingness to share such treasures represented tremendous fortune for the clan.
Dugu Bo dismissed their gratitude - without Ning Rongrong, he wouldn't enjoy current stability nor have resolved his poison issues.
Moreover, strengthening the clan better protected Dugu Yan's safety.
After learning about true powerhouses, Dugu Bo no longer took pride in his Title Douluo rank - especially after witnessing Di Tian and Qian Daoliu's battle.
At his level, 91st or 92nd rank made little difference against such monsters.
The clan's growth was his and Dugu Yan's greatest safeguard.