Chapter 49 – Qian Renxue's Junior Schoolmates
Xue Qinghe, though still young, had already learned the proper manners and tact for dealing with people. He treated everyone with courtesy, no matter their background.
His appearance wasn't exceptionally striking, but his clean, upright demeanor—sharp nose, neat features—made him quite pleasant to look at.
"How about it? Have you memorized it yet?" Qi Tian asked.
Qian Renxue smirked. "Is that all? I could imitate his looks right now and replace him without anyone noticing!"
"Not so fast. Later, you'll provoke him a bit—I need to record the aura of his martial soul, as well as his soul rings and soul skills."
"Isn't that too soon? Let's wait until the afternoon class," Qi Tian replied.
"Fine," Qian Renxue said reluctantly. "But don't forget!"
Qi Tian chuckled softly.
He was enjoying this rare return to classroom life—but the feeling didn't last long. Before half the lesson was over, Qian Renxue was already restless.
"This teacher's lecture is so basic! It's boring. Can't you tell me a story instead?" she asked, her tone half-whining.
Qi Tian sighed helplessly. He could only communicate with her through their shared soul link and began telling her stories—like coaxing a child to behave.
Fortunately, Qi Tian still remembered quite a few ancient anecdotes and fables from his past life. And if he forgot the details? He'd just make something up—as long as the moral and spirit of the story were intact.
Qian Renxue, having never heard such tales before, listened with genuine fascination.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before they knew it, the morning theory class had ended.
Just as Qi Tian was preparing to leave, a burst of noisy chatter erupted from outside.
Qian Renxue noticed that Xue Qinghe had also gone to take a look and quickly urged,
"Uncle Ghost! Come on, let's go see what's happening!"
Qi Tian almost choked.
Uncle Ghost? His seniority seemed to rise another generation every time she opened her mouth. Still, he went along, mildly amused, to see the commotion.
Outside, near the training grounds, a crowd of students had gathered.
"I'm Ge Zhan, a fourth-year student—your senior! You lower-grade students should learn to respect your elders and follow my lead!"
A broad-shouldered youth blocked several third-year students from entering the field, a smug grin on his face.
"If you're not convinced, you can challenge me! Otherwise, you'll call me 'Big Brother' every time you see me!"
Arms crossed, Ge Zhan looked down on the students before him with undisguised arrogance.
Qi Tian stood in the outer circle among the onlookers, silently observing the situation while collecting bits of information.
So bullying exists everywhere, he thought with a sigh. Nuoding Academy had senior students picking on work-study kids, and even here—Heaven Dou Royal Academy—it's the same story.
"I heard that Ge Zhan's the son of General Ge Long. He's been acting like he owns the place lately. Just last week, he forced all the first- and second-years to submit to him."
"He's no fool. Word is the Crown Prince himself is attending classes here. I bet Ge Zhan's trying to impress him."
"But what if he loses? Wouldn't that just embarrass him in front of the prince?"
"Lose? Hardly! He's already a one-ring soul master, even though he's just in the fourth year."
"That's not guaranteed," another whispered. "I heard there's a real monster in the third year—a girl who fights with poison."
Several gossip-hungry students exchanged whispers.
Following their gaze, Qi Tian looked toward the center of the training field—and immediately spotted two girls who stood out from the crowd.
One had light-green hair, with emerald eyes that gleamed strangely bright, enchanting, and a little dangerous.
The other wore a black outfit, slim and elegant, with long dark hair cascading like silk. Her large, clear eyes were as pure as crystal—a beauty in the making, without question.
At that moment, Qian Renxue's soul also peeked through, sharing Qi Tian's vision.
She identified them immediately:
The green-haired one is Dugu Yan, granddaughter of the Poison Douluo. The other girl is Ye Lingling, heir to the Nine-Heart Begonia family.
For her mission, Qian Renxue had naturally researched all the key soul master families in Heaven Dou City beforehand.
The girls, Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, were both on Qian Renxue's watchlist—key individuals she had been ordered to observe closely.
Qi Tian nodded thoughtfully.
So it's them, huh? Not bad… junior schoolmates are always a pleasant surprise.
"You know," he said with a teasing tone, "once you become Crown Prince, you might consider recruiting them. If you succeed, that's two fewer enemies for Spirit Hall to worry about."
Qian Renxue snorted coldly. "Their families aren't worth the effort."
"One's just a single-lineage Nine Heart Begonia clan; the other's the granddaughter of an eighty-something Soul Douluo. Hardly important."
"Spirit Hall already tried to win over both the Ye family and Dugu Bo. Neither agreed to join us."
She paused, her tone turning icy.
The Ye family's harmless enough—just a healing clan, they can't stir up much trouble. But Dugu Bo is dangerous. Spirit Hall has already decided: he'll be eliminated to prevent future problems.
Qi Tian fell silent for a moment.
So that's it… Dugu Bo's exile and eventual service to the Heaven Dou royal family started because Spirit Hall hunted him down.
"Xue'er, don't be so extreme," he finally said.
"I noticed something about that girl, Dugu Yan. She seems to have mild poisoning symptoms—probably from her family's martial soul. That means Dugu Bo himself is suffering from the same problem."
"Instead of killing him, why not offer him a cure in exchange for loyalty? Dugu Bo might ignore his own pain, but he'll never abandon his granddaughter. For the sake of his family's survival, he might just accept your terms."
Qian Renxue's eyes widened slightly. "You could tell she's poisoned?"
Qi Tian nodded. "Look at her pupils—they're an unnatural shade of green. That's a clear sign of chronic poisoning. You should send someone to investigate Dugu Bo's condition. I'm certain he carries the same toxins."
Qian Renxue pondered this. Though she still disdained Dugu Bo, she wasn't foolish—if the man could be turned into an asset, she wouldn't hesitate to do so.
"You might be right," she admitted. "The Spirit Hall recently recruited several poison and alchemy specialists. I could have them study the Jade Phosphor Serpent Venom and see if they can neutralize it."
Qi Tian's expression shifted slightly.
Poison and alchemy specialists? Could she mean… the Breaking Clan?
Yang Wudi's younger brother, Yang Wushuang, had reportedly defected to Spirit Hall, bringing a group of their poison masters with him. The toxin Qian Renxue used against the Heaven Dou royal family was likely crafted by them.
If so, the Breaking clan's mastery over poisons meant they might indeed be capable of solving Dugu Bo's affliction.
"Good," Qi Tian said with interest. "But enough scheming—look, the fight's about to start."
On the training field, Ge Zhan puffed up his chest arrogantly.
"I'm already a Soul Master, but I won't bully you too hard. I'll let your class's soul master attack together!"
Dugu Yan stepped forward, her emerald eyes cold and venomous, while the black-clad Ye Lingling silently stood behind her.
"What's this?" Ge Zhan sneered. "Your class hides behind girls now?"
"Or are those two the only Soul Masters you've got?"
Dugu Yan's lips curled into a frosty smile.
"Then allow me to show you how a 'girl' fights."
Her martial soul erupted—Jade Phosphor Serpent, Possession!
A thin veil of green mist spread outward as she exhaled a breath of venom toward Ge Zhan. Her body shimmered faintly, traces of snake scales forming along her arms—still a pure green, not yet the deadly purple hue she'd one day wield.
"Petty tricks!" Ge Zhan scoffed.
He already knew her fighting style—control-type, poison-based. A few wisps of toxin weren't enough to stop his raw strength.
She's no match for him, a pure assault-type soul master.
His soul rings flared as his martial soul took form—his right arm morphing into a black dragon's claw.
In a burst of motion, he charged forward, his first soul ring glowing as he swiped for Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan moved like a serpent, her body twisting, swaying, slipping through his attacks with effortless grace.
Both were evenly matched in soul power, and within moments, the duel had reached a stalemate.
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End of Chapter