"Hmm?"
When this wave of detection swept over, Yu Yan knew he had been discovered. Looking in the direction of the detection, he saw a man with a plain appearance but an inexplicable air of nobility, looking somewhat out of place.
This kind of temperament was something Yu Yan had only seen in Ning Fengzhi so far.
Realizing this guy was not simple, Yu Yan didn't care about hiding his tracks anymore. Since the moon cleansing lotus was already in hand, it was better to leave as soon as possible.
Dark Snow continued to maintain the black mist to hide their tracks, while Yu Yan ran at full speed away from the battlefield, leaving a line of distinct footprints in the snow.
The peculiar man, who had used his Spirit's power to observe the hiding person, immediately chose to follow Yu Yan as he saw him leaving quickly.
He had come here to relax, and now seeing an interesting fellow who could command a Spirit Beast, he naturally wanted to catch up and talk. If this person was decent, he wouldn't mind taking him under his wing for his own use.
"Awoo~"
Having the herb it had guarded for so long stolen, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King roared furiously at the sky. It wanted to recall the wolf pack, find the little thief who stole its herb, and kill this group of Spirit Masters who had come to challenge its majesty.
In the distance, the wolf pack heard the King's call and did not hesitate, immediately turning around and running toward their lair. Obeying orders was the secret to the wolf pack's dominance over a thousand-mile radius.
Ten minutes later, Yu Yan had shaken off most of the Spirit Masters following him. The only one still behind him was that peculiar man.
"Friend ahead, please wait. I mean you no harm and won't snatch that herb. How about we stop and chat?"
The peculiar man, not expecting the person commanding the Spirit Beast to run so fast, called out to the running Yu Yan, hoping he would stop to talk.
The peculiar man didn't know about the existence or the effects of the Immortal Herb; he truly just wanted to have a good talk with Yu Yan now.
"No need. I have things to do and don't want to chat much with a stranger, so my apologies."
After saying sorry, Yu Yan, who hadn't used Martial Soul Possession to avoid making too much noise and had only used his Physical Body strength to escape, underwent Ice and Fire Twin Flood Dragon Martial Soul Possession, and his speed doubled once again.
Subsequently, under the peculiar man's surprised gaze, Yu Yan disappeared from his sight.
???
!!!
After his confusion passed, the peculiar man, becoming even more interested in this person, also performed Martial Soul Possession and released a Spirit Ability. Several pairs of ethereal wings unfolded behind his back as he took flight to chase after the fleeing Yu Yan.
Having used a Spirit Ability, the peculiar man soon landed on a large rock in front of Yu Yan: "Friend, how about we talk?"
"It's hard to refuse such hospitality. I wonder what you want to talk about."
Looking at the peculiar man standing in front of him, Yu Yan patted Spirit Cat Wu Xue's back, signaling that it could disperse the black mist surrounding them.
Revealing his true appearance, Yu Yan warily asked the strange man about his purpose while also waiting for Xiao Wu to return.
This place was not far from the agreed meeting point. As long as he waited for Xiao Wu to meet up, he was confident that with their combined strength, they could deal with this peculiar man.
In this era, Titled Douluo and Spirit Douluo were limited in number. During his years at the Exotic Beast Academy, he had memorized information on all Titled Douluo and Spirit Douluo, and the peculiar man before him was not among them.
"Are you Yu Yan, who awakened a special mutated Spirit?"
When Yu Yan appeared before the peculiar man, he recognized Yu Yan's identity—the only one of his kind in the Douluo Continent today, the owner of the mutated Spirit Ice and Fire Twin Fish with Two Spirit Abilities Per Ring.
He had previously sent people to recruit this unique Genius, but unfortunately Yu Yan had not chosen him. He hadn't expected to meet him here today.
"That's right, I am Yu Yan. I wonder what Your Excellency would like to talk about?"
Yu Yan, who originally wanted to hide his identity, seeing that the other party recognized him, simply admitted it.
This was the downside of being a Genius; being too famous, many people knew his name and had seen his portrait, recognizing him the moment they saw him.
"I am Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. I have sent invitations to you several times before, but never had a suitable opportunity to meet. I didn't expect we would meet here today; it's truly fate."
Upon knowing Yu Yan's identity, a golden light flashed on the peculiar man, and his appearance underwent a drastic change. A handsome man who would be the focus of the crowd wherever he went appeared where the peculiar man had stood.
"Ah?"
The moment the peculiar man changed his face and said his name, Yu Yan's expression became quite interesting. He never thought he would encounter [Xue Qinghe] in the Extreme North Land.
"Traveling abroad, to avoid trouble, I hid my true appearance. I apologize for not meeting you with my true face earlier."
Thinking Yu Yan was surprised by his transformation, [Xue Qinghe] explained his previous change.
It's not your identity as Xue Qinghe that's surprising; I'm surprised because of your identity as Qian Renxue!
Xue Qinghe, a poor soul who died several years ago.
Currently, the person walking the world under the identity of Xue Qinghe is the owner of Innate Level 20 spirit power, the owner of the Divine Rank Spirit Seraphim, a fool with invincible talent who has her priorities backward, and the future successor of the Spirit Hall who suffered a crushing defeat: Qian Renxue.
"Yu Yan, why are you staring at me with that kind of look?"
When Yu Yan looked at her with a complicated gaze, [Xue Qinghe] asked in confusion why he was staring with such a strange look.
"Ahem... The Crown Prince's name is like thunder to my ears. Seeing the Crown Prince's true face today, I lost my composure slightly out of shock. I hope you can forgive me."
Reminded by [Xue Qinghe], Yu Yan coughed twice and quickly found a plausible reason to cover for himself.
If Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, appeared here, then the two Titled Douluo, Snake Lance and Porcupinefish, who had been secretly protecting Qian Renxue, should also be nearby. He must not let them see any flaws.
"I see." [Xue Qinghe] nodded. "Yu Yan, meeting today is fate. This is not the place for a heart-to-heart talk. I wonder if we could go to Dragon City for a gathering?"
Wanting to recruit Yu Yan, [Xue Qinghe] invited him to the nearest large city to the Extreme North Land for a heart-to-heart talk. Having just met, and in such a setting, it was truly not suitable for recruitment.
After asking, [Xue Qinghe] waited with a smile for Yu Yan's agreement. He had never considered the possibility of being rejected. As the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, a noble existence below one and above ten thousand, even a Titled Douluo would give him some face. Inviting Yu Yan to a gathering with an attitude of social equals, no matter how one thought about it, Yu Yan would not refuse.