Zhang Lexuan was astonished at how effortlessly Qian Ran had subdued Xu Tianran.
In her eyes, Xu Tianran was still a highly esteemed figure—after all, he was the crown prince of a vast empire. Yet Qian Ran displayed not even a hint of respect toward him.
The sight of the mighty crown prince reduced to such indignity in front of Qian Ran shocked Zhang Lexuan and made her reevaluate her understanding of the world.
Qian Ran, well-versed in psychology, knew that no matter how enraged Xu Tianran might be, he would ultimately swallow his pride. Someone as shrewd and calculating as Xu Tianran, who had risen from a position of weakness to his current status, couldn't possibly fail to control his temper.
Ironically, if Xu Tianran had been more impulsive, Qian Ran might have shown him more restraint.
"You really can't change your habits, no matter where you go," Zhang Lexuan muttered, pinching Qian Ran's arm hard. He already had plenty of women around him, all of whom let him do as he pleased. Why was he still so insatiable?
She couldn't imagine when—or if—he would ever rein himself in.
Then again, given Qian Ran's age, he was still quite young.
At Shrek Academy, students Qian Ran's age would still be part of the outer court. Moreover, Qian Ran's innate gifts and abilities were exceptional. It wasn't entirely unreasonable for someone with his talents to have a wilder streak.
"Senior Sister, I didn't do much just now," Qian Ran shrugged nonchalantly. All he'd done was tease a little maidservant, right? He'd only wanted to demonstrate his authority to Xu Tianran. Of course, he had to admit he found the act itself enjoyable—a sense of thrill akin to an ancient noble arrogantly snatching what he desired.
Not that Qian Ran condoned such behavior—he maintained a critical attitude toward it.
Unlike those depraved aristocrats, Qian Ran saw himself as merely helping Xu Tianran "redistribute resources." After all, Xu Tianran was essentially a eunuch, wasting the youth of others.
"Hmph," Zhang Lexuan snorted, rolling her eyes at him.
She was beginning to doubt Qian Ran's true motives for bringing her here. If the Holy Spirit Cult truly helped her seize power in the Sun Moon Empire, wouldn't that just make things more convenient for him?
She couldn't believe for a second that Qian Ran would restrain himself—especially after witnessing the remarkable resilience of his body firsthand.
"Forget it. I'm done with you. I have things to handle and will find you later," Zhang Lexuan said as she turned to leave. Unlike Qian Ran, who acted like a carefree bystander, she couldn't afford to sit idle after arriving in Mingdu. Especially since she now had to navigate dealings with a group of evil soul masters.
If not for her confidence in Qian Ran's ability to control the cult, she would never have agreed to cooperate with them.
Apart from Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, who retained a shred of conscience, most members of the Holy Spirit Cult were utterly depraved. Evil soul masters inherently relied on sinister methods to strengthen themselves.
Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui's relative decency stemmed from their circumstances: Long Xiaoyao wasn't an evil soul master, while Ye Xishui had inherited her power directly from the deceased Zhongli Wu.
But beyond these exceptions, how many in the cult were truly good? Even Ye Xishui, by ordinary standards, was no better than a monstrous villain.
Qian Ran, like Zhang Lexuan, held little affection for the cult.
If he could, he would prefer to banish the entire cult to the Necromantic Plane.
The Holy Spirit Cult was already immensely powerful; if allowed to continue growing unchecked, no one on the Douluo Continent would be able to stop them.
Zhang Lexuan had no qualms left after hearing Qian Ran's plans for the future and seeing the Necromantic Plane firsthand.
After Qian Ran's departure, Xu Tianran utilized his network of informants to investigate Qian Ran's relationship with the Holy Spirit Cult.
In the end, he resigned himself to the reality.
Though he couldn't uncover the precise reason Qian Ran had earned the cult's trust, he sensed Qian Ran's critical importance to them.
Qian Ran was now someone Xu Tianran couldn't afford to antagonize.
Xu Tianran deeply regretted not eliminating Qian Ran sooner. He realized that the Holy Spirit Cult's attitude toward Qian Ran had shifted drastically within the past week. Something must have occurred during that time to elevate Qian Ran's importance.
"That group of evil soul masters truly has no sense of loyalty," Xu Tianran muttered through clenched teeth. If it were any other sect, they might have cared about their reputation. But the cult operated purely on whims.
Despite his cautious dealings with them, a single Qian Ran had nearly derailed years of meticulous planning.
But regret wouldn't change the past.
Not only could he not show hostility toward Qian Ran, but he now had to go out of his way to placate him.
"When I ascend the throne…" Xu Tianran's eyes flashed coldly. He would endure. Once he survived this period, better days would follow. This was how he had risen before: feigning weakness and silently eliminating those who opposed him.
Perhaps, constantly appearing submissive to Qian Ran would even work to his advantage.
Xu Tianran mused over his strategy. He was a clever man, and his past success had stemmed from feigned weakness to eliminate his rivals. Compared to them, Qian Ran was even more arrogant.
Worried that the Mingde Hall might provoke Qian Ran, Xu Tianran personally visited the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy to ensure there would be no conflicts, leaving only in the late afternoon.
Meanwhile, Jing Hongchen had spent the entire morning in a state of shock.
He had underestimated Qian Ran.
Not only had Qian Ran aligned himself with the Holy Spirit Cult, but he also seemed to hold sway over its decisions.
Jing Hongchen, having worked with the cult in secret for years, understood their power well. Their involvement had allowed the Sun Moon Empire and Mingde Hall to steadily build strength in preparation for continental domination.
If the cult severed ties with the empire, it would be a devastating loss.
He couldn't imagine the cult abandoning such a beneficial partnership without good reason. For them to jeopardize their relationship with the continent's strongest empire was sheer lunacy.
Jing Hongchen began to realize that he might have gravely underestimated Qian Ran. Previously, no matter how talented Qian Ran appeared, Jing Hongchen had dismissed him as a gifted youth at best. In his mind, the Sun Moon Empire's eventual unification of the continent would render even the most brilliant talents irrelevant before the might of the imperial military.
Now, Jing Hongchen didn't dare to belittle Qian Ran any longer.
With the combined power of the Holy Spirit Cult and another organization like the Spirit Hall, even the mightiest empire would have reason to fear.
"Perhaps letting Mengmeng follow Qian Ran is the best choice," Jing Hongchen thought. His precious granddaughter, Jing Mengmeng, had been taken by Qian Ran over a month ago. Now, she spent her days immersed in his laboratory.
Maybe it was time to stop restricting her future.
(End of Chapter)