Chapter 73: Qian Renxue's Identity Exposed?
"Hmph! You got away quickly!"
Xiao Wu landed and snorted in dissatisfaction.
She hadn't gotten her fill of fighting yet. But seeing that Lin Yuan's side of the battle was already over, she immediately ran over excitedly.
"Brother! You were amazing!"
"One strike—an instant kill on an eight-thousand-year soul beast!"
Lin Yuan smiled faintly as he looked at the Soul Locking Falcon's corpse. Above it, a deep purple soul ring—faintly tinged with black—was slowly condensing.
A satisfied glint flashed through his eyes. "It's still a little short of ten thousand years, but as a second soul ring, it's more than enough."
"Xiao Wu, guard me."
"I'm going to start absorbing it."
Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged, the God Killing Spear lay horizontally across his knees.
Guided by his intent, the deep purple soul ring slowly drifted over and settled onto the God Killing Spear.
Boom!
A violent surge of energy instantly flooded into his body!
But Lin Yuan's physique was no longer what it used to be.
The corners of his lips lifted as he closed his eyes.
"Come on."
"Let me see whether a soul beast famed for 'locking' can give me a soul skill that truly satisfies me!"
Half an hour later.
Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, twin beams of sharp light shooting out like lightning!
"Hoo…"
He let out a long breath and slowly stood up.
At his feet, two soul rings rose and revolved, radiating a heart-pounding brilliance.
First ring: deep purple (disguised as yellow).
Second ring: deep purple (bordering on black).
"Success!"
Lin Yuan clenched the God Killing Spear, sensing the information of his newly acquired soul skill. The smile in his eyes deepened.
"As expected—it didn't disappoint me."
Xiao Wu, who had been guarding him the whole time, immediately rushed over excitedly, circling him like a curious little rabbit.
"Brother! How is it?"
"What skill did the Soul Locking Falcon give you? Can it lock onto targets?"
Lin Yuan gave a mysterious smile and didn't answer directly. Instead, he raised the God Killing Spear and pointed it toward a massive boulder a hundred meters away.
"Watch closely."
Second Soul Skill—God Killing Soul Pursuit!
As the second soul ring flared brightly, a jet-black spear radiance condensed instantly at the spear tip.
Instead of firing in a straight line, that spear radiance seemed to possess its own life and awareness.
"Go!"
With a flick of Lin Yuan's wrist, the spear radiance shot out!
It traced an eerie arc through the air, as if it had eyes, bypassing obstacles and piercing straight through the massive boulder a hundred meters away with flawless precision. Stones exploded, and fragments flew everywhere!
"This is my second soul skill."
Lin Yuan retracted his spear and explained calmly. "It's a single-target, high-offense soul skill with considerable power. Beyond that, it also possesses a locking effect."
"Once this skill is activated, regardless of whether it hits, it will leave a 'Death Omen Star' mark on the target."
"For the next five seconds (longer as my level increases), any attack I launch—even if I attack blindly with my eyes closed—will ignore distance and space, and will hit the target!"
"Guaranteed hit?"
Xiao Wu couldn't help but gasp. "That's insane…"
Lin Yuan smiled and didn't deny it. This improvement could only be described as a complete transformation.
His soul power level had jumped a full six levels!
From Rank 20 straight to Rank 26!
Eight years old—Rank 26 Soul Grandmaster!
If battle armor and all his trump cards were factored in, his current combat power was enough to sweep ordinary Soul Kings!
"Let's go, Xiao Wu. Our objective is complete—it's time to head to Heaven Dou City."
…
After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, the two hired a luxurious carriage and headed north, straight toward the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Inside the carriage, soft beast-skin carpets covered the floor, and delicate pastries were laid out.
Xiao Wu lay by the window, watching the scenery rush past while humming an unfamiliar tune.
Lin Yuan reclined against a cushioned couch as his diary floated out at his command.
A playful curve tugged at his lips as he wrote:
[The trip to the Star Dou Great Forest has ended perfectly.]
[I have to say, luck is really on my side.]
[Not only did I successfully hunt an 8,500-year Soul Locking Falcon and obtain the long-coveted "guaranteed hit" divine skill,]
[My soul power also surged straight to Rank 26.]
[We're currently on the way to Heaven Dou City. It should take about half a month to arrive.]
[Come to think of it, after being away for so long, I kind of miss that little witch Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.]
[I wonder how much their cultivation has improved after more than a year?]
[But compared to meeting them,]
[What I'm even more curious about is whether I'll meet that so-called Shrek senior, Qin Ming, at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.]
[Of course, Qin Ming is just a side note.]
[What truly interests me—and what I most want to see—]
[is that 'Crown Prince' whose disguise is said to be flawless… Xue Qinghe!]
[Or rather, I should call her—Qian Renxue!]
Boom!
The moment the final line was written—
The entire Anonymous Diary Chat Group exploded as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped!
All the women who had been lurking or secretly watching were shocked to the point of their scalps tingling.
[Seven Treasures Little Rich Lady: ???]
[Seven Treasures Little Rich Lady: Holy shit?! What did I just read?!]
[Seven Treasures Little Rich Lady: Xue Qinghe… Qian Renxue?!]
[Seven Treasures Little Rich Lady: How is that possible?! Brother Xue Qinghe is my father's disciple!]
At this moment, Ning Rongrong was sitting in her room at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, completely stunned.
Who was Xue Qinghe?
The Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. The future ruler of a nation. And Ning Fengzhi's most prized student!
Though she hadn't interacted with Xue Qinghe much, her impression was of a gentle, refined, and magnanimous gentleman.
And now the diary was telling her that this "man" was actually a woman in disguise?
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
[I Want to Live Past Thirty: My god, this is way too explosive!]
[I Want to Live Past Thirty: I've met the Crown Prince several times—I never noticed a single flaw!]
[I Want to Live Past Thirty: If this is true, then where did the real Xue Qinghe go? The more I think about it, the scarier it gets!]
[Supreme Pope: Heh…]
Inside the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong stared at the diary, a complicated light flashing through her eyes.
"Lin Yuan… you even know about this?"
"That girl Qian Renxue's disguise is reinforced by the Angel Set's soul bone skills. Even I wouldn't be able to see through it if I didn't know the truth."
And at this very moment—
The most terrified person of all was the one who involved herself.
Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Residence—Study Room.
Qian Renxue, who had been reviewing memorials, suddenly froze. The vermilion brush in her hand trembled, and a drop of bright red ink splashed onto the document, blooming like a bloodstain.
Crack.
The brush snapped in her grip!
"He's not going to expose my identity to the world, is he?"
"If he does, all these years of effort… will be completely wasted!"
The once-gentle, jade-like "male" face of Xue Qinghe was now filled with shock and panic.
—
End of Chapter