"Teacher, you and His Majesty go ahead and chat—I'll take my leave for now."
Seeing the two powerhouses deep in conversation, Xu Yang didn't want to stick around. He quickly came up with an excuse and slipped away to a quiet corner of the banquet hall. Grabbing a few pastries, he started snacking casually, though his gaze never once left Qian Renxue.
He wasn't worried about the royal family resorting to the shady tricks common among nobles. What occupied his mind was how Qian Renxue might react once she discovered his martial soul.
After thinking it through, Xu Yang could only envision two possible outcomes: either she would try to recruit him… or she'd eliminate him. And frankly, the second option seemed far more likely.
First of all, he was a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—an inherent rival to Spirit Hall.
Second, their martial souls resonated with each other. If he were to inform Ning Fengzhi about that resonance, his teacher would immediately start digging. And when Qian Renxue eventually replaced Xue Qinghe, that same resonance would expose her true identity. From her perspective, the most logical solution would be to silence him now—before that ever happened.
Of course, there was still a slim chance that Qian Renxue had enough confidence to suppress the resonance and let him live—for now.
"Better not leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too often in the future," Xu Yang decided. "With two Titled Douluo guarding the place, at least my life is relatively safe."
After carefully weighing the risks, he made up his mind: until his strength improved, he would never step outside the sect again. There was no way he'd gamble on the possibility that Qian Renxue might spare him.
He knew better than anyone just how powerful Spirit Hall really was. Aside from Seagod Island, no other force on the continent could rival them.
Before long, Xue Qinghe approached with Qian Renxue in tow.
"Senior Brother Xu Yang, I'm Xue Qinghe, First Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. I hope you'll look after me in the days to come." He extended his hand with a gentle smile, though he couldn't quite hide the arrogance in his eyes.
Xu Yang paused, then set his pastry aside, stood up, and shook his hand. He returned the smile and replied, "I'm Xu Yang. Looks like I'll be the one relying on you, Junior Brother. After all, you're a prince."
You don't slap a smiling face. Since Xue Qinghe was taking the initiative to make friends, Xu Yang couldn't just brush him off. Besides, this world wasn't all about fighting—social connections mattered too. Either way, the guy wasn't going to live long. Once Qian Renxue figured out his personality and daily habits, she'd probably deal with him swiftly.
The two sat down and began chatting, appearing to get along quite well.
Throughout the conversation, Xu Yang never once acknowledged Qian Renxue's presence. It was as if she didn't even exist.
"Looks like Ning Fengzhi's disciple isn't just talented—he's got a mind on him too," Qian Renxue thought to herself. "All this time and not once has he asked who I am or requested to have me transferred over. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him going forward."
At the moment, she was just a guard under the Xue Qinghe identity. For someone like Xu Yang—Ning Fengzhi's personal disciple—it would've been child's play to request her. But he didn't.
She couldn't ignore the implications of their martial soul resonance. A martial soul fusion technique was a rare and powerful thing. If it could be preserved, it could ensure a sect's bloodline and dominance for generations—just like the royal family of the Star Luo Empire and the Zhu Clan. Every royal spouse was chosen from the Zhu family to ensure the perfect execution of the Netherworld White Tiger. That's how the Star Luo Empire maintained its status on the continent, even surviving into the Douluo 2 era ten thousand years later. The Dai and Zhu clans both remained powerful forces.
"But maybe this works out. It's just about time for this identity to be discarded anyway."
With her thoughts sorted, Qian Renxue fell silent and simply observed from Xue Qinghe's side.
Through their conversation, Xu Yang gained a decent understanding of Xue Qinghe. While not exactly a genius, the prince was anything but ordinary. He was kind, composed, and approachable—but beneath that calm exterior lay a ruthless decisiveness befitting a member of the royal family. He'd make a competent, if not brilliant, ruler.
It was just too bad that Qian Renxue had already marked him for death. His days were numbered.
Xu Yang had no intention of saving Xue Qinghe—nor the ability to do so. They barely knew each other, not even friends, just polite acquaintances. He wasn't about to risk his own neck.
"You're just lucky, Xue Qinghe," thought another observer, Xue Luochuan, from across the hall. "Once I become crown prince, I'll make you suffer so much you'll wish you were dead."
He'd already been resentful when Ning Fengzhi didn't choose him. Now that Xue Qinghe was getting along so well with the Sect Leader's disciple—at least from his perspective—it made his jealousy burn even hotter.
He silently vowed that once the crown was his, he'd make sure Xue Qinghe paid dearly.
Just then, Emperor Xue Ye's voice rang out across the palace, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, today marks a great occasion. Sect Leader Ning will be accepting my son Qinghe as his disciple…"
"Sorry, I need to go," Xue Qinghe said apologetically to Xu Yang, then stood, straightened his robe, and walked toward the center of the banquet hall.
The Heaven Dou Empire's apprenticeship ceremony followed western traditions. Under the watchful eyes of the witness—Emperor Xue Ye—the two officially became master and disciple. The entire process was swift and straightforward.
Afterward, Ning Fengzhi, Emperor Xue Ye, and Xue Qinghe discussed the logistics of their future lessons. As the Sect Leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi had little time to spare. His sect's influence and businesses spanned the entire continent. Though he wasn't quite on par with an emperor in power, he wasn't far off either. Add to that the burden of training Xu Yang, and his schedule was packed.
Emperor Xue Ye didn't care about the specifics. What mattered to him was the relationship between master and disciple. That bond was enough to tie the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the Heaven Dou royal family. The feeling was mutual for Xue Qinghe. The royal academy's education wasn't inferior to the sect's, and his eyes were firmly fixed on the throne—he had no time to waste either.
In the end, they agreed that Ning Fengzhi would instruct him one morning or afternoon per week. The rest of the time would be unstructured.
The banquet didn't last much longer. Soon after, Ning Fengzhi and Xu Yang departed for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
On the road—
"Yang'er, what did you think?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.
Now that he had officially taken Xu Yang as his disciple, it wasn't just about martial soul training. He also intended to teach him how to navigate politics, evaluate people, build alliances, and cultivate a broader strategic vision.
This question was meant to test Xu Yang's sensitivity to such matters.
"Members of the royal family are prideful," Xu Yang replied smoothly. "Even someone as seemingly warm as Xue Qinghe carries a deep sense of superiority. They're all shrewd and ruthless—that much was obvious from the way you and Emperor Xue Ye spoke."
"But ironically, those same qualities become their shackles. They care more about power than cultivation. Their ambitions cloud their martial path."
Xu Yang had clearly anticipated this kind of question—Ning Fengzhi had asked similar things before. So the answer came naturally.