"Apologies, this elder brother has lost his composure." Qian Renxue cupped her hands.
Afterward, she stared intently at Lu Feng and said seriously, "Brother Lu Feng, to be able to achieve what you have today with an innate talent of level five, you must have endured a lot of hardship, right?"
Back then, when Lu Feng was at the Nuoding City Spirit Hall, he had spoken rather casually.
A child, able to hand over all the wealth he obtained to Spirit Hall.
Almost everyone was attracted by his innocent heart, and in turn, overlooked some more important things.
For example, his abnormal soul power level.
The fortuitous encounter he mentioned, where exactly was it?
In a small Soul Hunting Forest, why would such a heaven-defying, fate-changing treasure appear?
Qian Renxue didn't pay it much mind at the time. Her heart was filled more with gratification. Those words from Lu Feng, 'Reforge the Angel's Glory', how inspiring.
The glory of the Angel God will surely be sprinkled upon every corner of the continent.
Thinking about it carefully now, there seemed to be too many unusual things about Lu Feng.
Putting other things aside, if he didn't possess a tenacity far beyond that of an ordinary person, he probably would have died during the muscle and marrow cleansing.
Lu Feng heard this and smiled calmly. Hardship? Perhaps.
Even with the help of a cheat, this cheat of picking up fragments isn't omnipotent.
If he had just 'lain flat' and not personally experienced things, he naturally wouldn't have reaped so many benefits.
Lu Feng recalled his journey. Sparring with Tang San and Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy. Although he crushed them most of the time, he also took his fair share of beatings.
A small place like Nuoding City didn't have any healing-type Soul Masters.
A large portion of the 'Gold Soul Coins' Lu Feng picked up was spent on buying medicine to temper his body.
And that's not to mention after graduation.
When he killed for the first time in the Soul Beast Forest, he nearly vomited his guts out.
In order to collect the Five Jade Phosphor Poisons, he was careless and got stung by a thousand-year Jade Scorpion. He nearly died right then and there.
Then there was that dog-headed Soul Ancestor. Lu Feng originally thought he was just an unremarkable bandit, but unexpectedly, he was an expert from the imperial family, which made Lu Feng suffer greatly.
With a soul power in the 20s, crossing two major realms to kill a Soul Ancestor.
At that time, Lu Feng hadn't obtained the Ice and Fire Body Tempering, let alone Luo Wu Pao's assistance. He relied completely on his own daredevil courage for a mutual-kill trade at the very limit.
And then, he hugged Dugu Yan's thigh and started eating 'soft rice'.
Ice and Fire Body Tempering, Luo Wu Pao's evolution, two red-quality cultivation methods...
After that, fortune's wheel turned.
After meeting Zhu Zhuqing, he could eat his soft rice with confidence.
Lu Feng collected his thoughts. His brows relaxed, and a faint smile touched his lips. The light shone on his handsome face. His expression was calm, and his eyes were like a hidden spring under the moon.
A cold wind blew in his face. Lu Feng suddenly smiled, "It's merely a bit of wind and frost."
As his words fell, Qian Renxue was somewhat stunned.
Although Lu Feng's face held a smile, Qian Renxue detected an unusual meaning.
She gazed quietly at Lu Feng, her brows tightly furrowed.
It seemed that because of Lu Feng's words, she also recalled some not-so-pleasant memories.
Growing up, Qian Renxue was not happy.
"Xiaoxue, you were born different from those lowly commoners. Friends? Those commoners are worthy? You are a child of God!"
"The glory of the Qian family rests on your shoulders."
"Qian Renxue! You must remember, you carry the bloodline of a god! Mother? You have no mother. Your mother has gone to serve the Angel God."
Childhood memories flashed through Qian Renxue's mind like a revolving lantern.
In Qian Renxue's impression, her father was always very serious. From as early as she could remember, she had followed her father to cultivate soul power.
Endless cultivation.
She had never met her mother, only an 'older sister' who had raised her.
And that 'older sister's' eyes when she looked at her... they held incomparable disgust, even killing intent, as if looking at a stray dog on the street.
Perhaps the only trace of family affection she felt was from her grandfather.
However, Grandfather was always very busy, praying beneath the Angel God statue every day.
Sometimes, Qian Renxue even felt her grandfather wasn't human, but an emotionless statue.
All this time, she had been alone.
Friends? Family? No!
What accompanied her was only endless loneliness, worry, and fear...
Especially during this time hiding in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. On countless nights, Qian Renxue had woken up startled from nightmares of her identity being exposed.
But, after all these years, she had endured.
"Merely a bit of wind and frost..."
Qian Renxue savored Lu Feng's words. It felt as if a warm current was slowly flowing in the bottom of her heart, dispelling the chill that had been there for so long.
For some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to cry her heart out.
After a long time, Qian Renxue's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
"What a great line, 'merely a bit of wind and frost'! Brother Lu Feng, you are the most talented, and most perseverant, Soul Master I have ever met."
Lu Feng chuckled lightly and did not reply.
The two walked side by side. Before long, they arrived in front of a building with a peculiar shape.
The building in front of them looked like a bowl placed upside down on the ground, with a diameter exceeding one thousand meters.
This was the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire; describing it as 'every inch of land is an inch of gold' was no exaggeration. This showed just how deep the backing of this building's faction was within the empire.
"This is the Heaven Dou Great Auction House. Coincidentally, there is an auction tonight. Shall we go in and take a look?" Qian Renxue said with a faint smile.
Lu Feng shook his head and refused, "Your Highness, I am just an unremarkable Spirit Arena host with a monthly salary of twenty Gold Soul Coins. What would I do in an auction house? Watch those noble scions show off?"
Lu Feng's expression was calm, but his hands, slightly gripping the corners of his clothes, showed that his heart was not so peaceful.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue smiled. "Rest assured, Brother Lu Feng. If you see anything you like, just bid. This elder brother has been the Crown Prince for many years and still has some savings."
Hearing this, Lu Feng immediately chuckled. He slung his arm around Qian Renxue's shoulder, completely disregarding her status. "Hehehe! His Highness the Crown Prince is mighty!"
As he spoke, Lu Feng practically half-carried Qian Renxue to the auction house entrance.
Suddenly having Lu Feng's arm on her shoulder, Xue Qinghe's body couldn't help but tremble. After all, this was the first time she had been so close to a man.
It was just that Lu Feng moved too quickly. Before Qian Renxue could fully react, the two had already entered the auction house doors.
At this point, Lu Feng let Qian Renxue go. "Brother Qinghe, I just love good brothers like you, who would go through fire and water for a friend!"
"Speaking of which, Brother Qinghe, you smell really good."
"Er, it's the scent from a sachet I carry with me," Qian Renxue explained, slightly embarrassed.
The two quickly walked inside the auction house. Once here, it was difficult to hide the Crown Prince's identity.
The two entered an exclusive private box. Lu Feng walked to the sofa near the window and sat down casually. The entire wall here was a single pane of transparent crystal. Looking down, one could clearly see the auction floor.
Only then did Qian Renxue realize she had been tricked by Lu Feng again. His casual demeanor was not that of someone who would be timid or hesitant because of money.
However, she didn't mind. It was just Gold Soul Coins. As the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, how could she be lacking money?
What's more, she owned shares in this auction house.