Chapter 61: A Bunch of Old Foxes, Acting Like Their Lives Depend on It
Xue Xing and Xue Beng—these two had always suspected that there was something wrong with "Xue Qinghe."
And their suspicion was correct.
Xue Qinghe wasn't just problematic—he wasn't Xue Qinghe at all.
Xue Beng and Xue Xing merely believed that Xue Qinghe had gotten rid of the other two princes. They never thought deeper than that.
After all, "Qian Renxue's" disguise was simply far too convincing.
"Jumping clowns. You two won't be hopping around for much longer."
Wang Li shook his head in disdain. On the Douluo Continent, strength ultimately reigned supreme. The victor wrote history, while the defeated became villains.
It was that simple.
Unfortunately, the imperial family was incompetent. Their inherited martial soul was nothing more than a swan.
Despite controlling the vast majority of the empire's resources, the royal family hadn't produced even a single Title Douluo.
Wang Li was quite satisfied with the results of the fifth simulation.
If the real world could become like the world inside the simulation, it would surely be a wonderful place.
'Sigh… Tang San, what exactly did you bring to the Douluo Continent?'
'When the God Realm existed, Douluo couldn't develop. When the God Realm disappeared, there was still your so-called ten-thousand-year grand plan.'
'In the end, once your grand plan concluded and no one was left in charge, Douluo Star took only ten thousand years to enter the era of interstellar colonization.'
'And then you came back to reap the fruits of others' labor…'
Thinking of this, Wang Li felt that one thing Tang San had said was absolutely right.
Tang San truly deserved to die!
Wang Li shook his head, casting those thoughts aside.
Now that he was here, Tang San was destined to have nothing to do with anything anymore.
After a short while, the Sky Water group entered the Soul Fighting Arena.
Compared to before, Sky Water Academy received noticeably more cheers.
The audience was far more curious about Wang Li, the team captain—just what level of strength did he possess?
After all, even the vice-captain was already a rank fifty-five Soul King. How weak could the captain possibly be?
In the VIP seating area,
Salas occasionally glanced toward Sky Water Academy's position. His face showed no change at all, giving no hint as to what he was thinking.
'Worthy of being the young lord's younger brother. At such a young age, I can't even see through his strength.'
'With such a young Soul King by his side, the little young lord's true power likely far exceeds my expectations.'
'The Spirit Hall truly has successors!'
Salas thought to himself. A trace of excitement flashed through his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.
He had also heard today's rumors.
Combining the elder's words from yesterday with today's gossip, a very bold guess formed in his mind!
Salas slightly turned his gaze toward Xue Qinghe and couldn't help but shudder.
So that's how it is… so that's how it is!
"I heard that yesterday, His Highness the Crown Prince personally went to the hotel where Sky Water Academy was staying and spoke at length with the Sky Water team captain."
"I wonder if His Highness has managed to recruit this peerless genius to his side?"
Salas asked aggressively, his expression unchanged.
"Wang Li and I hit it off at first sight, like brothers. How could the word 'recruit' possibly apply?"
Qian Renxue glanced at Salas and replied frankly, without the slightest attempt to evade the question.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye was extremely satisfied.
It seemed the matter was settled!
As expected of the Crown Prince, he personally went to negotiate and successfully gained the other party's friendship.
If this relationship could be maintained over time, the empire would gain at least one more guest elder, someone like Dugu Bo.
Hearing this—
Salas instantly understood. "Like brothers," huh?
Heh… heh… heh…
This Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was the very person who had warned him yesterday!
"I didn't expect His Highness the Crown Prince to get there first. What a pity."
Salas said with a regretful expression on his face.
No one questioned his acting.
This was classic Salas…
Prince Xue Xing, seated in the second row, clenched his fist tightly beneath his sleeve, yet his facial expression remained unchanged.
Another master of acting.
The rumors about Xue Qinghe and Wang Li were indeed arranged by him.
Even if they couldn't harm "Xue Qinghe," he and Xue Beng at least wanted to disgust him a little.
So what if he was a wastrel? What was wrong with disgusting one's opponent?
Ning Fengzhi looked at "Xue Qinghe," deep in thought, but did not dwell on it.
So, he had only gained Wang Li's friendship?
That didn't really matter.
Although Ning Fengzhi felt displeased, in his eyes, Wang Li was already his future son-in-law—the future guardian of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Serving the Heaven Dou imperial family as an offering or guest elder was out of the question.
However, after becoming the guardian of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he could still support the Heaven Dou Empire through cooperation.
These were two entirely different concepts. A sect was always a sect and must always come first.
Only after that came the empire.
An empire could be destroyed, replaced, or even change hands entirely—but a sect would still be a sect.
No matter who they cooperated with, it could never affect the sect itself.
"Rongrong seems to be quite close with Wang Li."
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, when there's time, we could all have a meal together."
Ning Fengzhi said calmly. These words also represented his stance.
Seemingly casual remarks, yet every sentence was calculated.
Salas curled his lips, glanced at Ning Fengzhi, then looked away.
Say more, make more mistakes. Say less, do less, make fewer mistakes.
The reason he had made it this far wasn't just his Soul Douluo-level strength, but also his judgment.
Among so many red-cloth bishops, why was he the one chosen to serve as the Platinum Bishop and the Master of the Spirit Hall Branch?
There was far more to it than met the eye.
"Teacher, just calling me Qinghe will do."
"I have no objections on my end. Being able to interact more with Teacher, Brother Wang Li, and Junior Sister Rongrong would bring me great joy!"
"I'll follow the Teacher's arrangements in all things!"
Qian Renxue gave Ning Fengzhi a disciple's salute. Her words were flawless.
Not a single fault could be found.
On the surface, Xue Qinghe was indeed Ning Fengzhi's disciple. This was the bond between the Heaven Dou imperial family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, meant to draw the two sides closer.
As for how much Ning Fengzhi had actually taught him, only he and Xue Qinghe knew the truth.
"Xue Qinghe's" forcefulness toward Salas and his "humility" and "refinement" toward Ning Fengzhi made the assembled ministers nod in approval.
This Crown Prince was simply too satisfying!
In the future, he would surely become a wise and enlightened ruler!
Ning Fengzhi returned the salute.
A ruler was always a ruler, and a subject was always a subject.
If he made no move and simply accepted the salute, Emperor Xue Ye and the ministers would inevitably start overthinking.
Would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect try to hollow out the new emperor's authority once the Crown Prince ascended the throne?
They were all old foxes. No one would make such a mistake at a time like this.
The return salute was for the Crown Prince's status.
The Crown Prince's salute was a disciple's salute—one that could be accepted.
Watching the maneuvers in the VIP seating area, Wang Li shook his head.
This was absurd beyond absurdity—absurdity knocking on absurdity's door, absurd to the extreme.
Weren't these people tired?
Thankfully, the one being exhausted wasn't him!
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End of Chapter