Chapter 51: Departing from Heaven Dou

Chapter 51: Departing from Heaven Dou

More than two years had passed since a group of veteran Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall had their breakthroughs inspired by Wang Shi.

During these two years, numerous powerful Douluos and Title Douluos from various factions had visited Wang Shi to observe his second Soul Skill.

Some even returned every few months. Under the eager gazes of these factions, Wang Shi finally obtained his third soul ring.

Initially, these powerful individuals intended to observe Wang Shi's Soul Skill again. However, Wang Shi's martial soul evolved once more after obtaining the third soul ring.

They could no longer observe his Soul Skills, including the third one, which was an instant eye technique.

It wasn't just the third Soul Skill that eluded their observation; they were unable to witness his previous Soul Skills as well.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect offered a reasonable analysis: When Wang Shi obtained his first soul ring, he didn't have a martial soul, so everyone could observe his first Soul Skill.

By the time he gained his second soul ring, he had a rudimentary martial soul—the skeletal frame—making it a bit challenging to observe his second Soul Skill.

And when he acquired his third soul ring, his martial soul had become more complete, rendering his third Soul Skill impossible to observe.

It was likely that not just the third, but also his subsequent Soul Skills, would be unobservable.

Although other factions were somewhat skeptical of this explanation, they were well aware of the difficulty in observing the second Soul Skill.

While some focused on the fact that Wang Shi's third Soul Skill could no longer be observed, others were more intrigued by the fact that Wang Shi had become a Soul Ancestor before the age of twelve!

At first, they didn't take Wang Shi seriously, despite his full soul power from birth, because he lacked a martial soul.

Now, things were different. Wang Shi had a martial soul!

Reaching the level of Soul Ancestor before the age of twelve with a martial soul meant that he would undoubtedly become a Title Douluo in the future!

Once again, there were those who harbored murderous intentions towards Wang Shi.

However, they felt that they couldn't afford to offend him anymore.

Aside from Wang Shi's good relationships with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and the Poison Douluo, there was also a Title Douluo who occasionally guarded him.

This Title Douluo was undoubtedly from the Spirit Hall, and his presence by Wang Shi's side was likely related to the group of elders from the Spirit Hall whom Wang Shi had helped in the past.

Given Wang Shi's current background, even if the Heaven Dou Imperial Family knew about his connection with the Spirit Hall, they had no intention of driving him away.

However, Wang Shi's carefree life didn't last long. Suddenly, the Poison Douluo went insane and tried to kill him.

Apparently, his granddaughter had been poisoned, and if it weren't for a Nine Heart Lotus Soul Master who treated her in time, she might have died on the spot.

While others were curious about the inside story, they dared not inquire too much about the matters of a Title Douluo.

It was only after the intervention of the Title Douluo from the Spirit Hall that the matter was finally settled, concluding that the Poison Douluo was at fault.

This conclusion left other factions bewildered. They didn't understand why the Poison Douluo would make a move against Wang Shi, but the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Spirit Hall had already begun discussing compensation.

There was no question that Heaven Dou sided with Dugubo, as he was their honored guest. Supporting Dugubo meant that they had to drive Wang Shi away.

After all, the conflict between the two might involve two Title Douluos, and the royal family wanted to avoid a battle of that scale in Heaven Dou City at all costs.

Perhaps Heaven Dou's actions had disillusioned Wang Shi, as he finally made his stance clear: he chose the Spirit Hall.

The matter seemed to have ended there, but the first prince of Heaven Dou directly opposed the royal family, even declaring that he would give up his position as the crown prince if it meant keeping Wang Shi by his side.

This year, Xue Qinghe was fifteen years old, just one year away from officially becoming the "Crown Prince"!

As the situation escalated, everyone anticipated an intriguing development.

However, they were disappointed. The Heaven Dou Empire disregarded the future "Crown Prince's" opinion and insisted on expelling Wang Shi.

The first prince stood firm, expressing that he was willing to give up the position of "Crown Prince" to one of his younger brothers.

This decision was applauded by many royal factions. They had long disapproved of the first prince's favoritism towards an outsider.

Due to Xue Qinghe's decision, the compensation issue, which was supposed to be delayed by two more days, was quickly resolved.

On the morning when Xue Qinghe announced that he no longer wanted to be the first prince, the compensation agreement was finalized in the afternoon, ensuring that both the first prince and Wang Shi would leave.

Even if Snow Night Emperor wanted to keep them, he had no choice. Too many people on the court hoped that Wang Shi and the first prince would leave soon...

…………

Heavenly Battle Kingdom.

Bordering Heaven Dou to the north and Star Luo to the south, with control of the two countries' most important fishing ports to the west, and neighboring the continent's largest granary, the Balark Kingdom, to the east—it was a strategic location.

Furthermore, an agreement had been reached with the king of Balark Kingdom, allowing for close commercial exchanges with Soto City.

As expected, this duchy attracted the attention of multiple influential factions.

The Spirit Hall established a subdivision here, second only to the main Spirit Hall; the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect invested heavily in developing fisheries and agriculture; and the Star Luo Empire also prioritized this region...

Given the circumstances, it would be expected for conflicts to arise between these powerful factions. However, the owner of the Duchy of Heaven Battle had strong connections, and somehow, the three sides maintained an uneasy peace.

As for the identity of the duchy's owner, the residents only knew him as Wang Shi, and no one had ever laid eyes on him.

......

"Isn't this more comfortable than living in Heaven Dou City?"

On the beach, lying on a lounge chair, Wang Shi gently fiddled with Qian Renxue's hair, which had returned to its original appearance. Ever since he started cultivating the "Thousand Refining Blood" technique, his physical growth had accelerated.

Now, he could easily pull Qian Renxue into his embrace.

Qian Renxue gently pushed Wang Shi away and adjusted her position to get more comfortable on the lounge chair.

Basking in the sea breeze, she closed her eyes contentedly, but her thoughts wandered.

To be honest, she had always assumed she would remain undercover in Heaven Dou City until she became the crown prince and eventually ascended the throne as the Emperor of Heaven Dou.

However, with Wang Shi's help, things had become much easier for her.

Originally, she would have needed more time to adapt to her role as the crown prince and there might have been mistakes along the way.

But thanks to Wang Shi's prior relationship with Xue Qinghe, all she needed to do was maintain her connection with Wang Shi.

Almost no one suspected anything amiss, and those who did merely thought that she was overly biased towards Wang Shi.

During her time undercover, Wang Shi had fully utilized his talent for causing trouble. On multiple occasions, the Snake Lance and the Porcupine Douluos had even appeared at his estate, and no one had batted an eye.

While everyone's attention was focused on Wang Shi and the Title Douluo by his side, another person was quietly infiltrating Heaven Dou City and planting spies everywhere.

Now, Heaven Dou City was riddled with spies from the Spirit Hall, and if they wanted to, they could easily assassinate the Snow Night Emperor.

With the undercover operation having reached such a level of success, Qian Renxue's presence was no longer necessary. She handed over the "report" to Bibi Dong, even though the woman still treated her with disdain.

Undeniably, her abilities had earned Bibi Dong's recognition, and that was enough for Qian Renxue.

Although she had left Heaven Dou City, she had not given up her identity as the "Crown Prince."

If, in the future, Heaven Dou City was not taken over by the Spirit Hall, she could still make use of her position to manipulate events.

"Thank you, truly."

Leaning against Wang Shi, Qian Renxue held the necklace that had always hung around his neck and murmured softly.

She had come to Heaven Dou City as a nine-year-old, and during the first three years, she had experienced things she never had before: maternal love, friendship, and concern.

After successfully establishing herself as a spy, she spent the next three years slowly letting go of these emotions, as they were useless and could only hinder her judgment.

Even though she would soon revert to being the little girl who only had her grandfather, she was truly happy.

"How much longer can you stay with me?"

Seeing Qian Renxue staring at the pendant, Wang Shi understood that she would be leaving to hunt for her fifth soul ring soon.

As a fifteen-year-old Soul King, Qian Daolu intended for her to return to the Spirit Hall to focus on her cultivation. Starting intensive cultivation at the age of fifteen was not too late.

"About a week. I'll be leaving to hunt for my fifth soul ring after that."

Taking a deep breath, Qian Renxue looked at Wang Shi with sparkling eyes.

"After I go back, I won't be able to get out easily, so you have to come and find me."

Wang Shi smiled gently and nodded in response to Qian Renxue's expectant gaze.

"I'll definitely come to the Spirit Hall to find you, but it might not be possible in the short term."

"It's okay, I can wait."

"But I don't want to wait."

"Whether you want to or not, you'll have to...Hmm? What do you mean you don't want to wait...Ah!...You scoundrel!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end