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"Brother Ye, do you truly think I'm doing a good job as the Crown Prince?" Qian Renxue asked.
Ye Lan took a sip of tea and nodded noncommittally.
Compared to most nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe was indeed a breath of fresh air. Ye Lan had experienced what the others were like in Hanhai City—a bunch of worthless scoundrels who only knew how to bully commoners.
"I didn't expect to have such a standing in your eyes, Brother Ye. Even setting my royal position aside, I would still want to recruit you. But since you wish to be my friend, then I shall respectfully accept. It is my honor to be your friend," said Xue Qinghe.
Do I have a friend now? Qian Renxue thought to herself.
"It is my honor to become your friend as well, Brother Xue," Ye Lan said with a smile.
Seeing Ye Lan's smile, Qian Renxue felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Although she hadn't succeeded in recruiting him, becoming like-minded friends was enough to make her happy.
"Brother Ye, have you heard of Spirit Hall Academy and its current 'Golden Generation'?" Xue Qinghe asked.
"Oh? I've heard of Spirit Hall Academy. But the Golden Generation? Brother Xue, is this generation of theirs particularly strong?" Ye Lan feigned ignorance.
"Indeed. The current Spirit Hall Academy team members have all reached the Soul Ancestor realm. The three youngest among them are known as the Golden Generation. They reached the rank of Soul Ancestor at only fifteen or sixteen years of age. By now, they are likely not far from the Soul King realm."
"Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy team has lost to them in the last three Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competitions. And in those tournaments, the championship teams weren't even composed entirely of Soul Elders. The next competition is in three years."
"Three years from now, the Spirit Hall Academy team will likely consist of three Soul Kings and four Soul Elders."
"When that time comes, I fear our Heaven Dou Royal Academy will suffer a crushing defeat," Xue Qinghe said, shaking his head and sighing dramatically.
Watching Xue Qinghe's dejected act, Ye Lan felt his brow twitch.
Qian Renxue, you deserve an Oscar for that performance.
Three years from now, if Qian Renxue herself represented the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, she could easily crush Spirit Hall Academy and win the championship with her Soul Emperor-level cultivation and Six-Winged Angel Spirit.
He couldn't understand why she was acting so concerned for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Had she become too immersed in her role?
While Ye Lan was lost in his thoughts, Xue Qinghe made a suggestion. "Brother Ye, how about this? I will recommend you to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Help me win the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. What do you say?"
Ye Lan hadn't expected Xue Qinghe to suggest he join the academy's team to defeat Spirit Hall.
Is it because of Bibi Dong? Ye Lan speculated.
The relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong was like fire and water. It was perfectly understandable that Qian Renxue would want to defeat the Golden Generation that Bibi Dong had personally cultivated.
This was for the best. Ye Lan had been planning to use his connection to Qian Renxue to get into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy anyway; he just hadn't expected her to bring it up herself.
However, Ye Lan didn't show his eagerness. He took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "Why do you believe my joining the team would be enough to defeat the Golden Generation? You know I am only a Soul Grandmaster right now. In three years, I will only be a Soul Elder. How can a single Soul Elder defeat a team with three Soul Kings?"
Xue Qinghe chuckled. "Brother Ye, you are far too modest. I believe that with the theoretical knowledge in that head of yours, you can elevate the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team to a new level and allow every member to unleash their full potential. At that point, defeating the Spirit Hall team will no longer be a pipe dream."
"Besides, you are the renowned Qingdi of the Great Spirit Arena, famous for your thirty-three consecutive victories in one-on-two battles," Qian Renxue continued.
Given that his Blue Silver Grass Spirit could resonate with her own, Qian Renxue could roughly estimate that Ye Lan's combat power far exceeded her own at the time of her Spirit Awakening. Ye Lan not only possessed thousand-year spirit rings but also many self-created spirit abilities.
Even she, with her Six-Winged Angel Spirit, had combat power comparable to a top-tier Soul Elder right after awakening her spirit and absorbing her first two rings. By the time she became a Soul Elder, her combat power, enhanced by experience and physical maturity, was comparable to a Soul King's. The dual extreme attributes of the Six-Winged Angel Spirit were just that monstrous; fighting opponents twenty levels higher was as simple as drinking water.
Previously, Qian Renxue hadn't understood the concept of 'extreme attributes'. But after reading Ye Lan's theories, she suspected her spirit possessed the dual extreme attributes of Holy and Flame. Since Ye Lan's spirit could resonate with hers, it likely had dual extreme attributes as well. She just didn't know what the extreme attributes of his Blue Silver Grass were.
If this had happened before, Qian Renxue would have relentlessly investigated how a Blue Silver Grass could reach the level of a Six-Winged Angel. But since the person with the dual-attribute spirit was Ye Lan, her only friend, she wouldn't pry. Based on his unique perception and peerless theoretical knowledge, she believed he could achieve it.
In three years, when Ye Lan reached the Soul Elder realm, his combat power would surely be equivalent to a Soul King's. Combined with his brilliant mind, Qian Renxue felt that Heaven Dou Royal Academy defeating Spirit Hall Academy was not impossible.
She might not have cared so much about defeating previous Spirit Hall teams, but this time was different. This time, that fox was on the team. A large part of why she had decided to execute the plan to usurp the empire was because Bibi Dong had accepted that fox as her disciple when she was just nine years old.
"You flatter me, Brother Xue. In the Soul Grandmaster division, I was just bullying people who couldn't fight properly," Ye Lan said, feeling a bit embarrassed at being called Qingdi. He really regretted choosing such a cringey title.
"No need to be modest, Brother Ye. I doubt anyone at the Soul Grandmaster level can defeat you, and I'm sure the same will be true when you become a Soul Elder. You are only at level 24, aren't you? Yet every opponent you faced for your Silver Badge in the arena was at level 29. For you, fighting above your level is as easy as drinking water," Xue Qinghe said.
Thinking of Ye Lan's combat strength, Qian Renxue felt a sudden urge to have a friendly match with him at the same rank, just to see whose dual extreme attributes were stronger.
Ye Lan nodded. He was surprised Qian Renxue had been following his progress so closely; he had only just reached level 24. Besides Silver Wolf, are there other watchers?
"Since Brother Xue thinks so highly of me, I won't refuse," Ye Lan said. "However, I have one condition. Only if you agree to it will I join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"What is your condition, Brother Ye? Please, speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I will agree to it," Xue Qinghe replied.
Would you agree even if I asked you to marry me?
(End of Chapter)