Who was Qian Renxue?
The Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall!
A peerless genius born with innate rank 20 soul power!
And she was always protected by high-ranking soul masters from the Spirit Hall.
Even if someone from the Sun-Moon Continent had infiltrated, they couldn't possibly be a Titled Douluo, right?
Her safety was assured.
But the real problem now was—Tang Lan "didn't know" Qian Renxue's true identity.
And Qian Renxue couldn't reveal it yet.
After all, this concerned the grand strategy of the Spirit Hall, and she couldn't afford to act on impulse.
Helpless,
Qian Renxue could only sigh inwardly.
—Just wait a little longer!
Her expression softened.
Then she asked, "What's the deal with Xue Beng? Why did you save him?"
"I made a deal with His Majesty." Tang Lan replied calmly, "I revived Xue Beng and took him as my disciple. In return, he agreed to one of my plans."
Tang Lan didn't hide much and laid out his plan in full.
This made Qian Renxue's eyes widen in shock!
"Are you serious?"
"The Tang Sect Encyclopedia has already broken down the knowledge barrier between commoners and nobles."
"And now you want to—"
"This isn't just about fame or profit anymore; this could shake the very foundation of the empire's rule!"
"How could the Emperor possibly agree to this?"
Tang Lan simply smiled without answering.
He couldn't reveal anything about the Sea God's inheritance.
—He had even instructed Emperor Xue Ye not to disclose it to a third party.
"No matter what kind of deal you struck with my father, aren't you afraid I'll be angry?"
Qian Renxue's expression darkened—
"The future of the Heaven Dou Empire is mine!"
"What you're doing now is nothing but an obstacle for me!"
"You're shaking the very foundation of my future rule!"
"Are you—"
"Are you not afraid of me?"
Facing Qian Renxue's questioning, Tang Lan remained calm, smiling with ease.
"I have faith, Qinghe. Like me, you are a benevolent ruler who cares for the world."
"A plan that benefits the entire continent—how could you possibly reject it?"
"As for concerns about your rule being shaken—"
"With my support, such a thing will never happen."
"Or do you think… I would harm you?"
Qian Renxue stared at Tang Lan.
Tang Lan met her gaze with a smile.
The tension lasted for dozens of seconds.
Then, suddenly, Qian Renxue smiled.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
"Your plan is bold—extremely bold. You're bound to offend many people."
"I'll have my people support you."
"But as for the other factions…"
"I trust you can handle them yourself."
With that,
Qian Renxue turned and left without hesitation.
—She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be able to resist revealing everything to Tang Lan!
Tang Lan's plan…
It was madness—utterly revolutionary!
It made Qian Renxue admire him even more, and along with that admiration, a certain indescribable emotion began to grow.
'I look forward to the day of revelation…'
'I wonder how he will react?'
'This little Heaven Dou Empire… could never contain you!'
Inside the Sect Master's Palace.
Watching Qian Renxue leave, Tang Lan let out a long breath.
Finally! He had managed to talk her away!
Now that the most difficult issue was resolved, he could fully commit to his grand plans!
But before that…
Tang Lan pulled out his soul communication device and sent a message to Xiao Wu and the other four women.
[Tang Lan: Return quickly. Let's have a real fight!]
In the following days, the Tang Sect began operating at full speed.
The entire Heaven Dou Empire was brewing with underlying turbulence.
But the Empire's selection tournament for the Elite Competition was in full swing, overshadowing these hidden currents.
During this period, only two major events caught the attention of the outside world.
The first—Tang Sect Master Tang Lan was granted the title "Lan Hao King" by Emperor Xue Ye and took Xue Beng as his disciple.
The second—Lan Hao King proposed a brotherhood pact with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, but Xue Qinghe flatly refused, angering Emperor Xue Ye, who failed to persuade him otherwise.
By comparison—
The assassination of Canghui Academy's team leader, Shi Nian, within Heaven Dou City barely caused any ripples.
[Host has seized Xue Beng's apprenticeship and the title of Lan Hao King, originally meant for Tang San, stealing a portion of Tang San's destiny!]
[Reward: +5000 years to all spirit bones!]
Only 5000 years?
To the current Tang Lan, it was barely worth mentioning.
He toyed with the Fantasy Wisdom Skull in his hand, a sneer forming at the corner of his lips.
That Shi Nian was truly an idiot…
He actually dared to launch a sneak attack on me?
Tang Lan's True Combat Strength—A Mystery to the Outside World
People only knew that he was outstanding, but that was always in comparison to his peers.
So, when Shi Nian, a rank 72 Soul Sage, confidently came knocking—
He greatly underestimated his opponent.
His Martial Soul, "Residual Dream", specialized in mental illusions.
Under normal circumstances, his abilities would indeed be tricky to deal with.
But even Tang San, when facing him 30 levels lower, had been able to break through his illusions using the Purple Demon Eye.
And now, Tang Lan was already at rank 81—with mental power as one of his specialties.
Wouldn't that be an effortless victory?
'Perfect. This "Illusion Wisdom Skull" was originally something Tang San later exchanged and gifted to Rongrong.'
'Now that I've taken it, that counts as stealing another of his fortuitous encounters.'
At that moment, Tang Lan's Soul Communication Device rang.
It was Zhao Wuji, informing him that everyone had arrived.
Tang Lan got up and stepped out of the Sect Master's Hall.
Across the way, on the training grounds, both Team One and Team Two of Tang Sect Academy were gathered.
Using "Treading Waves",
He blinked forward several times in quick succession, instantly arriving at the scene—
Shocking Tai Long and the others!
"Whoa! Sect Master, your movement technique is crazy fast! Even Shen Xiang isn't this quick!" Zhuo Zhu gasped.
"That's incredible! Is this the 'Lingbo Weibu' technique? Or a new self-created soul skill?" Meng Yiran asked curiously.
"Boss Dai, can you do this too?" Tai Long turned to Dai Mubai, putting him in an awkward spot.
This was Bo Saixi's exclusive technique.
Although Tang Lan had offered to teach it, even Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing hadn't mastered it yet.
As for him?
"…Yeah, no chance."
"Enough, quiet down!" Zhao Wuji's voice rang out, "The Sect Master is here—what kind of discipline is this?"
For the past two years, Zhao Wuji had been the acting administrator of Tang Sect,
So his words carried weight.
Even Zhu Zhuqing and the others straightened up out of respect.
"Sect Master, please give your orders!" Xiao Wu playfully called out.
Tang Lan chuckled indulgently and waved his hand.
"No need to be so formal—I'm just here to give out some benefits."
At the mention of "benefits", everyone immediately perked up!
After all—
Tang Lan's rewards were always insanely generous!
He pulled out the Illusion Wisdom Skull and showed it to everyone.
"Yesterday, some fool tried to ambush me and dropped this—an 'Illusion Wisdom Skull.'"
"It's only about 20,000 years old, but it's a rare gemstone-type spirit bone."
"Xiao Ao already has the 'Invisible Glass Octopus Skull,' so among our group, the most suitable candidates are Rongrong and Zhuo Zhu."
"You two decide who gets it."
Immediately, both Ning Rongrong and Zhuo Zhu's eyes lit up!
A gemstone-type mental skull bone?
For support-type soul masters, this was practically irresistible!
Zhuo Zhu knew that competing with Ning Rongrong wouldn't be a wise move—
But she still couldn't bear to let go of such a golden opportunity.
Just as she was caught in hesitation—
"Zhuo Zhu," Ning Rongrong spoke first, "How about this—later, I'll find you a replacement spirit bone that suits you better, and I promise it won't be less than 30,000 years old. How does that sound?"
30,000 years?!
Ning Rongrong hadn't even specified which type of spirit bone.
After all—
Among spirit bones of equal age, the head bone's rarity was second only to the torso bone.
Her offer… was simply too generous.
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have already finished douluo 1 arc and even quite a great deal of douluo 2 arc