Xiao Se said calmly, "He belongs to the faction behind Xun'er. Unless there's absolutely no other choice, we can't kill him. Otherwise, we'll bring enormous trouble upon ourselves. At the very least, we can't fall out with them before reaching the Dou Sheng realm."
"Dou Sheng?" Hong Kui's voice trembled with disbelief. "The power behind that woman is that strong?"
A Dou Sheng was no ordinary existence. They could create their own spatial domains, shatter mountains with a casual gesture, tear apart space itself. Even Hong Kui, who had seen countless things, couldn't help but be stunned.
Xiao Se gave a small nod. "You could say they're one of the strongest known forces on this continent."
"…Long Kui understands." Hong Kui murmured softly and fell silent.
Not long after, Xiao Se arrived at the entrance to the Inner Academy. After showing his student badge, he sped all the way back to his residence without stopping.
"Xiao Se, you're back!"
The moment he stepped inside, Zi Yan leapt straight into his arms. Her soft, fair little face—white and tender like peeled lychee flesh—rubbed eagerly against his chest.
It would have been a perfectly heartwarming scene.
If only she hadn't been drooling.
"Hey, hey… you're getting saliva all over me," Xiao Se complained.
"Slurp…" Zi Yan wiped the corner of her mouth and lifted her adorable, childlike face toward him, looking slightly embarrassed. "Xiao Se… I've finished all my pills again. Can you refine more for me this time? A lot more?"
Her petite frame and cute, innocent face were a dangerous combination.
Xiao Se had to admit—he was completely disarmed.
"Alright, hand over the ingredients," he said, ruffling her little head. The texture of her hair was unbelievably soft.
"Xiao Se, you're such a good person!" Zi Yan grinned sweetly.
Then, to Xiao Se's astonishment, she took out three storage rings.
Buzz—
All three rings glowed faintly at the same time. In an instant, piles of rare medicinal herbs spilled out and filled the entire hall of the pavilion.
Xiao Se's mouth twitched. "Are you sure you didn't just empty out the Inner Academy's medicinal storage?"
"I wouldn't even look at that junk," Zi Yan pouted, her red lips puffed adorably. A smug expression appeared on her little face. "I found these deep in the mountains. They were originally guarded by powerful fifth-tier magical beasts, so I couldn't get them before. But recently, for some reason, those beasts all disappeared. So I just emptied out their caves."
"…I see." Xiao Se suddenly understood.
During his recent cultivation sessions in the mountains, hadn't he practically wiped out most of the fifth-tier magical beasts?
"No wonder," he muttered.
"Well, wait here for a bit," Xiao Se said as he waved his hand, sweeping all the herbs into his own mid-grade storage ring. "There's a lot. It'll take some time."
He extended his right hand, and a large mass of pink flames materialized in the air. Under Zi Yan's sparkling gaze of admiration and anticipation, Xiao Se began tossing the herbs into the fire in batches.
As he refined the ingredients, he asked casually, "Have you seen Zhuqing or Xian'er?"
"Zhuqing went into seclusion at the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower," Zi Yan replied, eyes glued to the pills forming within the flames. She looked ready to pounce. "As for Little Fairy Doctor, I haven't seen her in a long time. Zhuqing said she's in seclusion too."
Xiao Se nodded.
Breaking through to Dou Zong wasn't difficult for the Little Fairy Doctor. The real issue was guiding the poison inside her body into the soul bone. The Snow-White Swan's Kiss would amplify the toxins within her by hundreds or even thousands of times. That wasn't something that could be done overnight. It would likely take at least two or three months.
An hour later, all the herbs were refined.
"Xiao Se, I'm heading off! I'll come find you again next time!" Zi Yan called out excitedly as she grabbed the pills and rushed off without looking back.
She had to go savor her treasure immediately.
"She's really just a little glutton," Xiao Se said with a helpless smile before turning and heading into his room.
The moment he stepped inside—
[Ding. One month has passed. Congratulations, Host. You have gained two exchange opportunities and one grand roulette draw opportunity.]
"So it's already been a month?" Xiao Se murmured. "System, open my personal panel."
[Ding. Opening personal panel…]
[Host: Xiao Se
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Cultivation: Nine-Star Dou Wang
Soul Level: Sixth-tier Alchemist
Domain: Ice-Fire Domain
Sword Intent: 40%
Dou Qi Attributes: Fire (with a trace of Wood), Ice, Time, Space
Martial Soul: Fire
Cultivation Techniques:
'Flame Mantra' (Earth-tier Low)
'Guiyuan Soul Art' (Unknown Rank)
Heavenly Flames:
Green Lotus Core Flame
Ice-Fire Dragon Flame
Dou Skills:
'Mirror Flower Shatter' (Earth-tier High)
'Scarlet Flame Sword' (Earth-tier Mid)
'Misty Smoke Step' (Mystic-tier High)
'Lion's Roar' (Mystic-tier High)
'Concealment Art' (Unknown Rank)
'Eightfold Mountain Barrier' (Mystic-tier High)
Exchange Chances: 2
Draw Chances: 1
System Storage:
Inflatable Doll*,
Heavenly Palm Bottle,
Fox Spirit Matchmaker Travel Ticket (Permanent),
Sword Path Alone Travel Ticket (7 days)
]
"…System, exchange that doll."
[Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have exchanged for Qian Xunji's Martial Soul—Six-Winged Angel—from the Douluo World.]
Xiao Se's lips twitched uncontrollably.
He actually drew Qian Xunji's Six-Winged Angel?
Wait… did that mean Qian Xunji was still alive?
At that exact moment—
In the Douluo World.
In the Papal Hall of Spirit City.
A stunning woman sat upon the central throne of the grand hall.
She was tall and graceful, dressed in a brilliant golden gown that shimmered with dazzling light. The ceremonial robe was adorned with over a hundred gemstones—red, blue, and gold. Upon her head rested a nine-curved purple-gold crown radiating splendor. In her hand, she held a scepter nearly two meters long, encrusted with countless jewels.
Her pale skin and nearly flawless beauty made her appear utterly extraordinary. Most striking of all was the invisible aura of nobility and sanctity that emanated from her. It inspired instinctive reverence in anyone who beheld her.
She was the youngest Pope in the history of Spirit Hall—Bibi Dong.
A blonde girl of about seventeen or eighteen walked into the hall and bowed respectfully. "Teacher, news just arrived from the Douluo Hall. Qian Xunji has committed suicide. His soul bone has been recovered by the Grand Priest."
The blonde girl was Hu Liena—Bibi Dong's sole disciple.
Bibi Dong nodded faintly. "Mm. I understand. You may leave, Nana."
"Yes, Teacher." Hu Liena bowed again and withdrew.
After she left, Bibi Dong's crimson lips curled slightly.
"It's almost time," she murmured softly.
Back in Xiao Se's room—
"System, exchange these three pills."
He casually took out three medicinal pills from his storage ring. They had been refined from the materials Zi Yan provided—made from an extremely violent high-tier herb. Even magical beasts risked exploding from consuming them. Considering Zi Yan's gluttonous tendencies, Xiao Se had kept these aside, worried she might swallow them all at once.
[Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have exchanged for the Elixir of Immortality from the Myth World.]
Meanwhile—
In the Myth World.
Inside Xianyang Palace, Qin Shi Huang—Ying Zheng—was gravely ill. Only the Elixir of Immortality could save his life.
"Zhao Gao! Are you planning to rebel?"
Ying Zheng's voice was weak yet furious.
Zhao Gao—also known as Gao Yao—burst into laughter. "I never imagined that I, Zhao Gao, would achieve immortality. Hahaha!"
He had deliberately dismissed all eunuchs, palace maids, and guards. Everything had been arranged for this very moment.
From a wooden box, Zhao Gao took out a so-called "Elixir of Immortality" and swallowed it without hesitation.
As long as the First Emperor died, Zhao Gao could alter the imperial edict—force Prince Fusu and General Meng Tian to commit suicide, elevate the eighteenth prince Hu Hai to the throne, and seize absolute power over the court.
But what Zhao Gao didn't know…
The real Elixir of Immortality had already vanished from this world.
And in another world entirely, it now rested quietly in Xiao Se's hand.
(End of Chapter)
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