Ning Fengzhi felt increasingly delighted in his heart.
Perhaps it was due to Chen Xin's partiality towards sword-type martial souls that he made the judgment of "only strength, no weakness."
But even if compared to the strength level of Hao Tian Hammer, coupled with Su Cheng's ability to use his self-created soul technique, he was already capable of aspiring to the ranks of the top powerhouses on the continent.
In his view, Su Cheng came from a humble background, without the shadow of any other forces behind him. This meant that as long as he could maintain and cultivate this relationship well, he wouldn't have to worry about the next generation of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School lacking a protector.
After calming his emotions slightly, Ning Fengzhi took a sip of tea and casually asked, "Elder Sword, Elder Bone, do you think there's really something wrong with Xue Qinghe?"
Leaving aside the close relationship between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Imperial Family of Tian Dou, Ning Fengzhi, as the nominal mentor of Xue Qinghe, could not be unaware of the series of recent changes within the imperial family.
However, the recent turmoil came too quickly, with sudden incidents and numerous forces involved. Amidst the thick fog, he couldn't see through all the hidden meanings.
"This is something you should consider on your own, no need to ask us," Chen Xin replied indifferently.
He had no interest in these political struggles, and Gu Rong showed the same lack of enthusiasm.
"You should pay more attention to Rong Rong. Since she went to the academy, despite being so close by, she hasn't come back to visit us even once."
Ning Fengzhi chuckled at the remark.
He didn't think it was a bad thing at all.
The fact that Ning Rongrong could stay peacefully in the academy only meant that there was someone there she cared about more.
...
Five days later.
In the Prince's study of the Tian Dou Imperial Palace.
Qian Renxue sat behind the desk, her eyes lowered, her delicate brows furrowed, as she lightly tapped the desk with her fingers.
"Who is behind all this?"
First, Prince Xue, out of nowhere, launched accusations against her with a bunch of old grievances.
Then, the Imperial Advisor, Dugu Bo, who had never shown interest in the imperial family's disputes before, suddenly stepped forward to testify about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two princes and the possibility of poisoning in the palace food and drink.
Following that, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect from the northwest also joined the fray, with their leader, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, mingling with the upper echelons of the imperial nobility.
In this situation, even the Emperor, Xue Ye had begun to retract some of the prince's authority.
This brought her considerable pressure.
Indeed, in the long run, neither Prince Xue Xing or Xue Beng posed much of a threat to her.
Over the years, Qian Renxue's efforts within the imperial family were not in vain. Coupled with her status as the crown princess, these events couldn't shake her foundation.
But in the past few months, a series of incidents had occurred out of the blue, causing her a great deal of headache.
That wasn't even the most serious issue. She was worried that the other party had a contingency plan. If her false identity was exposed as a result, it would be extremely dangerous.
"Young Master, a mysterious person sent a letter some time ago."
Just as she was contemplating how to handle the subsequent changes, the Spear Douluo knocked on the door and entered.
"Who sent it?" Qian Renxue reached out to take it, her brows furrowing even tighter.
"At the moment, it's unclear, but to bypass the guards and silently deliver it into the palace, the sender must be at least a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse."
"Soul Douluo..."
The scope was too broad, making it impossible to narrow down. Just recently, several Soul Douluo had come over from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect alone.
Qian Renxue opened the envelope and glanced at its contents.
"Should I address you as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince or as the Young Mistress of the Martial Soul Hall?
"I have investigated from various sources and discovered that although the former Pope Qian Xunji died at the hands of Tang Hao from the Hao Tian Sect, he still had a descendant in the world.
"But strangely, despite being a descendant of the Qian family, this person has never appeared in the Martial Soul Hall.
"Later, after in-depth investigation, I found that there is a set of Angelic Armor in the Martial Soul Hall, among which there is a soul bone that can give soul masters a perfect disguise effect.
"I hereby advise you to return to your Martial Soul Hall and cultivate diligently, so as to inherit the position of Pope in the future and pass on the divine will of the Angelic to benefit the people.
"Do not fall into the quagmire of power struggles and waste time on the wrong path.
"If you persist in your stubbornness and attempt to covet imperial power, I will expose the Martial Soul Hall's ambition and ugly face to the world.
"Take heed!"
Upon reading this letter, an extremely ominous aura emanated from her.
Black mist immediately filled her eyes.
The Spear Douluo standing not far away felt a chill running down his spine.
"Su... Cheng...!"
Qian Renxue slowly clenched her palm, crushing the letter into pieces.
"So, it's you!"
Although the handwriting on the letter was clearly different from Su Cheng's, a person's handwriting habits could not be completely changed.
Having repeatedly reviewed Su Cheng's research records and manuscripts for over a decade, even his diaries, she was more than familiar with his writing habits.
At first glance, there didn't seem to be any problems, but the details were full of traces of Su Cheng.
Coupled with Qian Renxue's existing suspicions, she immediately realized who the letter came from.
Her thoughts surged, her anger erupted, and she was on the verge of exploding.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
A Soul Emperor entered the room, "Young Master, as you instructed before, our subordinates have been keeping an eye on Ning Rongrong. Today, she left the Tian Dou Royal Academy and headed towards the Sunset Forest."
"The Sunset Forest? Did she have anyone else with her?"
"Yes. That Su Cheng was with her."
"Seeking death!" Qian Renxue could no longer suppress her anger and said coldly, "Go, summon the Thorny Devil, and immediately accompany me to the Sunset Forest."
The Spear Douluo hesitated, "But, Young Master, what about the affairs of the Empire? We are already under scrutiny from various sides. If we make such a big move now, we may easily attract attention."
"I'm giving up on that plan," Qian Renxue said coldly.
This was not a decision made in a fit of anger.
Previously, with Prince Xue Xing's actions, it was indeed impossible to pose a fatal threat to her.
However, with the Emperor's growing suspicions, wanting to carry out her plan would require an unknown amount of time and effort.
Furthermore, now that she had just learned of Su Cheng's involvement behind the scenes, and her own disguise had been seen through by the other party, continuing to waste time on this was pointless.
Moreover, after the dream encounter, Qian Renxue's alter ego no longer wanted to waste time on any plans to usurp the throne.
At this moment, it might actually be a good thing to smoothly withdraw from this quagmire.
But the Snake Spear Douluo clearly didn't understand her choice.
He hurriedly persuaded, "Young Master, why rush things? And there's no need for us to go there personally. Su Cheng is just a Soul Elder now. Sending two Soul Kings should be enough."
"Soul Kings? Hmph, are they even worthy?" Qian Renxue snorted, "Let's go."