"What is your relationship with Mo Chen?" Ning Rongrong, who had just been acting rather listless, suddenly perked up as if she had been injected with adrenaline.
She widened her eyes and stared intently at the stunning and uniquely poised stranger before her.
The woman had asked about Mo Chen's whereabouts without a word of preamble, which inevitably caused Ning Rongrong to feel a surge of vigilance and take the matter seriously.
Even though she had already broken off her engagement with Mo Chen, deep down in Ning Rongrong's heart, Mo Chen would always be the older brother who had once doted on her boundlessly.
That emotional bond was not something that could be severed so easily.
"Little girl, my business in looking for Mo Chen probably has nothing to do with you." The woman's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze piercing straight into Ning Rongrong's pupils like a burning torch.
The calm and detachment in those eyes made Ning Rongrong's heart skip a beat, and a single drop of cold sweat trickled down the side of her temple.
Through just this simple gesture and exchange of glances, Ning Rongrong felt a powerful, palpable sense of oppression wash over her.
She instinctively took a small step back, feeling secretly shocked and vaguely uneasy.
At that very moment, a familiar, deep, and robust male voice came from inside the house: "Come in!"
Hearing this call, the corners of the woman's lips curved upward imperceptibly, forming a knowing half-smile.
As she brushed past Ning Rongrong sideways, she did not forget to say, "Young Miss of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, once certain actions are taken, you must bear the responsibility for them yourself." Without waiting for Ning Rongrong to react, the woman walked straight into the living room.
Leaving behind a stunned and bewildered Ning Rongrong, who stood frozen in place for a long time, unable to recover her senses.
However, just as Ning Rongrong intended to lift her foot and follow the person ahead, the butler who had been standing quietly to the side reached out and blocked her path.
The butler lowered his head slightly and said softly to Ning Rongrong, "Miss Ning, please stay. The master has specifically instructed me to see you out."
As he spoke, those seemingly ordinary yet incredibly shrewd eyes swept over Ning Rongrong up and down without leaving a trace, and his previously courteous tone somehow gained an unperceivable trace of coldness.
Ning Rongrong was clearly taken aback by this sudden obstruction. She widened her pretty eyes and anxiously tried to explain, "But she..." But before she could even finish half her sentence, the butler cut her off abruptly.
"Miss Ning, the master instructed me to see you out." The butler repeated the exact same sentence with a blank expression. Unlike the first time, however, he no longer maintained his previous respectful posture. Instead, he straightened his back, looked straight at Ning Rongrong without any politeness, and even swept his gaze over her with a nearly cold and ruthless indifference.
Meanwhile, inside the living room.
Mo Chen was sitting squarely in the main seat, his calm, tranquil, light-blue eyes gazing at the woman before him.
"You say your name is Xiaoxue?" Mo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice deep and magnetic, as if it could pierce straight through a person's soul as he questioned the woman.
Qian Renxue smiled faintly, the corners of her mouth curving into a graceful arc as she slowly raised her slender fingers and gently pinched the corner of her veil.
Following her movement, the cicada-wing-thin veil slipped away quietly like a breeze brushing past, revealing that breathtaking face.
Qian Renxue's skin was as white and flawless as snow, her eyebrows curved like crescent moons, and her bright, large eyes were as deep as serene lakes. Beneath her well-defined, straight nose, her pink, delicate lips curved upward slightly, exuding a trace of imperceptible coldness and charm.
This angel-like visage looked like a work of art meticulously carved by the heavens, radiating an ethereal and otherworldly beauty—truly resembling an angel descending upon the mortal world.
Seeing Qian Renxue's true appearance, Mo Chen couldn't help but freeze slightly.
He widened his eyes, his gaze fixed squarely on Xiaoxue, and was momentarily lost in a daze.
However, Mo Chen was, after all, a man who had weathered many storms and experienced countless battles; his years of forging ahead in the military camps had long since tempered his resilient temperament and steady composure.
Even though the woman before him was so breathtakingly beautiful that it left him astonished, he quickly regained his composure and skillfully concealed the fluctuation in his heart.
At that moment, Qian Renxue took a light step forward, bowed slightly to Mo Chen in salute, and said in a soft voice, "Xiaoxue greets General Mo." Her voice was crisp and melodious, like an oriole leaving the valley, lingering and winding.
Upon seeing this, Mo Chen quickly stood up with a warm smile on his face and replied, "No need for formalities. The Crown Prince's friends are naturally my friends. Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already spoken, Miss Xiaoxue's seventh Soul Ring is on me. Please rest assured." With that, he nodded toward Xiaoxue.
"Then Xiaoxue thanks General Mo once again." Qian Renxue's lips curved upward into a smile as brilliant as blooming spring flowers—a smile that seemed capable of melting all the cold ice in the world, leaving one infatuated and intoxicated.
"By the way, I still don't know Miss Xiaoxue's Spirit attributes." Mo Chen looked at Qian Renxue with a warm gaze.
Qian Renxue pondered for a brief moment, as if organizing her thoughts, before parting her red lips to speak: "My Spirit possesses dual attributes of holiness and light. Therefore, it will suffice as long as we can find a Soul Beast that possesses either of these two attributes."
Hearing this, Mo Chen unconsciously rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing slightly.
He murmured softly under his breath, "Holiness and light..."
Seeing Mo Chen react this way, Qian Renxue couldn't help but think: Could it be that Soul Beasts with these two attributes are so rare and difficult to find that they are causing him such trouble?
Just then, Mo Chen suddenly raised his head, his gaze firm and fervent as he stared directly into Qian Renxue's eyes, saying solemnly and deliberately, "I know of a place, but I do not know if you have the courage to accompany me there."
Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback by Mo Chen's sudden words, and countless guesses instantly surged through her mind.
Although she had no idea what kind of place it was, judging by his utterly serious attitude, it must be an extremely dangerous location.
"What place?"
"The Land of Gale, Divine Eagle Valley."
Early the next morning.
At dawn, before the first ray of sunlight had pierced through the thick layer of clouds, Mo Chen opened his eyes.
Although he temporarily had no battles to fight, his years of life in the military camp had long made early rising a deeply ingrained habit.
At this moment, even without the need to rush off to the battlefield, he quickly dressed and left his room while the sky was still hazy.
He climbed onto the roof and sat down cross-legged.
As his breathing gradually steadied and deepened, a faint, imperceptible glow flickered around his body, making him seem as though he were merging with the surrounding environment.
After a brief session of cultivation, Mo Chen's sharp perception suddenly caught a trace of an unusual aura, and he opened his eyes to look into the distance.
A graceful figure was seen walking toward him with light steps.
Mo Chen's figure flashed as he leaped down from the roof, landing steadily on the ground.
He stepped forward and said softly to Qian Renxue, "Are you all ready? The destination this time is located within the borders of the Star Luo Empire; I'm afraid we won't be able to return in the short term." As he spoke, his expression was grave, and his gaze remained fixed on Qian Renxue.
To Mo Chen's surprise, however, Qian Renxue showed not the slightest hint of hesitation.
She merely nodded slightly to indicate that she had made full preparations.
Not only that, she gazed at Mo Chen with her crystal-clear eyes and replied in a tone of unwavering firmness and trust: "I trust that General Mo would not harm me."
Hearing this, Mo Chen couldn't help but frown slightly.
As a close friend of the Crown Prince, at such a crucial moment, the Crown Prince hadn't even shown his face—could he really be so at ease letting Miss Xiaoxue leave with him?
Thinking of this, Mo Chen finally couldn't help asking, "Oh, by the way, Miss Xiaoxue, where might His Royal Highness the Crown Prince be right now?"
Hearing this, Qian Renxue paused for a moment before replying, "I heard His Royal Highness say that His Majesty asked him to experience the lives of the common people. He probably won't be back until before the start of the next Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament."
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament was an important competition held only once every five years.
There was only one year left until the next tournament began.
Mo Chen nodded slightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the distance. Then, his legs exerted sudden force, and his figure shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bowstring.
In an instant, his figure came to a halt in mid-air, as if time had frozen at that very moment.
At the same time, wisps of deep purple Qi converged from all directions, gradually wrapping tightly around Mo Chen's body.
Suddenly, a deafening, earth-shattering roar of a dragon burst forth, sounding like a clap of thunder on flat ground and startling the surrounding birds into scattering in all directions.
That sound carried boundless majesty and power, making anyone who heard it tremble in fear.
When the purple mist swirling around Mo Chen gradually dissipated, a slender and unimaginably huge purple-black giant dragon shockingly appeared before their eyes.
Its winding body resembled a towering mountain, exuding a suffocating pressure; its sharp dragon claws flashed with a cold light that seemed capable of easily tearing through the void; and its huge dragon eyes emitted a captivating radiance, as if capable of insighting all things in the world.
"Miss Xiaoxue need not fear; this is my Spirit, the Torch Dragon. Traveling by carriage would take at least a month for a round trip, but choosing to fly through the air will be much faster." Mo Chen's steady and powerful voice slowly reached Qian Renxue's ears.
By now, he had already controlled the dragon's body to slowly descend in altitude, its massive form gradually approaching the ground.
Its four thick dragon claws rested steadily upon the solid earth, and Mo Chen lowered his head slightly, casting a warm look toward Qian Renxue to signal her to come aboard.
Standing to the side, Qian Renxue snapped out of the shock of the breathtaking scene just moments before, as if waking from a dream.
She widened her pretty eyes, looking in disbelief at the majestic giant dragon before her, her heart filled with awe and curiosity.
Yet, upon hearing Mo Chen's call, she steadied her mind and cautiously walked toward the giant dragon.
Confirming that Qian Renxue had grabbed hold firmly, the giant dragon let out a deafening roar and suddenly soared into the sky, darting into the distance like a streak of lightning.
At this moment, Qian Renxue's fair and tender hands gripped the hard dragon horns tightly, terrified that a single slip would cause her to be thrown off.
The biting cold wind blew past her beautiful face like a fierce beast, howling incessantly and making it almost impossible for her to keep her eyes open.
As if sensing the difficult situation Qian Renxue was in on its back, a faint layer of purple light suddenly flared up and spread rapidly, eventually forming a sturdy purple barrier that tightly wrapped around the giant dragon's massive body.
With this barrier blocking the ravages of the external gale, Qian Renxue, perched on the dragon's back, immediately felt the pressure drastically reduce, no longer looking as disheveled as before.
Now, Qian Renxue sat steadily atop the dragon's head, gently reaching out to stroke the giant dragon beneath her.
Mo Chen had once carried Ning Rongrong across the skies in this very manner.
Back then, Ning Rongrong had grabbed hold of Mo Chen's dragon whiskers with both hands, riding him just like a spirited steed as she roamed freely and to her heart's content through the sky.
The fact that Mo Chen had successfully broken through to level 81 at the age of twenty meant his astonishing talent was not the slightest bit inferior to her own, even as a genius born with innate level 20 Soul Power.
Yet what Qian Renxue found even harder to accept was that, despite the two of them being of similar age, their Soul Power was separated by a full ten levels.
Although part of the reason was that she had neglected her cultivation while carrying out missions, this massive gap in Soul Power still filled Qian Renxue with a sense of crisis.
Precisely because of this, Qian Renxue was filled with endless curiosity toward Mo Chen at this moment.
Since the massive dragon body was actually transformed by Mo Chen himself, when Qian Renxue gently stroked the dragon's head, Mo Chen could also feel that his head was being petted.
Although he felt somewhat resistant to such a sensation in his heart, Mo Chen chose not to speak up and remind her.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue indeed had other motives as well.
Her pretty eyes shifted, her red lips parted, and she asked softly, "General Mo, how do you view Spirit Hall?"
Hearing Qian Renxue's question, Mo Chen was momentarily taken aback, as if he hadn't expected her to throw out such a topic.
Before long, however, he recovered and began to seriously consider how to answer.
After a moment, he finally sorted out his thoughts and spoke slowly: "If we look at it purely from the perspective of the common people, one must admit that Spirit Hall has indeed secured quite a few benefits and rights for them. For example, they provide Soul Masters with a certain financial subsidy and awaken Spirits for ordinary commoners free of charge. Furthermore, the personnel stationed in various Spirit Hall branches often guide Soul Masters in need to acquire Soul Rings suited to themselves. Based solely on these aspects alone, I personally quite approve of everything Spirit Hall has done."
Saying this, Mo Chen paused slightly before shifting his tone and continuing, "However... my identity is, after all, that of a general of the Heaven Dou Empire. Standing behind me are tens of thousands of citizens of the Heaven Dou Empire. Therefore, no matter what, I must stand firmly on the side of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Even if a war breaks out with Spirit Hall in the future, I will still pick up the weapon in my hand and resist to the very end."
While Mo Chen thought this way, someone else thought quite differently.
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace...
"Your Majesty, Mo Chen's achievements have already outshone the ruler. He currently holds command over four hundred thousand troops. If Mo Chen harbours any disloyal intentions, I fear the Heaven Dou Empire will change hands..."