Chapter 15: The Aura of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

The next morning, the four of them appeared punctually in the dining hall, calmly and orderly having breakfast.

Once they had eaten most of their meal, Ning Fengzhi finally spoke up:

"Xiaodong, Qinghe sent a letter last night. He mentioned you in it. Would you like to take a look?" With that, he handed over the letter.

Wang Dong reached out to take it and, together with Ning Rongrong who had come closer, began reading.

"Ah, Prince Brother isn’t coming after all?" Ning Rongrong asked after finishing the letter.

Ning Fengzhi took a sip of tea and nodded in response.

After reading, Wang Dong returned the letter to Ning Fengzhi.

The letter not only explained Qinghe’s absence but ended with a plea, noting that he was mischievous and asking Ning Fengzhi to take good care of him.

Hmph!

A liar, indeed! And slandering him in the letter!

As he thought this, Ning Fengzhi’s gentle voice came to his ear: “Xiaodong, you’re at the age to start schooling. Have you ever attended the family’s academy before?”

Wang Dong shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

Before Ning Fengzhi could say more, Ning Rongrong interjected:

“Xiaodong, why don’t you come with me to the sect’s beginner soul master class?”

“No need. What can those old folks in the beginner class teach? I’ll teach Xiaodong myself. Rongrong can learn from Fengzhi. That will suffice,” Chen Xin disapproved.

Ning Fengzhi sighed helplessly. “Sword Uncle, I usually have to manage sect affairs. I’m afraid I won’t have enough time.”

“Then both of them should come with me! I’ll make sure to train two more titled Douluos,” Chen Xin quickly proposed a solution.

Just then, Wang Dong’s voice came from the side.

“But, given our current soul power levels, shouldn’t we have already graduated from the beginner class?”

Both Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were taken aback, and Ning Fengzhi immediately asked, “Xiaodong, what level is your soul power now?”

Did they not know?

Wang Dong answered, “Level 29.”

What?

Six years old?

Level 29?

The three of them, including Ning Rongrong, widened their eyes at once, their gazes fixed on him.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Wang Dong asked in confusion.

“A genius! A true genius!” Chen Xin couldn’t help but exclaim.

After some thought, Wang Dong addressed Ning Fengzhi again:

“Uncle Ning, thank you for your kindness, but I have my own way of training. I’d rather not go to the academy.”

“I won’t go either!” Ning Rongrong’s voice piped up beside him.

“With the strength Rongrong and Xiaodong have, they really aren’t suited for the academy anymore.”

The matter was temporarily settled.

After breakfast, Wang Dong and Ning Rongrong followed Chen Xin down to the basement.

The moment Wang Dong saw the corpse of the Mighty Spirit Ape, his steps halted, and his pupils involuntarily dilated.

The ape’s body was covered with patches of snowflakes, and the wounds had already crystallized into ice.

“Xiaodong? What’s wrong?”

Chen Xin’s voice brought him back to his senses.

Wang Dong didn’t respond but slowly walked over to the corpse, closed his eyes, and reached out to carefully feel the residual soul power.

After a moment, his fingers clenched involuntarily.

A truth he was reluctant to admit, yet backed by undeniable evidence, lay before him.

This was the aura of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

If he remembered correctly, during the Sea God Fate event, Huo Yuhao had personally said his second martial soul was the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

“Xiaodong, did you sense something?” Chen Xin’s concerned voice came again.

Wang Dong was silent for a moment before saying, “There’s the aura of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion here.”

Chen Xin’s heart skipped a beat. “Is that the one ranked seventh among the top ten ferocious beasts, one of the three great kings of the Extreme North?”

Wang Dong nodded.

Ning Rongrong asked curiously, “Grandpa Sword, how do you know the rankings of soul beasts?”

“Over twenty years ago, the Spirit Hall took the lead, with the assistance of two great empires, to establish a specialized soul beast research institution. The data comes from there.”

Wang Dong hadn’t expected soul masters from tens of thousands of years ago to have studied soul beasts so deeply.

Since that was the case, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion should be in the Extreme North. How could it appear in the Star Dou Great Forest? How could it use a century-level soul beast to attack them?

If it were truly in the Extreme North, where did the residual soul power on the Mighty Spirit Ape’s corpse come from?

Could it be that Yuhao also died and came here with him from ten thousand years ago?

Wang Dong dared not think further. He took a few steps back and fled the basement as if escaping.

“Xiaodong—”

Ning Rongrong hurriedly called after him but was stopped by Chen Xin.

“Rongrong, everyone has their secrets. Let Xiaodong calm down on his own.”

No one knew how long passed before Wang Dong finally stopped.

Looking out, he could see the entire Seven Treasures City.

Only then did Wang Dong realize this must be the summit of the mountains behind the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

Exhausted from running, he sat down right there, gazing at the myriad colorful blocks below. For a moment, his entire mind relaxed.

As his breathing gradually steadied, Wang Dong wondered why he had run away just now.

He wasn’t sure if Rongrong and Grandpa Sword had noticed anything.

Perhaps he should personally visit the Extreme North to put his doubts to rest.

Having figured this out, Wang Dong leaned against a low stone nearby, watching the clouds drift across the sky, feeling the fresh air, and his mood steadily calming.

“Tsk, I thought a certain coward was going to find a quiet place to cry,” a familiar voice sounded.

Without turning his head, Wang Dong knew exactly who it was.

The other, seeing him ignore the greeting, wasn’t offended and lay down on the stone beside him.

“You liar, didn’t you say you weren’t coming?” Wang Dong still had his eyes closed but spoke to the newcomer.

Perhaps from running so fast earlier, his voice was still a little hoarse.

Xue Qinghe didn’t answer the question but instead asked:

“Did you already know I’m a girl?”

Wang Dong suddenly opened his eyes, surprised at how calmly he stated it.

He softly responded with a “Hmm,” then asked:

“You admit it like that. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell others?”

Xue Qinghe looked straight at the sun. “No, I trust you.”

“Why?” Wang Dong asked faintly.

In the Douluo Continent, a girl could not become the prince. Why would he disguise himself as a boy and assume the identity of the prince?

Was he from the Heavenly Dou Empire?

Or did he have another identity?

Xue Qinghe didn’t know why, but the moment he saw this little boy, he felt a strange fondness and an inexplicable trust.

He wanted to recite to him the words he could not speak aloud.

“Do you know the current state of the continent?” Xue Qinghe didn’t answer directly but wanted to hear Wang Dong’s thoughts.

...

End of chapter.

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