The Martial Soul Skeleton, in Douluo Continent's Bone-Changing Susanoo

Chapter 105 The Conflict in the Locked Room

If you reveal your identity to a stranger, you must ensure that the person has 100% trust in you.

Although they had only known each other for a short time and there was a possibility of becoming sworn brothers, his identity as the young master of the Spirit Hall and the infiltration plan of the Heaven Dou were too sensitive. Even if they became sworn brothers, there was no guarantee that betrayal would not occur.

Rather than blindly trusting someone, it's better to be more prudent and use poison to firmly control their life and death.

Qian Renxue felt she hadn't done anything wrong by threatening Xia Liang with poison. What worried her was that Xia Liang's value lay in his fusion skill with her martial soul.

If they force him to take poison and control him through threats, their relationship will inevitably become strained. In that case, would it still be possible for the two of them to activate their Martial Soul Fusion Technique?

Using poison disrupts harmony, but not using poison leaves one feeling uneasy.

Not revealing your identity and waiting for others to discover it will only bring more trouble.

With a sigh of dejection, Qian Renxue simply gave up thinking and focused on meditating to cultivate her soul power.

a few days later.

late at night.

Tian Dou City, Imperial Palace.

The Crown Prince's Palace.

Following the palace maid who led the way, Xia Liang arrived at the Crown Prince's palace. After receiving permission, he pushed open the door and walked in.

What came into his view was a lavishly decorated and exquisitely furnished room.

Prince Xue Qinghe was sitting at the tea table in the center of the room.

The two had already sworn brotherhood when they came to the palace yesterday, and now they are nominal brothers.

"Brother Xue, is there something urgent that you're calling me so late?" Xia Liang asked.

"Brother, when we became sworn brothers yesterday, weren't you curious about why my Swan Martial Soul could resonate with your Skeleton Martial Soul, while Avalanche's Swan Martial Soul couldn't? Today I'll tell you the truth. Come with me."

With that, Xue Qinghe stood up and walked into the inner room.

Xia Liang followed behind, not understanding what was going on.

Before entering the palace, he used his telekinetic abilities to place several bone dragon daggers in hidden corners, so that he could use spatial teleportation to evacuate in case of emergencies. Therefore, there was no need to worry that Xue Qinghe would forcibly detain him.

Now that they are brothers, and their relationship is so clear, Xue Qinghe shouldn't do anything out of line to me.

Upon entering the inner room, a large bed covered by a golden curtain came into view.

Xue Qinghe came to the bedside and touched something. Suddenly, a gap resembling a door appeared on the left wall.

As Xue Qinghe's soul power was sensed, the crack in the door gradually solidified into a two-meter-high gate.

"Let's go." Xue Qinghe pushed open the door and went inside.

Xia Liang continued to follow behind.

The moment I stepped through the gate, it vanished as if it had never existed.

The eerie feeling heightened Xia Liang's vigilance. He followed Xue Qinghe down a dark passageway, his mind already filled with various speculations.

After turning countless corners, Xia Liang saw that the dark passageway ahead was a wall, which seemed to be the end of the passageway.

Upon reaching the end, Xue Qinghe placed his palm against the wall beside him, and the scene from before reappeared.

Suddenly, a door appeared in the thick wall. After pushing the door open, Xue Qinghe walked in with ease.

As they walked through the gate, Xia Liang discovered that the gate on the wall had disappeared again, or rather, it had been hidden in some way.

A quick glance around revealed a gleaming golden stone bed, followed by four impenetrable walls.

In the corner of the wall, there were some unusual plants and a mirror.

Xia Liang suddenly realized that this room was hidden so deep; wasn't it a secret room?

"Brother Xue, what's going on?" Xia Liang asked Xue Qinghe with a puzzled look.

Xue Qinghe smiled slightly, but the smile on his face no longer had the previous approachable quality; instead, it gave people the feeling of being cunning and calculating.

"Brother, we have already become sworn brothers, so there are some things I don't intend to hide from you."

As he spoke, Xue Qinghe's body was enveloped in a layer of golden light. He raised his left hand and reached inside his front, and with a flick of his wrist, he quickly lifted up a strange mask that extended deep into his hair.

At the same time, the golden light surrounding his body dissipated, and as his long golden hair fell to his waist, a unique woman's fragrance suddenly spread.

Xia Liang's pupils contracted in surprise. Xue Qinghe, who was standing in front of him, had completely transformed into a woman in both body shape and appearance.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with snow-white skin and wearing a golden palace dress. Compared to Xue Qinghe's approachable demeanor, her appearance was more aloof and glamorous.

Compared to Xue Qinghe's originally flat chest, hers was much firmer.

After the initial shock, Xia Liang quickly realized that the long-haired woman in front of him must be Qian Renxue, who was disguised as Xue Qinghe.

"Brother, you're surprised, aren't you? When I discovered that our martial souls could resonate, I was just as surprised as you. Because it meant that my true martial soul could be exposed at any time."

A melodious female voice rang out from Qian Renxue, "I've checked your information and know you're proficient in various theoretical knowledge. When you asked me yesterday, I guessed that you already had doubts about my martial spirit. To avoid exposing my identity and causing unnecessary trouble, I decided to explain the situation to you in this secret room."

"As you can see, I am neither a man nor Xue Qinghe. My real name is Qian Renxue. I am the young master of the Spirit Hall and the daughter of the former Pope. My purpose in painstakingly disguising myself as Xue Qinghe is simple: to inherit the throne from Emperor Xue Ye and thus control the entire Heaven Dou Empire."

At this point, Qian Renxue's already cold and beautiful face became more solemn. "Xia Liang, now you know my biggest secret, and you should also know that you've been forced onto this pirate ship. Make your stance clear: will you continue to follow me, or will you uphold your principles and oppose me, this traitor who has usurped power?"

"Qian Renxue, the young master of the Spirit Hall, the daughter of the former Pope, disguised as Xue Qinghe?" Xia Liang chuckled amusedly as he muttered, "Brother Xue, are you teasing me again?"

Qian Renxue frowned. "So, do you find it funny?"

Xia Liang shook his head, pretending to be unable to accept the truth for a moment.

"I know this is sudden, but this is the truth. My martial soul is not a swan, but an angel. What resonates with your skeleton martial soul is the top-tier light attribute from the angel."

Qian Renxue walked up to Xia Liang, and as the aura of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was intentionally released, the resonance between the two Martial Souls became increasingly intense.

"Now you should believe me, right?" Qian Renxue said, looking at Xia Liang. "I think you don't need to hesitate. Because whether it's my position as the young master of the Spirit Hall or my position as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, it's enough to help you fulfill any wish."

"Brother Xia Liang, stay by my side and help me. With the resonance between our high-quality martial souls, if we can develop a martial soul fusion skill in the future, we will surely be an invincible force on the continent."

"As your elder brother and the object of your spirit fusion, would I ever mistreat you? Money, beautiful women, status, and even any kind of spirit ring and spirit bone you need, I can give you."

After hearing this explanation, Xia Liang took two steps back, distancing himself from Qian Renxue, and feigned hesitation, saying, "Sister Xue, could you give me a few days to consider this? This is even more abrupt than when you proposed becoming sworn siblings a few days ago. I'm really a bit caught off guard."

"What do you mean by my name?" Qian Renxue glared at Xia Liang.

"Sister Xue," Xia Liang called again.

"Do I look like the youngest?" Qian Renxue questioned.

Xia Liang then realized the ambiguity in his words and explained, "Brother Xue, you misunderstood. 'Elder sister' is just how I address you as my elder brother. It doesn't mean you're old. I don't know if you're a man dressed as a woman, or if you're actually a woman?"

Qian Renxue said solemnly, "I already said, I am the young master of the Spirit Hall, the daughter of the former pope."

"From now on, should I call you Brother Xue or Sister Xue?" Xia Liang asked.

"Let's call him Brother Xue. We're sworn brothers."

Then, Qian Renxue returned to the main topic, "Brother, you can have time to think it over, but you must stay in this secret room. I will not let you out until I get a definite answer."

"Actually, there's no need to consider it." Xia Liang seemed to have figured it out and looked at Qian Renxue very seriously. "The person I follow is not the Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Empire, nor is he the young master of the Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue. He is my sworn brother."

Hearing this reply, Qian Renxue smiled with satisfaction, "Good brother, your answer is even more satisfactory than I expected. Since you have decided to follow me, in order to prevent you from betraying me and exposing my identity, please take this poison."

As she spoke, she took out a blood-red poison pill from somewhere.

Just then, Xia Liang reached forward with his left hand and actually grabbed the blood-red poison pill from Qian Renxue's hand in his own.

With a forceful squeeze of his hand, the blood-red poison pill was crushed into powder.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue frowned. "What are you doing?"

Xia Liang suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"What's so funny?" Qian Renxue asked, puzzled.

Xia Liang said with a hint of sarcasm, "Brother Xue, how did you manage to remain undetected in the palace for so many years when you're so stupid?"

"We've already become sworn brothers, and whether in the Heaven Dou Empire or the Spirit Hall, you can give me whatever I want. With a big brother like you, why would I expose your identity and plans?"

"Besides, our martial souls resonate with each other. If forcing me to take poison causes hatred between us, how can we possibly develop a martial soul fusion skill?"

After hearing this story, Qian Renxue fell silent; she had thought about this question before.

Using poison can damage harmony, but not using poison risks betrayal.

Therefore, Qian Renxue came up with two countermeasures: if the Poison Douluo's poison could not control Xia Liang, there was also the Serpent Spear Douluo secretly carrying out orders as a backup plan.

"Brother Xue, let me remind you, once you force me to take the poison, our friendship will be tainted. Treating me this way will only earn me my revenge, not my loyalty. With the benefits of our Soul Fusion Technique allowing us to communicate, why worry about betrayal?"

Only when the last word escaped her lips did the hint of anger on Qian Renxue's face disappear. She quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Did you really think that pill was poison? It was actually a cultivation resource, but you crushed it. You really can't take a joke!"

Seeing that Qian Renxue was showing signs of compromise, the barely perceptible ruthlessness in Xia Liang's eyes vanished abruptly. If he had to befriend her through coercion, he would rather perish than be led around like a dog.

"I only have time to cultivate at night, and I need to apply to Emperor Xueye before I can go on long trips. Let's just use this secret room as our place to practice our Martial Soul Fusion Technique from now on."

Qian Renxue, feeling guilty, turned her back to Xia Liang and said, "The walls of this secret room can isolate all auras. Every time you come to the palace to find me, you can take the gold token I gave you to enter the Crown Prince's Hall. I'll tell you how to enter the secret room later. As you said, we are brothers, and also soul fusion partners. What we need is to treat each other sincerely. I will not harm you."

After this compromise, the tense atmosphere between the two gradually eased. Xia Liang smiled and nodded, "Okay, Brother Xue. I won't reveal your secret either. Don't worry."

"Do you have any other questions?" Qian Renxue asked.

"Yes. Recently, I've found that the cave simulation field in the academy is no longer very effective for my soul power cultivation. I wanted to find a more suitable natural simulation field for my skeleton martial soul, and I found that Death Valley is quite suitable. However, Death Valley is the territory of the Spirit Hall. Most of the people coming and going are Spirit Hall soul masters."

At this point, Xia Liang tentatively asked, "Brother Xue, you are the young master of the Spirit Hall. Could you find a way to send me to Death Valley to cultivate? Ideally, I could cultivate there without being disturbed by other Spirit Hall Soul Masters."

Qian Renxue turned to look at Xia Liang, smiling with a hint of sarcasm. "Good brother, you really are ambitious. Just a second ago you were at my beck and call, and now you're using my status to secure cultivation resources for you?"

"Brother Xue, please don't take offense. If you feel it's inappropriate, then I won't bring it up again," Xia Liang said understandingly. "What kind of elder brother you're with determines what kind of food you eat. If even the elder brother can't do that, how dare I, as your younger brother, demand it?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say it was impossible."

After a moment's thought, Qian Renxue agreed, "Wait a few days. I will give you an Elder's Token from the Spirit Hall. With this token, you can not only freely enter and exit Death Valley, but also enter the Spirit Hall's main hall library or other facilities in any city. If any Spirit Hall Soul Masters give you trouble, just show this token, and they will definitely back down."

"Brother Xue truly lives up to his reputation as the young master of the Spirit Hall. He even managed to obtain an elder's token?" Xia Liang looked at Qian Renxue with some surprise.

Qian Renxue suddenly averted her gaze and said calmly, "If there's nothing else, you can go out now. I'm currently at level 58 in soul power, which is a crucial time for me to focus on cultivation. Once I break through the level 60 bottleneck, we'll try to refine our Martial Soul Fusion Technique. In a few days, I will come to the academy as Xue Qinghe to give you the Elder's Token."

"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer. Brother Xue, I wish you a speedy breakthrough to the level 60 bottleneck and to become a Soul Emperor." After saying that, Xia Liang passed through the stone door in the wall.

As he stepped out of the stone gate, the cracks closed, and the entire wall became airtight.

Qian Renxue sat on the golden stone bed, and only after Xia Liang left the secret room did her cold and beautiful face turn red with anger.

The poison she had just taken out was suddenly snatched away, and she was also overpowered in terms of momentum. This was the first time she had felt defeated, and the first time she had to compromise with someone else.

After adjusting her mindset, Qian Renxue sat cross-legged on the stone bed. As she entered a meditative state, she calmed down, and her resentment gradually faded.

She felt it necessary to find an opportunity to have a real battle of wits with this virtuous younger brother. If she didn't display overwhelming strength, he would think she was easy to bully.

This chapter has over 4000 words. It's a combination of two chapters.

I have to go out tonight, so I won't have time to write. I'll be able to update tomorrow.

Thank you all for your votes.

(End of this chapter)