Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Wang Qiu'er pursed her lips, her stunningly beautiful face showing little expression.

"I do not have."

You did not make a mistake.

Proud as she is, this is the best explanation she can offer.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nannan immediately sneered, not giving an inch after gaining the upper hand:

"Still denying it? You just can't stand seeing Dong'er perform better than you, you just want to play the hero! And yet I said you were mine..."

Halfway through his sentence, Zhang Lexuan suddenly glared at him with a stern look.

Jiang Nannan's heart skipped a beat, and she reluctantly stopped talking. She might not be afraid of Wang Qiu'er, who had no connections at Shrek Academy, but she would never dare to challenge Zhang Lexuan's authority.

But she was still resentful. While tenderly applying medicine to the unconscious Xu Sanshi, she continued to mutter something indignantly.

Best friends?

Jiang Nannan has plenty of good friends, so she doesn't need Wang Qiu'er.

Wang Qiu'er lowered her eyelashes and stopped looking at her.

She leaned on the golden dragon spear and turned to leave. As she passed Huo Yuhao, she hesitated for a moment and asked:

"...Is he alright?"

Wang Dong'er knelt beside Huo Yuhao, tears streaming down her face, and used a small stick to pry open Huo Yuhao's lips, carefully pouring the medicine from the small bottle in her hand into them.

She didn't look up, remained silent, as if she hadn't heard Wang Qiu'er's words.

Seeing this, Jiang Nannan couldn't help but speak sarcastically, "What does their relationship have to do with you? You just want to—"

"Jiang Nannan, shut up!"

Zhang Lexuan snapped, her voice unusually harsh. This woman had always been like this, petty and narrow-minded.

This has nothing to do with her birth; it's more a matter of human nature.

Wang Qiu'er stood there, silent for a few seconds.

So that's how they see me.

They don't trust me.

Best friends.

Shrek's Glory.

Oh.

uninteresting.

The excruciating pain within her body, as if her internal organs were being burned, intensified. Yet, Wang Qiu'er felt her heart had never been so utterly cold. She closed her eyes and walked aimlessly toward the Starry Sky Forest, growing increasingly alienated from this seemingly warm world.

This isn't the way back to the hotel, is it?

Zhang Lexuan watched her desolate figure disappear at the end of the passage, frowned, and felt uneasy, wanting to find someone to follow her to check.

Just then, Xu Sanshi began coughing up blood violently again, Jiang Nannan's crying grew louder, and He Caitou slumped weakly against his wheelchair.

Zhang Lexuan pinched her brow helplessly, knowing she had no choice but to deal with the urgent matter at hand first.

We'll talk about Wang Qiu'er's matter when we get back.

on the rostrum.

Xu Tianran's gaze remained fixed on the golden figure, watching her leave alone until she disappeared at the end of the passage. His eyes flickered slightly, and he turned his head to whisper to Captain Jia of the guard team beside him:

"Have someone keep an eye on her. If necessary, provide appropriate assistance."

Captain Jia accepted the order and quietly withdrew.

……

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Captain Jia. Just let me know her location using the remote communication soul tool."

On the way back to Mingyue Hotel, Kong Tianxu listened to the report from the captain of the Royal Soul Guidance Guard and then disconnected the communication in a good mood.

Behind him, the Holy Spirit Team was walking back, chatting and laughing.

Yan Feng was in a great mood. Although there were many strong teams participating in this competition, after looking around, even a top-tier organization like the Body Sect was still far behind the Holy Spirit Sect.

Others chimed in, creating a relaxed and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Kong Tianxu smiled and said, "Then you guys go for the next match."

Everyone responded in unison, and the laughter grew even louder.

After parting ways at the intersection, Kong Tianxu went alone and turned into the intricate alleyways of the southern suburbs of Mingdu.

Ignoring the complicated access control system at the back door of the Qingse Hotel, Kong Tianxu pushed the door open and entered, bypassing the hotel's golden lobby to enter a private room, and then followed the secret passage downwards.

The underground space was brightly lit.

It was unusual to see so many people gathered here together. They dressed in different clothes and had different temperaments, but many of them exuded the cold and sinister aura unique to evil spirit masters.

There are also some new faces among them.

Recently, due to Kong Tianxu's amazing performance in the competition, a large number of young soul masters have come to join the Holy Spirit Cult.

Furthermore, after rigorous screening, those factions within the Holy Spirit Church who are absolutely loyal to Kong Tianxu have now gathered here.

Among them were Wang Chengxi, captain of the Iron Sword Sect, and Han Jian, captain of the Heavenly Armor Sect, who had fought against Kong Tianxu in the previous two matches. When they looked at Kong Tianxu on the throne, their eyes were full of longing and reverence.

For them, a new beginning and evolution are about to begin.

Kong Tianxu sat upright on the throne, looking down at the pairs of burning eyes below, and slightly raised his hand.

Holy light shone...

-----------------

While the underground gathering was in full swing, on the upper floor of the Qingse Hotel, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er had already finished their round of the Mingdu Elite Soul Mentor Competition for the night.

"You're done."

Chen An, the manager of the Qingse Hotel and also the chief referee of the branch venue of the Mingdu Soul Guidance Elite Competition, saw Huo Yuhao and quickly stepped forward to take the two baby bottles from his hands.

This is the theme of tonight's match, and also the two level-three soul tools that Huo Yuhao personally crafted. Chen An weighed the milk bottle in her hand, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes at just the right moment.

"My lord, this..."

"What are you fiddling with?" Huo Yuhao quickly snorted, feigning disdain. "Aren't these two baby bottles enough for me and my older brother to advance to the next round?"

He then lowered his voice and asked, "Have you prepared everything I asked you to do?"

"Yes," Chen An quickly lowered his eyebrows and looked obedient, and handed a document in his arms to Huo Yuhao. "According to the competition rules, the highest payouts for rare metals are all here. Please take a look."

He paused, then continued:

"But the real highlight is the finals against the other two major forces. Each of the three factions will select three Soul Masters from their respective victories for the finals. The ultimate champion will receive one percent of the total revenue from this competition from all three underground factions. They will also receive a ration of 100 kilograms of any of the 28 rare metals they can choose and combine, plus a hefty bonus of one kilogram of each of five special rare metals. The total value will be at least over ten million gold Soul Coins. If you and your brother, who is also a Level 6 Soul Master, are together, you are extremely strong contenders for the final championship. I have high hopes for you both."

Huo Yuhao waved his hand, interrupting him:

"Shut up if you shouldn't ask. Just get me some more rare metals within your authority. I can buy them. You know how much we Soul Masters need rare metals. Without enough metals, it's difficult to do experiments. And we can't go out too much normally."

Huo Yuhao participated in a sub-venue event of the Mingdu Elite Soul Mentor Competition tonight. Although he fainted due to anger and anxiety after the competition, he quickly regained consciousness thanks to his strong physique.

Moreover, his injuries weren't too serious. He could easily make two level-three milk bottles, each with a difficulty equivalent to a level-four soul tool. So when he came to participate in the competition today, he made He Caitou's portion as well.

He Caitou is in a bad situation; he's still in bed and naturally can't participate in tonight's Soul Master competition.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely collect it for you." Chen An agreed without hesitation.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he hesitated for a moment: "Sir, I have an idea. A friend of mine is a high-ranking official in charge of the storage of rare metals in Mingdu, so perhaps..."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Huo Yuhao's eyes immediately lit up.

Just as they were whispering to each other, suddenly, a small door on the side of the hall opened, and small groups of people poured out.

Huo Yuhao's mental detection was always kept active, so he naturally wouldn't miss this obvious change. He immediately and carefully probed the area with his mental energy.

He could not take his eyes off it after just one glance.

One after another, white-robed figures with distinct evil soul masters, their faces bearing a fierce, bluish-black aura, departed from all directions. Among them, one figure made his heart tremble.

"Let's go," Huo Yuhao said to Wang Dong'er.

Before leaving the Qingse Hotel, he whispered a few words to Chen An before hurriedly returning to the Mingyue Hotel.

"Yuhao, what's wrong? Has your injury flared up again?"

As they approached the Mingyue Hotel, Wang Dong'er asked Huo Yuhao in a low voice. In the previous team battle, she was in the best condition among the seven members of Shrek Academy.

Huo Yuhao gave a wry smile: "No... it's Teacher Xiaoya."

His tone noticeably lowered: "It seems my prediction was entirely correct. Now, whether for the development of the Tang Sect, or to find out the identity of the Holy Spirit Cult and rescue Teacher Xiaoya, we need to deepen our connection with this Chen An."

At this point, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh, "Teacher Xiaoya still has no clue, and Qiu'er has disappeared again. Sigh."

Upon hearing him mention Wang Qiu'er, Wang Dong'er snorted coldly and remained silent.

However, just as Huo Yuhao finished speaking, his body suddenly stiffened slightly, and his expression changed.

"Yuhao?" Wang Dong'er immediately became alert. "What's wrong?"

Huo Yuhao smiled wryly, "I suddenly feel a sense of oppression, as if something important is about to happen. And it's going to be detrimental to us."

Wang Dong'er immediately slowed down, and Huo Yuhao also activated his mental detection to the maximum range to investigate the surrounding situation.

There was nothing there; everything was perfectly normal.

However, that heavy sense of oppression never disappeared.

……

The night is dark.

Leaving the secluded hotel through the secret passage, Kong Tianxu stretched his body vigorously under the starry sky.

Sitting in a chair for several hours at a time to purify and refine other people's martial souls is truly a grueling task.

Chen An followed behind him, kneeling respectfully on the ground. Her eyes, however, were slightly vacant, like a marionette.

"What did they say from Warehouse Zero?" Kong Tianxu asked.

Chen An responded in a measured and methodical manner: