Chapter Fifty-Three: Martial Soul Resonance

The Nine Star Hall's Tian Dou City branch had now taken shape. In the reception hall, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Xue Qinghe sat in order, servants having already brought fragrant tea. Ning Fengzhi sipped his tea, quietly observing every detail of the room.

From the furnishings of this modest hall, he could tell that the master of Nine Star Hall was a person of generosity without lacking in acumen, self-confidence tempered by cautious prudence. The arrangement was neither extravagant nor wasteful, but meticulous down to every corner, leaving nothing to be criticized.

Not long after, footsteps echoed; Xiao Yu entered, accompanied by Aiolia and Milo. The three men stood as he arrived—Xiao Yu now possessed the stature to stand as their equal, thanks to the presence of two Title Douluo.

"Master Ning, Your Highness, Sword Douluo," Xiao Yu greeted warmly, bowing to them.

Their identities were clear: the refined middle-aged man in sumptuous attire was Ning Fengzhi; the tall, resilient elder in white was surely Sword Douluo, Chen Xin; and the younger man, bearing a temperament strikingly similar to Ning Fengzhi's, could only be Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe. Xiao Yu was most curious about the woman hidden beneath that disguise.

"Young Hall Master Xiao," the three replied in unison, returning the gesture.

After the exchange of courtesies, they took their seats according to rank.

Xue Qinghe got straight to the point. "Young Hall Master Xiao, the misunderstanding was caused by Yu Yuan Zhen's coercion. Several board members, including Meng Shen Ji, acted in panic and followed him without authorization. I hope you will forgive them and not hold this against them."

Xiao Yu saw no reason to expose the truth. They were all clever people; to fuss over such matters would be meaningless. He responded smoothly, "I thought so. With the wisdom of Emperor Xue Ye and the virtue of Your Highness, how could you possibly commit murder and theft?"

"Indeed," Xue Qinghe agreed quickly. "Though it was a misunderstanding, the board members are subjects of the Tian Dou Empire, and the imperial family must bear responsibility for their mismanagement."

With that, Xue Qinghe produced three black-gold cards and removed five storage soul device rings from his hand, handing them to Xiao Yu. "Young Hall Master Xiao, here are fifteen million gold soul coins and rare metals worth ten million. Consider this compensation from the Tian Dou Empire for the shock you suffered."

Xiao Yu smiled as he reached for the cards and rings. As their hands met, both felt a tremor deep within their souls—the prelude to a martial soul fusion skill. Divine-level martial souls! On this continent, there was another martial soul equal to the Six-Winged Angel!

Even after years of concealment, Xue Qinghe was visibly shaken now, her pupils contracting, mouth open as if to speak, but unable to utter a word.

"Qinghe, Young Hall Master Xiao, what is the matter?" Ning Fengzhi noticed something amiss between them and called out.

Oh no, he had forgotten Ning Fengzhi was present! Xue Qinghe felt a surge of panic, her body tensing, fearful that Xiao Yu would speak of the martial soul resonance.

Xiao Yu had reached the Soul Sect realm by age thirteen; even if Ning Fengzhi had not seen his martial soul directly, he could infer its quality. The royal family’s Swan martial soul was flashy but useless—how could it trigger resonance with a high-grade martial soul? If Xiao Yu mentioned it, Ning Fengzhi would immediately suspect her identity.

Watching the flustered Xue Qinghe—Qian Renxue—Xiao Yu’s lips twitched. The martial soul resonance surprised him, but he could handle it better than Qian Renxue, since his own martial soul originated from a deity even more powerful than the native gods of Douluo. What astonished him was that, even weakened a hundredfold and appearing only as a trace, it could still match the Six-Winged Angel.

"It’s nothing, Master Ning. I simply felt Your Highness was familiar to me. Perhaps we have met before?"

Exposing Qian Renxue would benefit Xiao Yu not at all, and would disrupt the original story, robbing him of his advantage as a foreseer. He chose to conceal it for her, smiling and winking at Xue Qinghe as he spoke.

"Indeed, I feel the same," Xue Qinghe quickly agreed. "I believe we must have crossed paths long ago."

"So it seems," Ning Fengzhi nodded doubtfully. He sensed they were hiding something, but could not press the matter, so he let it pass.

Sensing the awkwardness, Xiao Yu swiftly changed the subject. "The board members have been guests at Nine Star Hall for some time. Your Highness may take them away whenever you wish."

Xue Qinghe, recovering from the shock of the martial soul resonance, quickly thanked him. "They have inconvenienced you, Young Hall Master Xiao. I apologize for any offense."

The conversation soon turned to other topics, and the atmosphere grew harmonious once more. Seeing the imperial delegation had achieved their aim, Ning Fengzhi, who had his own designs, spoke up. "Young Hall Master Xiao, besides accompanying His Highness to ensure his safety, I do have another matter to discuss."

"Please, Master Ning," Xiao Yu replied, guessing Ning Fengzhi wished to discuss soul devices, though he did not mind letting him stew a bit to raise the price.

Ning Fengzhi cursed him inwardly, but kept his demeanor cordial. "I’ve heard Nine Star Hall possesses both offensive and defensive soul devices and sells them publicly?"

Xiao Yu nodded calmly. "That’s right. Is Master Ning interested?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "I wish to propose a business deal. The soul devices you possess are unmatched on the continent, but Nine Star Hall’s long isolation will make it difficult to establish a market. My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has businesses throughout the continent—this is no idle boast. Any city of note in either empire has a branch of ours. If you agree to cooperate, share your soul device technology for joint development, I guarantee that orders will increase tenfold within a year. You will receive forty percent of annual profits from soul device sales. What do you think, Young Hall Master Xiao?"