After standing there in a daze for quite some time, Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo finally remembered to step in and save someone.
Although Wu Qi held the advantage on the surface, a Spirit King was not someone he could easily handle. As their protector, Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo knew it was time to act.
"Got you!"
Wu Qi locked onto Wang Qing's trail. As the latter turned to counterattack, Wu Qi swiftly shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the incoming arrow.
Wang Qing felt bitter regret and silently made a resolution.
In the future, he would never toy with his prey again. He would strike with full strength from the start to prevent any accidents.
"Wing Blade Slash!"
Crane Cloud Wings instantly sharpened, their edges gleaming coldly under the reflection of moonlight.
Wang Qing raised his bow horizontally with his left hand to block, while Spirit Power gathered in his right, forming a flaming arrow.
At such close range, there was no time to draw the bow. Simply thrusting the condensed arrow directly into his opponent could still produce solid damage.
Unfortunately, he had misjudged Wu Qi's strength.
With the added momentum from his speed and his unique method of stacking force, the power behind Wing Blade Slash rivaled that of a strength-type Spirit Ancestor.
Crack!
A large gash was cut into the bow.
With his Spirit damaged, Wang Qing suffered backlash to his spiritual power. The flaming arrow in his hand dissipated, and he coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.
At the same time, an eagle's cry pierced the air. Before he could react, Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo descended at extreme speed and ended his life.
"Senior Golden Eagle?" Wu Qi asked in surprise.
With the strength of a Spirit Douluo, the other party's presence was impossible for him to detect while tailing them.
His appearance at this moment, however, made perfect sense.
Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo kicked Wang Qing's corpse aside and praised without reservation, "As expected of the Third Worship's disciple. To have such strength at this age. When I was twelve, I was just a clueless child."
Seeing through the bandits' scheme and then chasing down a Spirit King as a Spirit Elder, either feat alone was shocking. Together, they were almost unbelievable.
Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo was not originally part of the Worship Hall. He had been sidelined in the Pope's Hall, and only agreed to escort Wu Qi and Chang Kong when Azure Luan Douluo approached him.
Now, it seemed that choice had been very wise.
With Wu Qi's talent and intelligence, he was bound to rise to a high position within Spirit Hall in the future.
Forming a good relationship with a future top powerhouse was something no amount of gold spirit coins could buy.
Wu Qi smiled faintly and spread his hands. "Senior, you overpraise me. None of this was really my doing."
Discovering the poison in the food had been the little deer's contribution. As for chasing down a Spirit King, that was entirely due to Wang Qing's own mistakes.
He had underestimated them from the start. Once his position was exposed, he lost his composure.
Without a steady mindset, strength would inevitably be compromised in a life-and-death battle.
Thanks to Azure Luan Douluo's teachings, Wu Qi's mentality had already transformed. Even in the face of death, he could remain calm and composed.
"Senior Golden Eagle so you were here too."
Chang Kong ran over, panting heavily. Seeing that the crisis was over, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo said smoothly, "You both did well. I have high hopes for you. By the way, do you need me to deal with what's happening at the inn?"
Wu Qi shook his head.
Less trouble was better.
This area was already within Heaven Dou City's sphere of influence. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had many informants nearby. If their identities were exposed, it might attract unwanted attention.
Besides, they were not law enforcers. There was no need to risk themselves out of blind zeal.
They abandoned the carriage and traveled on foot. In just three days, they arrived at Heaven Dou City.
Unlike Spirit City, the commercially prosperous Heaven Dou City required non-locals to pay an entry fee.
They naturally had Spirit Master identification booklets. But revealing that they were twelve years old with thirty-two levels of Spirit Power might cause unnecessary trouble.
So they paid the fee honestly and, after entering the city, immediately found an inn to stay at.
Nearly six years had passed. Returning to Heaven Dou City, everything looked the same as in his memory.
For Wu Qi, however, there was nothing here worth longing for. It was no longer his home.
He felt no particular sentimentality. There were more important matters to attend to.
"When do we go meet the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou?" Chang Kong asked.
Qian Daoliu had never revealed Qian Renxue's identity. Naturally, he did not know that Xue Qinghe had been replaced.
Wu Qi thought for a moment, then asked, "Didn't you hear the rumors when we entered the city?"
"What rumors?" Chang Kong looked confused.
He had been busy admiring the city's prosperity and had not paid attention to what people were saying.
Wu Qi narrowed his eyes.
Ordinarily, he would not care about idle chatter from city residents but this time, he felt it was worth paying attention.
Heaven Dou City was thousands of miles away from Suotuo City, and the latter was not particularly famous within the empire. How had Suotuo City's name spread all the way here?
"Suotuo City…" Chang Kong searched his memory. "Isn't that the granary of the Balak Kingdom?"
Wu Qi did not deny it. "It is. But can a mere grain-producing city really attract this much praise?"
At some point, rumors had begun circulating in Heaven Dou City that Suotuo City was the most livable city on the continent, beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, and home to many powerful Spirit Master academies.
There were even agencies in Heaven Dou City specifically handling relocation to Suotuo City.
As for the first point, Wu Qi did not disagree.
As a major grain-producing region, its climate and scenery were naturally favorable. But the second claim, he found hard to accept.
Within the Balak Kingdom, Suotuo City was only the second-largest city.
In every Continental Spirit Master Tournament, teams from the Balak Kingdom had never achieved notable results.
Moreover, the Balak Kingdom's teams all came from academies in Balak City. Claiming that Suotuo City possessed outstanding educational resources was clearly far-fetched.
Could this so-called powerful academy be referring to Shrek Academy?
Furthermore, for such rumors to spread in Heaven Dou City, the source had to be someone of considerable status.
As for the motive, either to mislead certain people or to profit from relocation schemes.
Judging by the timing, it was now close to graduation season for primary Spirit Master academies. Combined with the fact that Suotuo City was home to Shrek Academy, the connection invited speculation.
Ning Rongrong, as the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, had been under Ning Fengzhi's careful protection. How could she have known about Suotuo City thousands of miles away? And how would she have learned of Shrek Academy?
At that thought, the origin of the rumors was not difficult to guess.
Wu Qi set down his luggage and walked toward the door. "Let's go. We'll visit the Crown Prince's residence."
Chang Kong did not understand the sudden shift in attitude, but hurried to follow.
Heaven Dou City was the imperial capital. Throw a brick at random and you might hit several nobles.
Even the heads of major merchant associations did not dare to act recklessly here.
On the streets, incidents of bullying and exploitation were common. How could small vendors dare offend nobles? They could only endure it.
Wu Qi was extremely displeased by this.
Heaven Dou City was still the same Heaven Dou City, the corrupt conduct of nobles remained unchanged.
He even saw members of the Wu family using their status to bully others.
As they arrived on the street where the Crown Prince's residence was located, commotion suddenly broke out at the far end.
"Make way!"
Guards from the Crown Prince's residence hurriedly cleared the street, as if something urgent had happened.
Wu Qi stepped back into a corner.
The sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed down the road.
A young girl rode on horseback, appearing to gallop freely.
"Which family's young lady is this? Even the Crown Prince's residence is giving her face?" Chang Kong muttered.
"No. The horse's breathing is short and forceful, it's clearly out of control," Wu Qi said, frowning.
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