Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Qian Daoliu—Could Qian Renxue Have a Twin?
Qian Daoliu was puzzled.
After years of investigation, he had confirmed that aside from the Qian Clan, there were no other members of the Angel lineage.
And Qian Renxue was the only remaining descendant of their family.
He had even looked into the possibility that one of their ancestors had strayed elsewhere or searched his own past for any fleeting encounters he might have overlooked.
For twelve whole years, he had poured endless time and effort into uncovering the truth—only to find nothing.
Beyond that...
He felt guilty toward Qian Renxue. Her life had been far too turbulent.
But everything he had done was to pave the way for her to inherit the Angel God's position.
Yet, after all these years, there was still a trace of remorse in his heart.
He had failed to uncover the identity of the Angel God's new successor.
"Sigh…"
"Now the Angel God is telling me to find the successor... But how am I supposed to do that?"
Qian Daoliu let out a deep sigh.
He had been searching for twelve years.
Not a single clue.
He had been certain that the Angel God's statue must have made a mistake. But now, it seemed that the Angel God was right—the mistake was his.
Yet, if the Angel lineage had no other members, then Qian Renxue should have been the successor.
After all, his son, Qian Xunji, had only ever been with one woman—Bibi Dong.
But now that Qian Renxue wasn't the successor, where exactly was the problem?
Could it be that…
Bibi Dong had given birth to more than just Qian Renxue back then?
Qian Daoliu's entire body trembled. He suddenly recalled that when Bibi Dong gave birth to Qian Renxue, she had insisted on delivering the child alone.
Which meant… there had been plenty of room for manipulation.
Realizing this, Qian Daoliu took a deep breath.
Had Bibi Dong really only given birth to one child?
He had to find out.
…
Time passed quickly.
In Heaven Dou Imperial City, the Soul Master Tournament was about to hold its grand opening.
As the most prestigious competition in the soul master world, it attracted far more than just soul masters.
From the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to nobles and even commoners, everyone saw this tournament as a grand festival to revel in!
A full month before the opening ceremony, all the tickets had already sold out.
Emperor Xue Ye had spared no expense for this event.
Aside from preserving the VIP seating in the Battle Arena, the entire competition venue had been expanded and remodeled to accommodate a hundred thousand spectators at once.
By early morning, before the gates had even opened, a massive crowd had already gathered outside the tournament venue.
Of course, it was far too early to enter.
But that didn't matter—these spectators weren't just here for the matches; they wanted to see the young soul masters participating in the tournament!
After all, the total number of soul masters across the continent barely exceeded six figures. And this competition was the best place to see them all gathered in one place.
Among the crowd were many lovestruck young women, hoping to capture the hearts of male soul masters with the least amount of clothing possible.
Marrying a soul master was the dream of every ordinary girl on the continent.
There were also middle-aged soul masters among them, reminiscing about their own student days.
The Soul Master Tournament allowed any soul master under twenty-five to participate.
Naturally, it drew the attention of the entire world.
Even the nobles hoped to find talented soul masters in this tournament to recruit for their own benefit.
"So… so many people!"
Shui Bing'er couldn't help but gasp.
She had never seen such an enormous crowd before.
"This is the very center of the soul master world right now, of course there are a lot of people," Xue Tianyu laughed, walking proudly through the passage reserved for competing teams by the Heaven Dou Empire.
On either side of this passage, guards kept the crowd at bay.
The entire Tianshui Team, aside from Xue Tianyu, was made up of beautiful women.
Alongside Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Xue Wu, there were also several other beauties personally chosen by Xue Tianyu.
He had been training the Tianshui Team for a long time.
Even without him, their combat strength was still formidable.
Soon, they passed through the tournament gates and entered Tianshui Academy's designated rest area.
To ensure that participating teams could rest properly and maintain peak condition, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had constructed a vast and spacious resting area.
With over a thousand spots available, the area was divided according to academies, ensuring that all teams could rest without disturbing each other.
Xue Tianyu led the Tianshui Team's beauties to their assigned space, waiting for the opening ceremony to begin.
…
"Soon, the first-round drawing will take place," Xue Tianyu addressed his team. "Whether or not we have a match today, there's one thing I need to make clear."
By now, Xue Tianyu was the undisputed core of Tianshui Academy. When he spoke, all the girls instinctively stopped what they were doing and listened attentively.
"This tournament isn't just a competition—it's also a trial for all of you," he continued, sweeping his gaze over each member of the team. "Under normal circumstances, I won't intervene. You'll have to handle things yourselves. Understood?"
The girls nodded.
They knew that whenever Xue Tianyu took action, it was absolute devastation. And such a shocking display was best saved for the final rounds.
So they had been training hard, determined to keep Xue Tianyu as their hidden trump card until the end.
At that moment, an announcement echoed throughout the venue, calling all participating academies to the opening ceremony.
The atmosphere was electric, with the host hyping up the crowd.
Finally, during the last segment of the ceremony, the master of ceremonies on the VIP platform announced, "Now, let us welcome His Majesty, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, to declare the tournament officially open!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
Clad in a robe of crimson and gold, Emperor Xue Ye slowly stood. His sharp brows and star-like eyes exuded an aura of power without anger.
"I, Xue Ye, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire, the host of this grand event, hereby declare—let the tournament begin!"
The audience roared with cheers and applause.
Once Emperor Xue Ye took his seat, the master of ceremonies immediately announced, "Now, we begin the first-round drawing!"
Before long, the matchups were revealed.
Xue Tianyu hadn't expected his team to compete on the very first day.
Tianshui Academy vs. Blazing Academy!
"Seems like we got lucky," Xue Tianyu chuckled.
As a team specializing in water and ice, Tianshui Academy had no fear of Blazing Academy.
Their victory in this first match was practically guaranteed.
The opening matches proceeded swiftly.
Before long, it was time for Tianshui Academy and Blazing Academy to take the stage.
"Would both teams please enter the arena!"
At the referee's command, the Blazing Academy team stepped onto the platform first.
Their vice-captain, Huo Wu, led the way.
She was incredibly beautiful—normally, she would have been the brightest star on the field.
Unfortunately, her opponents were the girls of Tianshui Academy.
As the Tianshui Team entered, the male audience erupted into deafening cheers.
The famed Tianshui Beauty Squad truly lived up to its name!
However, sharp-eyed spectators soon noticed something unusual.
"Wait… why is there a guy among the Tianshui beauties?"