Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

"You should go back and rest," Qian Renxue suddenly said.

Su Chen glanced at her: "You should rest too."

Qian Renxue neither refuted nor admitted anything. She simply said softly, "Wait until I finish approving these documents."

Su Chen stood up and walked to the door when he heard her call his name again from behind: "Su Chen."

He turned around.

Qian Renxue's gaze fell on his right arm, her voice devoid of emotion: "You said you'd protect everyone. Your own hand counts as one of everyone's. Don't let it become useless."

Su Chen paused for a moment, then laughed. He raised his right arm, which was secured by the soul-guided support, and shook it: "Don't worry, I'll keep both hands. One for the sword, the other for a fist, I'll use them both."

Qian Renxue's lips seemed to twitch slightly, but she quickly regained her aloof expression. She lowered her head to continue reviewing documents, no longer looking at him. Su Chen gently closed the door and walked out. As he did, the night breeze blew in from the window at the end of the corridor, carrying the cool scent of early autumn. He took a deep breath, feeling the suffocating feeling in his chest dissipate somewhat.

At least they're still moving. As long as they're moving, there's a chance.

…………

For the next three days, a tense and busy atmosphere permeated the Spirit Hall branch in Tiandou City. Qian Renxue mobilized all available combat forces within the branch, dispatching them in batches to various directions to carry out reconnaissance and node repair missions. Every day, carrier pigeons flew back from different directions, bringing back news, both good and bad. Two paralyzed nodes were successfully repaired. Three reconnaissance teams encountered patrols of the Void Cult during their searches, resulting in several small-scale clashes, with one dead and three injured. But the good news was that one of the reconnaissance teams discovered a suspicious underground entrance deep in the dense forest four hundred miles northeast of Qingfeng Valley. The entrance was surrounded by a high-intensity illusion array, and if it weren't for the fact that the Soul Saint leading the team was proficient in mental-type soul skills, it would have been almost completely overlooked.

“That’s very likely a core-level base,” Qian Renxue said at the morning meeting the next day, marking the suspicious location on the map with a prominent red circle. “But the reconnaissance team didn’t go deep; they only recorded energy fluctuation data around the entrance before withdrawing. According to their description, the illusion array at the entrance is of extremely high level, with at least a Contra-level defensive force inside.”

Su Chen stared at the red circle on the map, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. His right arm had had its outermost support removed during the third day's dressing change, leaving only a thin, long fixation strip attached to the inside of his forearm. The bone-setting plaster was working well; the broken bone had begun to heal. Although he couldn't exert himself yet, his daily activities were no longer a problem.

"When do we make our move?" Chen Hao asked, sitting on the other side of the table. He recovered faster than expected; the inherent regenerative abilities of the Sun's Will allowed his body to recover at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people. By the third day, he was already able to get out of bed and walk on his own. Although his face was still a little pale, his spirits had returned to about 80-90%.

Qian Renxue glanced at him: "No rush. We need more intelligence. If it's a core-level base inside, rushing in is tantamount to suicide. The success at Qingfeng Valley last time had many accidental factors, including me luring away some of the Title Douluos from that base, and the remaining one being countered by your Solar Will. We won't be so lucky this time."

“Then what are we waiting for?” Li Yang asked. “We’re waiting for the sealing sorcerers we sent out to return from Martial Soul City,” Qian Renxue said. “The information in that black jade talisman might contain the specific defensive layout and personnel configuration of this base. Knowing our enemy is the only way to minimize casualties.”

Li Yang remained silent for a moment, then didn't press the matter further. Everyone understood that the previous battle at Qingfeng Valley had demonstrated the perilous nature of the Void Cult's base—a place where the slightest misstep could lead to total annihilation. Qian Renxue's choice was correct.

But Su Chen noticed that when Qian Renxue said "minimize casualties," her fingers clenched slightly on the edge of the table. She wasn't concerned about herself, but about the entire team. She didn't want to see anyone else get hurt.

“I have a suggestion,” Su Chen began, drawing everyone’s attention. “While we wait for the sealing mage to return, we can do something else. Among the documents Lin Xue compiled was a list of experimental subjects, detailing all the living individuals who participated in the modification experiments. Although most are dead, twelve names are marked 'alive' or 'under observation.' If these twelve are still in the hands of the Void Cult, they are likely being held captive in some base.”

He paused. "If we can find these survivors, we might be able to get firsthand information about the base's internal structure from them. Besides, rescuing them is something we absolutely must do."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds. Lin Xue looked up at Su Chen, a flash of light in her eyes, but it quickly faded.

“The location information on the list is incomplete,” she said. “It only says ‘West District,’ without any more specific locations.”

“The Western District.” Qian Renxue repeated the word, then walked to the large map on the wall, tracing a line westward from the location of Qingfeng Valley. “The western part of the Heavenly Dou Empire is too vast. But if we combine this with the location of that suspicious underground entrance—four hundred miles northeast—the core experimental cycle table of Qingfeng Valley indicates a relocation two months later, while the records of the Western District experimental subjects were last updated half a month ago—”

Her finger stopped at one spot: "The Holy Soul Mountains. The largest mountain range in the western part of the Heaven Dou Empire, sparsely populated, with complex terrain, and rich in soul power resources. If a large-scale imprisonment and experimental base is to be established, it is the most suitable choice."

Su Chen walked over and looked at the vast area marked as the Holy Soul Mountains on the map. The mountain range stretched for hundreds of miles, with its highest peak exceeding five thousand meters in altitude and covered in snow all year round. The mountains were crisscrossed with ravines and covered with dense forests, so much so that even an army hiding inside might not be discovered.

“But the Holy Soul Mountain Range is too vast,” Su Chen said. “Even if we pinpoint this area, finding a specific base will take time. Furthermore, the depths of the Holy Soul Mountain Range are teeming with wild soul beasts, many of them over ten thousand years old; for ordinary people, going in would be suicide.”

Qian Renxue turned to face everyone: "Therefore, not everyone can go. We'll split up—I'll send an elite team into the Holy Soul Mountains to search for the experimental subjects, while the other team will continue to monitor the suspicious underground entrance, waiting for the sealing sorcerers to arrive before deciding whether to storm in. Su Chen, you, Chen Hao, and Zhang Wan will come with me to the Holy Soul Mountains. Li Yang and Lin Xue will stay here to coordinate intelligence and support from all sides."

Li Yang opened his mouth as if to say something, but after glancing at Su Chen, he ultimately remained silent. Lin Xue simply nodded quietly. (End of Chapter)