Douluo Continent: Starting with the Fire-Breathing Dragon Martial Soul!

Chapter 102 "Snow Clears the River", Banquet Invitation

The group entered the spacious living room of the Dugu residence and took their seats.

Lin Mo didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to Dugu Bo, who was sitting in the main seat, asking directly, "Senior, are you free recently? I would like to trouble you to take me to the Soul Hunting Forest."

His voice carried a hint of urgency.

Lin Mo had started preparing for his fourth spirit ring long ago, whether it was the whale glue that could improve physical fitness or the longing dew that could enhance mental strength.

All of this can be said to have been preparations for this scene.

Unlike others, Lin Mo had long planned to absorb his first ten-thousand-year spirit ring at the position of his fourth spirit ring.

Compared to hundred-year or thousand-year soul rings, ten-thousand-year soul rings represent a qualitative leap.

Not only does it provide a much larger amount of soul power, but the power of the accompanying soul skills will also be greatly enhanced.

At the same time, a ten-thousand-year soul ring will further solidify the soul master's foundation, allowing them to walk a smoother path in the future.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

However, upon hearing this, Dugu Bo slowly shook his head. He picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and then looked at Lin Mo, his tone tinged with helplessness, "Taking you on a soul hunt is no problem, but it will probably be a few days later. Your acquisition of your fourth soul ring will probably have to be put on hold for a few days."

Lin Mo paused, frowned slightly, and asked in confusion, "A few days later? Is it because you've been busy lately, Senior?"

"It's not my business." Dugu Bo put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "I just received a message from Xue Xing. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is hosting a banquet and specifically asked to see you. The time is set for tomorrow night."

"Crown Prince Xue Qinghe?" Lin Mo's heart sank.

The thing I was worried about still happened.

Almost instinctively, he made one last attempt, his voice tinged with a hint of wishful thinking, "Senior, this banquet—can I skip it?"

Dugu Bo looked at Lin Mo's obviously resistant expression and couldn't help but chuckle, then shook his head again.

"This time it really won't work."

Dugu Bo's tone was firm, leaving Lin Mo no room for maneuver. "I saw that you really didn't want to accept Prince Xuexing's previous invitations, so I helped you decline them. I only asked you to accept the first one."

But this time is different; this is a verbal order from Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, which also represents the will of the Heavenly Dou Empire's royal family.

He paused, looked at Lin Mo, and earnestly advised, "Xue Qinghe is, after all, the future emperor of the Tiandou Empire. We cannot disrespect him under any circumstances."

Dugu Bo also understood the reasons for Lin Mo's refusal.

He knew that Lin Mo was indeed afraid of trouble, and especially unwilling to waste too much time on interpersonal relationships and the intricacies of dealing with these powerful people.

In Dugu Bo's view, Lin Mo seemed to prefer to spend every minute and second cultivating and improving his strength.

Therefore, Dugu Bo saw the previous invitations from Prince Xuexing and did indeed help him turn them down, only allowing Lin Mo to show his face once at the very beginning.

But this time, the other party is the Crown Prince, whose status is completely different, so it would be really unreasonable to refuse again.

Hearing Dugu Bo's affirmative answer, Lin Mo remained silent for a moment, and finally could only sigh helplessly and nod.

"I understand." His voice was clearly tinged with frustration. "Then—go."

Despite this, he felt deeply troubled.

He really didn't want to go unless he absolutely couldn't refuse!

Compared to the simple, brutal, and almost cult-like "Xuanwu Gate" succession system of the Star Luo Empire's royal family, the situation in the Heaven Dou Empire was more complicated and dangerous in his view.

The seemingly纨绔 (wán kù, spoiled and dissolute) Fourth Prince Xue Beng, who is actually feigning ignorance just to survive; and the outwardly gentle and refined Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who is actually an imposter secretly replaced by Qian Renxue, the young master of the Spirit Hall—

And then there were the other princes who died tragically due to various "accidents".

It can be said that the predicaments faced by the heirs of the royal families of these two great empires are quite troublesome.

The only difference is that Xingluo tends to focus on naked martial arts battles, while Tiandou places more emphasis on subtle and intriguing literary battles.

But the cruel commonality is that the winner takes all, while the loser can't even save their life.

The intricacies here are far too complex, and the waters are too murky and deep.

Lin Mo knew very well what Qian Renxue, who was disguised as "Xue Qinghe," was planning.

Their ambitions are grand; they intend to deceive everyone and seize control of the Heavenly Dou Empire from its very foundation.

That's why Lin Mo didn't want to get too involved with them.

He only wanted to cultivate diligently, continuously improve his strength, and seek that sliver of possibility of immortality; he did not want to be drawn into this political vortex that could crush him for the time being.

Having learned his lesson, he now avoids such lively gatherings whenever possible.

However, he could hardly find any plausible reason to refuse.

He was, after all, a student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, which was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. The academy's dean was even the current Emperor Xue Ye himself.

Now that the heir appointed by Emperor Xueye and the future emperor of the empire has specifically requested to see him, a mere student, what reason or confidence does he have to refuse?

Moreover, this time the invitation was extended by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, not Prince Xue Xing, who could previously be shielded by his relationship with Dugu Bo.

Faced with this crown prince, Dugu Bo's shield was clearly no longer effective.

Now it seems he has no choice but to go.

Lin Mo raised his hand and rubbed his temples, trying to suppress the lingering helplessness and vigilance.

He looked at Dugu Bo, trying to make his tone sound calm: "Senior, I'll still need to trouble you with the banquet arrangements. Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"It's good that you've come to your senses." Dugu Bo's expression softened considerably when he saw that Lin Mo had agreed. It was naturally the best thing that Lin Mo was willing to go.

He waved his hand and said, "No need to prepare anything special, just be there on time, and be a little more polite in your words and actions."

His Highness the Crown Prince probably just wants to meet you, the student hailed as the most talented student since the academy's founding.

"As soon as the banquet ends, I will take you to the Star Dou Great Forest and help you find the most suitable ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Lin Mo nodded and didn't say anything more.

However, the anticipation he felt for obtaining the ten-thousand-year soul ring had been somewhat diminished by the anticipation of the banquet that would begin the following night.

He only hoped that this banquet would be just a simple meal and a formality, as Dugu Bo had said, which would be the best outcome.

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