Douluo Continent: Reversing Yin and Yang, the Haotian Palace and the Angel Sect

"It's good that you're alright." Xue Qinghe nodded, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then casually changed the subject, "Speaking of which, seeing your outstanding talent, you must come from a family with a strong academic tradition. I wonder... how is your father's health lately?"

These words immediately set off alarm bells in Qian San's mind.

His background and origins have always been an absolute secret. The seemingly casual greeting from the crown prince had touched a nerve with him.

Qian San's expression remained unchanged, but countless solutions had already flashed through his mind. He lowered his eyes slightly and cautiously replied, "Your Highness is too kind. My father has always been elusive and mysterious, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. As a junior, I also have no idea whereabouts or current situation of him."

Xue Qinghe took in Qian San's tense expression at that moment.

She understood; it seemed her father hadn't revealed her true identity to her younger brother when he was making his plans. But it didn't matter. Since her father had chosen to conceal it, he must have his reasons, and she didn't need to expose him now.

"I see." Xue Qinghe smiled gently, not dwelling on the topic any further, and instead inquired whether Qian San had encountered any difficulties in his cultivation, and what his thoughts were on the upcoming competition.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xue Qinghe got up to take his leave, without showing any further intentions.

Watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, Qian San felt bewildered. Had His Highness come today merely to offer empty words of concern? However, gaining the favor and attention of the Imperial Heir Apparent was ultimately not a bad thing for the current Second Team.

……

Meanwhile, deep within the Sunset Forest, lies the eye of both ice and fire.

A whooshing sound came from the air. Qian Xunji, carrying Xiao Huangtian, landed steadily beside the spring where red and blue waters intertwined.

At this moment, Qian Xunji had a small, transparent water tank, about the size of a palm, condensed from pure spatial power, attached to his jade belt. Inside the tank, the originally enormous golden dragon carp had been compressed into a tiny goldfish no longer than a finger, swimming happily around.

"Wow! Is this land? What's that green stuff? Seaweed? Oh dear, what's that winged fish flying in the sky?"

The golden dragon carp had lived in the deep sea for 100,000 years, and this was the first time it had seen the outside world. It lay on the edge of the tank, its big eyes darting around through the transparent walls, its mouth chattering incessantly like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Qian Xunji chuckled and flicked his finger on the surface of the water tank: "Shut up, or I'll throw you into this red hot spring to make fish soup."

Even though the Ice and Fire Dragon King had disappeared, its lingering power would not dissipate for some time. The Golden Dragon Carp sensed the terrifying extreme attributes of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and was so frightened that it quickly covered its mouth with its two whiskers, shrank to the bottom of the water and spit bubbles, and dared not make a sound anymore.

Qianxun turned her head and looked at Xiaohuangtian standing beside her.

After all the travel and absorbing 100,000-year soul rings, Huang Tian, ​​though still a delicate and beautiful young girl in appearance, now has a soul power fluctuation that has steadily stabilized at level 55.

"The environment here is exceptionally beautiful, nurturing countless rare and precious medicinal herbs," Qianxunji said to Huangtian, pointing to the colorful and exotic plants surrounding the spring.

"Your bloodline is of an extremely high level. Ordinary immortal herbs might be useless to you, but there are bound to be a few here that can resonate with you. Go and explore, follow the guidance of your bloodline, and try to consume the immortal herbs you need."

Huang Tian looked at the rare and precious materials scattered on the ground, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She could sense that there were indeed some that she needed.

"And what about you?" Huang Tian asked, looking up.

"I can't stay here with you for long." Qian Xunji looked towards the distant horizon.

"The divine trials I undergo still need to continue. You can stay here in seclusion and reflect. If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, contact me anytime through the mark."

Little Emperor nodded obediently. Since the two were allies and lovers, she naturally didn't feel awkward at all.

She turned and took a step forward, relying on the Dragon King's intuition, and plunged into the cluster of immortal herbs to seek her own opportunity.

Seeing that Huang Tian had begun his seclusion, Qian Xunji was not idle either.

He walked slowly along the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his gaze carefully examining the rare medicinal herbs. While Qian San and the other youngsters might have good talent, who would complain about being stronger?

"Since we want to cultivate our own team, we can't be stingy."

Qian Xunji used both hands to pick several immortal herbs, sorted them, and put them into his storage soul tool, preparing to send them to them when he had the chance.

After doing all this, Qian Xunji lowered his head and glanced at the little goldfish in the water tank at his waist, which was staring at him expectantly.

"I'll reward you for being quite clever in leading the way."

The golden dragon carp's eyes lit up, and it swallowed the dragon blood grass in one gulp. In an instant, the golden scales on its body shone brightly, and the true dragon bloodline within its body actually felt a slight stirring of purification.

"This feels so good! I could never have something like this in the ocean, waaaaaah..." The golden dragon carp rolled around excitedly in the tank, two lines of grateful tears mingling with the water.

"From now on, I will be the most loyal little fish under our ancestors' command!"

Qian Xunji shook his head and chuckled, then slowly sat down cross-legged. Before leaving Tiandou City to begin the Divine Trial, he also needed to adjust his condition to its peak.

........

The smoke of the preliminary rounds at the Heavenly Battle Arena gradually dissipated.

Unlike their previous smooth and triumphant progress, Shrek Academy's journey in this preliminary round was fraught with difficulties, and it could even be said that they were severely battered and bruised.

Without the help of the magic herb, the Shrek team's weaknesses were completely exposed when facing the Five Elemental Academies.

The most embarrassing match was against Blazing Academy. They chose to concede defeat outright.

The reason is simple: in this life, Tang San has never been to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, nor has he consumed the Eight-Cornered Mystic Ice Grass or the Blazing Apricot Blossom. His Blue Silver Grass has absolutely no fire immunity.

Under the flames of Blazing Academy, ordinary plant-type martial souls would ignite upon contact with the fire. A direct confrontation would not only be futile, but would also provide the perfect fuel for the opponent's fire-attribute soul skills, potentially leading to widespread burns for everyone. To conserve his strength, Tang San could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, choosing to avoid battle.

Not only in the Blazing Fire, but also in the subsequent high-intensity battles, facing the continuous freezing control of the Tianshui Academy and the fierce winds and rain that dominated the sky of the Shenfeng Academy, the Shrek team, even with all its members out in action and all its trump cards, still suffered two defeats.

However, despite losing to the three major elemental academies in succession, the Shrek Academy team managed to secure all their victories against other ordinary high-level soul master academies without any major setbacks.

Ultimately, they barely secured their qualification spot by remaining on the edge of the standings and successfully advanced.