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Inside the hotel where the Shrek Academy group was staying
After being treated by the healing-type soul master, Yu Xiaogang was out of immediate danger.
"This old man has never seen someone so severely injured in this city before. You must be from out of town, right? Did you experience a major battle?" the Soul Elder healer asked.
Flender forced a bitter smile and nodded, explaining how Yu Xiaogang's martial soul had been severed.
"The beast martial soul was severed, and he's still alive?" the elder was astonished.
Beast martial souls were different from weapon martial souls. If a weapon martial soul was severed, at most some spiritual power would be lost, but there wouldn't be any life-threatening danger.
However, beast martial souls were integrated with the soul master's body. Severing the martial soul was like cutting off the soul master's body—survival was nearly impossible.
Flender awkwardly explained, "Perhaps Xiaogang's martial soul is special. Although it's a beast martial soul, it doesn't attach to his body and instead fights externally like a weapon martial soul."
"A beast martial soul that can fight externally?" The elder found this intriguing, but as he wasn't a scholar, he didn't press further.
Flender pointed to Ma Hongjun beside him and asked, "Master, what about my disciple here?"
The elder shook his head. "With my abilities, I can't cure him. This is a brain condition—it would take at least a Soul Sage-level healer to have any hope of curing it. Of course, since I've taken your money, I won't lie to you."
Flender quickly waved his hands. "No, no, we weren't doubting Master's words."
Afterward, he respectfully saw off the three healers.
Offending a healing-type soul master could bring unnecessary trouble. Who knew if some powerful individual owed them a favor? Rashly offending them would surely lead to significant problems.
Shrek Academy, already on shaky ground, couldn't afford any more complications.
"Xiaogang, you're finally awake!" Liu Erlong supported Yu Xiaogang's body, her excitement evident.
Flender stopped overthinking and immediately asked about Yu Xiaogang's condition.
Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept across the room, and he exclaimed in shock, "Where are Xiao San and Xiao Wu?"
"They were taken away by Lord Hao Tian. I believe they're safe now," Liu Erlong replied.
Yu Xiaogang sighed in relief and then asked where they currently were.
As they spoke, Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin rushed into the room, each holding a notice.
"What's wrong?" Flender didn't have time to ask further as his attention was drawn to the notices in their hands.
Yu Tianxin urgently said, "Principal, the Spirit Hall has punished our Shrek Academy. They've stripped us of our tournament ranking."
Flender didn't dare hesitate and quickly snatched the notice, flipping through it.
In the notice, the Spirit Hall listed multiple offenses against them, canceled their competition results, and permanently banned them from participating in future tournaments.
A thunderous crash echoed in Flender's mind, as if struck by lightning.
He staggered a few steps and collapsed onto the sofa behind him, his eyes vacant, muttering, "It's over… everything's over."
Without their ranking in the Soul Master Tournament, next year's enrollment would be impossible. The certificate of achievement issued by the Spirit Hall was now nothing more than scrap paper.
Moreover, this was only the Spirit Hall's punishment.
Once the Spirit Hall announced their crimes to the entire continent, the Tiandou Empire's Ministry of Education would undoubtedly shut down their academy.
This wasn't just about whether they'd go bankrupt anymore—it was about whether the academy could even continue to exist. For all they knew, by the time they returned to Shrek Academy, the entire property might have been razed by the Tiandou Empire.
"Damn Spirit Hall! I'll kill every one of them!" Liu Erlong roared in fury, ready to level the Spirit Hall's branch in Yangjiao City.
"Aunt Erlong, calm down!"
Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng held onto Liu Erlong's arms on either side.
Liu Erlong cursed, "How can I calm down?! With just one sentence, the Spirit Hall wants to erase all our hard work. Don't you realize how much we sacrificed for this Soul Master Tournament?!"
Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng lowered their heads.
The two of them had left their original teams to pursue the championship.
For this Soul Master Tournament, Tang San had even trained his twin martial souls, wasting the first four spirit ring slots of the Heavenly Hammer. Everyone had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this for months. Yet the Spirit Hall, with just a casual statement, wanted to strip them of their achievements—how could they accept this?
But what authority did they have to oppose the Spirit Hall? Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family wouldn't dare provoke the Spirit Hall.
"Principal, the priority now is to return to the academy. I'm afraid something will happen if we delay," Tai Long reminded.
Snapping back to reality, Flender immediately stood up. "Right, right, let's hurry back. Once we return, we can negotiate with the Tiandou Empire's Ministry of Education. If we delay, the academy's situation will become even more dangerous."
Liu Erlong cursed, "Flender, Xiaogang just woke up, and you want to rush off again? If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive you!"
"Aunt Erlong, why don't you and Uncle Xiaogang stay in the city to recover while we return to the academy with Principal Flender? If anything happens, we can use our family's influence to protect the academy for now."
---
A few days later, the Tiandou Empire's convoy entered Tiandou City in grand fashion.
Compared to when they set out, the returning group had shrunk by two-thirds.
Among them, participants like those from the Balak Kingdom had disembarked midway. Additionally, the ambush in the canyon had resulted in significant losses among the soldiers.
Before entering the city, the carriage of the Seven Treasures team was placed at the front of the convoy. As they entered, enthusiastic crowds surrounded their carriage.
"The people here are really passionate," Chen Huayu leaned against the carriage window, waving to the crowd.
Dugu Bo and Ke Jie exchanged glances, their expressions turning cautious.
If an assassin wanted to target them, blending into the crowd would be the best option—and it wouldn't be easy to detect them.
Tiandou City was already a mix of all kinds of people. No one dared to bet that there wouldn't be assassins among them.
Ning Tianchen lifted the carriage curtain to greet the crowd but kept his body inside the carriage. When Ning Rongrong tried to get out, he pulled her back and shielded her behind him.
"Brother Tianchen, isn't this being overly cautious? Tiandou City is our territory—it's very safe," Ning Rongrong said, puzzled.
Yu Die reminded, "We need to prevent trouble before it happens. Fatty, do you think sticking your head out won't get it chopped off?"
From the moment they left Spirit City, the power struggles between various factions had already begun.
Geniuses like them were bound to become targets for assassination.
Ning Tianchen pulled Chen Huayu into the carriage. "Fatty, be careful. There might be bad people in the crowd."
Chen Huayu dismissed the idea, waving his hand. "You're all being too paranoid. We haven't seen a single person on this journey—where would the bad people come from?"
As he spoke, he waved his arms around. "What kind of assassin would dare commit murder in Tiandou City? This is the imperial capital, the heart of the empire."
As soon as he finished speaking, his hands raised just in time for a surge of soul pressure to arrive, completely tearing off the roof of the carriage.
Looking up, they saw a Soul Sage with a bird-type martial soul activate their true body and hover above them arrogantly.
"Hand over the soul bones."
Chen Huayu lamented, "I shouldn't have run my mouth."
The crowd erupted into chaos, countless people rushing away, causing inevitable stampedes. The Imperial Knights and city guards of Tiandou City couldn't possibly arrive in time.
"A mere Soul Sage dares to act so brazenly!" Dugu Bo roared, his Title Douluo aura bursting forth instantly.
The carriage shattered into pieces, leaving only a flat platform. It was as if everyone was now sitting on a flatbed cart.
The Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor martial soul surged upward, swallowing the Soul Sage in one bite.
A mere Soul Sage was instantly killed.
"Wait, he's wearing the uniform of Tiandou City's city guards!" Ke Jie immediately stood up and shouted, "City guards and Royal Knights, do not approach! Anyone who does will be killed!"
The overwhelming presence of a Title Douluo pressed down on the two approaching groups.
Both groups could easily have been infiltrated by assassins. Letting them protect the group would be akin to inviting wolves into the fold.
Though confused, the city guards and Imperial Knights had no choice but to stop under the pressure of a Title Douluo.
Ke Jie and Dugu Bo stood guard on either side of the group. Ning Tianchen drove the carriage, rushing toward the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as fast as possible.
...
Before the convoy entered the city, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe had already gone ahead to the palace to meet with the emperor.
As they walked towards the Audience Hall, a messenger hurriedly ran toward the hall, repeatedly relaying the events that had occurred in the city.
"This is bad. Tianchen and Rongrong are in danger!" Ning Fengzhi turned to leave but was stopped by Sword Chen Xin.
"Fengzhi, don't lose your composure. They have Old Poison and Ke Jie with them—ordinary assassins can't escape their grasp. If it's an assassin at the Super Douluo level, even rushing there now wouldn't make a difference."
In short, every debt has its debtor. Since the assassination happened within Tiandou City during the royal reception ceremony, the imperial family must provide an explanation no matter what. Moreover, this could be an opportunity to extract some benefits from the empire.
Xue Qinghe furrowed his brows and said respectfully, "Teacher, let's go see my father. The imperial family will certainly provide an explanation for this matter."
At the same time, he was also speculating who might have ordered the assassination.
Those bold enough to commit such crimes within Tiandou City were likely either the Spirit Hall, the Hao Tian Sect, or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. The specific culprit would require further investigation.
With Sword Chen Xin by his side, enemies like Snake Spear, Porcupinefish, and Qing Luan Douluo couldn't approach him. Arrangements would have to wait until after leaving the palace.
Inside the palace, Emperor Xue Ye, who had been reviewing memorials, immediately sent people to investigate upon hearing the news.
A quarter of an hour later, the guards reported back—the assassin came from the city guard, and no infiltration into the Imperial Knights had been detected so far.
The Imperial Knights were Xue Ye's personal guards. If outsiders had infiltrated such a group, the entire palace would be unsafe.
Not only did Xue Ye breathe a sigh of relief, but Xue Qinghe's frown also eased significantly.
Over the years, he had used his authority as the crown prince to replace some members of the Imperial Knights with people from the Spirit Hall. Fortunately, these individuals still followed his orders. Had they gone to assassinate the Seven Treasures team, he would have been in deep trouble.
"Investigate thoroughly! Conduct a complete purge of the city guards!" Xue Ye's face darkened with anger as he issued the command.
"Father, I have a suggestion," Xue Qinghe bowed.
Since Ning Fengzhi was present, Xue Ye refrained from lashing out at the crown prince and waved his hand. "Speak!"
Xue Qinghe continued, "I propose that the Tiandou City Guard be completely replaced every five years. All guards must come from the military, and no one from the same hometown should be allowed. This way, even if someone harbors ill intentions, they won't dare act recklessly among strangers."
"That's actually a good idea," Xue Ye's eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing a rare smile.
Xue Qinghe cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, I cannot claim credit for this strategy. It was Ning Tianchen who suggested it to me."
"Excellent, excellent!" Xue Ye laughed heartily and turned his gaze to Ning Fengzhi. "Lord Ning, the empire must give an explanation for this matter. What do you think about granting Ning Tianchen the title of Imperial Count? As for the fief… the undeveloped land in the western part of the city shall belong to him."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. On behalf of Tianchen, I express our gratitude."
Xue Ye continued, "Lord Ning, regarding the investment in Seven Treasures Academy. The empire has decided to sponsor the academy with three million gold spirit coins annually. However, the empire has two conditions. First, the academy must add the word 'Imperial' to its name."
Aside from the large initial investment in construction, Seven Treasures Academy's monthly expenses amounted to only around 200,000 gold spirit coins. Even if the academy reached full capacity, the monthly expenses wouldn't exceed 300,000.
Most of this money went towards facility maintenance and staff salaries.
Students bore the cost of food and lodging in the academy, and this portion even generated some profit.
With the empire's sponsorship of three million gold spirit coins, Seven Treasures Academy not only wouldn't lose money but could even turn a profit.
"Your Majesty, may I ask about the second condition?" Ning Fengzhi inquired.
Xue Ye: "The second condition is simple. Seven Treasures Academy must establish a 'Tiandou' class. All students in this class must serve the empire after graduation. The number of students in this class doesn't need to be large—around forty will suffice."
The academy already had two "Seven Treasures" classes, whose graduates would join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Together, these two classes currently had over ninety students. Adding a Tiandou class would inevitably draw some talented students toward the Tiandou Empire.
After pondering for a moment, Ning Fengzhi agreed.
He understood the principle that greed leads to indigestion.
An influx of so much talent into the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would surely provoke envy from other factions. Letting the Tiandou Empire take a share of the pie would strengthen cooperation between the two powers. Additionally, if trouble arose in the future, the Tiandou Empire would stand by their side.
With this matter settled, Ning Fengzhi continued discussing his experiences at the Spirit Hall.
---
Inside the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect
Gu Rong led everyone through the admission procedures, while Ke Jie returned to Seven Treasures Academy and personally delivered the graduation certificates to the group.
Dugu Bo didn't stay long in the sect. Following Ning Tianchen's suggestion, he stayed in the city to search for traces of the assassins.
"A major incident has occurred in the city. There are likely still many assassins hiding here. For the next few days, none of you are allowed to leave until all the assassins are captured," Gu Rong said gravely.
Ning Tianchen stretched lazily. "Alright, this way we can spend more time together."
"Xiaotian, stay in the sect for now. Once Elder Feng arrives, he'll take you back."
Oscar asked, "Elder Bone Douluo, may I train with the battle soul masters?"
Gu Rong sneered. "You're an auxiliary-type soul master. Training with battle soul masters? That's absurd!"
After some explanation, he reluctantly assigned Oscar to the youth training group.
Aside from the intensive six-year training program starting at age six, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect also had a relatively loose training period for youths. Students had flexible schedules—they could attend whenever they wanted.
"Zhuqing, if you've made up your mind, follow me." With that, Gu Rong headed toward the back mountain.
This time, Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate and followed him.
During the Soul Master Tournament, she had completely severed ties with the Star Luo Zhu family.
Later, disciples arranged accommodations for Yu Die and others. Chen Huayu went home to boast about his achievements to his parents.
Later that evening, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Chen Xin returned to the sect. Shortly after, they summoned Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong to the council hall.
"Some people have already lost patience, Tianchen. You should carefully consider Prince Qinghe's proposal," Ning Fengzhi said.
If someone dared to assassinate Ning Tianchen while he was with Xue Qinghe, it would be equivalent to assassinating the crown prince of the empire.
Though the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was powerful, its influence paled compared to the two empires. No one would dare offend the Tiandou Empire lightly.
Ning Tianchen nodded. "Uncle Ning, I'll consider it carefully. However, for now, I'll train with Grandfather for a while and won't leave the sect."
As he spoke, he took out the soul bone he had exchanged from his soul tool. "By the way, Uncle Ning, this leg soul bone I exchanged with Lord Huo grants flight capabilities. I believe it's very suitable for Rongrong, so she should absorb it."
"Big Brother Tianchen, I don't want it," Ning Rongrong shook her head.
The fifty-thousand-year soul bone Ning Tianchen had given her was of high quality. Accepting another soul bone made her feel uneasy.
Ning Tianchen shrugged. "My sword wings already grant flight capabilities, so this soul bone is useless to me. Rongrong, you need protection. This soul bone will greatly benefit you."
Ning Rongrong continued to decline.
After a moment of silence, Ning Fengzhi said, "Rongrong, accept it."
"I'll collect soul bones on behalf of the sect. If we find something suitable in the future, we'll give it to Tianchen then."
After some discussion, Ning Rongrong finally accepted the soul bone.
Later, she tried to return the fifty-thousand-year skull bone to Ning Tianchen, but he refused to take it.
In the end, Ning Rongrong absorbed both soul bones, and the skull bone from Shi Nian was handed over to Ning Fengzhi.
"Uncle Ning, I'd like to form a special operations team led by Zhang Erhe. This team's role would be to secretly eliminate obstacles for the sect. What do you think?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "You've contributed greatly to the sect, and Uncle doesn't have much to reward you with. Form this team as you see fit, and the sect will allocate funds specifically for it."
Pausing, he added, "However, this team must not act recklessly. They must be strictly disciplined. Given the volatile situation on the continent, we can't afford to make enemies everywhere."
Ning Tianchen gave his assurance.
Next, Ning Fengzhi handed over the imperial decree and rewards to Ning Tianchen.
With this, he now owned a private plot of land.
In the future, it would be much more convenient for him to conduct certain activities.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you, Uncle Ning. His Majesty has decided to shut down Shrek Academy. Though the land is private property and will be auctioned off, we still need to pay some compensation."
"What kind of business do you think we should pursue there?"
It was clear that Ning Fengzhi was quite interested in that piece of land.
After all, it was in the city center—a prime location not to be missed.
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