There's no denying that the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is truly a noble academy, with impressively simulated environments.
It boasts not only environments tailored for plant-type soul masters, but also environments for elemental martial spirits and even some designed specifically for beast-type martial spirits.
Plant-type soul masters generally train in areas with rich life energy, places highly suitable for plant growth and perfectly compatible with plant martial spirits.
Simulated environments for beast martial spirits resemble spirit beast forests, though they only contain ordinary or non-aggressive spirit beasts. For someone like Dai Mubai with a White Tiger martial spirit, only in such an environment can the kingly dominance of the White Tiger be fully unleashed.
As for elemental martial spirits, their simulated environments are relatively straightforward, featuring elemental settings like ice, fire, water, and so on.
In contrast, Yang Xiong preferred the gravity-enhanced simulated environment. Yes, the academy even had a separate gravity field. Though soul masters mainly trained in gravity control there, it included various strength-training equipment. However, no one had really thought about meditating under such pressure.
Moreover, the gravity-enhanced environment was relatively crude, it simply increased pressure using some type of mineral, unlike a Soul Sage's precise gravity manipulation. It was a brute-force method to enhance strength.
In the soul master world, it's commonly believed that meditation requires a quiet and isolated environment to be most effective. That's why even though the gravity zone existed, most who used it were strength-type soul masters.
Only three days had passed, and already the Shrek students and teachers were clearly very pleased with Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Smiles could be seen all around.
Yang Xiong, though born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, had only been a low-level student and had never experienced the inner workings of the clan's simulation environments, so he wasn't very familiar with them.
By comparison, the Shrek teachers' methods seemed quite rough. Everyone still trained with weighted loads and engaged in some battle training. Most of the time, they focused on self-cultivation. After all, they were largely unfamiliar with these simulated environments, clearly a bit unsophisticated in that regard.
That day, the group once again gathered in the cafeteria. The eight of them ordered a large table of food. After just three days, all the initial awkwardness had vanished, especially for Ma Hongjun, who was now completely unrestrained.
The Heaven Dou Academy's cafeteria was the most crowded place on campus, yet it was still exceptionally luxurious—comparable to a high-end hotel.
Some of the boys had begun revealing their true colors, particularly Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who both liked to comment on the beautiful girls they saw, lacking any hint of noble decorum.
If Dai Mubai still maintained some aloofness and dignity, Ma Hongjun was a complete lecher. His eyes were practically glued to every pretty girl he saw.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy lived up to its noble reputation, handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere. Perhaps due to their soul master training, the girls all looked stunning, especially with impressive figures. Yang Xiong hadn't seen a single overweight female soul master.
The noble girls were particularly adept at dressing up. Even in school uniforms, they looked curvaceous and attractive. Since the academy accepted students between twelve and twenty-five years old, every type of beauty could be found, whether cute or mature. It was like heaven on earth.
Before Yang Xiong could enjoy the view for long, a sharp pain struck his waist. Clearly, Ning Rongrong had pinched him.
She scolded him, "You little bear! It's only been three days at Heaven Dou, and your eyes are already wandering. You guys are all the same, give it a few days and some little vixen will steal your heart!"
Yang Xiong quickly pleaded, "My beautiful lady, I only come out to eat once a day. Aside from you, I don't see anyone else."
Everyone burst into laughter at their exchange, especially Xiao Wu, who laughed exaggeratedly.
She pinched Tang San and asked, "San-ge, you're not like those other guys, are you? Getting all starry-eyed at every pretty face?"
Tang San quickly pleaded, "Xiao Wu, you know my heart, no other girl even catches my eye. Compared to you, they're nothing but passing scenery. I would never be like Yang Xiong."
Yang Xiong: …
Compared to them, Dai Mubai and Oscar looked especially shifty.
Dai Mubai had been pursuing Zhu Zhuqing hard, and they even had mutual feelings. Many thought they'd soon become a couple.
But Dai Mubai was a bit of a playboy. He couldn't take his eyes off beautiful girls. Ever since joining Heaven Dou Academy, with his tall figure, handsome looks, and unruly golden hair, he had become the prince charming of many female students. Word was he had received several confessions in just three days, which made Zhu Zhuqing very unhappy.
Oscar, too, seemed tempted, after all, who wouldn't want a pretty girl by their side during training?
However, Yang Xiong had already told him he'd introduce him to a very beautiful girl soon, someone he'd definitely be satisfied with.
After dinner, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong strolled hand-in-hand along the lakeside. The calm water and beautiful surroundings made them feel incredibly at peace. Aside from training, Yang Xiong's favorite thing recently was walking around campus with Ning Rongrong.
They found a quiet spot by the lake and sat down. Ning Rongrong rested her head on Yang Xiong's chest.
"Little Bear," she said, "Don't you think our time here is too short? You barely spend any time with me."
Yang Xiong gently stroked her hair. "We're soul masters. Training comes first. Only by working hard now can we stay together longer in the future."
Ning Rongrong giggled. "I knew you'd say that. But I've been training really hard lately! I think I'll reach level 30 soon. Looks like your soul power will never catch up to mine."
Yang Xiong smiled. "I don't know if it's because my mindset has changed, but my cultivation speed has increased a lot. I think I'll gain another level within half a month."
Ning Rongrong was surprised. "How is that possible? You only reached level 29 less than two months ago."
Yang Xiong pinched her cheek. "Then you'd better train hard too. If I surpass you, it won't look good."
The two were happily chatting. It was a rare moment of relaxation for Yang Xiong.
But just as the conversation was getting good, they suddenly heard a cough nearby.
Ning Rongrong immediately snapped, "Who's so inconsiderate? Don't they know they're disturbing someone?"
When they turned around, both were stunned. Especially Yang Xiong, his vision went black. Of all the things to fear, this was the worst.
Standing just four meters away were two figures, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo.
Ning Fengzhi wore a calm, even slightly smiling expression, appearing more refined than usual. But Sword Douluo's face was like a block of ice, completely different from his usual serene demeanor.
Yang Xiong's heart sank. This is bad. We've been caught red-handed. Will Sword Douluo kill me?
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, was thrilled and threw herself into her father's arms.
"Daddy, what are you doing here at Heaven Dou Academy? Sword Grandpa, it's been so long! Did you miss me?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled, "Of course I missed you. You've grown so much in just a few months."
Even Sword Douluo's frosty face softened with affection. "Our little Rongrong has suffered these past months. When I heard about you, my heart ached."
He glared at Ning Fengzhi, clearly unhappy about the decision that sent her away.
Ning Rongrong left her father's arms and dove into Sword Douluo's. "Sword Grandpa, I've really had it rough. It's all this bad dad's fault."
Sword Douluo quickly comforted her. "Don't worry, I'll definitely give your father a good scolding. I won't let you suffer again."
Ning Fengzhi looked awkward but said nothing.
Yang Xiong respectfully bowed. "Greetings, Clan Master. Greetings, Senior Sword Douluo."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Xiao Xiong, I've heard from Dean Flender that you two have done very well these past few months. Especially you, your soul power and combat strength have both improved a lot. It seems sending you to Shrek was the right decision."
Yang Xiong quickly replied, "Thank you, Clan Master, for the opportunity. Without your arrangement, I would never have attended Shrek Academy."
Still, he couldn't help but feel that Ning Fengzhi was looking at him oddly. Sword Douluo's side-glance, in particular, made his whole body feel cold.
Ning Rongrong quickly changed the subject. "Daddy, Sword Grandpa, I've made a lot of good friends at Shrek. I'll introduce you later."
"Oh right, why did you suddenly come to Heaven Dou Academy?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "I heard that some talented young ones from Shrek had arrived, so I came with the Crown Prince to have a look. They're currently in the committee building. Let's go take a look together."
Ning Rongrong suddenly lit up. "Wait, Daddy, I want to show you something amazing. It might be really useful for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Ning Fengzhi looked puzzled, and Ning Rongrong gave a mischievous grin. "Sword Grandpa, this thing needs a demonstration, you'll be my witness."
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo exchanged glances, then smiled. With their status, they'd seen everything. But since Rongrong was so excited, they decided to humor their beloved girl.
When Ning Rongrong demonstrated various hidden weapons, Ning Fengzhi's expression grew extremely serious. Even the usually unbothered Sword Douluo turned solemn.
After a detailed explanation, Ning Fengzhi learned that the hidden weapons were crafted by Tang San. Ning Rongrong even mentioned discussing a potential trade with him. This made Ning Fengzhi realize his daughter had truly grown up.
Yang Xiong remained quiet the entire time, staying as inconspicuous as possible. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention from Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo, especially with the way Sword Douluo was glaring. It made him feel extremely uneasy.
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