"Captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team?"
Li Yusong let out a cry of surprise.
Of course, he knew about the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team.
It was the strongest academy directly under the Heaven Dou royal family, and everyone there was either wealthy or of noble birth. The team members were some of the top geniuses on the continent.
But for the captain to be so young and already at the level of a quasi–Soul King with a fourth soul ring at the ten-thousand-year level was still a bit too unbelievable.
After staring at each other for a moment, Li Yusong asked, "Someone like you,why would you come here?"
His gaze remained locked on the unmoving ten-thousand-year soul ring on Fang Ling's body.
"Will you move or not?" Fang Ling ignored his words and spoke calmly.
If this person had spoken properly at the start, Fang Ling might have responded with equal courtesy.
But from the very beginning, Li Yusong had cursed, saying "Get lost!" and "Scram!" Fang Ling considered it already generous of him not to kill the man on the spot.
Li Yusong no longer dared to block him and instinctively stepped aside.
The people waiting in line didn't dare make a sound, afraid this ruthless man,who had dared to attack a Soul Emperor,would simply cut them down with one swing of his scythe.
Dragging the weapon along the ground, Fang Ling walked in. The dirt road was gouged with a long trench in his wake.
Inside the village, the buildings were all wooden, best described as simple and rustic.
After walking a short distance, he came to an open area of about 500 square meters, surrounded by wooden houses.
There was a line here as well, but compared to the number of people at the first registration point, there were far fewer,mostly poor folk from remote areas.
Anyone with some background or knowledge wouldn't come to a place like this.
Zhu Zhuqing was not here. After the brief delay with the white-ring Soul Emperor earlier, that genius girl had already skipped past the second test and moved on to later stages.
A soft, singsong hawker's voice echoed here.
"Selling sausages, selling sausages! Come take a look, don't miss it as you pass by! Oscar brand sausages, delicious and fragrant, cheap and generous portions! Only five copper coins each…"
Fang Ling glanced to the side and saw not far away a man pushing a cart, calling out as the smell of meat drifted from it.
Behind the cart stood a man in simple gray clothes, neat short hair, a full beard, and large peach blossom eyes.
It was Oscar, the innate full–soul power food-type soul master.
Fang Ling's soul rings remained displayed,four rings circling him, radiating an imposing presence that made others uneasy.
Oscar noticed the unimaginable configuration of Fang Ling's soul rings and also saw the sparks flying as the massive scythe scraped along the stones on the ground.
Swept over by that calm gaze, Oscar was shocked and dared not speak another word.
This newcomer clearly came with ill intent!
The teacher overseeing the second test stood up abruptly.
Like Li Yusong, he was especially shocked by the black ten-thousand-year ring and cried out in disbelief:
"Four rings, ten-thousand-year? How could the fourth ring be a ten-thousand-year soul ring?!"
Fang Ling ignored him, continuing forward while speaking evenly:
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy, team captain Fang Ling."
"I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to find someone. Your academy's registration teacher spoke rudely to me, so I summoned my martial spirit and displayed my rings."
"May I ask, who are you looking for?" This man was far more polite than the one with the stick earlier, though still wary.
Fang Ling gave him a glance and answered, "Zhu Zhuqing. She should be a beautiful young woman who just arrived."
"Don't worry, I'm not here to settle a score."
"Please, go ahead." The old man nodded slightly and gestured inside.
In any case, with the powerful Soul Sage Zhao Wuji inside, nothing would happen.
Fang Ling continued on, pausing only briefly to pass the third test as well.
After walking for a while, he reached another open space.
This one was smaller than the second test area, only about 200 square meters.
In the middle sat a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties.
Only three students were here for the assessment.
One man and two women,Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Ning Rongrong was not here.
Fang Ling suddenly noticed the absence. That filial girl wasn't around.
Had she failed to escape, or had she been sent to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?
The former would require Ning Fengzhi's secret approval,so it was likely the latter.
Aside from occasional meetings at the Crown Prince's residence, Fang Ling hadn't seen Ning Fengzhi in at least half a year. He hadn't expected the man to still be unwilling to give up…
Fang Ling was correct,Ning Fengzhi had indeed not given up.
Ning Rongrong had planned to run away, but had been stopped just after leaving home and forcibly sent to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Fang Ling, the captain, was away for the moment, but vice-captain Dugu Yan and the team's valuable healing-type soul master Ye Lingling were there.
Their training was just as strict, leaving the team members no room to slack off.
Qin Ming might not have been able to take responsibility, but Fang Ling and Dugu Yan could.
Right now, they were using soul power pressure training,meditating under the oppressive aura of a stronger soul master.
The team members were progressing quickly.
Back to the present scene,Tang San and the others were listening to Dai Mubai's serious explanation.
Zhao Wuji had already risen and stood quietly, ready to begin the assessment.
Everyone noticed Fang Ling's arrival.
The sound of the scythe dragging and striking stones was too distinct, and those yellow, yellow, purple, and black rings were too shocking.
Feeling the tremor from her martial spirit, Zhu Zhuqing's heart suddenly recalled their meeting three years ago in the Star Dou Great Forest, her heart trembling softly.
Tang San and Xiao Wu felt a faint familiarity, but couldn't quite place it.
"Who goes there?" Zhao Wuji was still stunned by the unbelievable soul rings but called out loudly.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Fang Ling. I came for Zhu Zhuqing!" Fang Ling replied in a deep voice.
This was a Soul Sage,someone he couldn't yet see through,so he could afford to show some respect.
Tang San and Xiao Wu's expressions changed instantly at the name. How could it be possible?
His cold eyes softened slightly, unaware that Tang San and Xiao Wu had remembered him. He simply extended a hand toward the black-haired beauty with the cold expression and voluptuous figure, speaking gently:
"Zhuqing, you don't need to take any assessment here. Come with me. From now on, I'll protect you."
Zhu Zhuqing was still a bit dazed, but Dai Mubai impatiently stepped forward.
The fine genetic inheritance of the Star Luo Dai family made him undeniably handsome.
He stood about 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and handsome, resolute features. His long golden hair hung straight down his back.
The most striking thing about him was his pair of strange dark blue eyes,both double pupils, one large enclosing one small.
Looking at Fang Ling now, his gaze carried an icy chill from deep within, with a flicker of sinister light like a hidden blade.
"Even if you are a genius unheard of on the continent, how dare you meddle in the affairs of the Star Luo royal family?"
The fury in his tone was so strong it seemed ready to consume him.
But only three rings,angry? So what?
Fang Ling's expression didn't change in the slightest, as if he saw Dai Mubai as nothing more than a stray dog barking by the roadside.
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