Flender's face twisted in shock and horror—he had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying this man in front of him truly was.
Those six 100,000-year spirit rings, along with three spirit rings of unknown origin, sent a cold sweat down his back just remembering them.
Most terrifying of all—he had just watched this man chase down the Clear Sky Douluo, and even Tang San had disappeared in that chaos…
And now… he was back?!
"Is he here to finish the job… to annihilate Shrek Academy?!"
Flender's gaze involuntarily flicked toward Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Could he be a match for that man?
A first-rate support-type Spirit Master… even combined with a first-rate attack-type, would they stand a chance?
Qian Renfeng strolled forward casually, his steps graceful and light—but in the eyes of everyone present, he was like a demon slowly closing in.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin narrowed his eyes at the familiar silhouette. A certain name emerged in his mind…
But the full-face white clown mask on Qian Renfeng's face hid his features completely.
"Fengzhi, this man… looks a lot like Qian Feng," Chen Xin whispered, his voice wary.
"His strength is extraordinary. We must be cautious."
Ning Fengzhi didn't need the reminder—he had already recognized the man's gait.
It was identical to the one who cursed him out just two days ago at the courtyard outside Heaven Dou City.
Qian Renfeng stopped in front of Flender and tossed out a soul tool ring.
"This is compensation for your ordinary students—10,000 gold soul coins per person."
"The Shrek Seven Devils are not included."
"I'll personally question some of your regular students later. If I find out you embezzled any of it…"
"Then in my eyes, Shrek Academy no longer deserves to exist."
With that, Qian Renfeng turned and walked away with a relaxed step.
He hadn't visited Moon Pavilion (Yue Xuan) in days.
While Master Tang Yuehua hadn't complained, Qian Renfeng knew he had fallen behind in his lessons.
"If I'm going to study, I'll finish the entire curriculum."
More importantly, holding official status as a Moon Pavilion disciple made it far easier for Qian Renfeng to move about undetected.
Now that Tang Hao and Tang San were both dead, only Tang Yuehua knew the exact location of the Clear Sky Clan.
"If I remember correctly, there are still quite a few titled Douluo in that clan just waiting for me to knock on their door."
Before Qian Renfeng could walk too far, Sword Douluo called out to him tentatively:
"Qian Feng?"
There was no reply.
Of course—Qian Renfeng wasn't named Qian Feng.
Chen Xin let out a sigh of relief.
"As expected… no way someone like that could exist."
"Someone with two Martial Souls, and the first one being that powerful? There's no justice in the world if that's real."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement.
"The continent is entering a time of upheaval. So many monstrous geniuses are emerging…"
"When hidden dragons rise, it always signals the coming of great conflict."
"I just wonder… if this guy were to fight Qian Feng, who would be stronger?"
Within ten minutes, Qian Renfeng had reached the entrance of Moon Pavilion.
There, Tang Yuehua sat quietly by the door, her face full of melancholy.
She stared at the passersby on the street, absentmindedly picking up and putting down her teacup.
She didn't even notice that she had finished the tea inside.
Qian Renfeng walked up, took the seat beside her without ceremony, and asked with a smile:
"Master Yuehua, is something weighing on your mind?"
He poured her a fresh cup of tea—seven-tenths full—and handed it to her.
Only then did Tang Yuehua snap out of her daze.
When she saw it was Qian Renfeng, a gentle smile formed on her graceful face.
"Ah, Little Feng. It's you."
"Nothing's wrong… I just have this sense of unease, like something's about to happen."
"I couldn't sit still inside the pavilion, so I came out for a walk."
Qian Renfeng nodded and poured himself a cup as well.
Tasting tea was part of the Moon Pavilion's teachings, after all.
"Bitter at first, but sweet on the return. Master Yuehua… are you perhaps homesick?"
Tang Yuehua's hand paused for a moment, but then she nodded openly.
"You're right. I do miss home."
"Then why not return?" Qian Renfeng asked casually.
"Your home shouldn't be that far from here, right?"
He refilled her teacup again.
In his year and a half at Moon Pavilion, he had carefully tracked Tang Yuehua's movements.
She had never once gone back to the Clear Sky Clan.
Anytime she left the pavilion, it was to the royal palace or the estates of nobles.
"She barely even visits restaurants in Heaven Dou City," Qian Renfeng thought.
"Let alone leaving the city entirely."
"Haha, you're quite the caring boy, aren't you?"
"You're right—it's not far. But… I'm waiting for someone."
"So I won't go back yet. Maybe not for several years."
Qian Renfeng froze briefly and looked into her eyes.
Her lashes fluttered like feathers, and her long black hair swayed gently.
"I'm waiting for a fool… one who doesn't understand the importance of family," she said softly.
"If I can wait for him, I'll return."
"If I can't… then I'll spend the rest of my life here, growing old in the Moon Pavilion."
She stood up, her qipao wrapping perfectly around her graceful curves.
In contrast to her usual royal robes, which though elegant, hid her true figure, this dress brought out every bit of her refined femininity.
"A woman with such a cultivated presence would never neglect her appearance."
Qian Renfeng glanced at the tea leaves in his cup, his voice so low only he could hear it:
"Master Yuehua…"
"I'm afraid… You won't get to wait much longer."
"The one you're waiting for… he might not even be as big as this tea leaf anymore."
Meanwhile, in the Gulei Kingdom…
This land lay at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, separated from Spirit Hall City by the Star Dou Mountain Range.
Because it was too close to Spirit Hall and adjacent to Star Dou Forest, not even Spirit Hall paid much attention to it.
Fugitives wouldn't dare come here—it was too close to danger.
"You might as well dig your own grave if you came here," some would say.
Yet now, two figures appeared there.
One was a young woman wearing a long black dress, her thigh-high socks hugging slender legs.
Her features were beautiful, but her gaze was cold and distant.
"Elder Long Ling, have we arrived?"
The old man in rough black robes gasped for breath and shook his head.
"Not yet, Saintess. We're close."
"We only took the long route to shake off that Qingluan."