Yu Xiaogang stood straighter, his tone solemn, voice deep with conviction.
"Far too many spirit masters live in error. They assume plant-based Martial Souls must only absorb plant soul rings, and beast Martial Souls must only absorb beast rings. But the truth is different. Under the right conditions, the two can be mutually absorbed. This, honored elders, is the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory—one of the ten core competencies I myself proposed years ago."
He paused proudly, eyes sweeping the room.
Silence.
Then—
"Pfft… hahahaha!"
Lucien slapped the table with his palm, wine sloshing from his jug as he leaned back in laughter.
"Old man, when you spouted this junk out loud, didn't you get battered by everyone's shoes? Martial Soul mimicry? Fart! By your logic, our Clear Sky Clan's spirit rings are all forged in a blacksmith shop, and my Seven Treasures Pagoda's were all pulled out by playing tower games!"
The imagery was ridiculous—but it landed. Even the most stoic men twitched. Though they didn't grasp his "blacksmith and tower" joke, his point was razor clear.
Yu Xiaogang's face went stiff, color draining. No! In front of all these giants… my theory can't be undone by a drunk child!
He coughed, straining to recover. "Ahem. I raise this to show diversity. The future paths Martial Souls might evolve into! Take my disciple Tang San for instance. His Spirit is the most common of weeds, Blue Silver Grass, long branded trash. Yet under my guidance, he grew into a control-type master. Among one-on-one matchups, control types are unrivaled!"
His chest puffed as he gestured dramatically toward Tang San—
"Pffft… hahahaha!"
Lucien broke down again, laughing to tears.
"What control is strongest? Oy, you old Poison!" He waved toward Dugu Bo, eyes blurred. His words cut like daggers into Dugu Bo's pride.
"What am I?!" Poison Douluo exploded, slamming the butt of his staff down.
He hadn't so much as opened his mouth, but suddenly this brat was pointing to him to prove control's greatness or fraudulence.
If control-types were unbeatable in singles, shouldn't he Necrotic Poison Douluo dominate every duel? Then why did he still get crushed head-to-head by those higher ranked?
Damn brat! You dare trample the face of all control-type Douluo!
The air in the chamber grew leaden, the tension like snapping bowstrings.
Meanwhile, in the corner… Zhu Zhuqing's lips pressed thin. For a brief moment, she had wanted to step forward, to stand at Lucien's side, to throw everything to the wind.
Her beautiful eyes wavered. But I can't. If I follow him now, the Xingluo Imperial Family would be enraged. I'd doom him as well.
Breathing deep, she steeled her heart. "…I will contact you, Lucien. Some other day."
Lucien blinked, then smiled faintly. "Kitten, I'll wait."
As Shrek's group departed, flushed and humiliated, Qin Ming—just returned from the award ceremony—met them at the gate.
"President Flender? Vice President Zhao? You're… here?"
Flender forced a dry smile. "Qin Ming. So you're teaching here now."
"Thanks to your guidance," Qin Ming bowed. "But… are you all leaving so soon?"
"Another day. Another reunion," Flender muttered, dragging his group away, their shame thick in the air.
Once the door closed, those remaining inside exhaled.
Gu Rong narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "Fengzhi… That little girl in pink from Shrek. She's no ordinary spirit master."
Ning Fengzhi arched a brow. "Uncle Bone, what do you mean?"
Gu Rong's tone was grave, almost trembling: "That girl is a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, human-formed."
"…What?!"
Even Ning Fengzhi, master of schemes, nearly rose from his seat.
Gu Rong's certainty was unshakable. "The moment I stepped into this chamber, I felt it. Her aura… unmistakable. The form and heart may be human, but the essence is beast, aged one-hundred-thousand years."
Ning Fengzhi's breath faltered. "But… such a thing, in Tiandou City? Brought openly by Tang Hao's son?"
"Exactly," Gu Rong said grimly. "Before, Meng Shu whispered to me—Tang Hao's son is among Shrek's children. Then it all fit. Tang Hao must know that girl's identity. Which means—Tang Hao hovers near, watching. If anyone tries to seize her…"
The room went silent. The implications towered over them.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in human form: its ring, its bone, even its life essence—all priceless treasures that would tempt every Title Douluo alive. If exposed in Tiandou, chaos would swallow everything.
"…And if Tang Hao is shadowing him, then to strike the girl is to invite the wrath of the Haotian Douluo himself."
Ning Fengzhi exhaled long, eyes shimmering. "The sky above the Douluo Continent… may soon collapse. We can only watch and wait."
Half a Month Later.
Meng Shenji massaged his forehead as he stared at documents, his face wreathed in frustration.
Those old Five Elements foxes… this damn "Exchange Program" is nothing but a trap.
Send Lucien to their academies, observe him, dissect how he cultivates. What cultivation method? He drinks. He flirts. At night he wakes just to sip another jar. If that could be researched, the whole continent would already be drunkards!
But the program was already signed—Emperor Xue Ye himself had approved. He couldn't refuse.
He closed the files grimly and looked up. Lucien sat cross-legged opposite, swigging happily.
"Lu Yuan… I must explain something important."
"Hm?" Lucien hiccuped. "Spit it out."
"There will be an exchange with the Five Element Academies. You will have to transfer temporarily."
"Okay. No problem!"
Meng Shenji froze. So easy?!
But the next moment—
"I'm going to Tianshui Academy!"
The old man's head dropped into his hands in despair.
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