At the foot of Seven Treasures Mountain, after Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi had gathered together and lamented the fleeting nature of time, Xue Qinghe finally arrived at Emperor Xue Ye's invitation.
"Qinghe greets Sect Master Ning and Your Excellencies!"
His slightly reserved yet extremely respectful manner displeased Emperor Xue Ye.
But what could his displeasure do? The moment Ning Fengzhi saw Xue Qinghe, he had already made his decision: this boy is usable!
As for Gu Rong and Chen Xin, these two pillars of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, the two pillars of the Purple Gold Ridge Sect, they paid no attention to who Xue Qinghe was.
Ning Fengzhi, seemingly oblivious to the behavior of his two retainers, praised Xue Qinghe as a young prodigy before leading the Heavenly Dou royal family and numerous nobles up Seven Treasures Mountain.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three upper sects, accepting a disciple was naturally a grand affair. Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, another of the three upper sects, sent representatives to witness the ceremony.
In the sect's banquet hall, Lin Yu, considered upper-class among the nobles, although not seated at the main banquet table, was not far from Xue Qinghe, Emperor Xue Ye, and Ning Fengzhi, allowing him a clear view of everyone.
As Lin Yu had instructed, Qian Renxue maintained her naive demeanor, occasionally making light of the occasion and deliberately looking at everyone with innocent, clear eyes.
Hearing the laughter, she feigned embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red.
Under Qian Renxue's actions, Emperor Xue Ye suddenly regretted his actions; if he had known this day would come, he would have had Xue Qinghe properly instructed.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." In the end, it was Ning Fengzhi, the other protagonist of the day, who had to step in to smooth things over for his future apprentice. "Alright, Qinghe has lived in the palace for
a long time, so his temperament is gentle and kind. I just happened to recognize Qinghe's character, which is why I decided to take him as my apprentice. Here, I also apologize to everyone for Qinghe's mistakes earlier!" That's enough, don't go too far. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, those who could appear at such a grand occasion in the aristocratic circle were all heads of their families or heirs, so naturally, there were no good-for-nothings among them.
After everyone understood, they all quieted down .
Emperor Xueye also took this opportunity to frantically wink at Xue Qinghe. The somewhat "slow" Xue Qinghe, upon seeing Emperor Xueye's wink, immediately bowed to his apprentice teacher, Ning Fengzhi, "If Sect Master Ning does not disdain me, Qinghe greets my teacher!"
Ning Fengzhi's smile seemed to have deepened; anyone who didn't know better would think he was very satisfied with Xue Qinghe as his apprentice.
In reality, Ning Fengzhi had only ever used Xue Qinghe as a pawn for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to control the Heaven Dou Empire.
Currently, the Heaven Dou Empire, aside from its ordinary military forces, was facing a severe shortage of Soul Masters.
However, it was precisely at this time that the Heaven Dou Empire itself was most vulnerable to change.
Once Xue Ye's reign ended a century later, with the emperor in his grasp and the accumulated wealth of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he had over a 70% chance of seizing control of this vast empire.
Furthermore, with the benefits that the immense Heaven Dou Empire could bring, his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would achieve unprecedented glory under his rule.
At that time, not only the Clear Sky Sect, but even the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire would be comparable to his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. (Similar to South Korea, where conglomerates control the country)
Subtly suppressing his ambitions, Ning Fengzhi rose and gently patted the bowing Xue Qinghe, saying, "Qinghe, child, there's no need for this. Your teacher is never the kind of person who's rigidly traditional. Why make such a grand gesture? Get up quickly, lest people laugh at you."
"Thank you, teacher!"
This harmonious scene between teacher and student was displayed before the many nobles and Soul Masters of Tiandou City. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Master's unpretentious, refined, and approachable image was further solidified in their minds.
Only Lin Yu, who knew everything, twitched his lips slightly, naturally saying nothing, only inwardly praising Ning Fengzhi as a true old fox.
Just as Lin Yu withdrew his gaze, he noticed a pair of sharp eyes fixed on him.
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Lin Yu happened to glance at him and, upon closer inspection, recognized him as none other than the tall, unusually thin, skeletal Bone Douluo Gu Rong who had stood beside Ning Fengzhi earlier.
Upon seeing Gu Rong, Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. "Damn it," he thought, "how did this old man target me?"
Seeing that the apprenticeship ceremony was about to end, Lin Yu hastily left his seat and hurried towards Prince Xue Xing's location.
Xue Xing had once been a supporter of Xue Ye and had a good relationship with Lin Zhan, a confidant of Xue Ye. Now, as a prince, he naturally recognized Lin Yu, a mere marquis's son.
Seeing Lin Yu's anxious appearance, Xue Xing was about to say something when Lin Yu interrupted him, "Your Highness, I'm feeling a little unwell. Could I rest in your carriage?" Upon
hearing this, Xue Xing was taken aback. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School surely had places to rest; why did this kid want to go to his carriage?
Fortunately, Lin Yu's age was an advantage, and Xue Xing agreed without much hesitation, handing him her personal token.
However, in front of a Title Douluo, Lin Yu's movements were still too slow, especially against Gu Rong, who possessed spatial abilities. It was as easy as a cat playing with a mouse.
The token Xue Xing handed over disappeared, and Gu Rong's face, drier than tree bark, revealed a rather chilling smile. "At only nine years old, he's already a level twenty-seven Great Soul Master. Marquis Chengyang truly has a fine son!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Including Xue Xing, all the nearby nobles and Soul Masters respectfully bowed to the suddenly arriving Gu Rong.
Even a titled Douluo, even a king, still commanded respect; this was the majesty of a Title Douluo.
For a moment, the commotion caused by Lin Yu broke the noise of the apprenticeship ceremony.
Like a predator before a hunt, Gu Rong casually circled Lin Yu a couple of times before cutting to the chase: "Boy, how about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and becoming my disciple?"
Xue Xing, standing nearby, was stunned. How could such a lucky thing as becoming a Title Douluo fall on a mere boy?
Little did they know, what they considered luck was nothing but misfortune in Lin Yu's eyes. Becoming Gu Rong's disciple was a death knell; he might be secretly killed by someone from the Spirit Hall!
Xue Qinghe, standing on the platform, was equally anxious for Lin Yu. She never expected this to happen—a Title Douluo would have nothing better to do than pay attention to a noble's son.
She only hoped Lin Yu would agree; otherwise, he would easily face Gu Rong's revenge. After all, she knew Gu Rong was notoriously narrow-minded and vindictive.
Lin Yu's eyes remained calm and still. He bowed to Gu Rong and said softly, "I'm truly sorry, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is not my wish. I cannot comply!" As
soon as he finished speaking, Gu Rong's eyes instantly unleashed undisguised killing intent, as if he wanted to kill Lin Yu instantly and keep him permanently within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
PS: My plan for Ning Fengzhi to control the Heaven Dou Empire through Xue Qinghe is based on South Korea across the sea.
Also, the reason Gu Rong dared to directly threaten the protagonist is mainly because the protagonist has almost no backing; Lin Zhan is just a minor Soul Saint. Of course, if he had someone backing him, he would still dare to kill him, just secretly, as seen in the original novel when he wanted to kill Tang San.