When Shen Hanyu and the other two returned to the vicinity of Element City, they couldn't help but pause slightly, feeling a bit surprised.
The originally towering city walls had been completely demolished, and the city's boundaries had been expanded outward by a full three kilometers. The new city walls were already being rapidly constructed, with their height already exceeding five meters. Moreover, the materials appeared much sturdier than before. Workers on the walls were laboring under the scorching sun, working overtime, and the thick walls were rising at an extremely fast pace.
The forests that had once been outside the city had been entirely felled, and now turned into flat land in preparation for constructing various buildings.
There was also considerable activity inside the original city, with dust rising in many places, mostly from the old, dilapidated areas within the city.
There was movement in the southeastern part of the city as well, precisely where the Skywater Academy campus was located.
The three of them swiftly flew over, drawing quite a few eyes. Many soul masters who recognized them exclaimed in surprise, then quickly explained the situation to their companions or passersby. In an instant, the entire Element City was filled with clamor.
The Skywater Academy campus had been expanded once again. The original teaching buildings had been demolished, and new ones were now under construction.
Shen Hanyu gave it a rough look, and a trace of amazement flashed in his eyes.
This somewhat Western romantic architectural style, when placed in the Douluo Continent, produced an unexpectedly stunning effect, giving people a refreshing feeling.
It was clear that Shui Ning Bing had truly put her heart into these matters. Almost all the architectural styles and pairings leaned feminine. The academy had already built numerous floating walkways connecting various facilities, thoughtfully equipped with canopies to block out the sunlight.
The teaching buildings also gave off the impression of a dreamlike castle, vastly different from the traditional designs on the continent.
Things like fountains, flower ponds, and the like were clearly still in the preparatory stage.
Shen Hanyu released his spiritual power and finally located Shui Ning Bing, who was standing in a shaded area overseeing the work.
When Shui Ning Bing saw the three return, a hint of delight appeared on her face, and she quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"How did it go? Was your journey to the Slaughter City smooth?"
Shui Ning Bing asked softly.
Shen Hanyu smiled lightly and said,
"It went very smoothly. Obtaining the ninth soul ring gave me quite a nice surprise, and my soul power has also broken through to rank 98…"
A trace of surprise appeared in Shui Ning Bing's eyes, followed by a somewhat emotional tone as she said:
"A few years ago when I first met you, you were only at the Soul Emperor level. In just these few short years, little Yu, you're probably unmatched across the continent now, while I'm still stuck at rank 93, unable to make any progress…"
Shen Hanyu rolled his eyes and said,
"Aunt Shui, come on now. Ordinary Titled Douluo takes more than a decade to advance even one level. Look at you, Aunt Shui, in less than two years you'll probably break through to rank 94, right? Your speed is already hard to find anywhere on the continent…"
Shui Ning Bing chuckled lightly and said,
"Alright, I was just teasing you. The construction on the academy side needs someone to keep an eye on it. Meng Chu has been extremely busy lately, handling all the logistics issues for the academy. Bing'er and the others are helping out too. If you have nothing to do, feel free to look around. I still have to stay busy and won't be able to accompany you…"
Shen Hanyu nodded, then took Xue Di and Bai Nian toward the back of the academy.
The rear of Skywater Academy had originally been warehouses and mimicry cultivation areas. Since the mimicry cultivation areas also needed recent improvements, this side looked equally messy. From quite a distance, Shen Hanyu spotted You Meng Chu and several girls busily working.
You Meng Chu was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground. She only gave a simple greeting to Shen Hanyu and Xue Di before continuing to call more people over to help.
Shen Liu Yu set down a large bundle of materials in her hands and walked over with a somewhat resentful expression.
Shen Hanyu was a little puzzled. He pinched Shen Liu Yu's somewhat dirty face and asked curiously,
"What's wrong? How did you end up in such a sorry state…"
Before Shen Liu Yu could reply, the other six girls, also covered in dust, came coughing out from the nearby building.
Noticing the curious gazes from Shen Hanyu and the others, they hurriedly patted the dust off themselves. Shui Bing'er then said softly,
"The old dormitories here haven't been used for a long time, so there's a lot of dust. Aunt asked us to clean this place up—it'll be used as a storage warehouse for miscellaneous items from now on…"
Shen Hanyu glanced at the dust-covered girls, barely suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth, and said,
"Then let little Nian stay and help you guys. Xue'er and I won't disturb you while you work…"
"Keep it up…"
With that, Shen Hanyu pushed Bai Nian forward, directly sending her into Shen Liu Yu's arms.
Then, under the resentful gazes of the eight girls led by Shen Liu Yu, Shen Hanyu took Xue Di's hand and vanished in the blink of an eye…
…
The construction of Element City was proceeding at a feverish pace, and Shen Hanyu also realized the terrifying enthusiasm of these people.
Many areas hadn't even finished construction before being taken over by various soul master forces and families, who began their own renovations and work. However, thanks to the uninterrupted patrols and supervision by teachers from the Four Elements Academies, there were no incidents of fighting over territory.
At the same time, Xu Yan's mother, that rank 83 Star Crown Soul Douluo, had recently taken time, with Xiao Bai's help, to bring over the sect disciples willing to follow her and leave. They claimed an excellently located mansion in Element City as their residence and officially settled there.
For this, Shui Ning Bing specially gathered a large group of people, including Shen Hanyu, and discussed it for a long time before finally making a decision that went against tradition:
Starting today, Skywater Academy will maintain the same age and rank restrictions for recruiting students, but will lift the restrictions on martial souls and attributes. However, the gender restriction would remain; only female students would be accepted.
Shui Ning Bing had hesitated for a long time before making this decision. After all, it was time for Skywater Academy to bring in some fresh new students to replenish its vitality. Doing this would only benefit the academy's future, with no drawbacks.
In addition, the other three Elemental Academies had also made another decision that went against tradition: they would hand over complete control of Element City to Skywater Academy. This meant they were giving up one-quarter of Element City's tax revenue. Even in the old Element City, one-quarter of the taxes was no small amount, let alone in the rapidly changing Element City of today. Even just one percent would definitely not be insignificant…
Regarding their decision, Shui Ning Bing accepted it with peace of mind and promised that in the future, the three academies could receive annual support and assistance from Skywater Academy. After all, those three academies all had noble backers and naturally didn't need to worry about funding shortages. Although the three academies felt helpless, they could only proceed this way…
After all, everyone was no longer on the same level. If they continued to occupy the same interests and status, problems would eventually arise. This was also a way for them to show their attitude…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)