Dongfang Jing looked down, muttering to himself, "Within the city...?"
That was a plot of land southeast of Tiandou City, marked with a name—
Blue Tyrant Academy.
That is, the Shrek Academy of today.
Dongfang Jing looked up and saw that Ning Fengzhi's gentle smile concealed a hint of malicious mischief.
That old fox did it on purpose.
Dongfang Jing was certainly familiar with the Shrek Academy area.
The academy that Flander and Liu Erlong set up was neither particularly large nor small, occupying a large area of teaching land and training grounds.
After the Soul Master Competition, Tang San died, Yu Xiaogang escaped, and Flander led the remaining people back here to live a life of idleness and waiting for death.
"What do you all think?" Ning Fengzhi asked, squinting his eyes.
Dongfang Jing looked at the women beside him.
The four of them also came over to take a look at the location on the map, and then looked at each other.
They all wore malicious smiles.
It's really quite good.
...
Martial Soul City, side courtyard of the Elder Hall.
The night was deep.
In a clean and tidy boudoir, the candlelight flickered.
Elder Lingyuan Douluo of the Spirit Hall was sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating.
Her bedroom was not large, but it was decorated very elegantly.
Two pots of orchids sat on the windowsill, several scrolls were stacked on the desk, and a set of iconic black tight-fitting combat gear hung on a shelf against the wall, its feather-patterned shoulder armor polished to a shine and placed in the most conspicuous position.
Ling Yuan looked to be only in her early thirties, with short, purplish-black hair, delicate features, and deep brown to almost black eyes. If one didn't know her background, they would never guess that this woman, possessing both a heroic and aloof air, was actually over fifty.
It's not uncommon for titled Douluo to have the art of preserving their youthful appearance in the world of Soul Masters.
She was immersed in cultivation, her soul power circulating along a fixed trajectory, attempting to break through the bottleneck that had long troubled her.
suddenly--
A fluttering sound came from the windowsill.
Lingyuan Douluo suddenly opened his eyes, and a ball of scorching flame appeared in his palm.
But when she looked closely...
The sound came from only a gyrfalcon.
With grayish-brown feathers and a small size, it was quietly perched on the edge of the windowsill, tilting its head to look at her.
Ling Yuan extinguished the flame in her hand, walked over, and noticed a small bamboo tube tied to the falcon's foot.
She untied the bamboo tube and pulled out a thin roll of letter paper.
Who will write to me?
Ling Yuan unfolded the letter and glanced at the signature first.
Then she froze.
The signature was a name she hadn't heard in a long time.
A thousand feet of snow.
Ling Yuan stared at those three words and fell silent.
Memories began to surge.
A thousand feet of snow.
The young master of the Spirit Hall, and the daughter of Pope Bibi Dong.
She still remembers that tiny figure.
At that time, Ling Yuan was not yet a Title Douluo, nor had she joined the Elder Hall; she was merely a Soul Douluo.
At that time, Qian Renxue was very, very young.
One day, while the worshippers were pretending not to notice, she ran out of the worship hall and bumped into her by chance.
Xiao Qianrenxue wanted Lingyuan to play with her, but just as Lingyuan was about to refuse, a servant in the offering hall secretly sent her a telepathic message, instructing her to look after her.
Later, Ling Yuan learned that the little girl she was with was actually the young master of the Spirit Hall.
Ling Yuan herself has no children, but she likes Qian Renxue quite a bit.
The little girl has a sweet tongue; she calls Lingyuan "Sister Lingyuan" this and "Sister Lingyuan" that, and she always likes to tug at her clothes.
Lingyuan would sometimes squat down and braid her hair.
I still have some memory of the soft, smooth feel of that tuft of golden hair on my fingertips.
Later... later Qian Renxue disappeared.
There are rumors that the young master went to a certain place to train.
Some say she is on some secret mission.
However, due to the majesty of the worshippers and the Pope's attitude, she never dared to investigate further.
Ling Yuan didn't think about it any further.
But unexpectedly, after so many years, Qian Renxue actually wrote a letter to him?
Ling Yuan suppressed her doubts and continued reading the letter.
The letter was short, but every word made her heart race.
The letter said—
Do not participate in tomorrow's Soul Hunting Operation.
Find an excuse to get away, or pretend that an accident occurred during the operation.
In short, do not enter the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ling Yuan's fingers trembled slightly.
At the end of the letter, Qian Renxue wrote: "Sister Lingyuan, I won't harm you. Trust me."
Ling Yuan finished reading the letter and clutched it in her hand.
'This can't be fake, can it? Who has the guts to impersonate the young master?'
Just as she was standing by the window, lost in thought, a very faint sound suddenly came from a corner outside.
Ling Yuan's body tensed instantly.
She turned around abruptly, and the Martial Soul of the Fiery Spirit Kite materialized behind her, its illusory wings flashing through the air with a scorching heat wave.
The spirit rings beneath his feet rose up, assuming a full battle stance.
"Who's lurking around like that! Come out!"
In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Ling Yuan looked closely.
He was a tall and strong man.
His face was rugged, his eyes were cold, and his dark gold heavy armor was covered with spike-like patterns.
Ling Yuan narrowed her eyes.
They looked unfamiliar, yet I felt like I'd seen them somewhere before.
"Who are you..."
Her voice was wary and tentative.
"Porcupine Douluo?"
The man hummed in agreement.
Bloodletting.
Ling Yuan looked him up and down.
Although she couldn't quite remember what he looked like, Ling Yuan did remember that there was such a person in the Elder Hall.
Ci Xue, the Porcupine Douluo, has a partner, She Long, the Serpent Spear Douluo.
These two individuals have rarely appeared in the Elders' Hall in the past twenty years.
They were so quiet it was as if they had vanished, and some even spread rumors that they had already perished.
How did they suddenly appear now, and even in her villa?
Ling Yuan frowned: "How did you get in?"
"I came in through the main gate," Bloodthirst answered directly.
Ling Yuan's lips twitched slightly, then she stopped dwelling on it: "Did the young master send you to deliver the letter?"
"No, the letter was delivered by Falcon. I was sent by the young master separately."
Ci Xue's attitude was somewhat cautious.
It wasn't directed at Ling Yuan, but rather that he himself wasn't very good at speaking.
"Young Master was afraid you wouldn't believe the contents of the letter, so he specially sent me here in person."
Ling Yuan sized him up, but did not retract the martial spirit in her hand.
"Answer me one question first. Where have you and She Long been all these years?"
"Stand by the young master's side," Ci Xue said. "She Long and I are both the young master's personal guards."
Ling Yuan's expression changed.
Personal bodyguard?
What secret mission is Qian Renxue carrying out that requires two Title Douluos to protect her closely?
"Young Master asked me to pass on a few words." Ci Xue ignored what she was thinking, lowered his voice, and continued, "But it's not just for you alone. Please call Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo for me."
Ling Yuan hesitated for a moment.
In the end, she withdrew her martial spirit.
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(End of chapter)