At the Heaven Dou Grand Spirit Arena!
The members of Shrek Academy, who had just won their first match, hadn't even had time to celebrate before Flender returned with some bad news.
His expression was grim as he entered the rest area and addressed the team, "I just went to draw the lots, and our opponent for tomorrow has been decided. It's Elephant Armor Academy, one of the Five Element Academies. It's a school established by the Elephant Armor Sect, and it's on par with the Blazing Fire Academy, Heavenly Water Academy, Divine Wind Academy, and Thunderclap Academy. Their students are mostly thick-skinned defensive soul masters. Tomorrow's match won't be easy."
Since Yu Xiaogang had previously introduced the Five Element Academies, the Shrek team was well aware of their reputation. Hearing that their next opponent was Elephant Armor Academy, one of the Five Element Academies, sent a wave of unease through the group.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. Facing such a well-established powerhouse, even he was at a loss. Finally, he said in a heavy tone, "Let's head back to the academy. I'll arrange for Teacher Zhao Wuji to give you specialized training to deal with defensive soul masters."
The group nodded in agreement. Tang San, however, glanced worriedly at Xiao Wu, who was still pale and hadn't improved despite resting for so long.
Xiao Wu had come to realize just how dangerous it was for a spirit beast like her to exist in human society. She resolved to feign illness tomorrow and avoid coming to the arena altogether.
Soon, the Shrek team hurriedly left the Grand Spirit Arena and returned to Shrek Academy.
Although they had won today, a team with one Soul Ancestor and six Soul Elders wasn't enough to truly catch the attention of the established powerhouses. At this point, the Five Element Academies were only focused on each other.
The only ones paying attention to Shrek were the mid-tier academies, such as Canghui Academy…
The leader of Canghui Academy's team, Shi Nian, watched the Shrek rest area with a sinister glint in his eyes. He muttered under his breath, "One Soul Ancestor and six Soul Elders… still a threat. But I'll take care of that threat."
---
With today's events concluded—the opening ceremony of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament and a single exhibition match—the real competition would begin tomorrow. Multiple arenas would open simultaneously for the preliminary rounds.
As the crowd began to disperse, Chen Yuan, accompanied by Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, prepared to leave the venue and explore Heaven Dou City.
However, ripples appeared in the air before them, and a towering figure, at least two and a half meters tall and seemingly made of bone, emerged from the ripples. It was Gu Rong.
Ning Rongrong's face lit up with joy as she ran forward, greeting him with a sweet smile, "Grandpa Bone, what brings you here?"
Gu Rong's expression softened with affection. Having no children of his own, he treated Ning Rongrong as his own granddaughter. His gaze was warm as he looked at her, but when his eyes shifted to Chen Yuan, his demeanor became more serious.
"Chen Yuan, congratulations on becoming a Soul King. Your achievements have already been reported by Jian Xiong. Now, the Patriarch wishes to see you. You can all come along."
Chen Yuan thought for a moment and agreed. As the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's top genius, having just absorbed a spirit ring and become a Soul King, it made sense that Ning Fengzhi, the clan's leader, would want to offer some encouragement or perhaps try to further win him over.
With that, Gu Rong opened another spatial portal. Chen Yuan, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, and finally Gu Rong himself stepped through. The portal rippled and vanished behind them.
---
On the other side, in a tea room!
Two men sat facing each other, their expressions strikingly similar—both exuding an air of calm and refinement, as if carved from the same mold.
They were none other than Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe spoke respectfully to Ning Fengzhi, "Teacher, have I done something to disappoint you? It's been a long time since you last visited my residence to offer guidance. It's left me restless."
Ning Fengzhi replied gently, "My dear student, you are already the Crown Prince. While I am your teacher, I am also the Patriarch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. I cannot always be by your side. There are some decisions you must make on your own."
Over the past year, Ning Fengzhi had indeed been somewhat neglectful of Xue Qinghe, as he had devoted much of his time to his own cultivation. However, he would never admit to this. After all, he was a good teacher—how could he deliberately neglect his student? It was all to help Xue Qinghe develop his independence.
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe felt somewhat reassured. It seemed Ning Fengzhi still supported him as always. However, he couldn't help but wonder why Ning Fengzhi, who had previously been so eager to involve himself in the affairs of the Heaven Dou Empire, had so readily stepped back.
Before he could ponder further, the door to the tea room opened again. Gu Rong entered first, followed by Chen Yuan, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Seeing the scene in the tea room, Chen Yuan was momentarily taken aback. He had expected only Ning Fengzhi, not Xue Qinghe.
But he quickly composed himself and greeted them politely, "Greetings, Patriarch. Greetings, Your Highness."
With Xue Qinghe present, Ning Rongrong didn't act too casually. She, along with Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing, also bowed respectfully.
Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly and said, "There are no outsiders here. Everyone, feel free to relax. Chen Yuan, I called you here today to congratulate you on becoming the youngest Soul King in the history of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—and perhaps even the entire Douluo Continent. As a reward, you may take whatever you need from the clan's treasury. If there's anything else you require, the clan will spare no effort to provide it."
"Thank you, Patriarch!" Chen Yuan expressed his gratitude, but inwardly, he couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.
'Seriously? You called me here just to reveal my cultivation level? And you say there are no outsiders? Xue Qinghe isn't an outsider? Well, of course, no one knows his true identity. This is just… hard to put into words…'
As expected, Xue Qinghe was visibly shocked. "Teacher, what did you say? Chen Yuan has already become a Soul King?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile, "Indeed. With Sword Douluo's guidance, the clan's resources, and his own hard work, Chen Yuan recently absorbed a spirit ring and became a Soul King."
"Today, I originally intended to commend him. Coincidentally, you also came to see me. As my student, I won't hide this from you."
Xue Qinghe's eyes burned with interest as he looked at Chen Yuan. "Teacher, I'm deeply grateful that you would share such confidential information with me."
"Chen Yuan, you continue to amaze me. With such talent, even Tang Hao, known as the youngest Title Douluo on the continent, probably doesn't come close to a hundredth of your potential."
Xue Qinghe was genuinely intrigued. Previously, he had seen Chen Yuan as a talented individual who could be recruited—or not. After all, as a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, it would be difficult for Chen Yuan to fully pledge his loyalty to him.
But now, Xue Qinghe had never been so impressed by someone. Even he, with his innate twenty levels of soul power, had only broken through to Soul King at sixteen or seventeen. While his undercover mission had delayed his progress, his talent was still far beyond that of ordinary geniuses.
Chen Yuan was the only one who made Xue Qinghe feel like an equal. Instantly, he felt a sense of camaraderie.
Facing Xue Qinghe's intense gaze, Chen Yuan remained humble. "My achievements can be summed up in two words: hard work."
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,352
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