Gu Rong's expression darkened further.
"How can that be?" he growled. "I will never allow it."
Ning Fengzhi glanced at him, knowing full well that Gu Rong's protectiveness toward Ning Rongrong bordered on obsession.
After a brief silence, Ning Fengzhi changed the subject.
"Elder Gu," he asked calmly, "what do you think about Tang San?"
Gu Rong narrowed his eyes.
"Yes… quite witty for someone so young," he admitted reluctantly. Then his expression hardened. "Why don't we just nip the bud while it's still small?"
Ning Fengzhi stopped walking. He turned to look at Gu Rong, his gaze sharp.
"Elder Gu," he said quietly, "have you forgotten the girl in the Star Dou Forest so quickly?"
Gu Rong's body stiffened.
His hand subconsciously rose to his empty right sleeve, as if trying to grasp something that was no longer there.
A phantom pain surged.
"…Of course not," he replied hoarsely.
Ning Fengzhi continued calmly, his voice steady and rational.
"Based on Tang San's temperament," he said, "he will inevitably draw HER attention sooner or later. Whether he wishes it or not."
A faint, businesslike smile appeared on his face.
"Besides, I will not support Tang San unconditionally. My support will strictly follow the terms of our agreement—nothing more, nothing less."
Gu Rong's expression tightened.
"If what you told me about that girl is true…" he said slowly, anxiety leaking into his voice, "Fengzhi, isn't this too dangerous?"
He hesitated, then spoke with unmistakable unease.
"You want to probe the depths of someone whom... you are already so scared off."
Gu Rong's tone grew heavier.
Ning Fengzhi did not immediately respond.
As an outer member of the Hermit Order, he had access to fragments of information ordinary people would never even hear whispers of. And it was precisely because of what he knew that fear had taken root in his heart.
Yet fear alone was not enough to stop him.
Like a fish struggling desperately after being caught in a net, Ning Fengzhi chose the only path available to him—deflection.
If he could not confront that unfathomable existence… Then he would place others in front of it.
Tang San and the Clear Sky Clan are good choices, powerful and stubborn and conspicuous enough.
Ning Fengzhi's voice lowered.
"You remember HER gaze in the Star Dou Forest," he said quietly. "The way she looked at us."
Gu Rong's jaw clenched.
"That look," Ning Fengzhi continued, "was exactly the same as the one someone gives a roadside pebble—brief amusement before casually kicking it aside."
His words carried no exaggeration.
As they continued walking, the night streets of Heaven Dou City bustled with life. Lantern light flickered, laughter echoed, and the aroma of food drifted through the air.
Then—Ning Fengzhi's steps slowed.
His gaze fixed on a small café by the roadside.
Inside, seated by the window, was a golden-haired girl with purple eyes. She held a porcelain teacup delicately in her hand, sipping leisurely.
Her gaze—Was fixed on him, filled with interest.
As if she had been waiting.
Ning Fengzhi felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He adjusted his glasses reflexively. In that brief moment, cold sweat soaked his palms.
Then he looked again, but seat was empty.
The café was ordinary and no golden-haired girl in sight.
"Elder Gu," Ning Fengzhi asked quietly, his voice strained, "did you see—?"
"See what?" Gu Rong replied, puzzled.
Ning Fengzhi stopped walking as the night breeze brushed past, he felt colder than ever before.
----
Months passed and the preliminary rounds of Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament started in Heaven Dou City.
Different Academies from regions of Heaven Dou Empire arrived to participate in the competition. For ordinary people this competition period is like a festival.
However, not everyone was feeling happy.
Heaven Dou City streets
Xue Beng was in a terrible mood.
Ever since a few months ago, nothing had gone his way.
It all began when he had picked a fight with that so-called beggar Shrek Academy. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it—after all, what threat could a rundown academy which is already bankrupt pose?
Yet after returning to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he had been lectured harshly by his uncle, Prince Xue Xing. The scolding had been unusually severe, leaving Xue Beng both confused and humiliated.
Then came the incident a few weeks later.That fake earthquake.
Startled by the sudden tremors, he had leaned out of the window to look, only to lose his footing and fall. Though he hadn't been seriously injured, the incident had spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
For days, whispers followed him and was turned into a joke.
Now, to make matters worse, he was hearing rumors that the very academy he had once mocked—the one he had personally provoked—were filled with genius monsters.
He clenched his fists.
What troubled him even more was the nagging fear that Emperor Xue Ye might summon him at any moment. If the Emperor decided that Shrek's departure from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was somehow connected to his behavior—
Xue Beng shuddered. That would not end well.
Lost in these dark thoughts, he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Heaven Dou City.
Then—
His eyes suddenly lit up.
Ahead of him, walking slowly through the crowd, was a young woman with golden-blonde hair. A light veil concealed most of her face, but it could not hide the striking purple eyes that occasionally caught the lantern light.
Xue Beng stopped in his tracks. His breathing quickened.
---
(Author notes : I am not going to replicate the fights for Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament because the undercurrents will be happening in this period when the environment in the entire city is full of festivities. Otherwise the no of chapters before ascension may drastically increase. I might show one match of Shrek vs other academy so reader gets an idea what is going on)