"Uh—about that..."
Beads of sweat trickled down Xu Sanshi's forehead. He wiped them away, chuckling, "Dad, Bei Bei and I were just joking around. He invited me to join the Tang Sect, but I couldn't really join, could I? How is that possible?"
"Don't you worry, even though those folks at home don't think much of me, I wouldn't run away."
Xu Fu's eyes widened, and he said seriously, "I'm not worried about you; I'm worried about your unreliable friends. You might think it's just fun and games, but the division between sects is no small matter. Once you join, you'll be bound by it for life."
"Even if those people act friendly and call you brothers on the surface, in reality, your status will always be beneath theirs.
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You might not like hearing this, but it's the truth."
"If it weren't for that, why would I have come out of seclusion just to talk to you about this?"
Xu Sanshi scratched his head, muttering, "It's fine, really. I already told them that unless they can get Nannan to join the Tang Sect, I won't go in with them."
"I'm going to marry Nannan eventually. After all that, won't we still come back home?"
Xu Fu was exasperated, pointing at Xu Sanshi and saying exasperatedly, "So, for a woman, you're willing to abandon your parents and your family? And here I thought your Ancestor thought so highly of you!"
Xu Sanshi lowered his head and whispered, "But Dad, didn't you tell me when I was little that when you're pursuing a woman, you shouldn't care about your reputation? My mom ran away with you, after all."
"The imperial princess running away was fine, so what do I have to worry about? At worst, I'll just run away like you did."
Xu Fu's face darkened, and he said sternly, "How can that be the same? The Douling Royal Family is a bunch of useless nobodies. If you have the guts to abduct a cousin and bring her back, I'll even go with you!"
"What kind of place is Shrek? It's a place that devours people!"
"But didn't you say that our Xuanming Sect has experts like clouds among our uncles and elders, and that the Black Tortoise Merchant Guild is a top-ranked merchant guild across the entire continent, so I could just mess around outside without any problems?"
Xu Sanshi rubbed his palms, his face full of grievance.
Xu Fu massaged his temples, sighing heavily. "What I said before doesn't count; what I'm saying now does. That cursed place, Shrek, is too sinister. You can't mess around. After the Pan-continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament finishes in two months, you'll prepare to graduate from the Outer Courtyard and come back."
"We aren't as strong as the Clear Sky Sect. Even the Young Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect faced two life-threatening situations at Shrek. I'm truly worried that one day you'll become a Tang Sect member and die outside, and when we go to seek justice, people will say we're not qualified."
"Huh? Come back directly? Not go to the Inner Courtyard for advanced studies?" Xu Sanshi asked in surprise.
"Heh~!"
Xu Fu chuckled, saying, "Advanced studies in the Inner Courtyard are all lies. Don't we know that their Inner Courtyard isn't much stronger than the Outer Courtyard? They only gain strength by desperately fighting across the continent."
"Unless you stay in the Inner Courtyard and become a Shrek person in the future, Shrek won't reveal its truly good things to you. You won't get combat techniques or Soul Bones."
"You've already built enough connections; the rest are unnecessary."
Xu Sanshi hesitated, "But Nannan is only in her fifth year right now..."
Xu Fu waved his hand indifferently. "That girl's home is in Xuanming City. We'll go propose marriage to her later. Any other questions?"
"No more."
"Good. Do you have any cultivation-related confusions recently? Tell me about them."
"More than that, I'm curious about something else. Dad, weren't you in seclusion? How did you know Bei Bei invited me to join the Tang Sect?"
"Heh, the Black Tortoise Merchant Guild is a top merchant guild on the continent, and Shrek City is the largest trade city of the original three kingdoms. How could we not have eyes there?"
"Let me tell you, even the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, where you Core Disciples of the Outer Courtyard often go, has our people. Many of the seafood products are supplied by us."
"Dad, that's amazing! But why didn't you ever give me a private discount before?"
"If I gave you a discount, Shrek would earn less money. Would they allow that? Those prices are secretly controlled by Shrek's people. We don't have a Titled Douluo permanently stationed there, so how could we contend with them on pricing?"
"It's a good time for me to tell you all about what Shrek does and their Inner Courtyard, so you don't get tricked when you go back. If something happens to you while you're on a monitoring mission, your Ancestor and I would go crazy—"
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Dean's Office.
The new semester had begun, and the five-yearly Pan-continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was approaching, but Jing Hongchen's expression was not very good.
"You mean, the main team for this tournament is still normal: Captain Ma Rulong, a Soul Emperor, and six Soul Kings—Chen Fei, Chen An, Mijia, Lin Xi, Xiao Xiafeng, and Li Yan?"
"But when it comes to the Reserve Team, besides Xiao and Meng, both Soul Kings, and Tian Xi as captain, in such a large academy, we can only find two Soul Ancestors under fifteen years old? The rest are all Soul Elders?"
Opposite Jing Hongchen, Dean of Education Lin Jiayi, who was responsible for the report, had sweat on his forehead as he replied, "I've scoured all the outstanding students in the academy. Unless there's an exception, this should be the case."
"However, Dean, I think the Reserve Team is just there to join the fun and go through the motions. Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds with your help recently; they would be fine even in the main team."
"Adding the always mysterious Tian Xi, I think those three participating will be enough to handle most of the teams from the Four Great Empires. So, if the Reserve Team is barely adequate, then it's barely adequate. We weren't really expecting much from them anyway."
The term "Reserve Team" itself implies that unless the main team gets bombed to smithereens by Soul Guidance Cannon Shells, it would never be their turn to play and shoulder the main responsibility.
According to custom, only the captain and vice-captain of the Reserve Team would participate in tough battles with the main team, while the other members would just wait to be led by their seniors, gaining experience in advantageous situations.
This year's Reserve Team was surprisingly formidable. It was unclear whether the Dean had given the Hongchen siblings some miraculous pills or top-tier Soul Bones at home these past few days, but their Soul Power had increased by five or six levels since before the holiday, almost reaching Soul Emperor.
The Dean's methods were truly extraordinary.
After Lin Jiayi's comforting words, Jing Hongchen's expression finally improved significantly. He leaned his arm on the desk and waved his hand.
"Tell the admissions office that this kind of thing must never happen again. Even if they have to actively send people out to search various regions, they must find me geniuses."
"Xiao, Meng, and Tian Xi are all top-tier geniuses, rarely seen in a thousand years in the Empire. The academy cannot always rely on such geniuses to bail them out when student recruitment is lacking."
"To catch up to and surpass Shrek's position, we must strive for this consistently."
"In short, as long as we can find suitable talent, even if it means poaching from other top academies in the country, I'll support them wholeheartedly!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Lin Jiayi dutifully jotted down the Dean's instructions in a small notebook, showing his proper attitude.
As he wrote, Lin Jiayi casually asked, "Oh, by the way, Dean, I noticed Tian Xi's name isn't on the new student registration list. He's late this time, what do you think—"
Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow. "Late? What are you talking about? He submitted an application report long ago to conduct field tests of Soul Guided Devices in the Far North Land, and I, as Dean, personally approved it.
For the future of the academy, he's out there working hard on his research right now. Lin, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Conducting field tests of Soul Guided Devices in that desolate Human Forbidden Zone, the Far North Land?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiayi straightened up abruptly, his eyes wide with surprise, almost dislocating his back from his Dean's incredibly serious demeanor.
He thought to himself, The Dean is truly getting senile. Even a made-up excuse shouldn't be this outlandish. How could anyone stay in that godforsaken Far North Land, let alone test Soul Guided Devices there?
"What's wrong, Director Lin? Does your expression mean you have an issue with what I just said?"
Dean Hongchen's voice unconsciously dropped a little, sounding like a stark warning to Lin Jiayi.
Lin Jiayi waved his hands frantically, plastering on a smile. "No, no, not at all! I was just thinking, maybe I slept too much and got the start date of school wrong. I remember it was still a few days away."
Jing Hongchen's brows relaxed. "Was it?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I remember you said last semester that you wanted to lighten the load on the children and give them more holidays—"
Lin Jiayi's mind raced, recalling Jing Hongchen's unintentional remarks.
"Oh, well, then it's settled. Starting next year, the holiday will be extended by one week." Jing Hongchen nodded in agreement, and Lin Jiayi felt a wave of relief.
Just then, a rhythmic "ding-dong-ding-dong" sounded from outside the Dean's Office.
"Dean, are you there? I'm back."
Xu Tianxi's voice, sounding even more mature, came from outside the door. Jing Hongchen stood up abruptly, swung his hand, and opened the door wide. Lin Jiayi turned to look, his pupils slightly trembling.
Compared to before graduation, Xu Tianxi was even taller and more imposing. He was estimated to be over 1.85 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a strong back. He had a dignified appearance, and simply standing there, he exuded a stable, mountain-like aura.
Especially those eyes, as lustrous as stars, glimmered with faint silver light, holding the essence of stars and moon, captivating to behold. The calm, gentle smile on his face radiated an inner confidence. Such a huge change. Did Xu Tianxi absorb another Soul Ring? Or did he consume some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures? Lin Jiayi wondered.
"Hahaha, I'm here, I'm here! Of course I'm here! Tian Xi, your timing is excellent. It seems your trip was quite fruitful."
Seeing Xu Tianxi's appearance and demeanor, Jing Hongchen didn't even need to release his Spiritual Power to sense that the "Far North opportunity" Xu Tianxi spoke of was already in hand.
It was common knowledge that Soul Power, Soul Rings, and Soul Bones helped the people of Douluo Continent grow. Xu Tianxi's increased height indicated a significant gain.
Upon sensing his Soul Power again, Jing Hongchen's expression grew even more astonished—forty-ninth rank! Only one step away from becoming a Soul King!
To achieve such a feat at his age was truly a heaven-sent blessing!
With these three, what is there to fear from the eternally undefeated Shrek? It's time for us to claim the top spot on the continent!
Thinking of something, Jing Hongchen suppressed his joy and gave Lin Jiayi a meaningful look. The latter, understanding, discreetly left and closed the door behind him.
Jing Hongchen waved his hand, creating a Soul Power barrier, then took a Lead Box from his Storage Soul Guided Device and placed it on the desk.
"Tian Xi, this is the Soul Bone sent by the Star Luo Empire as per our agreement. Take a look."
"They sent it before the tournament? Xu Jiawei is quite generous." Xu Tianxi muttered about how generous Boss Xu was, as he lifted the lid of the box.
Immediately, a sharp, gray light burst forth. Xu Tianxi's expression shifted slightly, recognizing that this Soul Bone must have come from a Soul Beast with powerful offensive capabilities in its lifetime.
Jing Hongchen introduced it. "It's a right arm bone from a fifty-thousand-year-old Fierce Blade Mantis. It's yours."
Xu Tianxi blinked. "Dean, this doesn't quite suit me. Please give it to someone else."
A fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone, not quite suitable.
"Xiao and Meng have already integrated two other Soul Bones. You can do whatever you want with this one; it was free anyway." Jing Hongchen said indifferently.
"Oh, right. Xiao's cultivation has advanced greatly these past few days, and his mindset has changed somewhat. I specifically arranged an opponent for him, and now his mental state has changed even more. Remember to be careful when you encounter him."
"Oh? That's wonderful." Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up.
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