After returning to her chambers, Xue Qinghe went straight into a sealed dark room and raised a hand to remove her white robe. As her clothes slipped away, the originally tall and upright "male" figure gradually changed, ultimately revealing the graceful form of a tall woman.
She was none other than Spirit Hall's young mistress, Qian Renxue.
An exquisite bathing tub stood inside the dark room, already filled with hot water. A faint floral fragrance drifted through the misty steam. This was the most relaxing time of her day, and the only time she could shed her disguise and be herself.
Her fingertips lightly touched the warm surface of the water, yet Qian Renxue's thoughts drifted back to the daytime—the scene of Ye Feiyang defeating a hundred Spirit Masters in a single move. Even now, recalling it still made her heart surge.
"That guy is truly strong." She murmured softly, a complicated glint flashing through her eyes. "Who was that friend he mentioned today? Is there really someone with innate level-twenty Soul Power? Other than me, could there be someone else?"
Her heart was filled with doubts, but she did not dare reach a conclusion so easily.
After a moment of silence, Qian Renxue's lips curled into a cold arc as she muttered to herself, "My dear imperial brother, you'd better keep causing trouble..."
If Xue Beng caused a few more problems, perhaps she could use Ye Feiyang's hand to get rid of him. For her, that would be the best possible outcome.
News of Ye Feiyang defeating a hundred Spirit Masters in a single move spread through Heaven Dou City overnight as though it had grown wings.
The morning after the incident, Seven Treasure Sect Master Ning Fengzhi brought Sword Douluo Gu Rong to Supreme Academy in person. The two spoke pleasantly with Ye Feiyang at the academy gates, and many witnessed how familiar they appeared with one another. Anyone with eyes could tell that Seven Treasure Sect was backing Ye Feiyang and declaring to the outside world that Supreme Academy and Seven Treasure Sect shared a close relationship.
Naturally, the news also reached Blue Tyrant Academy across the way and entered the ears of its headmaster, Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong had already been somewhat dissatisfied with the suddenly appearing "Supreme Academy," which stood directly opposite her academy's main gate. Wasn't that clearly challenging Blue Tyrant Academy? If she had not known beforehand that the academy was Seven Treasure Sect's handiwork, she would have gone over to demand an explanation long ago with her fiery temper.
At first, she scoffed at the rumors about Ye Feiyang. "Defeating a hundred people in one move? I'm a Soul Douluo myself. Why have I never heard of such a thing? It must have been exaggerated!"
In her view, Ye Feiyang becoming a Soul Douluo at such a young age was already outrageous enough. Could he really possess such a powerful soul skill? Impossible!
But as more and more eyewitnesses stepped forward to confirm it, Liu Erlong began to waver. "Could it be that just because I can't do it doesn't mean others can't?"
Without realizing it, she developed some interest in the mysterious Ye Feiyang.
As if possessed, Liu Erlong walked to the academy's highest point and looked toward Supreme Academy across from it.
At that moment, Ye Feiyang was exchanging pleasantries with Ning Fengzhi at the academy gates. Under the sunlight, the man stood tall and composed, with a calmness between his brows rarely seen in those his age. Just one glance left Liu Erlong stunned.
"This man..." Her heartbeat inexplicably quickened, and the heart that had been sealed away for years faintly showed signs of stirring awake.
She had lived this long, yet this was the first time she had seen such a young Soul Douluo.
All her previous thoughts about the rumors being exaggerated had already vanished. If it was the man before her, it really seemed possible for him to defeat a hundred people in one move.
Only after Ye Feiyang and Ning Fengzhi disappeared behind the academy gates did Liu Erlong come back to herself. She curled her lips and muttered quietly, "So he's Ye Feiyang? So what if he's strong? I just won't provoke him..."
Even so, her eyes betrayed her. After hesitating for a moment, she added quietly, "Not provoking him doesn't mean we can't have academic exchanges, right? Mm, I'll organize the students to go take a look tomorrow..."
After saying that, she twisted her waist and hurried back to the small wooden house behind the mountain. Even her footsteps were lighter than usual.
The news about Ye Feiyang continued to ferment. It spread not only through the major academies of Heaven Dou City, but also stirred up Spirit Master circles in nearby cities. Countless outstanding students and Heaven's Chosen could no longer sit still. Just how young was this Ye Feiyang? Was he really that strong? Were his soul rings truly as outrageous as the rumors claimed?
More and more people were eager to see Supreme Academy for themselves. Some even wanted to take Ye Feiyang as their master.
Inside Supreme Academy, Ning Fengzhi stared at his daughter Ning Rongrong with a face full of shock. He had only just learned that in the little over a month since he had left, his daughter's Soul Power had risen four levels in a row, directly breaking through to level thirty-five!
"This rate of advancement is faster than riding a rocket, isn't it?" Ning Fengzhi could not help muttering. He then asked Gu Rong to suppress his cultivation and personally test Ning Rongrong's strength.
He had originally worried that his daughter's rapid advancement would make her foundation unstable, but the results left both him and Gu Rong dumbfounded. As an auxiliary-type Spirit Master, Ning Rongrong did not fall behind at all against the assault-type Gu Rong. She could even use her nimble footwork to cause Gu Rong considerable trouble, faintly showing signs of counterattacking.
"Our Seven Treasure Sect is an auxiliary-type sect! Is this even scientific? This is completely unreasonable!" Ning Fengzhi's eyes went wide. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that an auxiliary-type Spirit Master could reach such a level.
His hands trembled slightly with excitement as he turned to Ye Feiyang, his voice filled with gratitude. "Headmaster Ye, my daughter owes everything she has today to your guidance. Ning... cannot thank you enough!"
When they had met last time, he had not realized just how much Ning Rongrong had changed. Only after seeing it himself this time did he understand how well Ye Feiyang had taught her.
Honestly, if he were not the Sect Master of Seven Treasure Sect and already this old, he would have wanted to become Ye Feiyang's disciple on the spot. Ye Feiyang had not only solved Ning Rongrong's martial soul problem, but had also taught her to be so capable in battle. His foundation was simply too profound!
"You're too polite, Sect Master Ning." Ye Feiyang smiled and waved his hand. "Rong Rong is my disciple. Teaching her is only natural."
At that moment, Ning Rongrong strode up to Ning Fengzhi with her head held high and sweetly called, "Dad~"
But the next second, her tone shifted as she asked with sparkling eyes, "Dad, did you come to arrange my marriage proposal today? Why did you come empty-handed? Where's the betrothal gift? Did you prepare it? Oh, right, I'm not old enough yet. How about you arrange an engagement between Teacher and me first?"
Ning Fengzhi's hand, which had been reaching out to pat his daughter's head, froze in midair.
His expression stiffened as his heart roared wildly. Is this my daughter? Is this really my obedient and sensible daughter? No, don't tell me the two of them have already...?
He suddenly turned to Ye Feiyang, his eyes plainly saying, "You'd better give me an explanation."
Ye Feiyang had been calmly watching the show from the side, never expecting the mess to suddenly land on his own head. His face was full of confusion. "???"
No, Sect Master Ning, what kind of look is that? You can't have misunderstood, right? Don't you know your own daughter's personality?
He coughed lightly and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "Well, Sect Master Ning, don't look at me like that. You don't think there's something between Rong Rong and me, do you?"
Ning Fengzhi read the word "innocent" from Ye Feiyang's expression and immediately relaxed. I must have overthought things.
He awkwardly waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of probing. "No, no. I was just wondering, if I wanted to teach your disciple a lesson right now, you wouldn't be angry, would you?"
Ye Feiyang: "..."
You're disciplining your daughter. Why are you asking me? Go ahead, I'm not stopping you...
He grumbled inwardly, Go on, hit her. Sometimes I can't handle this rebellious disciple either. It's not like this is the first time I've heard her say things like that. I'm already used to it.
Ning Fengzhi did not hesitate. He grabbed Ning Rongrong by the ear and said irritably, "Rong Rong! You're a girl. How can you make jokes like that? Especially with your teacher!"
Ning Rongrong was not afraid at all. Instead, she grinned and pushed Ning Fengzhi's hand away. "Oh, Dad, I was just joking~ But you have to take it seriously! We can talk things out properly, so why are you getting physical? What if I accidentally hurt you in return? Oh dear, does your hand hurt? I'll blow on it for you~"
As she spoke, she really lifted Ning Fengzhi's hand and gently blew on the spot that had turned red from pinching her ear. Her dramatic performance left Ning Fengzhi both amused and exasperated.
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Ning Fengzhi had always been helpless against this side of his daughter. No matter how much anger he had, it vanished the moment she blew on his hand.
Not only him—even Gu Rong beside them helplessly shook his head. This girl was becoming more and more mischievous.
Ye Feiyang could only rub his forehead and sigh. As expected, girls who knew how to act cute had better lives.
Not far away, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were peeking over at them. The two exchanged looks, their eyes full of surprise. You could do that?
Sometimes, they truly admired Ning Rongrong. She dared to say whatever was on her mind and never hid anything.
But neither of them could do that. Zhu Zhuqing had a cold personality and was afraid of ruining her image, while Xiao Wu was somewhat insecure and afraid that she would be disliked if she said it aloud.
They even thought that if Ye Feiyang had not always treated them like children, Ning Rongrong probably would have gone beyond merely talking about it long ago...
After Ning Fengzhi sent the three girls away, he regained a serious expression and looked at Ye Feiyang. "Headmaster Ye, you should know that registration for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament will begin soon, right?"
Ye Feiyang nodded. "Of course I know. I founded Supreme Academy precisely to participate in this tournament."
"That's good." Ning Fengzhi's tone became more serious. "In about half a year, registration for the preliminaries will begin. You need to hurry! I see that your team has not taken shape yet, and I know you have your own standards for accepting disciples, but time waits for no one. Don't miss the registration deadline."
Ning Fengzhi's reminder truly woke Ye Feiyang up. He had been living too comfortably lately and had actually forgotten something so important.
He sorted out the timeline in his mind. There was roughly a year and a half before the tournament officially began. It seemed like plenty of time, but forming a qualified team was actually quite urgent.
Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered Tang San. No matter where that guy appeared, he could always remind Ye Feiyang what point in the timeline they were at. Living too comfortably really did make it easy to forget things.
However, Ye Feiyang was not too worried. His standard for accepting disciples was at least an S-grade aptitude rating. With Advancement Pills to assist them later, their strength could be raised a little more.
There were actually quite a few suitable candidates right now. Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan all had sufficient aptitude. As long as he found a way to poach them and gave them a little training, they could become the core strength of the team.
As for those whose aptitude was not enough, or male students, he could accept them as nominal disciples. That would not only expand Supreme Academy's scale, but also earn some money for daily expenses. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Besides, he already had Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu as three main forces. Once he gathered a few more people, even if he "brought along a few dogs," they could still crush most teams.
"Thank you for the reminder, Sect Master Ning. I'll make arrangements as soon as possible," Ye Feiyang said sincerely. "By the way, I still haven't thanked you for helping handle the academy's qualifications. Without you, my Supreme Academy would still be an unregistered operation with nothing to its name. It couldn't even register, much less sign up for the tournament."
Indeed, with only three students at present, calling it a tutoring class would have been a stretch. Without Ning Fengzhi stepping in, there was no way the academy could have completed registration.
Ning Fengzhi smiled and waved his hand. "Why be so polite between us? This little favor is nothing compared to what you've done for Rong Rong."
As he spoke, he was about to begin expressing his gratitude again, but Ye Feiyang quickly interrupted him. "Sect Master Ning, if you keep talking, you'll be treating me like an outsider."
Ning Fengzhi smiled knowingly. He knew that this favor had been firmly established. Ye Feiyang was not an ungrateful person, and sooner or later, he would repay it.
"Alright, then I won't say more." Ning Fengzhi's eyes were filled with anticipation. "I'm looking forward to Supreme Academy's performance in the tournament, and even more to seeing you win the championship. This preliminary round will be held in the Heaven Dou City division. When the time comes, I'll prepare a place for the teachers and students to rest. Don't go looking for lodging yourselves again!"
Ye Feiyang did not refuse and answered with a smile, "Then I'll have to thank Sect Master Ning for the arrangement."
"Ah, why be polite with me?" Ning Fengzhi waved his hand, his tone casual yet sincere.
After thinking for a moment, Ye Feiyang decided to show some goodwill as well. Ning Fengzhi was thoughtful and practical, always contributing money and effort without empty gestures. He was a friend worth cultivating deeply.
"Sect Master Ning has spent so much, so I can't simply keep taking advantage." Ye Feiyang changed the subject and said seriously, "Actually, I may have a way to solve the limitations of your martial soul, allowing you to stop being stuck at the Soul Douluo realm without being able to break through. But the academy has only just been established, and I need to settle things here first. Once I'm done, I'll help you deal with it."
Ning Fengzhi shot up from his seat, his eyes widening round. What had he just heard? Solve the martial soul limitation? Break through the Soul Douluo realm?
He even suspected that he had misheard. His voice trembled slightly. "Headmaster Ye, is that true? If it truly can be done, Ning is willing to pay any price!"
As he spoke, he excitedly grabbed Ye Feiyang's hand, his eyes full of urgency, as though he had seized a lifeline.
Ye Feiyang was startled by his sudden reaction. Was it really necessary to get this excited over a single sentence?
"How could I joke about something like this?" Ye Feiyang said helplessly. "Calm down first. This can't be rushed. I need to wait until I've sorted out the academy's affairs."
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and tried to calm the excitement in his heart, but the delight in his eyes could not be concealed. "Ning has lost his composure. I hope Headmaster Ye will not take offense."
"I understand, I understand." Ye Feiyang laughed heartily. Of course he knew how deeply Ning Fengzhi was obsessed with his own martial soul. He simply could not refuse this "gift."
The two chatted casually for a while longer before Ning Fengzhi reluctantly bid farewell and left.
As night deepened and a gentle breeze drifted through the air, Ye Feiyang sat with the three girls in Supreme Academy's living room. It was time for another "meeting."
Ye Feiyang went straight to the point. "Now that the new academy has been established, we can't leave it idle forever. I have a task for you."
The three girls all looked at him, their eyes full of curiosity. Only Zhu Zhuqing quietly tensed up, praying inwardly, Please don't make me go poach people again!
Ning Rongrong spoke first. "Teacher, what task is it?"
Ye Feiyang did not keep them in suspense and said directly, "I plan to set up an arena in front of the academy. The three of you will serve as its defenders and welcome all challengers. Whether they come to spar or probe us, as long as they dare step onto the stage, you'll fight them."
The three girls were all somewhat stunned. What was Teacher trying to do this time?
Zhu Zhuqing secretly sighed in relief. At least they were not going out to poach people.
For Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, participating in more actual combat was a good thing. Unlike Ning Rongrong, who only needed to focus on support and defense, they needed real battles to refine their techniques and accumulate experience in adapting to situations.
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she said excitedly, "Are we fighting? Then I definitely have no problem with that!"
Ning Rongrong also nodded with a smile. "Defending an arena? That sounds pretty interesting! It'll be a good chance to see just how strong I am now!"
Seeing the three girls' enthusiasm, Ye Feiyang nodded in satisfaction. "It's not just for practice. More importantly, it's to make Supreme Academy famous. Only by letting more people know our strength can we attract outstanding students and form a team for the tournament."
He paused before adding, "But you need to know your limits. Just stop at the right point. Don't actually cripple anyone. We're running an academy, not some shady shop."
"Got it!" the three girls answered in unison, their eyes full of anticipation. They had already begun imagining what it would be like to defend the arena tomorrow.
Ye Feiyang looked at them and smiled. Supreme Academy's future was slowly getting on the right track.
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