Qian Renxue: I Bet on Yu Tianheng, Ning Fengzhi: I Bet on Chi Xiu

The female student kneeling on the ground looked somewhat confused. Seeing this, Chi Xiu added, "Oh, and one more thing—her surname is Ning."

The female student frowned slightly. "Ning Rongrong..."

Before she could react, Ning Rongrong stretched out her small hand. A dazzling light radiated from her palm. Soon, a glazed tower spire shot forth, followed by a full seven-tiered tower body that spun into the air, brilliant and blinding.

The continent's top support-type martial soul—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!"

The female student cried out, her face immediately turning ashen.

She had heard that Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had only one daughter, whom he treasured beyond measure. It had to be the girl before her.

How could she possibly compare? She was merely a collateral descendant from one of the Lower Four Sects.

"Why would the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect come here with Purple Star Academy..."

"What are you standing around for?! We can't afford to offend them. Hurry up and leave!"

The nearby male students immediately ran over and helped the female student away. At the same time, they carried off Yu Tianliu, who had no idea what was happening and had only been lying unconscious, foaming at the mouth.

"Anyone who insults an academy connected to Chi Xiu-gege will have to answer to me! I can protect Chi Xiu-gege too!"

Ning Rongrong waved her little fists as she chased after them.

"Rongrong!"

"Huh? Chi Xiu-gege!"

Chi Xiu watched Ning Rongrong happily run toward him. He had to admit, her performance just now had genuinely surprised him.

But it also made him feel good.

"Why were you being so impulsive? What if I hadn't made it over in time and you got hit?"

Chi Xiu rubbed Ning Rongrong's head.

"Anything related to Chi Xiu-gege cannot be insulted. Besides, Rongrong knew Chi Xiu-gege would protect me, right?"

"You little rascal."

Chi Xiu smiled and took Ning Rongrong's hand, leading her back toward the group. Only then did he notice that the looks in the students' and their supervising teacher Song Ming's eyes had changed.

After a brief few seconds of silence, the students immediately erupted into excited cheers.

"Long live Miss Ning! Long live Student Chi!"

"Miss Ning, that was amazing!"

"So cool, Student Chi!"

Song Ming walked over to Chi Xiu then, patted him on the shoulder, and could not help sighing.

"Actually, every time we come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, we get mocked. To be honest, I'm used to it. Whenever I hear it, I just pretend I didn't. Today is the first time I've ever seen something like this."

Song Ming smiled and shook his head as he spoke, casually wiping away his tears. "When you get older, it becomes easy to settle for the way things are. Seeing my students rise up and fight back... it really moves me."

"Don't worry, Teacher. As a member of Purple Star Academy, I'll make it so that in the future, whenever anyone in the Heaven Dou Empire hears our academy's name, they'll be filled with respect and give us a thumbs-up."

Chi Xiu spoke calmly, but his words carried the confidence that this was simply how things ought to be.

"Mm, having that kind of spirit is enough."

Song Ming smiled and nodded. Clearly, he thought Chi Xiu was merely a child making bold claims. He knew exactly what Purple Star Academy's students were capable of.

The comprehensive assessment area was located in a ground-floor hall at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It housed some of the continent's finest professional testing equipment, and the data it produced was highly accurate.

When Chi Xiu followed the group into the hall, he discovered that Purple Star Academy was not the only academy present. Several other academies had gathered there as well; they had likely arrived for the same round of testing by coincidence.

Ning Rongrong held Chi Xiu's hand but could not stay still. She swayed from side to side and looked around, as though searching for someone.

"Where's Father? He should be in the hall with Brother Qinghe, observing the test results, right?"

Because of her blind spot, Ning Rongrong failed to notice Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe seated in the observation area on the second floor.

"Rongrong?"

Ning Fengzhi, wearing a silver crown and a white robe adorned with silver patterns and diamond ornaments, frowned slightly. He could hardly believe that his little princess had come here.

"Is that Rongrong, Teacher?"

Ning Fengzhi nodded.

"I haven't seen Rongrong in some time. I never expected her to have grown so tall."

The speaker had a somewhat androgynous voice. He was a handsome young man with short golden hair and fair skin, dressed in luxurious robes embellished with golden threads. He looked noble and elegant.

"That masked boy, is he..."

"His name is Chi Xiu."

Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes. He remembered Sword Uncle's description of Chi Xiu's appearance. The most eye-catching feature had been a delicate black mask.

But as a father, his gaze quickly settled on Ning Rongrong and Chi Xiu's clasped hands. Judging by how naturally his daughter held that boy's hand, this was clearly not the first time.

"Chi Xiu? I've never heard of him."

Xue Qinghe shook his head.

Ning Fengzhi laughed when he heard that. It was understandable that Xue Qinghe had never heard the name, but Ning Fengzhi himself had been bombarded with it countless times these past few days.

First, Sword Douluo Chen Xin had introduced the child in the most exaggerated terms: unprecedented, extraordinarily gifted, destined for greatness... Ning Fengzhi's ears were practically growing calluses from listening. What puzzled him even more was that whenever Sword Douluo described Chi Xiu, he sounded as passionate as though he were describing his own future grandson-in-law.

Ning Fengzhi had never seen Chen Xin act this way before.

Then there was his own daughter. All day long, she clamored about wanting to see Chi Xiu. With so many children in the sect, she only wanted to play with Chi Xiu-gege.

He had not expected to actually meet this child today.

The mask was the same, but the aura around him was a hundred times more subdued than Ning Fengzhi had imagined. Based on Sword Douluo's description, this child should have been radiating sharp brilliance.

"Teacher, that is Yu Tianheng. He comes from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family and is also the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He is one of the most outstanding members of the younger generation at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Xue Qinghe introduced the handsome, tall, and extraordinary young man below, only to realize that Ning Fengzhi did not seem to be listening.

The Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect appeared to have been staring at someone from the very beginning...

Xue Qinghe followed his gaze and found that it was still that masked boy.

Yet no matter how he looked at him, the boy seemed utterly ordinary. There was not even the slightest trace of Soul Power around him.

"Could it be that Teacher thinks highly of that masked boy?"

Ning Fengzhi turned to look at Xue Qinghe beside him, suddenly struck by an idea. He smiled and said, "Qinghe, how about we make a bet?"

"Please, Teacher, go ahead."

"I bet that the masked boy will surpass Yu Tianheng, whom you favor, in at least one testing category."

Xue Qinghe's handsome face froze for a moment before he suddenly smiled. "Teacher, surely you are joking with your disciple. Yu Tianheng has already studied here for three years. Today is his third comprehensive assessment, and every year he ranks first in all basic data categories. That masked boy, meanwhile, is only a newly enrolled student, and his academy does not seem remarkable either."

As Xue Qinghe spoke, he noticed that Ning Rongrong was still holding the masked boy's hand and suddenly understood. "I see. It seems that boy has a good relationship with Teacher."

"How about this? Let's see the ranking after the tests. If that masked boy can place within the top twenty, that would already be quite impressive."

Xue Qinghe knew how to speak tactfully. Since the masked boy was an acquaintance of Ning Fengzhi's, even though his data could not possibly surpass Yu Tianheng's, he could not let Ning Fengzhi lose face because of it.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded. Compared to the outcome of the bet, he cared more about whether Chi Xiu was truly as Sword Douluo had claimed—without precedent.