Ning Fengzhi's Favor

"Is Xue Ye unwell?" Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan was startled. Could it be...?

His gaze shifted to Shui Bing'er, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "How did you find out about this?"

"It's from the palace. This matter is no secret among the major powers in the Heaven Dou Imperial City. Anyone with even a little bit of access knows about it. The Emperor's health is indeed not very good. He has consulted many imperial physicians, but his condition has not improved."

"These days, many affairs have been gradually handed over to the Crown Prince. The Emperor now hardly gets involved in anything except for occasionally attending court."

"It's just that today is the Continental Elite Soul Master Competition, which is of great importance. Otherwise, the Great Emperor might not have made an appearance," Shui Bing'er said softly.

"I see." Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan said softly.

"What, you didn't know this news?" Shui Bing'er looked at Lu Yuan a strange expression, seeing his somewhat bewildered expression.

"I've been busy these past few months and haven't had much free time to pay attention to these things, so I really didn't know about this," Lu Yuan said.

"Oh!" Shui Bing'er nodded upon hearing this.

Lu Yuan smiled at Shui Bing'er, then turned around, his Double Pupils flashing.

Xue Ye's health is failing now; this must be Xue'er's doing.

However, the situation is still unstable, so why is Xue'er so impatient?

Or perhaps Xue'er has some plans in mind?

No wonder Qian Renxue hasn't come to see him even though he's been back for over three months. It seems she has too many things to do and can't leave for the time being.

He was also extremely busy with alchemy, Soul Tool making, and occasionally training his team, so he had no time to see Qian Renxue.

This has resulted in the two not having met even once in three months since they returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial City.

"Looks like I need to find some time to see Xue'er. To be honest, I'm not a very good boyfriend. I haven't contacted my girlfriend for three months."

"I wonder if Xue'er will resent me when I see Xue'er again."

"Furthermore, if it really is Xue'er who did something to Xue Ye, then I have to have a good talk with her. After all, she didn't even consult me about such an important matter. If Xue Ye were to die too early and not have secured some power, it would be troublesome for him to control the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Furthermore, if you take too big a step, it will be easy to make mistakes. In the original story, wasn't it because he acted too hastily that he revealed a flaw? I have to remind Xue'er of this."

"But for now, let's finish today's qualifiers first before considering anything else," Lu Yuan thought to himself.

"Thank you for your wonderful speech, Your Majesty. Next, please welcome Mr. Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, to give a speech for this competition." Xue Ye had just taken his seat when the master of ceremonies' voice rang out again.

"Oh, is it Ning Fengzhi's turn yet?" Watching Ning Fengzhi give a passionate speech on stage, Lu Yuan gave a soft "oh". Since it's Ning Fengzhi now, could it be that Dugu Bo will be next?

After thinking about it, Lu Yuan felt it was very likely.

After all, the Dragon King Hall's reputation is now no less than that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the wealthiest of the Upper Four Sects, then the Dragon King Hall is the most powerful in terms of combat strength.

Even excluding the unknown Ma Xiaotao and Zi JI, the Dragon King Hall now has four titled beings in the eyes of the public: Long Xiaoyao, Yan Shaozhe, Dugu Bo, and Mad Rhino Douluo, among whom Long Xiaoyao is at the ultimate level.

In terms of deterrence, the Dragon King Hall is now far stronger than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Since Ning Fengzhi has already spoken, Dugu Bo will definitely be able to join in as well. But what legitimate statement can Dugu Bo actually make?

Lu Yuan expressed his doubts.

Ning Fengzhi's speech ended quickly. It was brief yet perfectly timed, which was in line with Ning Fengzhi's personality—decisive yet meticulous in his actions.

Even now, with the Soul Tool as a deadly trump card, Lu Yuan is not sure if he can completely control this old fox. This person is no simple character.

If it weren't for Lu Yuan's foresight, high intelligence, and the fact that he happened to have his eye on Ning Fengzhi's weakness, it would have been very difficult to take down this old fox.

As soon as Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, the emcee's voice rang out again. "Sect Master Ning, as the most powerful support-type Soul Master, I would like to ask you on behalf of the audience: among the twenty-eight teams participating in the Heaven Dou City Regional Preliminary Tournament, which team do you favor the most?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and said, "Besides the Heaven Dou Team One, which is participating in the finals as a seed, the team I am most optimistic about is Heavenly Star Academy. I'm sure you've all heard of their captain, Imperial Dragon. I believe they can not only pass the preliminaries, but may even win the championship of this Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament."

"Oh?" The emcee asked with some surprise, "Sect Master Ning, do you have such high hopes for Mr. Imperial Dragon's Heavenly Star Squad?"

"That's natural. After all, their captain, Imperial Dragon, is an incredible genius who defies common sense," Ning Fengzhi exclaimed sincerely.

As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi glanced in Lu Yuan's direction.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan also looked up, and their eyes met.

Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded kindly to Lu Yuan.

"Old fox," Lu Yuan thought to himself indifferently.

Ning Fengzhi's words have put Heavenly Star Academy in the spotlight. It's foreseeable that every team will be extremely cautious when they encounter them, since this is a team that Sect Master Ning the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School has personally favored. Who else would dare to underestimate them?

This inadvertently added considerable resistance to the Heavenly Star Squad.

Sure enough, as soon as Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, the audience's gaze towards them changed. Even Shui Bing'er, who had been standing next to him, looked at him with a more serious expression. It was obvious that Ning Fengzhi's words had an effect.

"What exactly is this old fox up to? What is his purpose? Or is he simply afraid we'll win too easily and wants to make things more difficult for us?"

"After all, that old fox knows the approximate strength of me and Zhu Qing. Given Rongrong's personality, once she finds out my level, she will definitely run to Ning Fengzhi to show off her treasures, praising how talented I am and how good her eye is."

Lu Yuan gently touched his chin, lost in thought.