An Envoy and the Recruits in Place

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and some guesses began to form in his mind.

To confirm, he asked, "Is it convenient for you to tell me about this?"

"What's inconvenient about it? It's just some commonplace palace secrets." Dugu Bo chuckled dismissively. "Besides, Xue Xing only asked me for help, she didn't ask me to keep it a secret, so I don't think there's any need to keep these things from you. I've heard that you and Xue Qinghe have been getting quite close lately."

"So, what exactly happened? And why is Xue Qinghe involved?"

Dugu Bo glanced at Chen Feng and said calmly, "Some time ago, Xue Xing asked me to come and examine Xue Ye's health because he felt that Xue Ye's physical condition was abnormally weak."

"Then what?"

"Then I discovered that he had been poisoned by a peculiar, chronic toxin on that Xue Ye. It was a mixture of toxins, the base of which was found in the food he usually ate, and the trigger was a spice."

Chen Feng nodded, indicating that he understood. "Are you trying to say that Xue Qinghe is using that kind of spice?"

"That's right. You might not know, but Xue Ye originally had four sons. However, the second and Third Prince both died in their early teens. The second prince's talent for cultivation couldn't compare to a genius like you, and his intelligence... well, it seems he couldn't either, but he was still extremely outstanding. The Third Prince, on the other hand, had exceptional talent for cultivation. However, they all died mysteriously, leaving only Xue Qinghe and the young Xue Beng at the Shi Nian."

"Therefore, Xue Qinghe is the most suspicious," Chen Feng commented.

"That's right, but things have changed a bit recently. I've noticed that the toxin in Xue Ye's food has disappeared, and Xue Qinghe's scent has also subtly changed. Others might not notice, but I frequently deal with different medicinal herbs and am very sensitive to smells."

After Dugu Bo finished speaking, he gave Chen Feng a deep look. "Do you have any clues about this?"

"What clues could I possibly have? I had no idea about these palace secrets before." Chen Feng calmly shrugged.

Dugu Bo. "That makes sense, but for some reason, I just feel like this matter is related to you."

Chen Feng smiled but didn't say anything.

Dugu Bo didn't seem to care and continued, "Also, Xue Qinghe did something a while ago, I don't know if you've heard about it?"

"What's up? I just got back today, so I'm not fully informed yet."

He asked Xue Ye for permission to post Crown Prince's Order on the bulletin board next to the Heaven Dou City, stating that anyone who could improve existing farming tools and increase the efficiency of tilling the land would be rewarded with one hundred Gold Soul Coin by the Crown Prince.

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "His first order focused on this aspect? Not bad."

Dugu Bo gave a knowing smile. "So it really was you helping him behind the scenes."

"I just chatted with him casually and shared some of my thoughts. How he acts on it is up to him." Chen Feng shrugged.

"Speaking of which, you don't seem to be very interested in Xue Beng?" Dugu Bo asked doubtfully, "In fact, he is not as dull and stupid as he appears. On the contrary, he is very smart."

Chen Feng shook his head slightly. "There are many intelligent people in this world, but very few can truly put their intelligence to practical use."

Dugu Bo clicked his tongue twice. "It seems you have a problem with him because he offended you when you first met?"

"He told you everything? Actually, I didn't see it as offensive, but I saw his inclination in it and felt that we might not be on the same path," Chen Feng said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Dugu Bo asked, puzzled. "That kid told me that the first time he met you was when you came to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to find me, and he stopped you with a group of people. Is there anything that kid is hiding from you?"

"No, that's basically it."

"What kind of tendency can this reveal?" Dugu Bo asked, puzzled.

Pretending to be a playboy and bullying others are not necessarily related. He had many ways to choose from, but he chose this one. Old Poison, I'm sure I'm not the first victim?

"No."

"Then can you tell me what happened to the people who came before?" Chen Feng turned his head to look at Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo paused for a moment, then said, "Usually, you get humiliated, and if you're not satisfied, you get a beating, but it won't kill you."

"But why should ordinary people suffer such an undeserved calamity?" Chen Feng asked softly. "The strong should draw their swords against the stronger, while the weak will draw their swords against the weaker. Xue Beng is arrogant and humiliating towards ordinary people, but he shows respect to those of high status or great power. In my eyes, he is a weakling."

Dugu Bo sighed, and Chen Feng continued, "Furthermore, putting those matters aside, if Xue Beng and Xue Qinghe switched places, where do you think his first order would be issued? Would he be as concerned about the people's livelihood as Xue Qinghe was?"

Dugu Bo fell silent, completely at a loss for words.

After a while, he said with a sigh, "I came back this time to give you a heads-up, but I didn't expect you already knew it."

"There must be more than just this."

"I can't hide it from you after all. Before she left, Xue Xing asked me to put in a good word for you, saying that past conflicts could be wiped clean and that we could discuss any conditions she wanted. I agreed out of politeness, but... hey, it seems I'm really not suited to be a mediator." Dugu Bo chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"They're overthinking it. This isn't a personal grudge, and I don't think what happened back then was any real conflict," Chen Feng said, unsurprised.

Dugu Bo understood. "So you've decided to cooperate with Xue Qinghe?"

Chen Feng chuckled and countered, "Why don't you think I've joined his ranks?"

Dugu Bo chuckled softly, as if he had heard something interesting. "Subdue you? Xue Qinghe is probably not qualified."

"What are you saying? How can a crown Crown Prince not be qualified?"

"So, do you care about whether someone is Crown Prince Crown Prince or not?"

"No."

"That settles it."

"Speaking of which, what are your plans?" Chen Feng asked Dugu Bo earnestly.

Dugu Bo met his gaze, shook his head, and said, "Xue Xing has been kind to me, and I don't want to be your enemy."

"Then why don't you become a professor at my Academy?" Chen Feng said, revealing a plan he had already thought of.

"Professor? Does he teach poisons?"

"It could also be called pharmacy, which sounds better. I plan to teach it as a subject in the new campus, and pharmacy can be one of them."

"Subject-based teaching?" Dugu Bo became interested. "What subjects are there?"

"My initial plan is to build the new campus into a comprehensive research university with three main research directions: Martial Soul, soul guidance, and Rune. These can be further subdivided into several different subjects, which can be offered to students as required or elective courses. However, since the latter two directions are still in their initial stages, students may need to conduct their own research in the short term."

"In addition, I also plan to offer academic and artistic courses in the Academy, including Mathematics, politics, history, geography, and music."

"Art and other subjects allow students to cultivate their character and enrich their inner world while learning, so they don't become people who know nothing but fighting," Chen Feng explained his thoughts.

Of these subjects, he valued Mathematics the most. He could vaguely sense that further research into Rune and soul guidance might involve Mathematics knowledge.

With the enhancement of his Mental Power, Chen Feng was able to recall many things he had learned in his previous life, such as functions, Geometry, and calculus, which would be very suitable for cultivating students' sentiments.

How could the students here not experience the hardships that Chen Feng endured back then?

Dugu Bo didn't know the "evil" thoughts in Chen Feng's mind, so he asked doubtfully, "Of the three research directions you mentioned, I can understand the martial spirit, and I probably know a little bit about the soul guide. What are the runes?"

Chen Feng briefly explained the origins and current applications of Rune, Dugu Bo asked in surprise, "You mean you've found the path to Tool Spirit?"

"Not yet, it's just a preliminary idea. Whether it will work depends on testing," Chen Feng said, shaking his head.

"I'd like to witness this. Alright, we'll do it your way. After that, I'll ask Xue Xing to resign and then become a professor at your place. By the way, what level of position is a professor?" Dugu Bo asked.

"Professor, Associate Professor, Lecturer, Teaching Assistant—this is my ranking of faculty at Hydra University, with professor being the highest level."

"That's alright." Dugu Bo nodded in satisfaction, then asked as if remembering something, "By the way, where are the teachers going to find subjects like those you mentioned? We can't just let the students research them on their own like with Soul Guidance and Rune, can we? Music, art, history, and the like don't seem like things that can be researched independently."

Chen Feng chuckled. "That's easy. Court painters, musicians, historians, and so on—just go directly to the royal family and ask for their services."

"You're quite the sly one, kid." Dugu Bo laughed.

After talking with Dugu Bo, Chen Feng went to find Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.

They hadn't gone far; they were standing just outside the woods, clearly waiting for Chen Feng.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing." Chen Feng stepped forward.

When Ning Rongrong saw him, a smile appeared on her face, and she asked, "How is it? Is everything alright with Poison Douluo?"

Because she had been interrupted from catching up with Chen Feng, she harbored some resentment towards Dugu Bo and stopped calling him "senior."

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. He just brought some intelligence," Chen Feng said.

Zhu Zhuqing pondered for a moment, then asked, "Xiao Feng, do you think we need an intelligence organization?"

Why did you suddenly think of this?

"It feels like having informants to find out what's happening on the mainland would be more beneficial for us. Besides, there are some members of the Zhu Family in the Star Luo Empire who specialize in this. We can't always rely on others to bring us information," Zhu Zhuqing said, pursing her lips.

She said that, but what she really wanted was to do something for Chen Feng Chen Feng so that he wouldn't have to shoulder all the burdens alone.

She couldn't offer much help in research, so she could only assist with intelligence gathering. Fortunately, she had some training in this area before, so she was definitely more professional than others due to her exposure to it.

"But where will we get the manpower?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.

"I can bring some people from home," Zhu Zhuqing said, looking at Chen Feng.

"An intelligence organization is indeed needed," Chen Feng agreed with Zhu Zhuqing's opinion. "But building an informant network is not something that can be done overnight. We can first establish a framework, and then gradually develop the workforce. After the Academy is established in the future, we can also select some interested students to join. The field team I mentioned to you before is this one."

"Okay, I understand." Zhu Zhuqing smiled.

"Alright, let's not talk about serious things anymore. I'll show you something interesting." Chen Feng led the two women back to the woods.

"What's so interesting?" Ning Rongrong looked around curiously.

"The best part is here." Chen Feng smiled and took out the Tai Chi Bagua Sword, activated the Cycle of Rebirth to pull Zhu Zhuqing in, and also used his advanced ability "Summon of Fate" to let Ning Rongrong in as well.

"Hey, what happened? How did it become like this?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise as soon as she entered, noticing the change in her surroundings.

Zhu Zhuqing also looked around in surprise, drawn by the boundless sea and golden sand.

"I can now change the appearance of this place to my liking, but only the appearance; the actual environment remains unchanged," Chen Feng explained.

"Oh, I see. That explains why I couldn't feel any sand," Ning Rongrong said, standing up from the ground. She had wanted to grab some sand to play with when she saw the beach, but the ground was hard.

Next, Chen Feng changed the environment several more times, showing the magnificent scenery he had seen in his previous life, such as seas of clouds, waves, underground caves, waterfalls, and so on. The two girls were overwhelmed by the variety of scenery.

"So beautiful." Ning Rongrong murmured as she looked at Qinghai Lake, which resembled a sapphire.

"I feel completely refreshed," Zhu Zhuqing said softly.

Looking at the scenery of his hometown, Chen Feng felt a pang of emotion. He could no longer return to that world, and could only find solace in the scenery there.

Five days passed in a flash, and Bai Chenxiang successfully found a boy and a girl from the Breaking Clan. The boy was the one who possessed the Candle Martial Soul mentioned earlier.

The girl is a Soul Master with only level one Innate Soul Power. Her Martial Soul is Mutated Martial Soul Martial Soul, which differs from the Soul Breaking Spear in that it is not black, but black with red. It can emit heat when Soul Power is circulating, which seems to be somewhat useful, yet also seems to be not very useful.

Accompanying them were their respective parents, as well as Yang Wudi, the Clan Chief of the Breaking Clan, who had come along because they were worried about their children.

When Bai Chenxiang went to find the people, she strictly adhered to the principles of voluntary participation and informed consent in the experiment. This made them both unwilling to give up the opportunity and worried about unexpected events, so they came together.