Turbulence Still Unsettled

"Isn't this a good thing?"

Sword Douluo frowned. He devoted most of his energy to cultivation and didn't care much about the changes in the situation on the continent, as long as it wasn't a disturbance that would affect the existence of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"It does seem like a good thing. There is no war, the people live in peace and prosperity, and our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can expand its businesses throughout the Two Great Empires. But don't you think this is like the calm before the storm?"

Ning Fengzhi sighed, "My late father once said that more than two hundred years ago, the Two Great Empires were frequently at war. It was only after the intervention of the Spirit Hall that the continent-level Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was established that the Two Great Empires moved towards peace... That's the situation on the surface."

"In fact, the struggle between the Two Great Empires continues. Both sides want to destroy each other and are secretly accumulating strength. Once it breaks out, the war will probably spread to the entire continent. Apart from the Clear Sky Sect, which has now gone into seclusion, no family or sect will be able to escape."

"Therefore, I also had to start investing... but I only accepted Xue Qinghe as my disciple in my personal capacity, rather than directly announcing that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect supports the Heaven Dou Empire."

"In this way, even if I make the wrong choice, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can still survive."

Sword Douluo stared at Ning Fengzhi for a long while before asking, "But in the eyes of outsiders, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is close to the Heaven Dou Empire... Why not choose the Star Luo Empire? Among the three sons of the current Star Luo Great Emperor, the First Prince and the Third Prince have a natural Martial Soul connection with a pair of sisters from the Nether Spirit Cat Clan. In less than twenty years, a true ' Hell White Tiger ' will be born!"

"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is located within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire."

Ning Fengzhi gave an answer that left Sword Douluo speechless for a moment.

But that's reality:

If he, as the Sect Leader, were to go to the Star Luo Empire to take one of its princes as a student instead of seeking one nearby... not only would the Heaven Dou Royal Family be thrown into chaos, but they would also secretly oppose the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Soul Master of the entire continent would probably be in an uproar, thinking that Ning Fengzhi might have lost his mind.

However, taking Xue Qinghe as a disciple was a decision Ning Fengzhi careful consideration.

Firstly, Xue Qinghe is the eldest son of Xue Ye, and naturally possesses the qualifications to succeed as the next Emperor of Heaven Dou.

Secondly, Ning Fengzhi had tested Xue Qinghe before. Although he was gentle and refined, he was extremely shrewd. Ning Fengzhi was much older and more experienced than Xue Qinghe, so he could naturally see that Xue Qinghe was hiding something.

But it was precisely this ability to "Hidden Edge" that Ning Fengzhi greatly admired.

The Xue Beng was also hidden...

Ning Fengzhi could see this too, but he felt Xue Beng Beng's way of pretending to be a playboy was almost useless except for ruining his image in the eyes of others.

Xue Qinghe's hidden nature appealed to him even more—he appeared refined and easygoing, yet possessed Hidden Edge within, showing kindness when necessary and decisiveness when required.

As for Ning Fengzhi's evaluation of Xue Qinghe, a thousand words can all be summed up in four words:

This child is like me!

Then, Ning Fengzhi continued, "Since I have accepted Xue Qinghe as my disciple, and the world believes that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is close to the Heaven Dou Empire, then while I am alive, I can only consider the Heaven Dou Empire more."

"I brought Rongrong to this small town at the border of Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire because she wanted to travel. Those big cities are no different from Heaven Dou City. When we visit, the city's dignitaries come to greet us, Rongrong doesn't like. So I brought her here to experience the rural scenery."

"Secondly, it's convenient. This border area between Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire connects the Star Dou Great Forest in the east and the Great Sea in the west. It's perfect time for Rongrong to see the vastness of the Great Sea and learn the life lessons I've learned over the years at the end of this Soul Hunting journey."

"Thirdly, I also want to take this opportunity to understand the exchanges between the various cities, large and small, along the border between Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire. You should know that if war really breaks out in full force someday in the future, the clues can be seen most from these small towns and cities."

Sword Douluo was puzzled. "But this area is mostly hills and basins, making it unsuitable for large-scale military operations. It's not a strategically important location."

"Precisely because it is not, we can see the signs more clearly. If the relationships between the small towns in this area become tense, then war will undoubtedly break out."

Ning Fengzhi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but it vanished in an instant as he began to plan ahead. "If a situation arises within the next twenty years where even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect cannot remain uninvolved, this area will actually be the safest place. Perhaps we can let Rongrong hide here for a while."

"Didn't Rongrong pester some of the kids here before?"

"Although we were in the room and didn't see it with our own eyes, we could tell from their general conversations... Rongrong's voice was a bit loud... but we can still be sure that most of those children are from commoner backgrounds. And the fact that they can afford to come to this room on the third floor means they have already become Soul Master, which means they are geniuses among commoners. Moreover, they all have good personalities, especially that boy, who is precocious and knows how to behave."

"If Rongrong can become familiar with them, she might have more options in the future... I just hope I'm overthinking it."

Sword Douluo also sighed, then asked, "Feng Zhi, do you still have a reason for not telling me?"

"You can't hide it from me."

Ning Fengzhi smiled and no longer hid anything, "While Soul Hunting with Rongrong in the Star Dou Great Forest, I received news from Heaven Dou City that the Star Luo Royal Academy Team changed their route on their way to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy for an exchange, passing through Falling Star City and Nuoding City, and even held a Friendly Tournament in Nuoding City..."

"The members of the Star Luo Royal Academy Team fought against the reserve team of the Imperial Fighting Team. Over seven days, they achieved a perfect record in team battles, displaying astonishing tactics..."

"Afterwards, I immediately ordered people to contact the industries within Star Luo City to investigate whether the Star Luo Royal Academy had developed new team battle techniques, or whether the Star Luo Army had produced a particularly talented general. However, the news that came back was that everything in Star Luo City remained the same..."

"If the managers of the properties located in Star Luo City were not bribed, it is highly likely that the Star Luo Royal Academy Team learned new tactics during this rerouting."

Is there a hermit living in this area?

This was the first thought that popped into Sword Douluo's mind, and he immediately asked, "Feng Zhi, stop keeping me in suspense. Have you found out who the disciple you brought this time is?"

"The most useful piece of information we found was that a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had once lived in seclusion in Nuoding City."

"Who?"

"Yu Xiaogang".

"The current patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen's son, is that laughingstock of the entire continent?"

The indifference, doubt, and worry in Sword Douluo's eyes vanished at this moment, replaced by astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

Could it be that this man, who has become a laughing stock, has actually devised some profound and unfathomable tactics by secluded himself in this area and diligently studied them?

If that's true, then he's quite a character!

Born into a major sect, but unable to become a powerful Soul Master due to a malignant mutation in his Martial Soul, he began to explore alternative paths. Initially, he was ambitious but lacked practical skills, publishing numerous flawed theories that earned him ridicule throughout the continent. However, disregarding the mockery and scorn, he spurred himself on with his shame and began to concentrate wholeheartedly on his research, finally achieving success!

[Thinking about it, it's actually quite inspiring...]