First contact
The next day, the sun was high in the sky.
Huo Wushuang arrived at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
I had just finished teaching Sun Buyu his theory Cheng Gang when I bumped into him.
Huo Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Brother Wu, my grandfather has asked you to go to the family to discuss some matters. Would you mind coming with me?"
Wu Qi was not surprised. He turned to the Qiangu Changkong and said, "You stay here. I can handle this myself."
Qiangu Changkong doesn't know his true thoughts, and inviting him along might lead to some mistakes.
The former did not object, so Wu Qi followed Huo Wushuang down the mountain.
Before leaving, Wu Qi subtly gestured behind him, and a figure secretly followed him.
There was still half an hour before lunchtime. If the conversation went smoothly, the other party would definitely invite him to stay for dinner; otherwise, he would realize that the negotiations had broken down.
That way, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble.
The Element City, where the Wind, Water, and Fire Families reside, is adjacent to the Heaven Dou City.
Many years ago, this was a wasteland. After the ancestors of the three families received a reward from the Heaven Dou Emperor, this place became their shared fiefdom.
The Element Academy originally consisted of only three families, but Thunder Academy, backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, forcibly barged in.
Fortunately, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had no designs on them, and the two sides remained at peace. Over time, they accepted Thunder Academy.
In recent years, however, the Elephant Armor Academy has intruded into this area, and its actions have been utterly outrageous and resented by both heaven and man.
They not only occupied a large amount of land in the city, but also intimidated the disciples of the three families in every way.
Unfortunately, these three families have been away from the Imperial Court for too long and have lost their foothold. Without power, they are simply no match for the Elephant Armor Academy, or even the Elephant Armor Sect behind it.
Their contact with Wu Qi was intended to leverage the influence of his son Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, to alleviate their family's crisis.
They even wanted to test the relationship between Wu Qi and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If they could Ning Fengzhi into this mess, the Elephant Armor Sect would certainly not dare to act rashly.
Today was originally a negotiation between the Wind and Fire Families and Wu Qi, but Shui Clan Head Shui Ningbing, upon hearing the news, also wanted to come and see Wu Qi's demeanor.
"Hey Lao Huo, isn't he here yet?" Feng Changlin asked impatiently.
Huo Lie was even more anxious than him, his brows furrowed slightly, "Wushuang has been gone for a while now, she should be here soon."
Shui Ningbing chuckled lightly, "Old Feng, Old Huo, don't be impatient, you need to be composed, otherwise you'll be led by the nose!"
Huo Lie shrugged it off, "A mere brat like him won't get the better of us!"
Feng Changlin couldn't help but remind him, "Don't forget our purpose. The most important thing is whether we can see Xue Qinghe through him."
Logically speaking, Xue Qinghe should be overjoyed to have won over three Soul Douluo; why would he so easily turn them away?
In fact, that is not the case. The three families have special identities and have not obeyed the imperial edicts for a long time.
In the eyes of the Imperial Family, they were more like "traitors." They were already being generous by not having their fiefdoms taken back, so how could they dare to ask for the Imperial Family's help?
A few minutes later, Wu Qi followed behind Huo Wushuang, rushing over.
Huo Wushuang gave a brief introduction, then quickly turned and left.
Wu Qi bowed slightly, "This junior greets the three Clan Head."
Feng Changlin narrowed his eyes slightly.
The aura emanating from Wu Qi was indeed Feng Xiaotian had described.
It should be noted that Feng Xiaotian was a full ten years older than him, and his Soul Power was also higher than the former's.
Such Talent is truly monstrous!
Huo Lie gestured for him to come in, indicating indifferently, "Let's go inside and talk."
Inside the Main Hall, Huo Lie sat in the head seat, with Feng Changlin and Shui Ningbing sitting beside him, while Wu Qi sat in a guest seat at the back.
The Attendant served tea to the four of them, and Huo Lie spoke first, "Young friend Wu, I heard from my grandson that you want to recruit him and his sister, as well as Lao Feng's grandson, to form a Battle Team together?"
Wu Qi explained in detail, "That's right. Huo Wu is Control-Type Spirit Master, and her position in the team is extraordinary. Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian possess extremely strong combat power, enough to withstand the pressure from the front row of the team."
Huo Lie seemed unconvinced, lightly tapping the armrest to interrupt, "What you're saying is perfectly clear to me. If it's to fight against the Spirit Hall Academy Team, then why don't you join Blazing Academy?"
"I hereby guarantee that the resources you three will receive upon joining Blazing Academy will be no less than those from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Wu Qi shook his head, "Three seniors, please forgive this humble one for speaking so presumptuously."
"Although I mentioned alliances and counter-alliances, my strength already surpasses that of your geniuses. I must take the lead in this united team; there is no doubt about that."
"To put it bluntly, if we join Blazing Academy, we will inevitably face interference from you during our training. I have always valued independence, something your academy cannot provide."
It's no secret that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy grants Wu Qi a great deal of autonomy.
If they join Blazing Academy, Huo Lie will subconsciously make tactics centered around the siblings to highlight their roles.
If Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu are far stronger than Wu Qi, then the latter naturally has nothing to say.
However, the reality is that Wu Qi is stronger than the brother and sister. Making the latter the core of the team means that the team's tactical configuration has already encountered a major problem.
When it came to the actual competition, the result was self-evident.
Next, a fierce argument broke out between Wu Qi and Huo Lie over the issue of taking the lead.
Both sides held firm to their bottom lines, refusing to yield an inch.
Feng Changlin didn't interrupt, clearly also considering his own interests.
As noon approached, Shui Ningbing interrupted their argument with a light laugh, "It's lunchtime, why don't we eat and chat? I also have something I'd like to ask young friend Wu."
Although it was an argument, Huo Lie felt there was still a need to continue the discussion, so he simply waved his hand and arranged for the clan's chefs to prepare the dishes.
Huo Family Banquet Hall.
Shui Ningbing smiled kindly and asked softly, "Young friend, if Old Huo doesn't agree to form a team, my Skywater Academy can team up with you. What do you think?"
To win over Shui Bing'er, one must inevitably abandon Huo Wushuang and his sister.
In terms of potential and strength, Shui Bing'er is definitely superior to both her brother and sister.
However, with Xue Wu joining the team, there are now two Support-Type Spirit Master, which increases the pressure of protecting the back row and adds the trump card of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
If they do that, Shui Bing'er will become the core of the team.
Wu Qi left the Spirit Hall Academy Team precisely because he didn't want to be just a foil for Hu Liena and the other two.
If that's the case, he might as well go back to the Spirit Hall Academy Team.
Besides, the Water Clan disciples are mostly women, and they don't fight or compete.
While it's possible to win over the Water Clan by using Shui Bing'er, it's unlikely to change the attitudes of the Wind and Fire Families.
From the conversation just now, Wu Qi could tell that Feng Changlin and Shui Ningbing Huo Lie respected Huo Lie. As long as they could win over the Huo Family, it would be easy to win over the other two families.
"I will seriously consider Clan Head Shui's suggestion."
With that, Wu Qi cupped his hands in greeting to Huo Lie and sat down.
Huo Lie witnessed their conversation, and he was somewhat surprised that Wu Qi hadn't changed his mind.
His attitude softened considerably during the ensuing conversation.