Acquiring Blue Tyrant Academy, Royal Summons

"Return. I wish to see Father Emperor!" Qian Renxue quickly composed herself and turned to speak.

"Yes."

Afterward, she led her guards toward the imperial palace.

Elsewhere, at the Maoshan Sect Grounds.

Many of the buildings here were still under construction. On the roof of a completed high-rise, Shi Jian and Daoist Qian He stood side by side, gazing into the distance.

"Chen Xin lost," Shi Jian remarked. "That Yan Chixia is truly formidable. I fear even I may not be his match."

"Of course. His martial soul is the Xuanyuan Divine Sword. Senior Brother, your martial soul is the Zombie King. Setting Soul Power aside, his martial soul happens to counter yours perfectly," Qian He said.

"Junior Brother, no one will think you're mute if you keep quiet," Shi Jian said coldly.

"Oh." Qian He lowered his head in reply.

"With this battle, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has suffered a complete loss of face. Next, they will certainly work even harder to win us over as allies. Not only that, they will purchase large quantities of Thunder Fire Talismans from us to strengthen themselves. Maoshan must seize this opportunity to make a hefty profit, then use that money to expand the sect," Shi Jian said.

"Senior Brother is absolutely right. Spirit Hall is so powerful that just the three Elders stationed at the Martial Soul Holy Hall possess such strength. Ning Fengzhi must be feeling terribly insecure now. Looking across the current Soul Master world, the Clear Sky Sect has gone into seclusion. Other than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, only by maintaining good relations with Maoshan can he gain allies at the Titled Douluo level," Qian He said with a nod.

"Previously, when Brother Ye spoke with me about Maoshan's development, he mentioned that we should establish an academy. That way, we can directly recruit disciples from its graduates in the future. I've been keeping an eye out lately, and I found that there happens to be an academy in Heaven Dou City up for public sale."

"Senior Brother means... Blue Tyrant Academy?"

"Mm." Shi Jian nodded. "Liu Erlong once came to me for a fortune reading. I didn't think much of it at the time and directly revealed that she was in love with her cousin, and that the two would become a couple in the future. The matter has now spread all over the city. Many people have taken their children out of her academy. Blue Tyrant Academy now has no students within and no sponsorship without; it has practically become an empty shell. Buy it, change its name, and we can put it to use immediately."

Qian He nodded. Blue Tyrant Academy was an advanced Soul Master Academy, so it surely had all the necessary facilities. It really could be used right away after purchase, but...

"What about the teachers?" Qian He asked.

"First, transfer some over from Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Then recruit openly. The two of us can teach occasionally as well, passing down some ordinary arts that can be taught publicly. In a few years, once our current disciples have grown up, we can select suitable people from among them to teach at the academy."

"Eldest Senior Brother is right. Then should I handle the purchase of Blue Tyrant Academy?"

"No, let He Shen do it."

"Him?" Daoist Qian He frowned, then nodded. Indeed, He Shen was more suitable than he was.

By now, He Shen had become something of a prominent figure in Heaven Dou City. That fellow had actually started running a loan shark business in this world.

He did not merely lend money; he also offered all sorts of services on credit. For example, if you had a formidable enemy you could not defeat, you could go to He Shen. He Shen would assess whether, based on your circumstances, you could repay the debt. If you could, he would arrange for thugs from Maoshan to help you eliminate your enemy.

There were also escort jobs, services to help hunt Soul Rings... That fellow accepted any kind of work, so long as there was money to be made.

Over the past two months, he had truly earned quite a bit of money.

Of course, he had also offended quite a few people. But with Maoshan behind him, ordinary people truly did not dare touch him.

Naturally, there were exceptions. But it had done them no good. Just last month, a member of the Strength Clan borrowed a sum of money from him and agreed to repay it the following month. But when the due date arrived this month, He Shen sent people to collect the debt. Not only did they fail to recover the money, the debt collectors were beaten up as well. Upon learning of this, He Shen immediately invited Qian He to accompany him on a trip to the Strength Clan.

Who would have thought that after Tai Tan, the Strength Clan's patriarch known as "Hercules," learned that one of his clansmen had dared to do such a thing, he would first become enraged, then begin taking sides? Not only did he refuse to make his clansman repay the debt, he even told He Shen and Qian He to get lost. Who knew where he got the nerve to challenge Maoshan, which had a Titled Douluo? Did he really think that just because he was called "Hercules," he was actually a god?

Thus, Qian He fought a battle with him. Needless to say, Qian He won.

Although Qian He often fought at the highest level, there were only so many Titled Douluo in Heaven Dou City, and Tai Tan was not one of them. In the end, Qian He beat Tai Tan until his head was split and bloodied. He likely would not be getting out of bed for two years.

From that day onward, no one dared provoke He Shen again.

Hearing Shi Jian say that He Shen should handle the acquisition of Blue Tyrant Academy, Qian He thought it over and felt that it was indeed appropriate.

After all, when it came to dealing with money, who among them was more suited to the task than He Shen? No one. Not a single one.

"Then I'll go find He Shen?"

"Mm." Shi Jian nodded.

Qian He quickly departed. After Qian He left, Shi Jian raised a hand and touched his chest. As Soul Power circulated, a blue-white glow shone from there.

A Soul Bone.

A seventy-thousand-year Torso Soul Bone.

Just as Tang San in the novel had not immediately noticed that he had acquired an External Soul Bone after killing the Man Faced Demon Spider and absorbing its Soul Ring, Shi Jian had not noticed any changes in his body after killing nine soul beasts in one go and absorbing their Soul Rings.

It was not until the next day, when he practiced his cultivation arts, that he discovered something extra within his body. Thinking of the Soul Bones in the novel, he studied it carefully and ultimately confirmed that he had obtained a Torso Soul Bone.

This Torso Soul Bone came from a seventy-thousand-year soul beast, the Jade Swan.

"My Soul Power is only Level 92. Even with nine Ten Thousand Year soul skills and my own Maoshan Arts, if I faced Chen Xin enhanced by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, my chances of losing would still be greater. Yan Chixia truly is stronger than I am. It seems I must cultivate even more diligently," Shi Jian muttered.

Then he turned and left the rooftop, heading for the secret chamber to cultivate.

Elsewhere, Ye Zhou and Yue Buqun had also returned to the sect.

"Oh? The three Elders of Spirit Hall and Dugu Bo got into a fight with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Ye Zhou was startled upon hearing the disciples' report.

These Maoshan disciples recruited during this period were all natives of Douluo Continent. They did not know Yan Chixia's true identity.

"Yes, Young Sect Master. I heard Sect Master Ning and the others lost terribly."

Ye Zhou shook his head and said, "That Sword Saint Douluo is a peerless genius seen only once in ten thousand years, possessing nine Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. How could ordinary Titled Douluo possibly be his opponents? Sect Master Ning was also set up by Poison Douluo. If not for protecting him, I imagine he would not have dared face the Sword Saint Douluo."

"The Young Sect Master is right."

"Report! Young Sect Master, the imperial family has sent someone to invite you to the palace for a discussion." Suddenly, a disciple entered and bowed as he reported to Ye Zhou.

"They're inviting me?" Ye Zhou was stunned for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face.

Emperor Xue Ye wanted to bring the Maoshan Sect along to rescue Dugu Bo. But speaking of which, now that Dugu Bo had been captured by Yan Chixia, could he save himself a batch of offerings and simply interrogate him through Spirit Hall for the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?