Xue Qinghe's heart began pounding wildly.
She had not noticed at all when these two women had appeared!
If they had wanted to assassinate her...
She probably would not even have had time to release her Martial Soul Avatar!
Was this the foundation of Jixia Academy?
Aside from that Titled Douluo Lan and those monstrous students, they actually had experts of this caliber stationed here!
And judging by the aura emanating from them, they were definitely at the Titled Douluo level!
Perhaps... even stronger!
"I'm going too."
The Ice Empress planted her hands on her hips and looked at Lu Ming as if it were only natural.
"This academy is boring me to death. There's nothing fun at all."
"I want to see what a human city looks like too."
Though the Snow Empress said nothing, her cool eyes rested quietly on Lu Ming, making her meaning perfectly clear.
Lu Ming rubbed his brow with a headache.
Why was every single one of them joining in?
"Fine, fine, you can all come."
"Did you bring money?"
Lu Ming asked casually.
The Ice Empress righteously held out her hand.
"You're the Dean. Of course you should pay!"
Lu Ming: "..."
He turned toward Xue Qinghe and raised the Purple-Gold Card in his hand.
"Good thing I made a little money just now."
"Then let's go."
Watching Lu Ming lead a whole flock of lovely women grandly toward the mountains beyond the academy,
Xue Qinghe stood where she was for a long while, unable to come back to her senses.
The sounds of Gongsun Li and the Ice Empress arguing drifted through the wind.
"Hey, stop crowding Brother Lu Ming!"
"Hmph, I'll crowd him if I want. What are you going to do about it?"
"Bleh, bleh, bleh!"
This seemingly warm and playful scene was filled with terrifying implications in Xue Qinghe's eyes.
Every person in that group could swagger through Heaven Dou City without fear.
Now that they had gathered together...
Heaven Dou City was probably about to change.
At this moment.
On Vermilion Bird Street, the most prosperous street in Heaven Dou City.
Though it was not a festival day, the street was still packed with people and bustling with activity.
Beside a somewhat secluded tea stall.
Two figures stood out from the surroundings.
One was a middle-aged man with a close-cropped haircut, a stiff face, and a cloth robe faded white from too many washings.
Yet his back was ramrod straight, his hands clasped behind him, and he carried himself with the air of a Master.
It was Yu Xiaogang.
Beside him stood a tall young man with blond hair and mismatched eyes.
However, the young man looked rather miserable at the moment. One arm hung in a sling across his chest, and several bruises marked his face.
He was Shrek Academy's last remaining seedling, Dai Mubai.
After being turned away at the gates, suffering Ma Hongjun's severe injuries, and witnessing Zhao Wuji's tragic death,
Shrek Academy could be said to exist in name only.
Flender had taken the severely injured Ma Hongjun away to find a place for treatment.
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, had stayed in the city with Dai Mubai, trying to find an opportunity—or rather... a new sucker.
After all, without funding, his theoretical research could not continue.
"Master."
Dai Mubai irritably kicked a pebble by the roadside.
"How much longer are we going to keep wandering around here?"
"Those noble academies won't even give us the time of day."
"The moment they hear we were driven out by Jixia Academy, they won't even let us through the door."
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened.
He snorted coldly, and contempt flashed through his murky eyes.
"That is because they cannot recognize true talent."
"My theories are the only truth in the world of soul masters."
"One day, they will kneel and beg me to return."
He found a slightly conspicuous spot to sit down and ordered a pot of the cheapest tea.
He tried to display his unfathomable profundity here and attract a few people with "a discerning eye for talent."
However.
The discussions of the tea drinkers around him were like sharp knives stabbing straight into his heart.
"Hey, did you hear?"
A fat merchant at the next table lowered his voice.
"Something huge happened at the gates of Jixia Academy outside the city yesterday!"
"What happened?"
His companion was immediately intrigued.
"I heard that fellow called... Immovable Ming King Zhao Wuji had his head chopped off with a single slash!"
"Really? He was a Soul Sage!"
"Absolutely true! Tons of people saw it!"
The fat merchant spoke animatedly.
"And that Jixia Academy is simply too overbearing."
"I heard Zhao Wuji led a group of people there to cause trouble."
"Then someone from the academy just casually came out and killed him instantly!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How miserable."
At the mention of Zhao Wuji's name, Dai Mubai's expression became even uglier.
That had been their vice dean!
Yu Xiaogang's grip around his teacup tightened abruptly, his knuckles turning white.
But what came next nearly made him crush the cup outright.
"I also heard that there was some Master among Zhao Wuji's group."
"Yes, yes, the one who wrote that Ten Core Competencies thing."
"What an absolute joke!"
The fat merchant said with a look of disdain.
"That Master took people to the gates of Jixia Academy to peddle his theories."
"He said something about there being no useless Martial Souls, only useless soul masters."
"And then?"
"One of Jixia Academy's female students came out and shut him up so thoroughly he could not say a word!"
"I heard that Master himself is only a Soul Grandmaster in his twenties, and he will never break through for the rest of his life."
"And he still dares call himself a Master? He wants to teach others how to cultivate?"
"Isn't that misleading disciples?"
"Exactly!"
His companion chimed in.
"If you ask me, Jixia Academy is the truly impressive one."
"They do not need any theories. Strength is the only hard truth."
"That Master is just a fraud, specializing in tricking fools into throwing their lives away."
Crack!
The crude porcelain teacup in Yu Xiaogang's hand finally could not withstand the pressure and shattered into pieces.
Scalding tea splashed across his hand, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain.
His stiff face twisted into a vicious, horrifying expression from overwhelming fury.
A fraud?
A joke?
Misleading disciples?
These ignorant commoners!
What did they know!
How could they possibly understand the greatness of his theories!
"Teacher..."
Dai Mubai looked at Yu Xiaogang with concern.
"Shut up!"
Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot and his chest heaving violently.
Vermilion Bird Street, Heaven Dou City.
Although a strange light snowfall had just passed, it did nothing to diminish the prosperity of this imperial capital.
The streets were broad enough for four carriages to travel side by side.
Shops lined both sides, and cries of vendors rose and fell without pause.
Lu Ming walked at the front, looking relaxed.
But the atmosphere around him was far less peaceful than it appeared.
It could even be called undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
Gongsun Li clung tightly to Lu Ming's left arm, practically wishing she could press herself against him.
Her long rabbit ears brushed against Lu Ming's cheek from time to time.
She held a skewer of candied hawthorn she had just bought, eating it with great delight.
"Brother Lu Ming, this is so sweet!"
"You should have a bite too~"
With that, she rose onto her toes and brought the red fruit, which she had already taken a small bite from, to Lu Ming's lips.
Before you continue