"The Skywater City Lord is a mysterious person, said to have an aloof personality."
"But even the most aloof person has to bow their head in the face of overwhelming power."
A glint flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
"We represent the Heaven Dou Empire and the Sea God's successor."
"I refuse to believe he'd dare deny us."
"As long as we take control of Skywater City, especially the talented girls at Skywater Academy..."
"If we can get them to join the Tang Sect and become an asset to Xiao San..."
"That'll give us a better chance of defeating Spirit Hall."
The carriage continued down the road, its wheels rumbling.
Yu Xiaogang had already come up with countless arguments in his mind.
How to persuade them with reason and appeal to their emotions—or even pressure them with his authority.
As far as he was concerned, Skywater City was already his for the taking.
Skywater Academy stood tall and imposing.
Built on the edge of the Far North, the academy was constructed entirely from a special stone known as Mystic Ice Rock. In the sunlight, it refracted a faint, dusky blue glow, like a vast palace of ice crystals.
A lavishly decorated carriage came to a slow stop before the academy gates.
The curtain was lifted, and Yu Xiaogang stepped down first.
He had made a point of wearing a brand-new robe that day. With his hands clasped behind his back and his chin raised, he wore a solemn expression that showed off the bearing of a great master.
Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu followed close behind.
Looking at the imposing academy gates, Yu Xiaogang's eyes held a hint of approval.
"Skywater Academy certainly has some presence, but compared to Shrek, it still lacks a certain depth."
He walked over to the gatehouse and looked at the students on duty. Clearing his throat, he said in a deep voice:
"Go announce our arrival."
"Tell them that Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, national preceptor of the Heaven Dou Empire, has come to visit with members of the Shrek Seven Devils."
"Have your dean and the Skywater City Lord come out to greet us at once."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the imperious tone of someone accustomed to giving orders.
In his eyes, with his status, he was already showing Skywater City more than enough respect.
The girls at the gate exchanged glances. They didn't look frightened or reverent, as Yu Xiaogang had expected.
Instead, their expressions turned rather strange.
They looked at him as if he were some fool who'd wandered in from who knew where.
A girl with a ponytail couldn't help letting out a snort of laughter. She leaned toward her companion and whispered:
"Is this guy in his right mind?"
"He wants the dean and the city lord to come greet him?"
Another student covered her mouth as she giggled, her eyes full of mockery:
"He doesn't even know our dean is the city lord's wife, and that the real City Lord is the divine being behind our academy?"
"And a national preceptor... These days, any stray cat or dog thinks they can come cause trouble in Skywater City."
Though they'd tried to keep their voices low, Soul Masters had exceptionally sharp hearing.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened in an instant, turning black as the bottom of a pot.
These ignorant brats!
How dare they talk about him like that!
Who was he?
He was the foremost theoretician in the Soul Master World, the teacher of Tang San, heir to the Sea God, and the national preceptor of the Heaven Dou Empire!
Wherever he went, people treated him like an honored guest.
And now he was being looked down on by a few girls guarding a gate.
"Outrageous!"
Yu Xiaogang snapped, his stiff cheeks twitching.
"You ignorant fools, what could you possibly know about my status?"
"I'm not just the national preceptor of Heaven Dou. I'm the foremost theoretician in the Soul Master World!"
"If you delay the important business I have with your city lord, can you answer for it?"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. Spittle flew as he tried to recover his standing through sheer force of words.
Just then—
A wave of icy cold swept out from deep within the academy.
The temperature plunged, and even the moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals that pattered to the ground.
Yu Xiaogang, who'd been ranting moments before, suddenly felt his throat tighten as if an invisible hand had seized it. His voice cut off.
A cool, elegant figure came walking slowly toward them through the frost.
Her long, ice-blue hair danced in the wind. Her flawless face was utterly expressionless, like a mountain of ice that had never melted in ten thousand years.
It was Shui Bing'er.
She had long since shed the youthful innocence of her past.
After receiving Neuvillette's guidance and breaking through to the Titled Douluo level, every movement of hers carried an imposing nobility that made people uneasy.
She glanced at the three people by the gate. Her gaze rested on Yu Xiaogang for half a second before she turned away in disgust.
"What flies are making all this noise?"
Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet chilled to the bone.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned white, then red. Suppressing his anger, he clasped his hands in greeting.
"So it's Miss Shui Bing'er."
"It's been years, and you're more impressive than ever."
"I am—"
"Shut up."
Shui Bing'er cut him off, without even sparing him a proper look.
"I don't care who you are."
"The dean is having tea and has no time for people like you."
"Go back where you came from."
With that, she turned to leave, as though even looking at the three of them would dirty her eyes.
"You—!"
Yu Xiaogang shook with rage. He pointed at Shui Bing'er's back but couldn't speak for several seconds.
He valued his reputation above all else. To be humiliated like this by a junior was almost worse than being killed.
Ma Hongjun had been unable to contain himself for a while now.
From the moment Shui Bing'er appeared, his beady eyes had been fixed on her.
Her long, shapely legs in particular had left his mouth dry. He swallowed audibly.
"Hey, Bing'er, is that any way to talk?"
Ma Hongjun stuck out his belly and stepped forward, blocking Shui Bing'er's path.
He wore what he thought was a charming smile, though it was greasy to the extreme, and looked her up and down.
"Been a few years, and you've gotten quite a temper."
"You even dare insult Grandmaster. Looks like you need someone to teach you some manners."
"Your big brother here is a Titled Douluo now. Want me to give you some 'private instruction'?"
As he said "instruction," he emphasized the word, his lecherous gaze roaming over Shui Bing'er's body.
Shui Bing'er came to a halt.
She slowly turned around. The calm in her deep blue eyes had vanished, replaced by utter disgust and murderous intent.
"Fatso."
"I didn't kill you during the tournament all those years ago. You got lucky and kept your life."
"Seems you still haven't learned your lesson."
At the word "fatso," Ma Hongjun's smile instantly froze, then twisted into a snarl.
That was the name he hated most!
"You bitch! Don't know when you've got a good thing!"
Ma Hongjun roared as his Soul Power erupted.
The pressure of a level ninety-three Titled Douluo burst forth without restraint.
Crimson flames shot into the sky, coalescing behind him into the illusory shape of a gigantic Evil Fire Phoenix.
Though the trials on Sea God Island had purified his Evil Fire considerably, the wickedness at his core had never disappeared.
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