What Do You Really Want?

Zhu Lu was definitely staying glued to his side.

Cui Yajie leaned against the table, trimming her nails as she watched with a beaming smile, clearly set on mooching a meal.

In the row behind them, Wang Dong'er sat at her desk, fuming.

Her short pink-and-blue hair was a little messy, and her fair face was full of defiance.

She had shamelessly followed him into Class Nine today because she wanted a chance to see through Dai Huabin's true nature—and find an excuse to beat the kid up and reclaim some dignity after her disguise as a boy had been exposed.

Xiao Xiao sat beside Wang Dong'er, resting her chin in her hands. Her big eyes sparkled as she stared at Dai Huabin, clearly a classic face-lover.

Ning Tian followed Dai Huabin's pointing finger around the room, then smiled.

"Of course they should all come. We're classmates, and the more people, the livelier it'll be."

She turned to look behind her. "Xiao Feng, Yun'er, you two come along too."

Wu Feng was still sitting in her seat, not yet fully recovered. She grumbled as she stood up. She still felt resentful, but the young mistress had spoken, so she had no choice but to obey.

Nanmen Yun'er nodded silently as well.

The group of eight left Shrek Academy in grand style.

Dai Huabin's party drew an astonishing number of second glances.

Never mind his signature golden hair; the girls following behind him alone were enough to turn heads. Each had her own charm, from slender and cool to curvaceous and graceful.

Zhu Lu was cool and sleek, Cui Yajie alluring and seductive, and Wang Dong'er breathtakingly beautiful. Ning Tian radiated an air of nobility, while Xiao Xiao and Nanmen Yun'er were two adorable little girls.

The male students who passed by nearly popped their eyes out.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the busiest commercial street in Shrek City.

A magnificent four-story building stood in the middle of the street. Its outer walls were clad in expensive white jade bricks that glittered in the sunlight.

Three huge gold characters on the sign read "Nine Treasures Pavilion."

It was an enterprise owned by the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, specializing in high-end luxury goods. To open such a massive store in a place like Shrek City, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, showed just how deep the sect's pockets were.

In the private room on the top floor, everyone took their seats in turn.

One expensive dish after another was brought to the table.

There were grilled chops made from Hundred-Year Soul Beast meat, snowfish shipped from the Far North, and rich medicinal tonic soup.

The mood during the meal was rather delicate.

Wu Feng didn't say a word the entire time. She treated the grilled chop on her plate as if it were Dai Huabin, chewing it with loud, crunchy bites.

Wang Dong'er held a glass of juice and pretended to admire the mural on the wall, but the corner of her eye kept wandering back to Dai Huabin.

She couldn't understand it. He was about her age, yet his Soul Power was twelve levels higher than hers, and his Martial Soul Fusion Skill could even evolve?

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll bring this plate of peanuts over and set it in front of you. Then you can eat and stare all you want."

Dai Huabin suddenly turned around and called Wang Dong'er out without a hint of courtesy.

Wang Dong'er jumped, nearly choking on her juice.

"Who...who was staring at you? I was looking at the vase behind you! Don't flatter yourself!" Wang Dong'er flushed red and retorted stubbornly.

Cui Yajie picked up a piece of fish, laughing so hard she swayed.

"Oh, Wang Dong'er, our class monitor is already spoken for. If you keep looking at him like that, Lulu might not be able to hold her claws back!"

At that, Zhu Lu, who had been eating quietly beside them, raised her right hand.

Soul Power flickered over her slender fingers. Her nails instantly grew two inches longer, gleaming with a cold, eerie light. She tapped them twice against the edge of a porcelain plate on the table in warning, producing a crisp sound.

"Hmph! As if I cared!"

Wang Dong'er crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head toward the window, ignoring them.

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and giggled. She thought the way these people interacted was far too amusing.

The meal soon drew to a close.

Ning Tian set down her chopsticks and took out a silk handkerchief, gently dabbing the corner of her mouth.

She glanced around before speaking.

"Everyone's just about done, right? Xiao Feng, take the others downstairs to look around the shopping arcade. A new batch of jewelry just came in a few days ago. Put it on my account."

Everyone was taken aback.

She was obviously trying to get them out of the way.

Wu Feng was reluctant, but she knew the young mistress had something important to discuss. She stood up, grumbling under her breath.

Cui Yajie was the most perceptive. She immediately linked arms with Zhu Lu.

"Come on, Lulu. When I came in, I saw imported face cream for sale on the first floor. Let's go try some."

Zhu Lu didn't agree right away. Instead, she turned to look at Dai Huabin.

Only after he gave a slight nod did she obediently stand up and follow Cui Yajie out.

Wang Dong'er was practically glued to her chair and had no intention of moving. She had a hunch that whatever they were about to discuss had to be an earth-shattering secret.

"I'm not leaving. I'm still hungry." Wang Dong'er grabbed an apple and took a bite.

Xiao Xiao hurried over and dragged Wang Dong'er toward the door, pulling and tugging at her.

"Oh, Dong'er, they have something important to discuss. Come on, come on! I found a necklace I like. Help me decide!"

"Fine, fine! I'll walk on my own!"

Wang Dong'er protested as the private-room door slammed shut.

The spacious room fell silent in an instant. Only Dai Huabin and Ning Tian remained, seated across from each other.

Ning Tian folded her hands on the table and sat up straight. Her earlier easygoing manner had vanished.

"Dai Huabin, let's be frank." Ning Tian looked him straight in the eye.

"You brought your fiancée into our Class Nine. You came here because of me, didn't you? Or, to be more precise, you're after the support of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect behind me."

That made perfect sense by the logic of a scion from a powerful clan.

The White Tiger Duke Mansion commanded a great army, but when it came to its reserves of high-level Soul Masters, it would certainly need support from a top auxiliary sect.

Dai Huabin's attempt to win her over was entirely reasonable.

After listening to her, Dai Huabin chuckled.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of light tea to aid digestion.

Steam curled into the air, blurring the amusement in his eyes.

He raised the teacup, took a sip, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice before asking in return, "Ning Tian, are you really content with this?"

Ning Tian froze.

She'd expected Dai Huabin to admit it or make a request, but she'd never expected such a cryptic question.

"Content with what? What do you mean?" Ning Tian frowned.

Dai Huabin set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"I mean that, ten thousand years ago, the Douluo Continent had the famous Upper Three Sects: the Clear Sky Hammer, the greatest Tool Martial Soul under heaven; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the greatest Beast Martial Soul under heaven; and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the greatest auxiliary Martial Soul under heaven."

"Back then, even though the sect master's Martial Soul could never break through to the eighth ring, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still held its place among the Upper Three Sects. Two Super Douluo willingly served you, and wherever your people went, they were the center of attention."

At that, Dai Huabin stopped abruptly and stared straight at Ning Tian.

"And what about now, ten thousand years later? The Body Sect acts recklessly, Shrek Academy dominates the world, and Level 9 Soul Engineers are emerging one after another in the Sun Moon Empire. And what about you?"

Dai Huabin's words were like a knife, cutting through all pretenses without mercy.

"Besides throwing money around to recruit a few unattached experts from other families, where is the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's true core strength?

The greatest auxiliary sect under heaven ten thousand years ago can't even hold on to a single Titled Douluo of its own."

His words were razor-sharp, tearing away the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's biggest fig leaf.

The flaw in the sect's Martial Soul meant that it couldn't produce top-tier experts of its own and had to rely on its wealth to hire them. That was the deepest thorn in Ning Tian's heart.

Ning Tian's expression shifted as she listened. But unexpectedly, she didn't fly into a rage.

After a brief silence, Ning Tian laughed instead. She leaned back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, and fired back without yielding an inch.

"Everything you said is true. Our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect really is in a slump. But so what?"

Ning Tian lifted her chin and stared at Dai Huabin.

"You're the second young master of the White Tiger Duke Mansion. What right do you have to pity us?

Ten thousand years ago, your Dai Family was the royal family of the Star Luo Empire. The whole country belonged to you. And now?"

She sneered, striking at the Dai Family's sore spot.

"Now you've lost the throne, and the Xu Family has taken over Star Luo City. All your Dai Family can do is lead troops along the border and eat sand. What else can you do? You come to me to talk about decline? You're not worthy."

Ning Tian had quite a temper and refused to take even the slightest loss.

Dai Huabin didn't get angry. Instead, he clapped his hands and burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha, well said."

Dai Huabin shook his head, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

"But you've got one thing wrong."

He stood up and walked over to the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the private room, looking down over the bustling streets of Shrek City.

"To be honest, I don't care who sits on the throne of the Star Luo Empire. That broken chair can go to whoever wants it. I'm not interested in the slightest."

Ning Tian's heart jolted.

If those words got out, they would be a serious crime! This kid really didn't care that the Dai Family had lost the throne?

"You don't care about the throne?" Ning Tian asked, her face full of disbelief.

"Then what do you want, after going to all this trouble to make a bet with me?"