How Come Another Wave Arrived Right After One Was Sent Away?

"Rongrong, how were you so amazing?"

Ning Fengzhi looked over and saw that Sword Douluo was sparring with Ning Rongrong without using Soul Power. From the look of it, Ning Rongrong had caught him off guard and made him suffer a small loss.

What kind of nonsense was this? A Soul Grandmaster had actually taken advantage of a Titled Douluo through martial arts.

"Dean Chen, do you sell martial arts manuals here?"

Only then did Ning Fengzhi realize what Phantom Star Academy's most valuable assets were—these martial arts techniques.

Looking at the students around them who were still training, his eyes lit up. Just along the way here, he had seen more than five different martial arts.

"Not for sale."

No one could buy cultivation methods from him. From the day he founded the academy, he had regarded those manuals as academy property.

He could not bring himself to profit by misappropriating academy assets.

Ning Fengzhi was not too disappointed. He had not held much hope to begin with and had merely mentioned it in passing.

Besides, Chen An had agreed to accept students from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Even if the martial arts they obtained could not compare to Ning Rongrong's, they would still be quite good.

Thus, he made up his mind to send a group of the sect's most talented students here next year.

"Rongrong has some ability to protect herself now, doesn't she?"

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was famous for its lack of individual combat ability.

It was also famously terrible at one-on-one fights. Now that there was a chance to change that situation, how could he not be excited?

Just imagine it: when you got close to a support-type Soul Master, you would either find that you could not break their defenses, or discover that their attacks were even stronger than yours.

It was wonderful.

The two began passing the buck back and forth, though Ning Fengzhi mostly wanted to offer even more sponsorship.

"Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Grandpa Sword."

Time was always short. A busy man like Ning Fengzhi had countless matters to deal with, including the first batch of herbs he had obtained from Chen An for experimental production.

In short, he could not stay here for long. After calculating the time, he bid farewell to Chen An and Ning Rongrong.

Before leaving, he also reminded her to study hard and train diligently.

After they had completely left Phantom Star's territory, Ning Fengzhi asked Sword Douluo.

"Uncle Sword, if you fought Dean Chen, what would your chances of winning be?"

When they had met Chen An earlier, Sword Douluo had barely spoken. He had been on guard the entire time.

The last time Ning Fengzhi had seen Sword Douluo act like that was when he had faced a Spirit Hall worshiper.

"Hard to say. The pressure he gave me was even stronger than when facing Old Bone."

Sword Douluo pondered for a moment. He had initially wanted to say it would be fifty-fifty, but he did not have much confidence in that assessment.

Their information network had revealed that Chen An's first eight soul rings were all hundred-thousand-year rings. That alone was enough to let him fight above his level.

"Fortunately, he is someone who keeps to order."

Someone as powerful as Chen An who was still willing to follow the rules was exceedingly rare. Perhaps it was because his pursuits and beliefs differed from theirs.

Ning Fengzhi only wished to respect him and build a friendship with him.

Not long after they left, Chen An proceeded with the weekly general class taught by him.

A general class was a class attended by every student in the academy, with him personally overseeing it.

"Tsk, why are there so many people here today?"

Chen An was displeased. He had just sent off the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and now another group had arrived.

Moreover, they had not come with good intentions. Their presence was overbearing, and they did not bother concealing their auras. It was an obvious provocation.

Their strength was likely at the Titled Douluo level. There was also another aura accompanying them, one even more powerful than the leaders.

He could not gauge its level.

"What a nuisance."

All the students were on the training grounds right now. With such pressure from the other side, it would be difficult to ensure that a fight did not break out.

"Children, today's class ends here. Return to your dormitories first. Do not linger outside."

At Chen An's command, their faces filled with confusion. Even the teachers were puzzled.

However, Chen An's stern expression kept them from stepping forward to ask. They dutifully began leading students from each class back to the dormitories.

"Junior Sister, let's return to the dormitory too."

"Alright."

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong exchanged a glance. They felt that their master must have had his reasons for doing this.

After everyone had left, Chen An activated the academy's formation and took a chair out of his Storage Ring.

He sat down leisurely where he was, waiting for the visitors to come to him.

"You two Douluo certainly put on quite a show. Whose orders did you receive to come test me?"

The two hovered in the air. Chen An did not raise his head, merely speaking coldly.

At a time like this, he did not mind exposing their purpose outright. The two Douluo above him had activated their Martial Souls—one with chrysanthemums, the other with a ghostly figure.

Their identities were laid bare, as was the identity of the person who had sent them.

"Hmph, I..."

Before he could finish the first word, Chen An's overwhelming pressure combined with the formation's suppression and crashed down upon them.

It actually forced the two Titled Douluo onto the ground. Unfortunately, such pressure was clearly not enough to subdue them.

"Hmph, you arrogant brat."

After saying this, Chrysanthemum Guan and Gui Mei tacitly joined forces and released their own pressure, pushing back against Chen An's force.

Even so, they were shocked. It took both of them together just to repel that pressure.

"By Her Majesty's order, we have come to discuss cooperation."

There was no need to think about it. This so-called cooperation would not be mutually beneficial. It was nothing more than recruitment—or an inquiry into the origins of his soul rings.

For two Titled Douluo to come in person, making such a grand display and approaching him from on high, it could only be for those reasons.

Especially since he had no apparent background on the continent, yet was powerful enough to interfere with their plans. On top of that, he had begun growing close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Not interested. Please leave."

Chen An was blunt, and the expressions of the two Douluo darkened further.

From this, they concluded that Chen An bore hostility toward Spirit Hall. Following the instructions Bibi Dong had given them before their departure, they attacked without hesitation.

"Eighth Soul Skill!"

They both unleashed their Eighth Soul Skills, attempting to crush Chen An in one strike before taking him back to Spirit Hall.

The sudden attack came as no surprise. Chen An had long been prepared. With his Martial Soul Avatar active, he summoned the true form of Myriad Silk. Hundreds of millions of threads drifted through the air, transforming into an enormous shield that blocked the attack.

He had never been one to take a beating without retaliating. As the great shield transformed into the Miao Dao within the Xiuchun Blade, he flashed forward to attack.

"So fast!"

The two Douluo were shocked by Chen An's speed. By the time they spotted him, his blade was already about to fall.

"Clang."

They had not expected Chen An to choose to blast them away with a palm strike, forcibly twisting around to slash behind him.

"So this is Spirit Hall's style? I have learned from it."

This was the Titled Douluo who had accompanied them. No wonder he had wondered why there was one fewer person.

Then there should still be another person lurking in the shadows.

Chen An spat in disdain. Spirit Hall was truly giving him quite a lot of face.

"Would Dean Chen do me the favor of sparing them?"

Judging by the staff in his hand, it was unmistakably the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul. It was Mu Yang, though Chen An did not know whether he was Qian Jun Douluo or Jiang Mo Douluo.

The difference was not great. Their strength was roughly the same, and both were equally troublesome.

"My favor? Who do you think you are? It would be different if Qian Daoliu came himself."

He had wanted to teach Chrysanthemum and Ghost a lesson, yet Qian Jun Douluo had actually ambushed him from the shadows. This old man had no martial virtue.

And now he was speaking from on high, demanding that Chen An let them go. Chen An's anger grew even fiercer.

After throwing out those harsh words, the long blade in his hand transformed into a staff. With a sweep of the long staff, he prepared to test his strength against the other man.