As the master of a sect, Ning Fengzhi naturally disdained quarreling with the mere dean of Blue Silver Academy.
But these rumors had given him a whiff of something out of the ordinary.
In particular, all the rumors at their core involved the crown prince, Xue Qinghe.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Family... Were they uneasy about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's power, and supporting a newcomer to knock him down a peg?
It was certainly possible.
Still, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help feeling curious.
Why had the imperial family chosen such an obscure nobody?
Just who was this Chen Xuan?
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere outside Heaven Dou City stood Shrek Academy.
Dust billowed across the training grounds.
A few students who weren't among the Shrek Seven Devils had gathered together, training as they chatted about something.
"Hey, have you heard? That new Blue Silver Academy in the city is all the rage!"
"Of course! The story about Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Evolution is everywhere!"
A stiff, imposing voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"You seem to have plenty of energy. Looks like today's training wasn't enough."
The students jumped in fright and hurriedly turned around. The theoretical Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, stood behind them with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless.
"G-Grandmaster!"
They fell instantly silent.
Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept over them, then shifted to the Shrek Seven Devils, who were practicing high-intensity combat nearby. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Tell me everything you were just discussing."
The students didn't dare hide anything. They hurriedly recounted all the rumors about Blue Silver Academy spreading through Heaven Dou City.
When they heard the words "Martial Soul Evolution," the Shrek Seven Devils, who had been resting, all turned curious eyes toward them.
"That's not all, Grandmaster," one student added. "The dean of Blue Silver Academy, Chen Xuan, has also proposed some... rather unusual theories."
"Oh?" Yu Xiaogang raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear them."
"He said, 'Innate Soul Power has no fixed limit.' A person's potential is infinite."
"He also said, 'Trash Martial Souls can evolve.' The weaker a Martial Soul appears, the more room it has to evolve."
"And... and the boldest claim was, 'A Soul Ring's age is determined by one's will!' As long as your will is strong enough, you can absorb a Soul Ring that exceeds your body's limits!"
"..."
As these theories were laid out, an eerie silence fell over the entire training ground.
The Shrek Seven Devils were all stunned.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun exchanged bewildered looks.
There was no limit to the age of a Soul Ring?
The weaker the Martial Soul, the easier it was to evolve?
This... This was almost the exact opposite of everything Grandmaster had taught them!
Tang San's heart gave a sudden thump.
Trash Martial Souls could evolve?
His Blue Silver Grass...
Before they could think any further, a furious roar exploded like thunder from a clear sky!
"Bullshit!"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned from white to red, then from red to livid. His body trembled with rage.
"Utter nonsense! He's simply misleading people!"
He had devoted his life to studying Martial Soul Theory, and considered himself the foremost authority in the Martial Soul world.
His Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul were revered as absolute truths by the entire Soul Master World.
But now, this Chen Xuan who had suddenly appeared had overturned the very foundations of his theories!
To him, this wasn't just an academic challenge. It was an assault on his dignity and the work of his entire life!
"The limit for absorbing a Soul Ring is determined by a Soul Master's physical constitution! That's an ironclad rule! Talking about willpower is sending people to their deaths!"
"And Trash Martial Souls! A Martial Soul's strength depends on its inherited bloodline. How can it just evolve because someone says so?!"
Yu Xiaogang was beside himself with rage, pacing back and forth across the training ground like a lion provoked into a frenzy.
"This man is either insane or a complete fraud!"
Seeing their teacher so worked up, Tang San and the others didn't dare say a word.
Just then, Ning Rongrong, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
A glimmer of wit and pride shone in her lively eyes.
"Grandmaster, everyone, don't get worked up just yet."
She looked around at them and spoke slowly. "As it happens, I haven't been home in a while, and I was planning to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Since Blue Silver Academy has made such a commotion—and even dragged my father's reputation into it..."
Her voice was clear, yet carried undeniable weight.
"I'll take this opportunity to meet them in person."
"I want to see for myself just who this Chen Xuan is, and what gives him the nerve to make such bold claims!"
The turmoil at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Shrek Academy had yet to reach the heart of the matter.
Deep in the rear courtyard of Blue Silver Academy.
The quiet courtyard was bathed only in moonlight and starlight.
A translucent Blue Silver Grass plant, as if sculpted from blue crystal, stood quietly in the middle of the courtyard. Every leaf spread wide, greedily absorbing the vitality of heaven and earth.
This Blue Silver Grass was the true form of the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.
At that moment, her consciousness flowed slowly through her true form, reliving Chen Xuan's words to her again and again.
"Soon, I'll be able to bring you back to life for real, and restore you to human form."
The words rang in the depths of her soul like the sweetest celestial music.
To come back to life.
To become human again.
To her, it was a dream so distant and extravagant.
Ever since she had sacrificed herself for Tang Hao, she had thought her consciousness would sink forever into darkness, never to see the light of day again.
It was Chen Xuan who had awakened her from that endless void.
And it was Chen Xuan who had made her a promise she had never even dared to dream of.
Ah Yin's consciousness began to involuntarily sketch out a picture of the future.
If... if she really could come back to life, what should she do?
Go see what Douluo Continent was like now?
Or... do something else?
The thoughts flickered past, only to be replaced by a more powerful one.
Repay him.
She had to repay Chen Xuan.
This kindness weighed like a mountain and ran deep as the sea. It was more than a simple "thank you" could ever hold.
But how should she repay him?
Ah Yin's consciousness sank into thought.
Chen Xuan's power was already beyond her comprehension.
Money? Influence? Immortal Herbs? Soul Bones?
To him, the things the world dreamed of possessing were probably all within easy reach.
He seemed to lack nothing.
Ah Yin turned it over and over in her mind, racking her brains.
Suddenly, her consciousness trembled faintly.
He... seemed to be missing a woman by his side.
The girl named Qian Renxue was always with him, but Ah Yin could tell they weren't cultivation partners.
And as a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she was confident that neither her looks nor her figure was inferior to any woman in the world.
To offer herself to him...
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