A moment later, Meng Shenji stood and said a few words of encouragement. Ning Fengzhi followed with a few words of his own, and finally, the Crown Prince wrapped things up.
After his closing remarks, the Crown Prince invited Ling Yun, and the seven of them left the Soul Fighting Zone.
The students in the Soul Fighting Zone weren't fools. They could see what was going on: the education committee and Ning Fengzhi's party had obviously come for Ling Yun.
Envy, jealousy, and resentment spread through the Soul Fighting Zone.
The fights continued, but the remaining students had lost the passion they'd shown at the start.
On the way, the group chatted as they walked. Meng Shenji and Xue Qinghe did most of the talking, while Ning Fengzhi occasionally added a comment. Their conversation revolved around the state of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
It really did feel like an inspection.
Since they were already here, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi naturally weren't going to skip the usual formalities. They made sure to inspect everything they were supposed to.
Throughout it all, Ling Yun followed quietly, doing his best to keep a low profile.
But everyone present was keeping an eye on him, whether deliberately or not. Ning Fengzhi grew more and more pleased with Ling Yun's conduct.
Ling Yun knew how to conceal himself. Several times, when Ning Fengzhi wasn't looking directly at him, he could scarcely sense that the boy was there at all.
His concealment was so impressive that Ning Fengzhi grew curious about the master behind him.
Ning Fengzhi would never believe Ling Yun had learned all this on his own, without anyone teaching him.
Ling Yun's abilities were simply too comprehensive and well-balanced. Even Ning Fengzhi, who had seen his share of geniuses, was deeply shaken by Ling Yun's performance.
The other five felt much the same as Ning Fengzhi.
Sword Douluo wanted to find the person behind Ling Yun and exchange pointers on swordsmanship. He hadn't made any progress in a long time and needed someone who shared his path.
After the inspection.
In the conference room reserved for receiving distinguished guests.
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Ling Yun were alone together. Everyone else was in the next room.
Before entering the conference room, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe patted Ling Yun on the shoulder and said, "There's no need to be nervous. You're part of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and you're a genius of the empire."
Ling Yun understood what Xue Qinghe meant. If Ning Fengzhi invited him to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and he didn't want to, he could refuse.
Inside the conference room.
Ning Fengzhi said, "Xiao Yun, do you know? You've changed my understanding of what it means to be a genius. I can hardly imagine what sort of person your teacher must be."
Ling Yun's thoughts raced faster than ever. In almost the blink of an eye, he figured out what Ning Fengzhi meant.
It was time to make up another story. He didn't mind waving a big banner, either. When you were out in the world, you made your own identity.
"Uncle Ning, you want to ask about my abilities, don't you?"
"I did have that in mind. Would you be willing to tell me about them?"
Ning Fengzhi asked without putting the slightest pressure on him. It was as if they were simply chatting as friends.
Combined with the gentle nature of his auxiliary Soul Power, he put people at ease.
"It's not a matter of whether I'm willing. I'm just afraid you won't believe me."
"Oh? Now I'm curious. Let's hear it," Ning Fengzhi said, intrigued.
Ling Yun began to spin his tale. "My teacher is incredibly powerful. To me, he feels as vast as the sky. Whenever I see him, I feel so small, like a speck of dust between heaven and earth."
"Whenever he appears, he wears a cloak. His eyes are purple, and he holds a staff almost three meters long."
"When the staff bursts into bright purple light, I appear in a place shrouded in clouds and mist. In the distance, golden palaces stand hidden atop the mountains."
"When the light flashes again, I'm in a wooden house. Beside it stands a towering tree. It seems to be the source of all life. I only have to take one breath to feel completely refreshed, as if I'm floating among the immortals. My teacher told me it was the Tree of Life."
"The Tree of Life belongs to my teacher's wife."
"I stayed there until I was twelve. Then my teacher and his wife each left me a portion of their power. Right after that, a flash of light came from my teacher's staff, and when I opened my eyes again, I'd turned back into a child."
"If I couldn't use everything my teacher taught me, and if the power weren't real, I'd have thought it was all a dream!"
"..."
As he spoke, two points of light appeared in Ling Yun's right hand, shaped like seeds. One brimmed with the aura of destruction, while the other overflowed with concentrated life force. The Ice and Fire Dragon King's divine power wrapped around them.
And just like that, counterfeit Seeds of Life and Destruction were born.
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were aghast. Ning Fengzhi, in particular, felt an urge to bow down before the light in Ling Yun's hand.
The next second, two beams of light descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, they passed through the conference room's ceiling and landed in Ling Yun's hand.
Then the light flowed along the meridians in his arm and spread to his forehead, forming an image of a staff superimposed over a tree.
The Yin-Yang Mirror instinctively tried to refine the two foreign powers, but fortunately, Ling Yun reacted in time and sent it a thought.
Ling Yun never would've expected that making up a backstory would bring the real deal right to him.
The moment he used Qi of Creation and the Ice and Fire Dragon King's divine power to create the Seeds of Life and Destruction, the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life sensed them in the Douluo God Realm.
Now, there was no way the two of them were going to let him get away.
The couple had long grown weary of life in the Divine Realm, but they still couldn't bring themselves to leave it behind. They'd wanted to find successors, yet they could never find someone capable of perfectly bearing both their powers.
Time and again, when they found someone suited to inherit just one of their God Positions, they would think of each other and decide not to pass it on.
And so the couple kept putting it off.
Since Ling Yun could produce both a Seed of Life and a Seed of Destruction—and possessed Twin Martial Souls, to boot—they weren't going to hold back.
Inside the conference room, light blazed from Ling Yun's forehead. As purple light flickered, Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi felt an overwhelming majesty.
When green light flickered, Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi felt immeasurably comfortable. The tiny, long-neglected injuries that had accumulated on Sword Douluo's body vanished at once.
The bottleneck at level 97 loosened. He had a feeling that if he went into seclusion, he could break through in less than half a month.
The green and purple lights both made the two men feel as insignificant as dust.
The light lasted for nine breaths, then faded.
With a thought from Ling Yun, the image on his forehead grew fainter and fainter, then disappeared.
"I can't thank you enough. As long as you're not looking to cause trouble for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, old man will help you with anything."
"Thanks to the power you just released, I'm certain I'll break through to level 97 within half a month," Sword Douluo said, unable to hide his joy.
"Truly incredible. Xiao Yun, come visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect when you have time. There are many children your age there. You young people should make more friends with each other."
Ning Fengzhi handed Ling Yun a Token. The front bore the image of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and the back had the character Ning engraved on it.
Ling Yun accepted the Token without refusing and said, "I'll definitely visit when I get the chance!"
Ning Fengzhi smiled and chatted with Ling Yun for a little while longer. Then the three of them left the conference room together.
Before you continue