Winning Hearts

"Alright. Since you're willing to go this far, I'll make sure this gets done for you no matter what!"

Seeing Elder Yang cast aside his reservations, Ning Que was equally fired up.

The Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear martial soul was incredibly powerful. In some respects, it could rival the Coiling Dragon Staff ten thousand years later.

Cai Mei'er had truly wasted such a powerful martial soul.

"What are you thinking, brat?"

"I'm already so old. Do you think I have no shame?"

"My grandson broke through to Rank 90 not long ago. His talent is good, and he already has two wives. One more won't make a difference. Besides, Cai Mei'er is rather pretty. Even if she's secondhand goods, she's more than good enough for my grandson!"

Yang Pojun slapped Ning Que on the head.

This brat was always making fun of him.

"Come to think of it, this could work!"

"Once Uncle Yang Duo obtains his hundred-thousand-year soul ring, have him come to Shrek City. I'll get this done for him one way or another."

Enduring the throbbing pain in his head, Ning Que hurriedly changed his tune.

He was determined to poach Yan Shaozhe's wife.

He had no choice but to become this cuckold.

Who told that shameless old bastard Yan Shaozhe to spend every day thinking about making his fiancée fully join Shrek Academy?

"If you can pull this off and allow my Yang family's martial soul to transform, then this old bag of bones will belong entirely to you from now on."

Yang Pojun's expression was exceptionally solemn.

Allowing a family's martial soul to transform and evolve was simply too important on the Douluo Continent.

"It's in the bag. Absolutely in the bag!"

As he spoke, several plans had already formed in Ning Que's mind.

The battle in the sky was still ongoing.

However, he could tell that it would not last much longer.

Honestly, he had never expected things to develop to this point.

At first, he had merely wanted to use this opportunity to extort the White Tiger Duke Mansion properly, while also gathering information he needed from Shrek Academy.

He also wanted the talents he intended to recruit to understand that, when they were bullied, the compensation they received differed depending on whether they had a background or powerful backer. This would make recruiting them easier.

Yet whenever he thought of the Shrek Academy higher-ups' obsession, he felt that he could adjust his objective slightly and toss out some bait to see what happened.

Sure enough, the people of Shrek Academy had not disappointed him. They were truly cooperating perfectly.

Sometimes, he even wondered whether there was an undercover agent within Shrek Academy.

Xuan Zi's arrogance and Yan Shaozhe's greed had given him the perfect excuse.

Most importantly, after this battle, how much longer could Mu En hold on?

Having witnessed the treatment that had previously helped Jin Sheng, would Shrek Academy seek their assistance?

Seeking help meant paying a price.

First injure them, then treat them, and they would still owe you gratitude.

Most importantly, he could occupy the moral high ground throughout the entire process.

The methods God King Tang and Shrek Academy so often used were genuinely effective.

Just as he had expected, the battle in the sky soon came to an end.

Neither side had emerged victorious.

Yet anyone with eyes could see that Mu En had completely held the upper hand.

Even so, this was enough to shock the world. The gap between Rank 98 and Rank 99 could be described as a heavenly chasm.

However, Shi Jian knew clearly that during the battle, he had distinctly sensed that Mu En was not in good condition. Only then did he finally understand what that little fellow Ning Que was plotting.

Seeing this, Ning Que knew that he no longer needed to intervene. He only needed to let his father, the person most skilled at business, negotiate with them.

As for him, he could use this opportunity to recruit the talents he had his eye on.

Accompanied by Elder Yang, he entered the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's merchant association.

"Brother..."

Upon seeing Ning Que arrive, Ning Tian ran straight to his side and threw her arms around her elder brother. Her eyes brimmed with tears, as though she had suffered endless grievances.

"Don't worry. With your big brother here, no matter who is behind this, I'll drag them out!"

Ning Que gently stroked his sister's head and comforted her before turning his gaze toward the others.

"Jin Sheng, you did very well this time. As for your reward, I'll personally give it to you once we return to the sect."

Ning Que looked at Jin Sheng first. Among them all, his injuries were the most serious.

He had learned from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect disciples that, in order to protect Ning Tian, Jin Sheng had faced a Soul Emperor head-on. He had come just a little short—just a little short—of being cut in half.

"Boss, it was what I should've done!"

Jin Sheng scratched his head, returning to his simple-minded appearance before Ning Que.

Anyone who truly mistook him for an honest man because of that appearance was a fool.

This kid was shrewd.

Fortunately, his feelings toward those he truly acknowledged at his side were sincere.

"Xiao Feng, I had originally planned to secure a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone for you, but the Red Dragon Douluo refused. She has already prepared other soul bones for you. Wait until you have the ability to protect yourself before fusing with them."

Afterward, Ning Que looked toward Wu Feng.

"Brother Ning Que, I..."

Wu Feng wanted to say something more, but Ning Que cut her off. He knew better than anyone what filled this little girl's head.

It was better to leave such troublesome matters to Guyi.

"Xie Huanyue, you did very well. Since you've decided to join my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and protected Xiao Tian and the others, making such a contribution, I won't treat you poorly. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone has been prepared for you. Once your strength is sufficient, you may apply to the sect at any time."

"As for Xiao Xiao, you completed Uncle Dai's assessment during the Freshman Assessment Tournament. He has decided to accept you as his disciple. Uncle Dai will explain the rest of your rewards to you afterward."

Ning Que then turned his gaze toward these two who were now clearly disciples of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

There was naturally no need to say much about Xie Huanyue. His injuries were second only to Jin Sheng's, and with talent like his, rewarding him with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was no issue at all.

Moreover, though Ning Que said he could apply once he became strong enough, when it would actually be handed over to him was something that could be handled with great flexibility.

Once he integrated into the sect and developed emotional ties and bonds, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect would not begrudge him that soul bone.

In fact, if he integrated well enough and demonstrated sufficient talent, that Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone might be upgraded from ten thousand years to fifty thousand years, or perhaps even higher.

That depended on whether he could seize the opportunity himself.

As for Xiao Xiao, strictly speaking, she was not yet a disciple of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. She was merely Dai Chengfeng's disciple, so her reward naturally had to be given through her teacher.

After discussing the arrangements related to the sect members, Ning Que finally turned his gaze toward Wang Dong.

As for Huo Yuhao and the other three, he deliberately ignored them for the time being.