Lingering Glory

As Shui Xinhan and Su Yun Tao conversed, a white light began to emerge within Skywater Academy.

Shui Xinhan glanced at the sky and said helplessly, "Yun Tao, you should rest for a while. This afternoon, I will take Bing'er and the others to meet someone, and it just so happens that you can come along to meet her as well."

Su Yun Tao agreed, "Very well, Dean. I shall return to rest."

While Su Yun Tao was sitting in meditation to rest, Shui Xinhan remained persistent in supervising the training of the Skywater Team.

Her Ice Dragon spread its wings and soared above the sea, with Ice-attribute Spirit Masters like Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu seated upon its back. As for Shui Yue'er and the others, being Water-attribute Spirit Masters, they were naturally led in training by other Water-attribute instructors.

"Three hundred meters!" Several Skywater students leaped off.

"Five hundred meters!" Xue Wu leaped off.

It was not until they were one thousand meters from the shore that Shui Bing'er finally jumped from the back of the Ice Dragon.

Facing the vast, boundless ocean, Shui Bing'er showed no panic as she plummeted from the high altitude. The moment before she was about to hit the water, she suddenly performed a few rolls, and to one's amazement, patches of ice began to appear on the surface of the sea.

Using these ice patches, Shui Bing'er successfully managed to dissipate the force of her high-altitude landing. Afterward, she moved like an agile little kitten, quickly sprinting toward the shore.

Ice blocks kept appearing in the most suitable positions ahead of her, and before long, Shui Bing'er successfully reached the coastline.

Xue Wu said happily, "Bing'er, your talent is truly formidable."

"Sister Xue Wu, you flatter me. It was just luck."

"Enough," Shui Xinhan said with satisfaction. "Bing'er, your control over your Spirit, spirit power, body, and elements has indeed reached a very high level. However, if you wish to become a true powerhouse, you still have a long road ahead of you."

Shui Bing'er replied, "Teacher, rest assured! I will continue to work hard."

Shui Xinhan affectionately ruffled Shui Bing'er's small head. "Bing'er, I have wronged you. We are all women of Skywater, and there are certain responsibilities we must shoulder. This morning, you shall lead everyone to continue with other training; Teacher will take you to see Aunt Ye this afternoon."

Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and the others were immediately jubilant, yet while excited, they also felt a sense of physical discomfort throughout their bodies.

That afternoon, several carriages departed from Shuiyun City, heading toward the east.

Su Yun Tao leaned against the first carriage, looking at the scenery along the road with a relaxed and contented expression.

What surprised Su Yun Tao was that although the carriages were not ornately decorated, they were pulled by a uniform team of thousand-year Spirit Beasts, Horned Scale Horses. These horses, typically reserved for the imperial family, were actually being utilized by Skywater Academy.

On one hand, this demonstrated the immense financial strength of Skywater Academy; on the other, it showed that in Shui Xinhan's heart, the status of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was not high. This was easy to understand—the women of Skywater Academy naturally harbored extreme disgust for the nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire, so how could their opinion of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family be any better?

One must know that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was the greatest mastermind behind the slave trade in the entire empire. Although the imperial family had nominally issued decrees banning the trafficking of people, their direct subsidiary, the Heaven Dou Auction House, openly auctioned off various rare young women. Who the greatest beneficiary of the entire slave industry was, went without saying.

"Yun Tao, do you know the purpose of our trip?" Shui Xinhan's voice came from inside the carriage.

"Dean, I do not know." Su Yun Tao stretched lazily, then held the Golden Horse Whip, looking ahead in boredom. Horned Scale Horses were gentle and highly intelligent, so driving them was naturally dull.

"Yun Tao, I am actually taking everyone for a full-body recuperation."

"Full-body recuperation?" Su Yun Tao asked with some curiosity. "Dean, why is that? Are there not specialized recuperation shops in Shuiyun City?"

Shui Xinhan smiled. "Yun Tao, what we are doing is not ordinary recuperation; it is the clearing of internal bruising."

"Bing'er and the others are very diligent during training, but they are all too young. If one is not careful, it can cause muscle strains, and in severe cases, it can even affect their overall physical development. Therefore, every three months, I take them for a recuperation session, having a Healing-type Spirit Douluo perform a full-body treatment. Only then can they train without future worries."

Hiring an Auxiliary-type Spirit Douluo for recuperation? Su Yun Tao gasped. "Dean, our Skywater Academy is far too wealthy! How much does this cost each time?"

An Auxiliary-type Spirit Douluo was, in a sense, even more valuable than some Titled Douluo. To hire a Spirit Master of this level, and to do so every three months—Shui Xinhan's financial resources were truly enough to rival a nation!

"Hehe," Shui Xinhan chuckled. "It doesn't cost a single cent."

Su Yun Tao smiled. "Could it be that this Auxiliary-type Spirit Douluo is a close friend of yours, Dean?"

Shui Xinhan shook her head. "Not a friend."

"If not a friend, why would she be willing to treat our Skywater students for free?"

"She is a sister."

"Hehe!" Su Yun Tao coughed a few times, feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness. "Dean, you certainly have many sisters."

Shui Xinhan shook her head. "I only have two younger sisters in total. One is Er Long, and the other is the person we are going to meet."

"Her name is Ye Lingrong, and she is the inheritor of a powerful healing Spirit."

"Ye Lingrong?" Su Yun Tao frowned, pondering for a moment. "Dean, Senior Ye Lingrong shares the surname Ye. Is she the possessor of the Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit?"

Shui Xinhan was slightly surprised. "Su Yun Tao, I did not expect your knowledge to be so extraordinary. That is correct; my sister is indeed the current matriarch of the Nine-Heart Begonia family. You must be aware of the Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit."

"This Spirit is extremely powerful, perhaps even the strongest Auxiliary-type Spirit in the world today. Even the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is slightly inferior to it."

"However, because the Nine-Heart Begonia is too powerful, it is cursed. In each generation, only one Spirit Master can possess the Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit, and there are only ever two living Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit Masters at any given time."

"Only after one dies can their descendant potentially inherit the Nine-Heart Begonia. Currently, there are only two Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit Masters in the world: my sister Ye Lingrong and my niece Ye Lingling."

At this moment, Su Yun Tao's expression began to freeze, for he felt that something was not quite right.

"Ye Lingrong? Ye Lingling? Lingling? Lingrong? Lingling Rongrong? Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong?"

In an instant, Su Yun Tao nearly jumped up.

"Yun Tao, what is wrong?"

"Nothing," Su Yun Tao thought to himself. It seems I have uncovered the secrets of that old man Ning Fengzhi. The names Lingling and Rongrong are quite the coincidence. No wonder I always felt that the names Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong seemed to have some sort of connection.