Douluo: Jianmu Martial Soul, Am I an Abomination of Abundance? Section 28

Hearing this, Mu Ci chuckled inwardly.

All they saw was the gentle surface, calm as water, but they failed to see the biting chill beneath it.

When these girls got angry, they were no less formidable than the senior girls from Plant Academy.

Leading the team over, Mu Ci smiled and greeted the girls.

"Good morning, Huo Wu, Bing'er, Yue'er, everyone."

"What's the schedule today?"

Mu Ci walked over to the girls and asked.

"Probably about the same as before. The leaders will say a few words, then we'll be free to do as we please. Anyone who wants to battle can apply over at the arena."

After thinking for a moment, Huo Wu described the usual process.

"Alright, then let's find somewhere to sit and wait."

The venue was enormous, easily capable of holding over a thousand people. Together with several teams, they found seats near the front.

Time slowly passed, and more and more people filled the venue.

Over the past few days, more than a dozen teams had arrived from all over. The current number of people was more than double what it had been when Mu Ci first arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Look, the Crown Prince and the academy heads are here."

"Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent people."

"Could those two beside Sect Master Ning be Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo?"

One discussion after another rose through the venue, making the surroundings increasingly noisy.

Xue Qinghe was dressed very formally today in Imperial Family attire. Beside him stood his teacher, Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The two Douluo were walking behind them with Ning Rongrong, whose curious gaze wandered around the venue.

Half a step behind the two of them were the heads of numerous advanced academies led by Mu Changsheng, including Platinum Bishop Salas and Yu Luomian, an elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

As the many important figures took their seats on the platform, the whispers in the venue gradually quieted down.

Xue Qinghe stepped forward and spoke into a Soul Tool amplifier.

"Hello, everyone. I am honored to have taken over the hosting rights for this exchange meet from Godwind Academy."

"Seeing all of you here, as the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, I am delighted that the empire has produced so many young talents. In the future, all of you will become pillars of the empire."

"..."

Listening to Xue Qinghe's words onstage, Mu Ci finally understood.

The previous events had not exactly been pitifully small, but they had only been ordinary affairs, small gatherings jointly organized by several academies with good relations.

No wonder this exchange meet was so large this time. So it was your doing.

Mu Ci had no idea what Qian Renxue, beneath Xue Qinghe's exterior, was plotting.

But given the current timeline, nothing major should happen. Tang San was still at Nuoding Academy.

Listening to the speech onstage, Mu Ci was thoroughly bored. No matter what world it was, leaders giving speeches onstage were always exceedingly tedious.

His gaze swept around the area, examining the members of the other teams and seeing whether he could match their appearances to the descriptions in his mind.

Suddenly, a deep violet color entered Mu Ci's field of vision. The pale gold Heaven Dou Royal Academy uniform outlined a seductive figure, while her shoulder-length dark purple hair gave her an enchanting, captivating air.

However, Mu Ci's view was blocked from where he sat, and he could only see her profile. Still, he noticed her unusual green eyes and confirmed her identity in his heart.

Dugu Yan.

Bet, Sword Douluo's Admiration

Just as Mu Ci was staring at Dugu Yan.

A jade-like hand quietly reached for his waist.

"Hiss."

Mu Ci's previously bored expression twisted at once from the pinch, and he quietly sucked in a breath of cold air.

His left hand immediately seized the little hand lightly pinching his soft flesh, preventing her from moving further.

"What, Bingyue Sisters and I are all sitting beside you, yet you aren't looking at us. Instead, you're staring at another girl."

Huo Wu's slightly aggrieved voice sounded softly by his ear, her breath fragrant.

"Brother Mu Ci, what's wrong?"

Shui Bing'er, who had been seriously listening to the speech beside him, heard the commotion and turned her head toward him in confusion.

"It's nothing, Bing'er. Keep listening to the speech."

After smiling at Shui Bing'er, he looked toward Huo Wu, who was pouting beside him.

"Huo Wu, you misunderstood. I wasn't deliberately looking at her."

"Then you were looking at her on purpose?"

Hearing this explanation, Huo Wu's red lips pouted even more, and her voice by Mu Ci's ear became even more aggrieved.

Mu Ci did not know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only continue explaining, "I just thought that girl seemed a little strange."

Upon hearing that answer, some confusion appeared on Huo Wu's previously jealous face.

"Strange? What's strange about her? I think she's quite pretty."

Huo Wu looked toward Dugu Yan. Staring at that beautiful figure with her unusual coloring, she curiously asked Mu Ci.

That hair color and eye color were indeed rare on Douluo Continent, but they could not really be called strange.

Hearing Huo Wu's question, Mu Ci smiled and leaned close to her ear. "Would you believe me if I said she's poisoned?"

Facing Mu Ci's question, Huo Wu nodded without the slightest hesitation.

When it came to such matters, even if Mu Ci claimed he was the best in the world, Huo Wu would believe him without a moment's doubt.

With that answer in mind, Huo Wu looked at Dugu Yan again. After pondering for a moment, she leaned close to Mu Ci's ear and said:

"Judging from her clothes and where she's sitting, she's about our age. She should be a reserve member of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team, right?"

"I also asked around about the new Heaven Dou Team over the past few days. Some time ago, one of their members broke through rank thirty and went to Sunset Forest with a teacher to hunt a Soul Beast and train. She only returned yesterday."

"And there are only two girls on the team now. One is Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, and the other is Ye Lingling of the Ye family, which possesses the Nine-Star Begonia."

"But neither of them seems like the type who would be poisoned."

It was not that Huo Wu did not believe Mu Ci. It was simply too outrageous for either of those two to be poisoned.

The granddaughter of the foremost poison-using Spirit Master and the granddaughter of the foremost healing-type Spirit Master in the Heaven Dou Empire being poisoned was simply absurd.

"That one should be Dugu Yan. I can sense faint traces of poison in her body. It has the scent of snake venom."

Mu Ci confirmed her identity, then looked at Huo Wu with ill intent.

"How about we make a bet? If you lose, you'll agree to one thing for me."

"And what if you lose?"

"Then I'll agree to one thing for you as well."

Hearing that, Huo Wu nodded without hesitation.

She simply did not believe Poison Douluo's granddaughter could be poisoned. That would be completely backwards.

After making the agreement with Mu Ci, Huo Wu shifted her attention back to the speech. At this point, besides Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi and Meng Shenji each began to say a few words as well.

Suddenly, Huo Wu felt something rubbing against the back of her hand. Only then did she realize that ever since Mu Ci had caught her hand, he had never let go.

Feeling the warmth from Mu Ci's palm, Huo Wu's pretty face flushed slightly. She exerted a little strength with her arm, cautiously trying to pull her hand free.

But how could Mu Ci grant her wish? Feeling the faint force of resistance in his hand, he gripped it tightly, leaving the jade-like hand unable to escape even an inch.

Only then did Huo Wu understand. Her face grew even redder, and she stopped struggling. Instead, she relaxed a little, allowing Mu Ci to hold her hand more comfortably.

Time passed quickly.

With Xue Qinghe's closing remarks, the various teams began leaving in an orderly fashion. Those who wished to get acquainted did so, while those who wished to challenge others went to battle.

The members of the three teams gathered around Mu Ci also left under the guidance of their respective vice-captains.

They made it clear that they would not disturb the few of them.

Outside the venue.

Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and the others watched the talented youths battling one another in the plaza as they conversed.

Ning Fengzhi said, "Uncle Sword, you saw him today as well. What do you think of Mu Ci?"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin rubbed his slightly stubbled chin. With the eyesight of a Title Douluo, he easily locked onto Mu Ci, who was together with several girls.

He said with some admiration, "In every respect, this boy is exceptionally extraordinary."

"At twelve years old, while others are still merely Soul Grandmasters, he is already a Soul Ancestor. And his absorption of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring proves that his physique and spiritual strength have definitely reached the level of a Spirit King."

"I now understand the benefits of absorbing Soul Rings beyond one's level. With the same talent, after absorbing a Soul Ring, you might only rise by one level. But someone else, under the impact of the Soul Ring's Soul Power, could reach two or even three levels higher."

"One step ahead means every step ahead. What a terrifying advantage that is. I fear even Tang Chen back then was inferior to him."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo both nodded in strong agreement.

"Ah, if Longevity Douluo's wife weren't from Spirit Hall, I could have tried to match him with Rongrong. What an excellent husband he would be."

Ning Fengzhi sighed regretfully.

A peerless genius who might rival or even surpass Tang Chen—how wonderful it would be if he could be tied to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's chariot through marriage.

As for whether he married into the sect, was that really important? As long as a child with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul bore the Ning surname in the future and inherited the sect, would that not be enough?

Compared to the benefits of a Peerless Douluo being able to protect the sect for three hundred years, such minor details could be completely ignored. As long as the sect master still bore the Ning surname and possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, it would not be a problem.

Just as Ning Fengzhi was sighing, Ning Rongrong, who was being led by the two elders, became unhappy after hearing those words.

"I don't want Mu Ci to be my husband. I saw everything clearly earlier. He has ties with several girls. He's obviously a playboy."

"My future husband absolutely cannot be like that. He can only love me."

The moment she said that, the three grown men present froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.