Sethos watched Ning Fengzhi and the others walk in, then raised a hand to greet them.
"Hello, everyone. Please, have a seat if you don't mind."
Sethos was easygoing with everyone. That was simply the nature of desert folk.
But in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, he lacked the bearing of a powerful expert. A Titled Douluo should have the imposing aura Tang Hao had, he thought. Even dressed like a beggar, Tang Hao still exuded the air of a mighty expert.
No one really cared what Yu Xiaogang thought. After sitting down, Ning Fengzhi looked for a topic to talk about.
The Sky Screen was naturally the best topic at the moment.
But before Ning Fengzhi could speak, Yu Xiaogang spoke first.
"Your Excellency Sethos, the Sky Screen just rewarded you by increasing the age of every Soul Ring by a thousand years. Is that true?"
"Yes. And you are?"
"My name is Yu Xiaogang. I've done extensive research on Martial Souls, and people call me Grandmaster."
Yu Xiaogang shamelessly sang his own praises, and Sethos, being straightforward, didn't doubt him.
"Are you a scholar, too? The Akademiya is a gathering place for scholars. Scholars from all walks of life, each pursuing different fields of research, gather there.
"The Akademiya is also conducting research on Martial Souls. It's a new field, and plenty of people are interested in it.
"If you're interested in exchanging ideas, I can introduce you."
Sethos had a great deal of respect for scholars. It was just a shame that Yu Xiaogang was only a half-baked one.
Sethos's straightforwardness left Yu Xiaogang somewhat dumbfounded, but his thick skin could take it. At the same time, he became even more convinced that something was fishy about the Akademiya.
After all, if the Akademiya really was a gathering place for scholars, as Sethos claimed, how could it have remained unknown for so long?
Under normal circumstances, Yu Xiaogang's reasoning wasn't wrong. But the Akademiya was anything but normal.
Trying to draw conclusions about the Akademiya based on what was normal would only lead him further and further down the wrong path.
"Grandmaster Yu, you're being rather rude!"
Ning Fengzhi put heavy emphasis on the words "Grandmaster Yu." If Yu Xiaogang weren't Yu Yuanzhen's son, Ning Fengzhi would have thrown him out long ago.
"It's all right. Scholars often get so absorbed in a question they're interested in that they forget everything else. I've encountered that sort of thing before."
"Sethos really is a kindhearted young man!"
"When you travel through the desert, you're bound to run into all kinds of trouble. You have to learn to help one another. That's why most people who come from the desert have warm hearts."
Ning Fengzhi maintained his polite smile, though he didn't quite understand what Sethos meant. Was there some deeper meaning to it?
People who overthought things were prone to reading too much into everything. Sethos meant exactly what he said, nothing more.
Ning Fengzhi gave up trying to make sense of it and turned instead to introduce Ning Rongrong to Sethos.
"This is my daughter, Ning Rongrong. She's the one I dote on most. Rongrong..."
"Hello, I'm Ning Rongrong. Your Excellency Sethos, you're so handsome!"
"Hello. Just call me Sethos. You're very pretty, too."
Ning Rongrong beamed sweetly at Sethos's compliment, making Oscar beside her burn with jealousy.
Ning Fengzhi was just about to ask Sethos about himself when the Sky Screen stirred again.
[Tighnari is the finest Forest Ranger and a dedicated teacher. His student Collei is the best person to speak to on that score.] [He's a kindhearted person who helps anyone stranded in the rainforest. Of course, he'll also teach you a lesson so you'll understand just how dangerous the rainforest can be.] [If you come looking for trouble, Tighnari's duties as a Forest Ranger will give him plenty of reason to show you what he can do.] [If you run into him in the rainforest, he's someone you can trust.] [He has one small weakness, too. Because of his ears and tail, he gets a little hot easily, so he doesn't like going on business trips to the desert.]
The Sky Screen's assessment of Tighnari was clearly very high. The last part was obviously a joke. Anyone who took it all seriously might be in for trouble.
Collei felt that the Sky Screen's assessment of her teacher was quite thorough. It matched how Tighnari seemed to her.
Tighnari, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed. He thought he had merely done what any Forest Ranger ought to do.
"Teacher, what kind of reward will you get?"
"It should be similar to Sethos's reward. But that's not important."
Ouyang Kong spoke up. "Tighnari, take Collei and the others to Heaven Dou City to meet up with Sethos, and finalize the arrangements for the Akademiya's branch there.
"Once everything's settled, I'll go there myself to oversee the site selection and construction."
"Understood, Grand Sage. We'll set out right away."
"Mm!"
As they spoke, the Sky Screen announced Tighnari's reward.
[Congratulations to Tighnari. As a reward, the age of all his Soul Rings has increased by 2,000 years.]
Tighnari's Soul Rings appeared as well: purple, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
Only then did Dugu Bo realize that Tighnari had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
In the Pope's Palace in Spirit City, Bibi Dong watched Tighnari receive his reward, deep in thought. At the same time, she looked forward even more to the reward for first place. She already considered the top spot hers.
At the Seven Treasure Hotel in Heaven Dou City, Sethos said, "As expected, the higher the ranking, the better the reward. I wonder what the first-place prize will be. I'm looking forward to it."
Taking advantage of the moment, Yu Xiaogang spoke up again.
"Your Excellency Sethos, would you let us see your Martial Soul and Soul Rings?"
"Huh? You want to see my Martial Soul and Soul Rings? Of course!"
Sethos brought out the Scion of the Blazing Sun, and nine Soul Rings unfurled around him: purple, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
When the last red Soul Ring appeared, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo both looked astonished.
At this point in time, even among Titled Douluo, those with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring were exceedingly rare.
"A-a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! How is that possible?"
"There's no need to be so surprised, is there?"
Sethos had truly underestimated just how rare a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was.
Now Sethos looked even more desirable in Qian Renxue's and Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
"Sethos, forgive me for asking, but are you married?"
"Huh? Married? No, I'm not. I don't think I'm planning to get married anytime soon, either."
"Why not?"
"Heh. I suppose I'm waiting for the right person. Marriage isn't something you should rush into."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, then looked at Ning Rongrong and back at Sethos.
"What do you think of my daughter, Rongrong?"
"Huh?"
Sethos was baffled by Ning Fengzhi's approach. When he came to his senses, he hurriedly refused.
"That won't do. There's quite an age gap between us."
"Haha, age isn't a problem. You won't be leaving Heaven Dou City anytime soon, will you? Then let Rongrong show you around. You can get to know each other while you're at it."
Sethos was about to refuse again, but Ning Fengzhi had already made up his mind.
"Enough. It's settled."
Before you continue