Flame-Mane Lion

At the Akademiya's main campus, Dehya glanced at the Sky Screen, then at Candace.

"I had no idea something like that had happened. You never told me."

"What was there to tell? Those old folks have finally realized the benefits of change, too. As long as life in Aaru Village keeps getting better, nothing else matters."

"Haha, true enough. The Sky Screen's pretty interesting, too. It even teased you at the end. So, what kind of reward do you think you'll get? Will all your Soul Rings gain three thousand years?"

"Probably something like that. The rewards for the top five might be different."

Before long, their guess was confirmed.

[Congratulations, Candace! The age of all your Soul Rings has increased by 3,000 years.]

After receiving the Sky Screen's reward, Candace's Soul Ring configuration changed to purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red.

"I've gotten even better at controlling elemental power! Come on, spar with me."

"Sure!"

In Spirit City, at the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu naturally noticed the words "a god's gaze" on the screen.

"As expected, there's a god behind this Akademiya. With the Akademiya's emergence, I can't tell whether this is good or bad for Spirit Hall. Sigh!"

"Big brother, the Akademiya's strength is impressive, but Spirit Hall isn't made of clay, either. If we really fought, it's still uncertain who'd come out on top."

Qian Daoliu shook his head.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. I wonder how many petty people are hoping Spirit Hall and the Akademiya will clash so they can reap the benefits.

"Unless absolutely necessary, Spirit Hall should avoid a conflict with the Akademiya."

Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded to show he understood. He also remembered what had happened on Sea God Island. That incident had cost Spirit Hall dearly.

Just then, the Sky Screen updated again.

[Rank 6: Dehya]

At the same time, an image of Dehya appeared.

She had sun-kissed skin, long black hair, and emerald eyes. Her outfit was light and airy, her figure tall and striking, and she had a pair of catlike ears—or, more accurately, lion ears.

She looked every bit the bold, big-sister type, and Dehya's personality certainly matched.

Besides, Dehya was clearly the sort of person you didn't want to mess with.

"Just as expected, Dehya ranked ahead of Candace. Tighnari, where do you think Cyno will rank, given that he's fully inherited Hermanubis's power?"

"I think he could make the top three. As the General Mahamatra, Cyno's strength is beyond question."

Listening to Tighnari and Sethos, Qian Renxue committed the terms General Mahamatra and Cyno to memory.

Just then, Ning Fengzhi arrived with Bone Douluo and Emperor Xue Ye.

"Your Majesty!"

"Sect Master Ning, you're here too."

"Yes. It seems we've come for the same reason. After you, Your Majesty."

"Ha ha, let's go together, Sect Master Ning."

Seeing Emperor Xue Ye, Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing hurried to bow as well.

Tighnari and Sethos also offered their respective greetings to show their respect.

"No need for formalities. It's my honor to have you both in Heaven Dou City. Please, sit."

After they sat down, Qian Renxue once again explained Tighnari's request.

Prince Xue Xing, who had once again been beaten to the punch by Qian Renxue, was rather displeased.

After hearing them out, Emperor Xue Ye readily agreed.

"Ha ha, that's no problem at all. Do you have any particular requirements for the site?"

Tighnari thought for a moment. "Ideally, it should have a natural body of water."

"Very well. Leave it to me."

"Imperial Brother, let me handle this. I'll make sure to find the most suitable place."

Emperor Xue Ye glanced at Prince Xue Xing, then finally nodded.

"Very well. I'll leave it to you. Take care of it as soon as possible."

"Yes, Imperial Brother!"

Ning Fengzhi smiled and added, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can also provide financial support."

"Sect Master Ning, I'm afraid the Grand Sage will need to come in person to decide on the finer details."

"Oh, I look forward to meeting this Grand Sage."

Ouyang Kong had already returned to the Akademiya's main campus. He planned to take Nahida out for a stroll while he had the chance.

If the gods were ever ranked in the future, Nahida would surely be revealed as well.

It would be better to let Nahida gather some faith from the people of Douluo Continent ahead of time.

The Sky Screen then revealed Dehya's profile.

[Affiliation: Akademiya]

[Age: 25]

[Martial Soul: Scorpion-Tail Mane Lion]

[Soul Power Level: 95]

[Title: Flame-Mane Lion]

After showing these basic details, a new scene appeared.

It showed Dehya and Candace sparring—and it was a live broadcast.

In the scene, flames burned around Dehya as she launched a flurry of heavy punches at Candace. Candace raised her shield to block the blows, then counterattacked in the gaps between Dehya's strikes.

Fire clashed with water as the two beautiful women moved together and apart. Their outfits were so light and airy that they naturally drew even more attention.

Dehya and Candace's charms weren't aimed only at men; plenty of women had fallen for them, too.

However, Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue, and Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of Sea God Island, all noticed the background.

It was the Akademiya's main campus, with the enormous tree known as the Holy Tree.

Even someone as widely traveled as Qian Daoliu had never seen a tree so tall and lush.

Meanwhile, Candace and Dehya kept sparring.

"This punch will knock you flat!"

A violent surge of fire element gathered around Dehya's fist. She slammed it into Candace's shield, unleashing a terrifying shock wave that carried a scorching gust of heat and turned the surrounding ground into charred wasteland.

Candace staggered back several steps. The water element that had filled her shield was gone, proving that Dehya's punch had exceeded the limits of its defense.

"I knew it. You were holding back before."

"I wouldn't call it holding back. I just got carried away. You're not mad at me, are you, bestie?"

"Oh, spare me. Look at the Sky Screen!"

Dehya looked up at the Sky Screen and only then realized it had been broadcasting her spar with Candace.

"Ah! How could this happen? When did it start? I hope I didn't embarrass myself!"

As she spoke, Dehya took out her makeup case and touched up her makeup, leaving Candace speechless.

The Sky Screen's live broadcast ended then, leaving many viewers wanting more.

Ning Rongrong had seen the scene, too. She turned to Collei and asked, "Collei, that tree is enormous! Do you know where it is?"

"That's the Holy Tree, where the Akademiya is located."

The others heard Collei's answer, too. Qian Renxue and the others truly hadn't expected the Akademiya to be built in a tree.

Still, the god behind the Akademiya was the Grass God, so it seemed only natural that the Akademiya would be in a tree.

Qian Renxue came up with an explanation in her head and convinced herself it made sense.