Although Ning Huan's advance warning had made everyone a little uneasy.
The arrow was already on the string; Ning Hao had no room to hesitate.
Besides, he'd already paid a hefty deposit. There was no realistic way to simply call it off.
So as long as it didn't involve the sect's survival or the lives of those close to him, there was basically nothing he couldn't give up.
With that thought, Ning Hao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, all hesitation had vanished. His words were full of conviction.
"If it can preserve our legacy, what is there to cling to in a few worldly possessions?"
"And most importantly, I trust you."
"..."
Hiss~
How nauseating!
But, you had to admit, most people couldn't withstand this sort of thing.
Any ordinary young man would have become a devoted follower on the spot after hearing such a heartfelt declaration.
"Since you've prepared yourself, I'll say it, then~"
"Just remember, don't lose your temper!"
Ning Hao's heart gave a jolt, but he answered with unwavering resolve:
"Of course!"
"Then let's team up and blow up the Nine Treasures Glazed Peak."
"Fine! I agree... like hell I do!!"
In that instant, Ning Hao, who had been doing his best to stay calm, exploded in fury and even let out a rare curse.
"I asked you to come up with a plan to make sure the disciples can reach their hiding place safely without arousing suspicion!"
"How did that turn into blowing up the sect?!"
"Come on, you said it yourself: 'without arousing suspicion'~"
Watching his sect master struggle to hold back his temper, Ning Huan shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Think about it. What kind of people are outside forces least wary of?"
"Obviously... dead people?"
Ning Hao frowned, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke with irritation.
"Exactly."
The other man snapped his fingers and immediately explained his idea.
"Suppose the Nine Treasures Peak is deliberately blown up by 'some enemy' in full view of everyone."
"Most of the sect's elite disciples die in the disaster, countless valuables are lost, and more than half of its foundations are destroyed."
"And yet the sect master, the three elders, and the other elders happen to have taken most of the more spirited, less talented disciples away on the pretext of 'tempering their characters' and 'building an academy.'"
"They're in charge of the construction at the [Nine Treasures Glazed Academy], and so they escape the disaster."
"Then..."
At this point, Ning Huan suddenly fell silent, his smile growing all the broader.
Yet in the eyes of the two men across from him, he looked no different from a demon.
After all, he'd already laid out so much.
Even Sword Douluo, who wasn't versed in scheming, could grasp the key.
And Ning Hao, whose mind worked even faster, was already murmuring to himself, his voice drifting into every corner of the side hall.
"If the plan goes smoothly..."
"The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect will go from a sect that keeps to its own corner of the world to an academy filled with hatred and free of all restraints, with exceptionally powerful high-level fighters."
"It'll draw attention away from the [Inner Sect], buy us time, and dispel suspicion, while also greatly easing the pressure from outside."
"After all... no one on the continent wants to provoke a bunch of 'madmen' who'll explode at the slightest touch!"
When he finished, he abruptly raised his head, his normally calm, gentle eyes now filled with complicated emotions.
"Xiao Huan, you have a vicious mind..."
"Hey! Uncle Ning, that's going too far! Why are you insulting me?"
"I was praising you~"
"Yeah, right. You think I believe that?"
The older man and the younger one traded a few jests to ease the mood. Only then did Ning Hao look pained.
"It's a good idea, but the losses would be too great..."
"Isn't there another way? Like blowing up somewhere else?"
"Unfortunately, no."
As he spoke, Ning Huan shook his head and gave a little bear-paw shrug. His helpless expression looked downright punchable.
"No matter the reason, sending large numbers of disciples away is bound to draw attention from the outside world."
"Besides, if all the disciples die out there, it'll look far too deliberate. Anyone with eyes will see that they faked their deaths to escape."
"Then not only will we fail to achieve our original goal, we'll probably cause even more trouble."
"Uncle Ning, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. Simple and brutal is the right way."
"If we control the final explanation, that's the biggest victory. No one will believe we'd be willing to blow our own home sky-high."
His string of explanations and persuasion plunged Ning Hao into a fierce inner struggle.
He understood the reasoning. He really did.
But blowing up their own home and completely abandoning their ancestral foundations was an act of outrageous sacrilege, no different from digging up their ancestors' graves.
He couldn't bring himself to decide in a moment.
I really did invite an ancestor back to torment me...
Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, the words that suddenly came from behind him struck like a heavy hammer, smashing all his doubts.
"A swordsman must charge forward without hesitation!"
"Shrinking back is the mark of a mediocre man."
"Sect Master, don't let a divine weapon wound you because of a moment's hesitation."
When he turned around, he saw the old man's expression was exceptionally stern.
Sword intent swirled around him, as if capable of cutting through all things.
The Seven Kill Sword Seal in Ning Huan's sea of consciousness flickered again and again.
"Phew... I understand, Uncle Sword."
At the sight of him, all the hesitation in Ning Hao's eyes vanished in an instant.
He returned to his usual calm and astuteness.
"Xiao Huan, I agree to your plan!"
"Tell me, how are we going to blow it up?"
Well, there you have it!
If I'd known Sword Douluo was so persuasive, why did I waste my breath?
Couldn't I have just called Chen Xin out?
What a waste of time!
Unfortunately, he couldn't air those grumbles aloud. However speechless he felt, he had to swallow them.
"Simple. We'll have skilled sect members conceal their identities and buy a dozen or twenty Level 6 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells in batches from the Sun Moon Empire's black market. Then we'll prepare a large amount of gunpowder."
"Meanwhile, we'll secretly move the Inner Sect disciples in batches, and send the disciples who weren't chosen to the academy grounds."
"Finally, when the time is right, we'll light the fuse. Boom! Everything goes sky-high, and we can clear out some spies while we're at it."
"Oh, and remember to get some corpses. Otherwise, people might notice something's off."
"As for how to get the disciples out and all the other details, I'll leave those to you, Uncle Ning."
Hearing him dump the responsibility on him again, Ning Hao was furious.
Still, if he really left Ning Huan in charge, he wouldn't feel at ease.
Of course, it wasn't because of his ability to get things done.
It was because this brat's way of thinking was just too wild and unpredictable.
If he got carried away and pulled some bizarre stunt, that would be a real disaster.
"Ugh, you come up with the problems, and I'll take care of them!"
"I don't know what sins I committed in my last life for Heaven to send me a... treasure like you to torment me."
After grumbling resentfully for a few moments, Ning Hao waved his hand impatiently and started shooing him away.
"Don't just sit around!"
"I'm not asking you to teach the other sect disciples, but at the very least, you need to oversee the training of Xiao Tian and Wu Feng!"
"While you're at it, you can learn [Heart Separation Control] and some combat techniques!"
"That way you won't embarrass the sect at the next Soul Fighting Tournament... I mean, the academy!"
"By the way, what about your fifth Soul Ring? Are you looking for a higher-quality Soul Beast or a longer lifespan?"
"Uh, either works. It doesn't matter to me~"
Hearing Ning Huan blurt that out, Ning Hao became even more envious and resentful.
"Oh, sure, sure! Who else could do what you can?"
"Your Soul Rings don't even have Soul Skills, yet they can temporarily be applied to your Spirit Body, raising its lifespan without limit and at no cost!"
"You see? I'm pretty amazing~ Uh, maybe not that amazing. At least, I still can't handle the Soul Power drain~"
"Get lost!"
"Then I'm off~ See ya~"
Before you continue