Three Years in a Hurry

As an agility-type Spirit Master, the speed of the black-clad Spirit Emperor was naturally incomparable.

In just a few short seconds, his presence could no longer be sensed within the vast academy.

Only Sword Douluo, standing beside Ning Hao, could vaguely perceive the direction in which he had departed.

At the same time, this stirred many doubts within him.

"Sect Master, I understand your trust in Ning Huan and your decision to place the Hidden Guard at his complete disposal."

"But this matter surely concerns the White Tiger Duke Mansion and even the Star Luo Empire..."

"Are you not worried that his youthful carelessness might affect the overall situation?"

Ning Hao did not answer his question immediately.

Instead, he walked slowly to the window, hands clasped behind his back, looking down from above to take in the entire view of the academy.

"Uncle Sword, what do you think of the child, Xiao Huan?"

Hearing his Sect Master's question, Sword Douluo was taken aback, having not expected it.

He lowered his head to ponder for a moment before slowly offering his assessment.

"His talent, temperament, and intellect are all top-tier; he knows when to advance or retreat, understands reason, and values loyalty."

"From major sect affairs down to daily life, he never requires us to worry."

"Aside from his rather mediocre melee combat talent, even I can only offer him sufficient help in terms of experience."

"Then do you believe the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect can keep a hidden dragon that has already begun to show its brilliance?"

The old man remained silent upon hearing this.

It was because he truly could not come up with an answer.

He could only stand quietly behind Ning Hao, listening to him whisper to himself.

"We all know that Xiao Huan's origins are mysterious."

"Yet neither you, nor I, nor Uncle Feng and the others have ever mentioned a single word regarding it."

"It is as if we all tacitly agreed upon this point; even that little rascal is the same."

In a trance, Ning Hao subconsciously recalled the verbal sparring between the two youngsters back then, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

In the end, he could not help but laugh out loud.

Only after enjoying himself for a while did he resume the topic.

"He needs a safe space, and the sect needs a wedge to break the stalemate; this is mutually beneficial."

"However, human favors are always harder to repay than material goods, yet most of what we can provide is material..."

Hearing this, Sword Douluo, who had previously only half-understood, suddenly saw the light.

"So, Sect Master, you are sharing actual power as much as possible, intending to draw him closer?"

"Exactly!" Ning Hao said, his smile brimming with warmth.

"Besides, given his lazy nature, once the matter is finished, he will likely toss these worldly affairs aside as quickly as possible."

"The fact that he is willing to actively participate in the continent's conflicts this time is already beyond my expectations."

"What's more..."

He paused for a moment, his brilliant smile growing even more intense.

"Whatever Xiao Huan wants to do, Tian'er is highly likely aware of it!"

"Even if she doesn't know the specific details, she at least understands the key parts!"

"So, let the children handle the children's affairs; we adults don't need to meddle blindly, just provide enough support~"

"Though, it does make this old father a bit sad that my daughter has grown up and has secrets, even hiding them from her own father~"

Sword Douluo: "..."

Damn it!

No wonder you have been so confident all along!

You had already guessed the Young Sect Master's little schemes!

Then what was all that talk for!

Playing with an old man?

A waste of emotion!

Thus, at an unexpected time and place, the secret between Ning Huan and Ning Tian was easily exposed by half.

After all, for Ning Hao to confirm that his daughter was hiding something, it must mean he had his own guesses about it.

Even if he could not know the critical nodes, he had at least grasped the general outline clearly!

If not for this, even if he chose not to intervene in the Duke Mansion affair, he would have sent Sword Douluo to follow.

Not for anything else, but simply to clean up the mess for those two little ones in times of crisis!

"Let's go, Uncle Sword. It's time to move on to the next step of our plan."

"Tsk... I have to say, blowing up one's own house is quite the thrill."

With the creak of the closing door and the fading sound of their idle chatter, the continent was destined to be stirred by wind and clouds once more.

Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, the situation on the continent remained a turbulent undercurrent.

However, three "unexpected" major events quietly shattered the facade of peace that had persisted for years.

The first worth mentioning is undoubtedly the many geniuses who sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

As the older generation of powerhouses retreated behind the scenes, the former younger generation gradually took up the mantle.

These newly emerged prodigies had already taken the banner of the era from their predecessors, one after another making their own voices heard across the continent.

The Evil Fire Phoenix, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Red Dust Family, and so on—all were of this ilk.

But if one were to speak of the most outstanding among them, Zhang Lexuan and Dai Huabin were undoubtedly second to none.

The former, of course, needs no introduction.

Having been cultivated by Shrek with all their might for many years, her strength was already peerless among her peers.

Two years ago, following Ning Huan's suggestion, she requested two elder masters to accompany her when hunting for her eighth soul ring to ensure her safety.

Although she still couldn't avoid that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

The outcome, however, was that she absorbed that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Spirit Bone almost unscathed.

It was a far cry from the bleak ending of being wiped out as described in the original story.

Furthermore, because the stain of Xuan Zi's gluttony causing disaster was removed, Zhang Lexuan's feat of achieving the rank of Soul Douluo with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was widely publicized by Shrek.

After much maneuvering, her reputation even showed signs of being mentioned in the same breath as the Black and White Sacred Dragon from a century ago.

As for the latter...

Well, to the outside world, he looked infinitely glorious!

But only Ning Huan, the mastermind behind the scenes, knew just how much "water" there was in the "genius" Dai Huabin.

Having emerged as a dark horse three years ago, he was now a mid-level Soul Ancestor.

Compared to the Soul Elder rank of the same period in the original story, the price paid for a difference of over ten levels can be imagined.

If someone skilled in observing destiny were to stop by the White Tiger Duke Mansion, they would easily notice something.

The mass of Imperial Golden Qi hovering above, which had been accumulating for years and showed signs of rising, had already been consumed significantly without anyone noticing.

Perhaps the day that golden energy is exhausted will be the day he pays the price.

But for Ning Huan, he only wished he would consume even more.

Huo Yuhao... after all, he carries the bloodline of the White Tiger Duke Mansion!

As for the second event, it concerned the Evil Soul Master.

The reason, ultimately, was the butterfly effect caused by Zhang Lexuan breaking through to Soul Douluo without injury.

For reasons unknown, Shrek, which should have remained dormant for a long time, mobilized most of its inner court disciples and elder masters all at once.

They rushed across the continent, targeting Evil Soul Master and killing them on sight without a word.

The momentum was so great that even the headquarters of the Evil Soul Master in the Sun Moon Empire suffered.

The Holy Spirit Cult, which was only supposed to fully emerge during the second Soul Fighting Tournament in the original story, was also exposed to the public eye several years ahead of schedule.

For a time, the entire continent was in a state of panic.

In the end, it was only when Mu En had no choice but to step into the spotlight that the turmoil was barely quelled.

Of course, butterflies do not flap their wings without reason.

The information regarding the gathering of Evil Soul Master was precisely what Ning Huan had intentionally leaked to Shrek through Zhang Lexuan.

Not for any other reason, but simply to find some work for those elder masters who had nothing better to do.

Let them shift all their attention to their sworn enemies and kill each other to their hearts' content!