The Closer Relationship

Unfortunately, no matter how much commotion those two events caused,

they could never compare to the horrifying disaster that had struck the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect three years ago.

Thinking back to that time...

A black-and-red torch a thousand meters tall had raged wildly.

Explosions that shook heaven and earth had echoed in every direction.

The tremendous shock waves had nearly flattened everything within twenty li.

There had also been the mushroom cloud that seemed to tear the sky open, and the Nine Treasures' main peak, blasted into a crater a hundred meters deep.

As far as the eye could see, everything looked like the end of the world.

The air constantly reeked of despair.

Even three months after the explosion, fragments and dust still swirled high above, crisscrossing the sky.

They gathered into a vast net that blotted out the sun, shrouding the ruins in gray.

That was the power unleashed by fifteen Level 6 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells, one Level 7 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, and a large quantity of gunpowder detonating together.

It was also the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's "bankrupting itself" to put on a "fireworks show" for everyone.

Of course, putting the losses aside, the result had been excellent!

At least so far, no one had noticed anything amiss.

In the eyes of the world, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had failed to defend itself, and its ten-thousand-year legacy had turned to ashes in an instant.

[The inner sect disciples who had been transferred] had died tragic deaths, leaving no bones behind.

[The outer sect disciples lucky enough to be away] had stayed behind at the academy by chance, but were of little use.

The once priceless vermilion walls, green-tiled buildings, pavilions, and towers had all been buried in blazing flames alongside the glory of the past.

All that remained was a newly built academy and the sect's businesses scattered across the continent.

Just as expected, the disciples and elders who remained in the dark had also sunk completely into hatred, unable to pull themselves free.

Besides cultivating bitterly, they wandered the continent, trying to find the "culprit."

Not only that, they were now competing with Shrek for work.

Whenever they came across an Evil Soul Master...

If they could win, they killed them!

If they couldn't, they called for backup, teamed up, and killed them!

With Ning Hao subtly guiding them as if by chance, the disciples and elders directed all their resentment at the Evil Soul Masters.

This relieved the pressure within the sect to a great extent.

There was no other choice. In the current Douluo Continent, no one made a more suitable scapegoat than the Holy Spirit Cult.

As for the businesses scattered across the continent, they were guarded by the three enshrined elders and other elders, all "seething with rage."

Those who tried to take advantage of the disaster were all chopped into mincemeat.

At first, some people refused to believe it, thinking that the "fallen" Nine Treasures Glazed Sect couldn't possibly protect all its businesses.

But as time went on, they discovered that the sect, once known for its refinement, had long since cast aside its dignity.

If you dared lay a hand on anything of theirs, it didn't matter who you were—just wait and see if they'd beat the crap out of you!

And so, people finally realized...

The Nine Treasures Glazed Academy, having endured the calamity that destroyed its sect, had gone completely mad from top to bottom.

To put it bluntly, they were like porcupines.

Forget touching them—even approaching without ill intent could still leave you pricked by their quills.

Not even Shrek was an exception!

After all, everyone remembered Yan Shaozhe walking in with a smile and coming out with a sour look on his face.

It had given the many powers across the continent another firsthand glimpse of what it meant to be truly fearless of consequences.

Then, in perfect unspoken agreement, they put [Nine Treasures Glazed Academy] on the list of people not to provoke.

They also sternly warned their disciples not to get into any kind of conflict with them.

At least until those three Titled Douluo died...

They had to keep the peace!

Still, even as the continent roiled with turmoil, there was always some quiet place untouched by the outside world's disturbances.

Nine Treasures Glazed Academy...

The lazy afternoon sun slanted through the window lattice. A young man sat leaning against a round table with an ornate woodgrain finish, his fingertips gently rubbing the yellowed pages of a book.

The sweetness of osmanthus cakes on the table mingled with the drifting scent of ink between the pages, wafting lightly beneath his nose.

A breeze swept past, lifting the corner of the book before letting it fall again, like a butterfly beating its wings as it paused in midair.

The scene would have been even more perfect if the young man's mouth hadn't twitched slightly.

"Tell me, have you been getting more and more outrageous these past two years?"

Watching the woman sprawled across his bed, her legs swinging back and forth, Ning Huan found himself questioning his decision for the first time.

"The point of signing a Contract back then was to make it easier for the two of us to communicate."

"It wasn't so you could come here whenever you had nothing better to do, eat my cakes, and mess up my bed!"

"Just look at yourself. Where's even a shred of the dignity of Shrek's [Moon Goddess]?"

"Aw, don't sweat the small stuff~"

Zhang Lexuan shook her head carelessly, then popped the last osmanthus cake on the plate into her mouth. She was clearly quite used to doing this.

"Besides, it took big sis more than ten years of cultivation to break through to Soul Douluo. Can't I enjoy myself a little~"

"Hm? The osmanthus cakes are gone... Good little brother~"

"...You really are something."

Ning Huan couldn't help rolling his eyes at her.

But her deliberately pleading expression made it impossible to refuse her.

In the end, he could only release a little Soul Power and carry the portion of dessert that belonged to him over to the bed.

"What kind of sin did I commit in my past life... Remember to clean up before you leave! There are crumbs everywhere!"

"Got it~"

"Sigh, you..."

With a sigh, he returned his gaze to the words on the page, though his thoughts drifted away despite himself.

Ever since that secret conversation in the library, Ning Huan had retreated to this detached villa deep within the academy.

There, he had quietly begun living a secluded life.

One reason was that managing the academy seemed like too much trouble, and he didn't want to do the work.

The other was to make himself less noticeable and ensure his own safety.

So unless it was absolutely necessary, he never showed himself in public.

When he did have to go out, it was usually because he couldn't resist Ning Tian's pleading and got dragged along to the annual opening ceremony.

Even so, everything that had happened on the continent in recent years bore traces of Ning Huan's hand.

Take Dai Huabin, who was currently enjoying a meteoric rise.

The reason he had risen so quickly was simply that three years ago, he had traveled thousands of miles to the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

He had found an occasion that seemed suitable enough, then secretly offered him a "blessing."

As for the result...

Well!

Time had proven everything!

Ning Huan had ultimately underestimated [Fate Trade].

The cost of using it had been a little steep, and Cang Lan still hadn't woken from her slumber.

But how many twelve-year-old mid-rank Soul Ancestors had there been throughout the history of Douluo Continent?

To make a careful comparison, judging by cultivation alone, Mu En might be the only one who could match Dai Huabin at the same age.

As for Nine Treasures Glazed Academy, it was no exaggeration to say that its current influence far surpassed what the sect had enjoyed at its peak.

Ning Hao's tireless leadership.

The enshrined elders and elders guarding the place like mad dogs.

A wealth of secret assets unknown to the outside world.

All these factors had come together, transforming the newly established academy in just three short years.

Its only current weakness was a shortage of high-level students.

Once the Soul Fighting Tournament ended, that would resolve itself too...

Thinking of this, Ning Huan looked once more at the alluring figure on the bed and fell into thought again.