Ever since Huo Wu had put Murong Ci in his place that night, he had behaved himself a lot more these past few days.
He had stopped flirting with every girl in sight.
Feng Xiaotian had also become a regular at Blazing Fire Academy.
Though he was no longer a regular for issuing challenges.
Three days flew by in the blink of an eye.
Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu took Murong Ci to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Huo Wushuang stayed behind to train the other three.
After that battle, the Yun Hai brothers and Huo Ling'er had also become the people closest to the four of them.
They received a great deal of guidance in their cultivation.
The others envied them, but were too embarrassed to say anything.
Among them, after Huo Ling'er realized how Huo Wu felt about Murong Ci, she turned her attention to Feng Xiaotian.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Maybe Feng Xiaotian wasn't ready yet, or maybe he really wasn't interested in her.
So Feng Xiaotian went with the two of them to the Imperial Academy.
He'd rather be a third wheel than try to get closer to her? You, Haki Tian—you rascal.
"Strange. Why are there so few people outside Heaven Dou Royal Academy today?"
Feng Xiaotian looked puzzled. Usually, the Five Elements Academies sent students to the Imperial Academy to exchange ideas, so it was odd that there was no one here today.
"Little bro, Dugu Yan told me that night someone had joined the Imperial Academy. Maybe they came to see the commotion?"
"That sounds pretty interesting. A-Ci, let's go take a look."
The three of them hurried toward the main hall, taking two steps at a time.
When they reached a hall, they made a gesture to the guards at the entrance, who let them inside.
As soon as the three entered, a tremendous wave of Soul Power swept over them.
A man was kneeling on one knee on the ground. Three elders stood before him, one of them exerting Soul Power pressure on him.
That man was Tang San. After enduring countless hardships, the Shrek group had finally made it to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Who goes there?"
A deep voice rang out, demanding an answer with an air of authority.
The speaker was Meng Shenji, chief of the Academic Affairs Committee, an eighty-sixth-level, eight-ring Battle Soul Douluo.
"Senior, this junior is Murong Ci, a student of Blazing Fire Academy. Three days ago, a student of your academy, Dugu Yan, invited me here. But no one showed me the way, so I followed the fluctuations in Soul Power and ended up here."
He spoke earnestly. After all, with his current strength, standing up to a Soul Douluo would be nothing but a fool's dream.
"Since you're a guest of our academy, please take a seat."
Murong Ci bowed respectfully.
When he lifted his head, his eyes met Ning Rongrong's, shimmering with tears.
"Miss, we meet again."
Huo Wu couldn't help but freeze at his words.
Again?! When had he gone off fooling around with someone else?!
But her anger lasted only an instant, because she remembered Murong Ci's background: he had been driven out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
If he was calling the white-clad woman before him "Miss," then she had to be...
Huo Wu drew in a sharp breath. This was someone she couldn't afford to offend.
She could only take it out on Murong Ci.
She secretly singed him with fire, careful not to set him alight.
Feng Xiaotian didn't notice a thing.
"It's been a while."
This was the first time Ning Rongrong had spoken to him so affectionately.
Murong Ci nodded, sat down, and watched Zhi Lin put Tang San through his paces.
Then he glanced at everyone else. Xiao Wu couldn't avoid his gaze fast enough.
Murong Ci sighed softly.
System, you really know how to get me into trouble.
The system ignored him.
Zhao Wuji was still the same as ever, just like back in the Star Dou Forest.
The people from the other academies saw Murong Ci and gave him a slight nod in greeting, but their attention remained fixed on Tang San.
"You know each other?"
Huo Wu leaned over toward Murong Ci, blinking curiously.
Feng Xiaotian also sat up straight, clearly wanting to hear the answer.
"I ran into them when I went to the Star Dou Forest, so we got to know each other."
The two nodded. It wasn't anything worth looking into, so they didn't ask further.
Before long, Zhi Lin increased the pressure of his Soul Power, forcing out Tang San's External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
"Boring."
Murong Ci mocked him at the sight, then closed his eyes and began meditating.
With Gangzi putting on airs and throwing his weight around, the three elders of the Academic Affairs Committee were completely taken in.
The thing was, even if Tang San was nothing special, the Eight Spider Lances were a genuine Soul Bone he'd obtained himself. What the hell did Gangzi have to do with it?
"A-Ci, you said you'd seen them in the Star Dou Forest?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Why didn't you take that Soul Bone? With your strength, you should have had no trouble taking on all seven of them. Were you afraid of their teacher?"
"That Soul Bone came from a Man Faced Demon Spider. It had poison attributes, and I don't like poison."
"Mm-hmm!"
Huo Wu nodded, liking Murong Ci a little more.
She didn't like poison either. She preferred meeting force with force.
So they chattered on, welcoming Shrek into the Imperial Academy, completely ignoring Murong Ci in the corner.
But Murong Ci knew what was about to happen, so he wasn't in a hurry. He just wanted to watch the show.
"Is Chief Meng Shenji here?"
Sure enough... the corners of Murong Ci's mouth curled up.
The speaker was the prince. Before they arrived, Dai Mubai had kicked Prince Xue Beng flying at the foot of the mountain.
Xue Beng had held a grudge and brought the prince there to deal with them.
Four people came with him: His Highness the Prince, Xue Beng, Dugu Bo, and Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan had already made up her mind before coming. She'd only wanted to bring her grandfather to the academy.
But an unexpected obstacle had appeared halfway there. The prince had summoned Dugu Bo, claiming there was trouble at the academy.
With no other choice, Dugu Yan had to come along with the three of them.
"Huh? Murong Ci, you're here too? Let's not get involved in the adults' business. This is my grandfather."
Dugu Yan raised a hand and pointed to the old man with dark green hair.
As expected, the prince had come looking for them in a fit of pique, demanding that they last five minutes against Dugu Bo. It was a fool's dream.
Then the Shrek group was driven out.
As they left, the Shrek members couldn't help sighing. Heaven Dou wouldn't take them in, and they were about to be left homeless.
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu glanced at Murong Ci as they left, their expressions complicated, as if they had something to say but couldn't bring themselves to speak.
Murong Ci knew that now wasn't the time to fall out with the Shrek group.
For now, he needed to stay under the radar and avoid making them enemies.
But as Flender and the others left, Qin Ming's face also revealed his grief and indignation. He too had come from Shrek, and he stood utterly alone.
After they had gone, Meng Shenji and the others seethed with anger. The prince's rashness had cost them who knew how many talented people!
Then they noticed Murong Ci and the others in the corner.
"What brings you to Heaven Dou, sir?"
He had done his best to keep his emotions out of his voice.
"I came to honor an invitation—from Miss Dugu Yan."
Dugu Bo's brows furrowed slightly.
"Oh? Are you the powerful young man Yan Yan told me about?"
Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed slightly.
Huo Wu blushed too.
But the two of them blushed for different reasons.
"That's right. It's me."
How could he calm the anger of everyone around him? The answer was simple: in a world where Soul Masters reigned supreme, all he had to do was show his strength.
Murong Ci raised his hand, and Grey Light swirled around him.
Two purple Soul Rings and one black Soul Ring appeared.
Everyone burst into an uproar.
Meng Shenji, Zhi Lin, and Bai Baoshan had just been despondent over losing several geniuses. Now, seeing a monster like Murong Ci, they felt somewhat consoled.
They started thinking about how to recruit him into the Imperial Academy.
Dugu Bo was stunned for a moment as he studied the Soul Ring Configuration. Could it be that what his granddaughter had told him last night was true?
Well, now things were getting interesting...