First Meeting with Senior Dugu

Ever since Murong Ci was disciplined by Huo Wu that night, he had been much better behaved over the past few days.

He no longer went around flirting with everyone he met.

Feng Xiaotian had also become a frequent visitor to Blazing Fire Academy.

He was no longer just a frequent visitor for the sake of delivering challenge letters.

Three days passed 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 become the people closest to these four.

They received a great deal of guidance in their cultivation.

This made others incredibly envious, though they were too embarrassed to say anything.

Among them, after Huo Ling'er realized Huo Wu's feelings for Murong Ci, she set her sights on Feng Xiaotian.

It sent a chill down his spine.

Perhaps Feng Xiaotian wasn't ready, or perhaps he truly didn't have feelings for her.

Thus, Feng Xiaotian accompanied the two of them to the Royal Academy.

Would he rather be a third wheel than cultivate a relationship? You really are something, Brother Tian.

"Strange, why is there no one around the perimeter of Heaven Dou Royal Academy today?"

Feng Xiaotian wondered aloud. Usually, the Five Elements Academies would send students to the Royal Academy for exchanges, so it was odd that no one was around today.

"Little brother, Dugu Yan told me that night that someone had joined the Royal Academy. Maybe they went to the academy to watch the commotion?"

"That sounds interesting. Let's go take a look, A-Ci."

The three of them moved quickly, hurrying toward the main hall.

Arriving before the hall, they gestured to the guards at the door, and the guards let them in.

As soon as the three entered, a wave of overwhelming soul power surged toward them.

A man was kneeling on one knee, and standing in front of him were three elders, one of whom was exerting soul power pressure upon him.

This man was Tang San; the Shrek Academy group had overcome many hardships to finally arrive at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Who goes there!"

A deep voice rang out, carrying a stern inquiry.

The speaker was Meng Shenji, the Chief of the Academic Affairs Committee, an eighty-sixth-level, eight-ring Battle Soul Douluo.

"Seniors, this junior is Murong Ci, a disciple of Blazing Fire Academy. Three days ago, your academy's student Dugu Yan invited this junior to visit. Since no one was there to guide us, I followed the soul power fluctuations and arrived here."

He spoke with great sincerity; after all, with his current strength, going head-to-head with a Soul Douluo would be a pipe dream.

"Since you are a guest of our academy's student, please take a seat."

Murong Ci bowed respectfully.

As he straightened up and looked up, he met the eyes of Ning Rongrong, which were brimming with mist.

"Young Miss, we meet again."

This remark left Huo Wu stunned.

Again?! When did he go off fooling around again!

But this anger lasted only for a moment, as she recalled Murong Ci's background—having been driven out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

If he called the girl in white before them "Young Miss," then she must be...

Huo Wu gasped; this was someone she couldn't afford to provoke.

She could only vent her frustration on Murong Ci.

She secretly burned him with fire, though not enough to actually set him ablaze.

Feng Xiaotian saw none of it.

"I trust you have been well."

This was the first time Ning Rongrong had spoken such intimate words to him.

Murong Ci nodded and sat down, watching Zhi Lin discipline Tang San.

He turned his head to look at the others, and Xiao Wu couldn't help but avoid his gaze.

Murong Ci sighed softly.

"System, you really know how to stir up trouble for me."

The system ignored him.

Zhao Wuji remained the same as he had been back in the Star Dou Forest.

As for the people from the other academies, upon seeing it was Murong Ci, they gave a slight nod as a greeting, though their attention remained focused on Tang San.

"Do you know them?"

Huo Wu leaned in close to Murong Ci, blinking her eyes with a face full of curiosity.

Feng Xiaotian also sat up straight, clearly wanting to hear the answer as well.

"I ran into them when I went to the Star Dou Forest, so I know them."

The two nodded; this was not something worth digging into, so they stopped asking.

Before long, Zhi Lin continued to increase his soul power, forcing Tang San's External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, to emerge.

"Boring."

Seeing this, Murong Ci mocked, then closed his eyes to meditate and circulate his energy.

With Gangzi putting on airs like a fox borrowing the tiger's might, he managed to hoodwink the three members of the Education Committee.

The key was that no matter how mediocre Tang San might be, this Eight Spider Lances was something he had obtained through his own genuine effort; it had absolutely nothing to do with Gangzi.

"A-Ci, you said you saw them in the Star Dou Forest?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That soul bone—why didn't you snatch it? Logically speaking, your strength is more than enough to handle the seven of them. Are you afraid of their teacher?"

"That soul bone of his was produced by a Man Faced Demon Spider and carries poison attributes. I don't like poison."

"Mm-hmm!"

Huo Wu nodded, her favor for Murong Ci increasing by another point in her heart.

She didn't like poison either; she preferred a head-on confrontation.

And so, they chattered on about welcoming Shrek Academy into the Royal Academy, completely ignoring Murong Ci, who remained 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 present?"

Sure enough... the corners of Murong Ci's mouth curled upward.

The one who spoke was the Prince, and the reason was that before they arrived, Dai Mubai had kicked Prince Xue Beng away at the foot of the mountain.

Xue Beng held a grudge and brought the Prince to deal with them.

Four people accompanied him: the Prince, Xue Beng, Dugu Bo, and Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan had been prepared when she arrived, intending only to bring her grandfather to the academy.

But a wild card had appeared halfway; the Prince had intercepted Dugu Bo, claiming there was business at the academy.

With no other choice, Dugu Yan had to accompany the three of them.

"Hey? Murong Ci, you're here too? Let's ignore the adults' business; this is my grandfather."

Dugu Yan raised a finger and pointed at the old man with dark green hair.

As expected, the Prince had come with resentment to find them, and expecting them to last five minutes under Dugu Bo was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Then, the members of Shrek Academy were driven away.

As the Shrek group left, they couldn't help but sigh; clearly, with Heaven Dou not keeping them, they were about to be homeless.

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu glanced at Murong Ci as they left, their eyes complex, filled with words left unsaid.

Murong Ci knew it wasn't the time to fall out with the Shrek group yet.

At the very least, he would remain undercover for now, so as not to become an enemy.

However, as Flender and the others departed, Qin Ming also revealed a look of grief and indignation; he was also a Shrek alumnus, now left all alone.

With these people gone, Meng Shenji and the others were filled with indignation. One had to realize how much talent had been buried by the Prince's impulsive behavior!

They then noticed Murong Ci and the others in the corner.

"What business does your Excellency have coming to my Heaven Dou?"

He had tried his best to suppress his emotions while speaking.

"To keep an appointment—an appointment with Miss Dugu Yan."

At this, Dugu Bo also frowned slightly.

"Oh? Could it be that you are the very strong person Yan-Yan mentioned?"

Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed slightly.

Huo Wu blushed as well.

However, the reasons for their blushing were different.

"It is true; it is I."

How could one calm the anger of those around them? The answer was that in a world where soul masters were revered, displaying one's strength was enough.

Murong Ci raised his hand, and a gray light swirled around him.

Two purple and one black soul ring emerged.

The crowd erupted in an instant.

Meng Shenji, Zhi Lin, and Bai Baoshan had been feeling dejected over the loss of several geniuses, but seeing a monster like Murong Ci now, their hearts calmed slightly.

They began to ponder how to recruit him into the Royal Academy.

Dugu Bo was also stunned for a moment, staring at that soul ring configuration; could it be that what his granddaughter said last night was true?

If that were the case, things were about to get interesting...