A Simple Deal

A baffling request.

Dugu Bo's expression grew somewhat grave as he asked,

"Why do you want to open an Advanced Soul Master Academy?"

Aizen smiled mysteriously. "Because I need somewhere to stay."

This only left Dugu Bo even more confused.

"Somewhere to stay? Are you afraid this old man will kill you? If I become the principal and you become the one in control of the academy, then I won't dare lay a hand on you? Then rest assured. As long as you can heal Yanyan's arm, this old man is not so petty as to pursue this matter any further. Of course, that is only if you restore Yanyan's arm completely, exactly as it was before. Don't try to fool me with some prosthetic limb. This old man knows those things are fake!"

Aizen sighed and shook his head. Looking into Dugu Bo's anxious eyes, he said, "Rest assured, I will definitely restore Dugu Yan's arm without the slightest flaw. But I truly do need to open an academy. I promised Spirit Hall that the first faction I joined would have to be them, yet I do not wish to join Spirit Hall. Therefore, I must establish a faction of my own, such as an Advanced Soul Master Academy."

"So that's how it is." Dugu Bo suddenly understood.

He knew full well how troublesome Spirit Hall could be.

When Spirit Hall set its sights on someone, if that person could not be recruited, Spirit Hall would generally choose to destroy them rather than let them become the claws of another faction.

Establishing an academy as a place to settle was indeed a good method. After all, it would not be an enemy faction of Spirit Hall, merely a newly emerging force still in its infancy. Spirit Hall would not care about such a faction at all.

Even if Dugu Bo became its principal, they would only regard it as a joke. Since Dugu Bo belonged to the Tiandou Imperial Family, they would see him becoming principal as nothing more than him playing around.

At that moment, a refined man walked onto the Soul Arena Stage, followed by two others.

One had a withered face, yet an astonishing build. It was not that his muscles were exceptionally robust, but that his skeletal frame was enormous. His flesh and skin were shriveled, his eye sockets deeply sunken, making him look like a skeleton draped in skin.

The other was an elderly man in white, standing as straight as a sword, his gaze incomparably sharp.

"Greetings. I am Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Ning Fengzhi greeted Aizen with an easy smile.

Aizen carefully examined Ning Fengzhi.

This man was shrewd. He would not be easy to fool.

"What does Sect Master Ning want with me?" Aizen asked softly.

"I heard that you wish to open an academy, young man. I wonder if I might also contribute something?" Ning Fengzhi asked with a faint smile, revealing his purpose.

"I wonder what Sect Master Ning intends. I am merely opening an academy; how could I trouble Sect Master Ning to help? Senior Dugu Bo is more than enough." Aizen refused Ning Fengzhi's offer to join.

Once Ning Fengzhi got involved, things would become rather troublesome.

Perhaps the authority would remain in his hands at first, but over time, control of the academy might end up in Ning Fengzhi's hands instead.

Although the academy he intended to establish was mainly meant to take in the Soul Reapers he summoned, he had to recruit ordinary students as well to avoid drawing attention.

That would give the other side plenty of room to manipulate matters.

"No, you need my help. Dugu Bo may be able to use Prince Xue's influence to help you obtain approval to establish an academy, but once you have the qualifications, you will still need land, teaching buildings, simulated environments, and more. Dugu Bo cannot help you with those. Even if you have won so many consecutive matches at the Heaven Dou City Soul Arena, I doubt the money you earned is enough, is it?" Ning Zhiyuan explained the situation with a slight smile.

"What do you want?" Aizen asked in a guarded, low voice.

Ning Fengzhi spread his hands and pointed outside the Soul Arena. "How about we find a private room and discuss it properly?"

Aizen frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then nodded gently.

"Then let's go together."

"Wait, what about my granddaughter?" Dugu Bo refused to let it go and immediately grabbed Aizen by the shoulder.

Aizen turned his head to glance at Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, then said coldly,

"Leave her as she is for now. Come to Residence Thirteen in West District Garden Community, Heaven Dou City, tomorrow. I will heal her then. At the same time, I hope you can secure the qualifications for me to establish the academy."

"Fine, I'll definitely come. If you dare deceive me, I will surely kill you!"

"Dugu Bo, enough. He is Sect Master Ning's guest. Do you dare touch him? With this old man here, who do you think you can kill?" The elderly man in white stepped forward, showing no weakness before Dugu Bo.

"Hmph!" Dugu Bo gave Aizen a deep look, then carried Dugu Yan away from the Soul Arena.

"Please," Ning Fengzhi invited politely.

"Please," Aizen returned with the same courtesy.

After Aizen and the others left, Ichimaru Gin's group and Kyōraku Shunsui's group quietly departed as well. The battle had ended without a victor, precisely the outcome Kyōraku Shunsui had wanted to see.

With his sharp eye, Kyōraku Shunsui had long seen that Aizen's scheming was not yet mature. He had originally only wanted to end the battle sooner, which was why he had deliberately guided Dugu Yan into saying those words.

He had not expected it to go a little too far, with Aizen actually cutting off one of Dugu Yan's arms.

Whether Aizen had thought quickly in a crisis or done it deliberately, he had unexpectedly followed that path and connected himself to Dugu Bo, using the treatment of Dugu Yan's severed arm as a condition to obtain the qualifications to establish an academy.

Within one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's hotels in Heaven Dou City, Ning Fengzhi explained his true intentions to Aizen.

"I have been watching your matches these past days. Aside from your own martial souls, you seem to use certain non-Soul Ring Skills that employ Soul Power, correct?"

Aizen froze slightly, then laughed.

"Haha, so Sect Master Ning has taken an interest in our little tricks."

Ning Fengzhi waved a hand.

"No, those are not little tricks. For auxiliary Soul Masters like us, those skills can save our lives."

Aizen nodded without denying it. Then he propped his head up with one hand on the table, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Ning Fengzhi.

"You want to learn Kido?"

Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile.

"So that is called Kido. Yes, exactly. As long as you are willing to teach us, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will fully support your establishment of the Central Spirit Arts Academy. Not only will we cover all academy operating costs, we will also provide you with one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins every month as cultivation funding!"

The terms Ning Fengzhi offered were extremely tempting, but Aizen did not care much about them. There were simply some things he could not accept. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Add one more condition to those terms."

"What condition?" Ning Fengzhi asked with some concern, afraid that Aizen would make an outrageous demand.

"It is very simple. Add a clause that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will never interfere with my management of the core students."

If his strength were sufficient, Aizen would not fear Ning Fengzhi seizing power. But his current strength was not enough, so he had to make such a demand.

Ning Fengzhi understood Aizen's meaning. It seemed that he would have no way to reach out and recruit Soul Masters like Aizen's teammates.

He did not struggle for long, though he was still somewhat reluctant. In the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed to Aizen's demand.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was his foundation.

"Then, a pleasant partnership?" Aizen stood with a smile and extended his hand to Ning Fengzhi.

"A pleasant partnership. I did not expect you to be so young. I originally thought the matter would take an entire night to negotiate, yet it was settled in just a few words." After establishing their partnership, Ning Fengzhi became more talkative as well.

"There is no point wasting too much time. It is only a Soul Master Academy, after all."