Arriving at Tianshui Academy, Ning Fengzhi's Grand Demeanor!

In the northern part of the Heaven Dou Empire lies Tianshui City.

Unlike the prosperous plains where the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is located, the climate here is chilly, and the water systems are highly developed.

Tianshui Academy is situated on the banks of a tranquil lake on the outskirts of the city. The buildings are primarily blue and white, with elegant lines that carry the delicate, cool beauty characteristic of an all-female academy.

The academy is not massive in scale, but its environment is serene and rich in spiritual energy, making it particularly suitable for the cultivation of water and ice-type spirit masters.

On this day, as usual, the academy echoed with the clear, vibrant sounds of young girls training and sparring, filled with youthful vitality.

However, this peace was abruptly shattered that afternoon.

Without any warning, a vast, abyssal, and peerlessly sharp aura—like a volcano that had been dormant for eons suddenly awakening, or a peerless divine sword being unsheathed—descended with a boom from the sky above the main gate of Tianshui Academy!

This aura carried no malice, yet it possessed an incomparable majesty and presence, instantly enveloping the entire academy.

The surface of the lake rippled violently without a breeze. In the training grounds, every student channeling their spirit power, regardless of their cultivation level, felt their energy stagnate. Their chests tightened as if struck by an invisible hammer.

Those who were sparring stumbled backward, the light of their spirit skills flickering unsteadily, on the verge of dissipating entirely.

"A Titled Douluo?!"

Deep within the academy, several powerful fluctuations of spirit power erupted in response, filled with shock and uncertainty.

One of the most solid, ice-blue rays of spirit power surged into the sky from the Dean's Tower at the center of the academy. It carried a biting chill, attempting to resist the pressure of that sharp aura, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, instantly scattered into nothingness.

The gap was too vast!

The owner of that ice-blue light clearly realized this and quickly withdrew her power. A moment later, a slender figure flew out from the tower and landed on the plaza in front of the main gate.

She was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in water-blue robes with silver trim. Her posture was upright and her features were lovely, though her brow carried the faint weariness of years of toil, along with an undisguised shock and gravity.

She was the current Dean of Tianshui Academy, an eighty-third-level control-type Spirit Douluo, Leng Ningshuang.

Leng Ningshuang's gaze swept across the plaza, only to find three figures standing there quietly.

The leader, dressed in moon-white robes, had a refined and gentle face and held a scepter inlaid with a massive gemstone. It was none other than the Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Fengzhi.

To his left, an old man with a withered face stood as straight as a spear. He stood there casually, yet the space around him seemed slightly distorted. This was Bone Douluo, Gu Rong.

To his right stood a man with white hair and a white beard, his expression cold and stern. He cradled a long sword, his entire being like a drawn blade. The sharp aura that had just changed the color of the world originated from him—Sword Douluo, Chen Xin!

Three powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the continent had arrived together, and by revealing their auras so blatantly, they had come directly to her doorstep... Leng Ningshuang's heart sank instantly.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was the wealthiest in the world and had never had any dealings or grievances with Tianshui Academy. Why would they come with such a display? And looking at this posture, it was clearly not a friendly visit.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the unease in her heart, and stepped forward. She bowed slightly, her tone carrying just the right amount of respect and confusion.

"Leng Ningshuang of Tianshui Academy greets Sect Master Ning, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo. I apologize for failing to welcome you properly, as I did not know of your arrival. May I ask... what brings the three of you here today?"

Leng Ningshuang kept her posture low, her thoughts racing. Being the dean was no easy task.

Tianshui Academy only recruited female students. Although it was considered one of the Four Elemental Academies in the Heaven Dou Empire and had a reputation, its channels for obtaining cultivation resources were far more difficult than those of the other three academies or the major sects.

As dean, she spent most of her energy figuring out how to raise funds and exchange them for cultivation supplies. Her strength had been stuck at level eighty-three for several years, unable to break through.

Facing these three figures, whose mere footsteps could shake the continent, she could not help but feel anxious.

Ning Fengzhi wore his habitual gentle smile and gestured for her to rise. "Dean Leng, please, no need for such formalities. It is we who have intruded."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment.

Ning Fengzhi did not beat around the bush and cut straight to the point, his voice calm yet clear.

"I have heard that your academy has produced a peerless genius named Shui Bing'er, possessing the Ice Phoenix spirit. She is only eleven, yet she is already a twenty-fifth-level Great Spirit Master. Is this true?"

Leng Ningshuang's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded.

"That is true. Bing'er has exceptional talent and a resilient spirit. She is my personal disciple, the core of our academy's team for the next Spirit Master Tournament, and the future hope of our academy."

She specifically highlighted Shui Bing'er's importance and status to imply a warning.

"A personal disciple? That is even better." Ning Fengzhi's smile remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard the subtext in her words. He continued in the same flat tone one might use to discuss the weather.

"To be honest, I have come today to discuss a wonderful arrangement with you, Dean Leng. My son, Ning Xiaochun, is six years old and has decent talent. I intend to ask for Miss Shui Bing'er to be betrothed to my son and join the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect as his... child bride."

The moment the words "child bride" were spoken, the air in the plaza seemed to freeze.

The respect and caution on Leng Ningshuang's face shattered instantly, replaced by incredulous shock, which then transformed into a blazing fury!

She looked up sharply, staring directly at Ning Fengzhi. Even facing the subtle pressure of two Titled Douluo, her dignity as a teacher and a dean allowed her to temporarily forget her fear.

"Sect Master Ning!" Leng Ningshuang's voice trembled with agitation, her face flushed with anger.

"Are you joking, or do you think Tianshui Academy has no one to stand up for it?! Bing'er is my personal disciple, a once-in-a-century talent for our academy, destined to stand at the pinnacle of the continent! You want her to be... to be a child bride for a six-year-old boy?! This is simply absurd! You go too far!"

Her chest heaved violently, and ice-blue spirit power overflowed from her body uncontrollably, revealing her inner turmoil.

"Although Tianshui Academy is an all-female academy and cannot compare to the power of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, we are not people to be bullied! Sect Master Ning, are you using the influence of your sect to force a marriage?!"

Facing her angry rebuke, Ning Fengzhi's expression remained unchanged and composed.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin let out a cold snort, and a sharper sword intent flickered, instantly freezing the spirit power radiating from Leng Ningshuang.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong watched with a faint, intrigued smile.

"Dean Leng, please calm yourself. I have not finished speaking."

Ning Fengzhi raised his hand, gesturing for the Sword Douluo to stand down. His voice remained calm, yet it carried an unquestionable power, as if Leng Ningshuang's anger were merely a passing breeze.

"A child bride is merely a title. Miss Bing'er joining the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect does not mean she will be imprisoned. Before she comes of age at eighteen, she will remain a student of Tianshui Academy and your disciple. She may travel freely between the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect and Tianshui Academy; neither will be hindered.

My sect will not interfere with any of her decisions. The only thing she needs to do is fulfill the marriage contract and become the wife of my son, Ning Xiaochun, once she reaches the age of eighteen."