Your Academy is Mine, Your Xiao Wu is Mine, The Advantage is Mine!

Xiao Chengkun looked at his son with a strange gaze, as if he were trying to confirm whether the person standing before him was truly his own flesh and blood.

"Yu'er, say it again. What did you ask me to acquire?"

"Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy."

Xiao Chenyu did not change his expression.

He even pulled a chair over from the side and sat down, crossing his legs with an air of complete confidence.

"The one right here in our city; you surely know it."

He began to count on his fingers.

"Look, Father, your spirit has mutated, and your spirit power has soared to level fifty-nine."

"Once you stabilize for a while and break through to become a Spirit Emperor, you will absolutely be the biggest figure in this little patch of land that is Notting City."

"The current operational status of Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy is actually quite mediocre. It is said that their funding is insufficient every year, and the dean is nearly bald from the stress."

"If our City Lord Mansion steps in to acquire it, we won't just be consolidating the academy's resources; we'll be helping them solve their financial crisis. This is what you call a win-win."

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Xiao Chengkun held his forehead, wondering if the God Blood Bead he had just consumed had some strange side effect.

Why couldn't his brain keep up with his son's speed?

"Let me catch my breath."

"Are you saying you want me to pay to buy the entire academy?"

"Correct."

"But that academy has quite a few students and teachers..."

"One hundred and twenty-three students, five teachers, plus one dean who is about to go bald."

Xiao Chenyu rattled off the details like he was counting his own treasures, without even a stutter.

"I have already investigated in advance; the academy's accounts don't look very good."

"The funding allocated by Fasinuo Province every year is limited and cannot cover operating costs at all. The dean has been looking for a benefactor."

"If you make a move now, Father, it will definitely be a timely help, and the price can be negotiated to the lowest point."

"Perhaps we can even get the dean to pay us; keeping it below market price is a certainty."

Xiao Chengkun watched his son talk with such eloquence, his expression as colorful as if he were watching a Soft-Boned Rabbit dance the Gokuraku Jodo.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

In the end, he only managed to squeeze out: "When did you investigate this?"

"Just now."

Xiao Chenyu was righteous and composed, his face not changing color.

Ahem, in reality, he had extracted the intelligence from the Will of Douluo Planet.

With an encyclopedia-level information support system, he even knew exactly how many hairs the dean had left.

Such a level of professionalism was certainly not something a ten-year-old child could achieve on his own.

But he couldn't explain this to his father. He couldn't exactly say, "Father, I have a Chat Group, and the Will of Douluo Planet is in it; she knows everything," could he?

Xiao Chengkun took a deep breath, one hand holding his forehead and the other bracing against the corner of the table... well, the table had been shattered by him earlier, so now he could only lean against the wall.

He suddenly realized that ever since his son's spirit had mutated, the boy's train of thought had become increasingly outrageous.

First, he ran into the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Then, he disappeared alone for several days, nobody knowing what he was doing.

Now, he had returned home with a pile of magical items and was asking him to acquire an academy.

The boy's plans seemed to have been laid out from a long time ago.

Every step landed on points that were unexpected, yet impossible not to admire.

"Yu'er."

Xiao Chengkun lowered his hand and looked at his son earnestly.

"What exactly do you want to do by acquiring the academy?"

"Don't try to fool your father with that line from before; I know you must have other ideas."

"To cultivate my own people."

Xiao Chenyu answered without hesitation, his eyes as open and honest as if he had nothing to hide.

"Father, your son is destined to be a big shot in the future—a Title Douluo in the making, as you yourself said."

"But how can a big shot be a lone wolf? I can't exactly go without a foundation, can I?"

"Although Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy is small, its foundation is clean. The students are all children from the villages around Notting City, without the messy, complicated backgrounds of those outside forces."

"If I pick a few good seeds from these students and focus on cultivating them, they will be the direct force of our City Lord Mansion in the future."

This statement was half-truth and half-deception.

The truth was that he truly needed to cultivate his own people and establish the prototype of a faction that belonged entirely to him.

However, his primary goal was naturally not to find people to cultivate at Nuoding Academy.

There was only one purpose for acquiring Nuoding Academy: to turn Tang San's starter village into his own home turf!

He wanted Tang San to discover the moment he stepped into Nuoding Academy that the gatekeeper was his man, the classrooms were his family's property, and even the cafeteria lady was surnamed Xiao.

Just when he thought this was the starting point of his story.

Sorry, this was already my territory.

"..."

Xiao Chengkun stared into his son's eyes for a long time.

The study was quiet, save for the crackling of candle flames and the rustling of the night wind blowing through the osmanthus trees outside the window.

He suddenly laughed.

"You brat, you've had this planned for a long time, haven't you?"

"First you gift me a blood bead, then a cultivation technique; today's move was a chain of traps set for your old man."

Xiao Chengkun shook his head, but there wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone; instead, it carried an inexplicable sense of pride.

"Fine, I'll go talk to the dean tomorrow."

"Anyway, the City Lord Mansion's treasury has saved up quite a bit of money over the years, and it's just gathering dust. I might as well buy you a prototype of a faction to play with, Yu'er."

"However."

Xiao Chengkun's tone shifted, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

He held up a thick finger.

"You have to promise me one thing, just one."

"Please speak."

"You must never do anything dangerous."

"No matter what plans you have, no matter who you intend to deal with, in your mother's eyes and mine, you, Yu'er, are what matters most."

"Whatever Titled Douluo, whatever Nuoding Academy—none of it is worth mentioning compared to you. Do you understand?"

"..."

Xiao Chenyu felt a warmth in his heart.

That warmth spread from his heart to his limbs, even hotter than the vitality he felt when fusing with the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.

He nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Father, I have a sense of proportion."

"Your son isn't stupid. If I can't beat them, I'll run; if I can't run, I'll fly; if I can't fly—"

He subconsciously patted his right leg and chuckled, "I won't die anyway."

Xiao Chengkun didn't know what the second half of his sentence meant.

But seeing his son's confident smile, he didn't ask further.

"As long as you have a sense of proportion."

His rough palm ruffled Xiao Chenyu's hair before he turned and walked toward the door.

Reaching the threshold, he suddenly stopped, his hand resting on the doorframe, and spoke without looking back.

"By the way, if you don't want to talk about where that blood bead came from, then don't."

"Your father isn't a fool; I know that's not something an ordinary person could produce."

"But I want to tell you, no matter what you do in the future, no matter how capable you become, you will always be my son."

"If you run into any trouble, remember to come home and tell me. Don't carry it alone."

With that, he pushed the door open and left.

From the hallway came the sound of him humming a little tune, still hopelessly off-key.

Xiao Chenyu stood where he was, watching his father's broad back disappear into the night, the curve of his lips impossible to suppress.

He remained quiet for a moment, then opened the Chat Group, his fingers tapping rapidly on the light screen.

[Xiao Chenyu]: My father agreed. He's going to talk about acquiring Nuoding Academy tomorrow.

[Will of Douluo Planet]: So fast?! Avenger, your dad is too awesome! ٩(๑＞◡＜๑)۶

[Will of Douluo Planet]: This baby thought you'd have to haggle for at least three or five days. Your dad's efficiency is top-notch.

[Xiao Chenyu]: By the way, I gave him a Titan God Blood Bead, and his wolf martial soul mutated into a Titan Giant Wolf.

[Titan Giant Ape]: ??? Your dad awakened the Titan bloodline?

[Titan Giant Ape]: My God Blood Bead can combine with a wolf martial soul? What's the principle behind this? And what kind of species is a Titan Giant Wolf?

[God of Destruction]: The compatibility of the ancient Titan bloodline is inherently extremely strong. The bloodline contained in your Titan God Blood Bead is not Titan Giant Ape, but the Titan bloodline itself. The Titan Giant Ape is merely one of the soul beast races that possesses the Titan bloodline.

[God of Destruction]: Xiao Chengkun's wolf martial soul originally contained a trace of ancient bloodline residue; the God Blood Bead merely activated and amplified it. It is nothing out of the ordinary.

[Goddess of Life]: Chenyu, your father treats you well, and you treat your father well.

[Goddess of Life]: Seeing the two of you like this makes me very happy.

[Goddess of Life]: I have seen enough dramas where fathers and sons turn against each other; it is finally nice to see a normal, functional family.

Indeed, not having to escape one's original family is truly a luxury.

In some novels, it's always a gambling father, a paralyzed mother, an injured sister, and a broken protagonist!

By comparison, Xiao Chenyu couldn't be happier.

[Human-Faced Demon Spider]: Father and son! Good! Tang San's father! Scum! Tang Hao! Bad!

[Xiao Chenyu]: Alright, enough idle chatter.

[Xiao Chenyu]: It is time to start laying out the plans.

Acquiring the academy is only the first step.

There is still much to be done in the coming year.

Adjusting the faculty, revising the rules, establishing an intelligence network, and I cannot afford to neglect my own cultivation either.

Time is tight and the tasks are heavy.

[Xiao Chenyu]: @Will of Douluo Planet, I leave the intelligence and information matters to you. Notify me the moment anything happens.

[Will of Douluo Planet]: Leave it to me! This baby will monitor everything 24/7 without any blind spots. Not a single rustle will escape my eyes! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

Xiao Chenyu closed the Chat Screen.

He walked out of the study and stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the starry sky.

The night breeze in Nuoding City was slightly cool, carrying the faint scent of osmanthus flowers from the backyard, causing the Blue Silver Grass in the yard to sway gently.

A-Yin's wilted leaves had completely unfurled, shimmering with a faint blue light under the moonlight.

She was far more spirited than she had been back in the cave.

The Heart of Blue Silver conveyed a sense of lazy satisfaction from A-Yin.

"Tang San, oh Tang San, your mother is growing quite well in my backyard."

Xiao Chenyu crouched down and gently flicked the leaves of the Blue Silver Grass.

He muttered to himself, "In another year, your academy will be mine, and your Xiao Wu will be mine. The advantage is firmly in my hands this time."

He stood up, stretched, and headed toward his room.

There was still much to do tomorrow.

The cultivation of the Tang Sect's unique skills needed to be put on the agenda.

Purple Demon Eye, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Crane Controlling Dragon Capturing—these were all the skills Tang San would rely on to make a name for himself in the future.

If he didn't learn them quickly, what would he use to go head-to-head with Tang San in a year's time?

Relying solely on powerful backers and schemes wouldn't be enough; his own strength was still far from sufficient.