Ming Capital

Ming Capital.

The soul-guided train slowly came to a stop at the platform.

The doors opened, and passengers carrying all kinds of luggage filed out.

"Is this the present-day Ming Capital?"

A man and two women stepped off the train.

A strange force seemed to surround them, keeping the pedestrians apart and leaving an empty space around them.

The handsome young man looked around with considerable interest.

The cool and dignified woman beside him softly introduced him to some details about the present-day Ming Capital.

As for the little girl, she stood with her arms crossed, her face carrying a calmness that did not belong to her age, like a little adult.

The three were Leng Hanyuan, Leng Yaozhu, and Gu Yue.

Shrek Academy had agreed to the request.

The sparring match between Leng Hanyuan and Yun Ming would be broadcast live across the entire continent.

The location for the broadcast had been set in Ming Capital.

Thus, Leng Hanyuan had come to Ming Capital today.

As for Leng Yaozhu, she had come as her ancestor's guide.

As for Gu Yue, Leng Hanyuan did not know why she had followed along. Still, since she was no trouble, he did not refuse and agreed to let her come.

"Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix, Your Excellency Sky Phoenix, and Miss Gu, welcome to Ming Capital."

The moment Leng Hanyuan and the other two walked out of the station,

they saw a square-faced middle-aged man in a black suit approaching them.

Several other men in suits followed behind him, Federation official insignias hanging from their chests.

He took the initiative to extend a hand toward Leng Hanyuan.

"Wu Jie, Governor of Ming Capital. It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency."

Leng Hanyuan reached out and gave his hand a light shake.

"Sorry to trouble you."

"It is my duty," Wu Jie replied with a smile.

Ming Capital held an extremely special position within the Federation.

As the Governor of Ming Capital, Wu Jie was the city's foremost authority and a major figure with influence throughout the Federation.

Ordinarily, even the arrival of distinguished guests would not require him to personally greet them at the station.

However, Leng Hanyuan's identity was highly unusual.

Not only was he the Grand Elder of the Spirit Pagoda, with the Phoenix Family behind him,

he was also one of the people most valued by the Federation at present.

Moreover, his purpose in coming to Ming Capital this time was anything but ordinary.

He was going to publicly spar, in a live broadcast across the continent, with the continent's number one expert, the Sky-Propping Douluo.

As the person in charge of Ming Capital, Wu Jie naturally had to oversee things personally.

Under his guidance, the group boarded a black extended sedan that had already been waiting nearby.

The sedan started moving.

The Federation had originally arranged accommodations for Leng Hanyuan and the others.

However, because the Phoenix Family had its own businesses in Ming Capital, their final destination was changed to a Phoenix Family hotel in the city.

Wu Jie did not say anything about this.

After all, there was nothing wrong with them wanting to rest at one of their own properties.

"This is your first time in Ming Capital, isn't it, Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix?"

Inside the car, Wu Jie took the initiative to make conversation.

Leng Hanyuan sat in his seat, one hand braced against the car door frame, his gaze fixed on the window.

The scenery outside rushed backward as the vehicle moved.

"Not exactly."

"But it does feel quite unfamiliar now."

He answered casually.

Strictly speaking, Leng Hanyuan was not all that unfamiliar with Ming Capital.

Ten thousand years ago, he had studied at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy in Ming Capital.

It was simply that after ten thousand years of change, Ming Capital had long become utterly different from what it had once been.

Other than still being called Ming Capital, there were few traces left that resembled the city from ten thousand years ago.

Still, it was not wrong to say that this was not his first time in Ming Capital.

After all, the Ming Capital of ten thousand years ago had also been Ming Capital.

Not exactly...

Wu Jie quietly repeated Leng Hanyuan's words to himself.

A faint glimmer flashed through his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

However, he quickly concealed it and once more put on that gentle smile.

"In that case, after your sparring match with His Excellency the Sky-Propping Douluo, how about I have someone show you around Ming Capital?"

"No need."

Leng Hanyuan shook his head and declined the invitation.

"Little Yaozhu can show me around."

Little Yaozhu...

Wu Jie's expression stiffened slightly.

After being stunned for a moment, he finally realized who Leng Hanyuan meant by Little Yaozhu.

Out of the corner of his eye, he discreetly glanced at Leng Yaozhu beside him.

Yet the Sky Phoenix Douluo, who in Wu Jie's impression had always been incomparably proud, showed no reaction whatsoever to Leng Hanyuan's form of address.

Her expression was remarkably calm, as though everything were only natural.

Having noticed this, Wu Jie began to form some thoughts.

Perhaps this mysterious Mystic Phoenix's identity truly was the astonishing one the Federation had speculated about.

Wu Jie's emotions did not escape Leng Hanyuan's eyes.

His Divine Origin Realm spiritual power could keenly perceive every fluctuation of emotion.

However, he did not care.

Wu Jie and the Federation could speculate about his identity however they pleased.

Leng Hanyuan had never intended to hide his identity in the first place.

He suddenly spoke.

"How are things on Shrek Academy's side?"

Suppressing his thoughts, Wu Jie had no idea that everything he was thinking had already been laid bare before Leng Hanyuan.

That formal smile remained on his face.

"Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix, His Excellency the Sky-Propping Douluo and the others are already waiting at the venue."

"The major media outlets have all arrived. They are only waiting for us."

"Oh." Leng Hanyuan gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Wu Jie tactfully chose not to continue the conversation and closed his mouth.

The black extended sedan slowly stopped before an enormous plaza.

All kinds of equipment had already been set up in every direction.

Soul-guided devices also floated in the sky.

These were all devices brought by the media outlets here to broadcast the event.

The mysterious Grand Elder of the Spirit Pagoda was going to spar with the continent's number one expert, the Sky-Propping Douluo. There was no need to question how explosive this news was.

Every recognizable media outlet naturally would not miss such a major story.

As for why the venue was a plaza rather than the Great Soul Arena,

the reason was simple.

Leng Hanyuan and Yun Ming were too powerful.

A battle at the quasi-god level was no longer something the Great Soul Arena could withstand.

Even the finest Great Soul Arena in the world was no exception.

The dome made from special materials would be as fragile as flour under the aftershocks of a quasi-god-level battle.

Therefore, the location had been chosen as this plaza.

There was no dome overhead.

The battle would most likely take place in the sky as well.

That was also why there were so many aerial filming devices.

The arrival of the black extended sedan sent the reporters who had been waiting nearby surging forward like wild dogs that had smelled blood.

All manner of cameras and recording equipment were aimed at the car door, and a flood of interview questions was already on the tips of their tongues.

However, the Federation had clearly anticipated this situation.

As the reporters rushed over, Federation staff who had already been standing by formed a protective line, keeping the reporters outside and preventing them from getting too close.