You're Cold on the Outside, Sweet on the Inside!! World-Shaking Wisdom? World-Shaking Power!

"What was that supposed to be?"

Gu Rong chuckled, picked up a pastry, and fed it into Ning Yurou's eagerly waiting mouth.

"Heaven Dou Academy has three Soul Douluo instructors, along with countless Soul Emperor and Soul King teachers. The students' safety is naturally guaranteed."

"We only need to arrange for people outside the academy to secretly protect Yurou once she leaves the school grounds."

"Besides, letting Yurou undergo some proper training wouldn't be a bad thing."

"Isn't that right, little Yurou?"

Gu Rou reached out and pinched the little girl's tender cheek, speaking with a light laugh.

"Mhm!"

Ning Yurou nodded emphatically.

"Fine."

Ning Rongxin sighed helplessly and summoned a middle-aged woman dressed as a steward from outside the hall.

After giving her detailed instructions, Ning Yurou, clad in little leather shoes, skipped along as she followed the woman away.

Just as she reached the entrance of the hall, Gu Rou suddenly called out from behind her.

"Yurou, make sure you lure that boy back here."

At those words, Ning Yurou stumbled and nearly fell. Her face flushed crimson as she turned around and glared angrily at Gu Rou.

Then she hurriedly ran out of the hall.

"You shameless old woman."

Once the little girl had vanished from sight, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who had been standing to the side without speaking, finally could not help but rebuke her in a low voice.

"I'm shameless? Chen Xin, you've got the nerve to say that?"

Gu Rou rose to her feet, one hand braced against her slender waist as she glared at Chen Xin irritably.

"The moment I see that cold, bitchy look of yours, it makes me sick."

"Bone hag, stop acting crazy!"

Chen Xin's face darkened as she warned Gu Rou.

"Oh? Then let me air it all out. Who was screaming the loudest at night, huh? I can't even sleep without being woken up by you."

Gu Rou tilted up her chin and looked at Chen Xin's increasingly dark expression. "Want me to imitate you?"

"Oh, ho ho ho ho..."

"I'll kill you!"

A flush instantly spread across Chen Xin's cool face. Embarrassed and enraged, she raised the Seven Kill Sword and was about to stab Gu Rou.

Seeing this, Ning Rongxin, who had been feeling rather awkward listening to them, hurriedly stepped in front of Gu Rou and waved his hands repeatedly. "Calm down! Both of you, calm down!"

"Move!" Chen Xin snapped coldly.

"Come chop me, then! Chen Xin, you're cold on the outside but filthy on the inside! I'll imitate you again!"

With one hand on Ning Rongxin's shoulder, Gu Rou bounced on her feet and taunted her.

"Oh, ho ho ho~"

"Ah—! I'm going to kill you!"

Meanwhile, Lan Yu left the cafeteria with Tang Shan's lunch in hand.

All the way back, he had been thinking about Ye Lingling and the Blue Silver Sacred Heart Sect.

He was already level forty! It was time to have Dugu Bo take him to hunt his fourth soul ring. Once he became a Soul Ancestor, he would head to Lanya Pavilion and get to the bottom of this!

Should his fourth soul skill follow the path of qi, something like Qi Covers Mountains and Rivers or Hidden Dragon Qi Explosion?

Or should he combine Clear Dragon Clear Eyes with the Purple Demon Eye?

By the time he came back to his senses, he had already reached the door to his room.

The lock clicked softly as he pushed the door open.

"Big brother, you're back~"

Hearing the sound, Tang Shan turned around with smiling crescent eyes. She lay sprawled across the bed, her pair of fair, jade-like legs gently swaying in the air.

"Mhm."

Lan Yu nodded slightly and casually set the still-steaming lunch on the table.

"Why didn't you go to class this morning?"

Hearing his question, the girl gave a soft huff and buried her head in the pillow, her voice muffled. "Didn't feel like it."

"That's my pillow, isn't it?"

Lan Yu raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

Upon hearing this, the girl slowly raised her head, pursed her little pink lips, and stuffed the pillow tighter into her arms. She stubbornly stared at Lan Yu without saying a word, as if staging a silent protest.

Seeing this, Lan Yu chuckled and slowly walked over.

Tang Shan's gaze rose along with Lan Yu's approach, until his figure completely loomed over her.

"Brother, wh-what are you doing?"

The girl blinked her watery eyes, swallowed nervously, and asked timidly.

Lan Yu raised a brow with a faint smile, then reached out and gently placed his palm atop Tang Shan's head.

At his touch, Tang Shan blissfully rolled her eyes, buried her face in the pillow, and let out a contented purr like a kitten.

Watching her fair, beautiful legs flail about, Lan Yu grabbed Tang Shan's delicate little foot.

"Mm! Stinky brother, what are you doing~?"

Tang Shan shuddered all over, turned her head in displeasure, and glared at him resentfully.

"Enough messing around. Go eat already—I'm taking a nap."

Lan Yu waved a hand, yawned, and urged her on.

"No, unless... Brother, you beg me~"

Tang Shan gave a sly smile, propped herself up on her elbows, lifted her chin, and put on an arrogant act.

The girl had completely forgotten that her little foot was still in Lan Yu's grasp.

"Hmm?"

Lan Yu furrowed his brow slightly and gave a soft snort. His hand tightened a little as he squeezed Tang Shan's delicate foot.

"Oh... let go... ah... Brother, I was wrong... ah... hm..."

Tang Shan struggled at first, but as Lan Yu increased his strength, she began begging repeatedly. Amid her cries of pain were a few faint, barely audible moans.

"Brother, can we make peace?"

Tang Shan asked, her face flushed red as she turned away and panted heavily.

Only then did Lan Yu let go and chase Tang Shan off the bed.

Ignoring her resentful gaze, he lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket scented with Tang Shan's fragrance over himself, and fell into a deep sleep amid that familiar scent.

An hour later, Lan Yu was awakened by knocking downstairs.

He slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to get up, he realized there was someone in his arms. Pulling back the blanket, he found that Tang Shan had somehow crawled in and was sleeping soundly.

Lan Yu sat up quietly and carefully got out of bed without waking the girl. He went downstairs and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, a purple-haired figure crashed into him, slamming right into Lan Yu's chest. Dugu Yan let out a muffled grunt, then looked up and glared at him angrily. "Lan Yu, are you still half-asleep? I've been calling you forever!"

Lan Yu pushed her outside, casually shut the door behind him, and only then asked with a frown, "What is it?"

"Lan Yu, how could you lay hands on a child? Are you even human?"

Dugu Yan said furiously.

She had never imagined that Lan Yu, who looked like such a refined gentleman, was actually a beast in human clothing—and a lolicon at that.

Thinking this, Dugu Yan patted her ample chest and shot Lan Yu a resentful glare.

"She's at the academy now. She specifically asked to see you, and she wants to join the Heaven Dou Team too!"

What the fuck are you even talking about?

Lan Yu looked utterly bewildered. He seriously suspected there was something wrong with Dugu Yan's brain.

An hour earlier.

"You can leave me here."

Ning Yurou waved to the female steward who had brought her to the academy, then turned and entered through the academy gates.

The little girl sat on a bench in the corridor with the other new students waiting to be inspected.

She was petite and adorable, and before long, several young masters from wealthy families came over to strike up a conversation.

Ning Yurou did not say much. She merely raised a hand and summoned her Seven-Colored Precious Lotus martial soul. As its glow flashed, those people's expressions changed drastically, and they awkwardly retreated.

"Damn, don't disciples of those major sects enroll together?"

"Why are they here competing with us minor nobles for spots?!"

The two lowered their voices and muttered among themselves.

"Who is Ning Yurou?"

At that moment, a middle-aged female teacher walked out of the office, raised the roster in her hand, and called out.

Ning Yurou immediately raised her little hand and followed her into the office.

"Ning Yurou?"

The female teacher glanced at her and asked casually.

"Your surname is Ning?"

"Yes, Teacher. Is there a problem?"

"No. Let me see you release your martial soul."

The female teacher waved a hand, not paying much attention. In previous years, disciples from the branch families of major sects had often applied through the regular admissions process.

Either their talent was too mediocre to qualify for direct recruitment by the sect, or they had been ostracized within the sect.

A Seven-Colored Precious Lotus bloomed in Ning Yurou's hand. The female teacher nodded and continued.

"Your age? How much Soul Power do you have?"

"Nine years old, Rank 17."

"What?!"

The female teacher shot to her feet, her face full of disbelief.

She hurriedly reached out and placed her fingers on Ning Yurou's wrist. After a moment, she withdrew her hand, unable to hide the delight in her eyes.

I've stumbled upon a genius. This year's evaluation is in the bag!

"Child, with your talent, you can choose whichever teacher you want!"

"Can I join the Heaven Dou Team?!"

Ning Yurou's eyes lit up as she immediately pressed the question.

The female teacher froze, then could not help laughing softly. "It's good to have dreams, but the Heaven Dou Team isn't so easy to join."

Ning Yurou fell silent for several seconds, her little mind racing.

After a while, she took a token shimmering with seven-colored light from her Soul Tool and gently placed it on the table.

Her "world-shaking wisdom" told her that it was time to use her "world-shaking power."

The little girl raised her tiny face, her tone calm as she said:

"My grandfather is Ning Rongxin, the Sect Master of the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus Sect. I have two god-grandmothers who are Title Douluo, and the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, is my grandfather's disciple."