Return to the Academy, Ning Rongrong's Arrogance

Bai Yi sat cross-legged beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his eyes tightly shut.

The next second, he opened them.

A pair of golden pupils was revealed—Fiery Eyes.

These eyes could see through the essence of all things, discerning the rank and effects of every spiritual object in the world.

He raised his gaze and swept it across the immortal herbs around him.

One rare medicinal herb after another revealed its unique glow and aura in his eyes.

Some shimmered with gentle white light, some radiated blazing red light, and others carried faint blue glimmers.

Bai Yi's gaze settled on two immortal herbs.

One was Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

This immortal herb was completely transparent, like a frozen droplet of water, with a faint golden halo flowing within it.

Its effect was to temper the eyes, greatly enhancing the power and perception of ocular techniques.

The other was the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

At its peak grew a crimson flower shaped like a rooster's comb, while scorching heat waves radiated from its body.

Its effect was to purify the impurities within fire-attribute martial souls, making flames purer and more powerful.

Bai Yi reached out and picked both immortal herbs.

He opened his mouth and placed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew inside.

The immortal herb melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a clear stream that surged into his eyes.

His Fiery Eyes immediately trembled violently as golden light flared.

The ocular technique that had originally only allowed him to see the essence of things now began evolving to a deeper level.

He could see Soul Power particles flowing through the air and the paths of the earth veins running deep beneath the ground.

The world became clearer and more transparent in his eyes.

Next, he put the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower into his mouth.

This time, it was a scorching sensation.

Crimson light burst from Bai Yi's body, and even the surrounding air was distorted by the heat.

The fire-attribute power within him was being thoroughly tempered.

Impurities were stripped away, essence was compressed, and his flames became more condensed and pure.

Bai Yi could clearly feel the resonance between himself and fire.

It was as though he no longer needed Soul Power to command flames.

With only a thought, fire would obediently coil around his body.

He raised his hand and spread his palm.

A cluster of crimson-gold flames rose from his palm.

The temperature of those flames far surpassed what it had been before.

Bai Yi's gaze narrowed slightly.

The intensity of this fire had already reached the threshold of Ultimate Fire.

If his second soul skill, Earth Fire Dragon Breath, were driven by these flames, its power would be enough to rival Ultimate Fire.

Bai Yi slowly closed his hand and dispersed the flames.

He turned to look at the patch of immortal herbs behind him.

Every one of them was a treasure.

Used well, each one could create a top-tier powerhouse.

What a pity, Tang God King. I'll be taking your opportunity.

Bai Yi sighed, then circulated his mana. One immortal herb after another was drawn by an invisible force, turning into streams of light that vanished into space.

Aromatic Silk Beauty, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

One after another, all of them were stored away.

In only a short while, the area around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well became empty.

Only the ordinary spiritual herbs remained where they were.

Bai Yi stood and patted the dust from his clothes.

He took a deep breath and felt the abundant power within his body.

This round of cultivation had brought tremendous gains.

Not only had his Soul Power broken through to level thirty-five, but his Fiery Eyes and Flame Manipulation had also undergone qualitative leaps.

Bai Yi lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot.

A golden Somersault Cloud condensed beneath his feet.

The cloud carried him into the sky and sped toward Heaven Dou City.

Inside Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The Heaven Dou Class was conducting its routine training.

On the spacious training ground, more than a dozen students stood in two rows, each releasing their martial souls.

The instructor leading them recorded everyone's performance from the side.

However, the atmosphere on the training ground was far from harmonious.

In one corner, Ning Rongrong sat on the steps with a book in her arms, showing no intention of joining the training.

She wore a light green gown. Her features were delicate and adorable, while her bearing was noble and ethereal.

Several male students nearby occasionally glanced her way, their eyes carrying obvious eagerness to please.

Dugu Yan stood in the middle of the training ground, her face so dark it looked ready to drip water.

She already had a fiery temper.

Seeing Ning Rongrong's lazy attitude, the anger she had been suppressing for two months finally could no longer be contained.

Dugu Yan strode up to Ning Rongrong, glared down at her, and said, "Ning Rongrong, do you have no shame at all?"

Ning Rongrong did not even lift her eyelids. She turned a page and said, "Who are you talking to?"

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth. "I'm talking to you. You've been in the Heaven Dou Team for two months now. During those two months, have you seriously trained even once?"

Ning Rongrong finally looked up, a disdainful smile on her face. "Training? With the level of people like you, do you deserve to make me take it seriously?"

Dugu Yan trembled with rage. "You're just a support soul master at barely over level ten. You're not even a Soul Elder. What gives you the right to look down on us?"

Ning Rongrong closed her book. "My Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is the number one support martial soul in the world. Even if I were only level ten, it wouldn't be the place of a mere snake woman like you to lecture me."

Dugu Yan sneered. "The number one support martial soul in the world? That's just a title your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect gave itself, isn't it? In our Heaven Dou Team, Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia is what truly deserves to be called a top-tier support martial soul. Can you even compare to one of her fingers?"

The smile on Ning Rongrong's face froze.

She instinctively glanced at Ye Lingling, who stood not far away.

Ye Lingling stood at the edge of the training ground, her pale blue hair drifting softly in the wind.

She wore a veil, and her aura was cold and ethereal. She stood there quietly, like a flower blooming alone.

Ning Rongrong bit her lip.

She had to admit that Ye Lingling was indeed beautiful.

Moreover, the healing ability of the Nine Heart Begonia truly could not be matched by the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

But the pride in Ning Rongrong's bones would not allow her to concede.

She stood up, raised her chin, and glared at Dugu Yan. "I admit that Sister Lingling's martial soul is powerful, but what does that have to do with you? Are you using someone else to suppress me because you think you're not as pretty as I am?"

Dugu Yan's face turned livid. "What did you say? I'm not as pretty as you?"

Ning Rongrong sneered. "You know perfectly well. Otherwise, why do you care so much about me? Isn't it because after I came here, everyone's attention shifted from you to me?"

Dugu Yan's sore spot had been struck. She abruptly raised her hand.

Green Soul Power condensed in her palm.

The male students around them immediately panicked.

A male student named Li Yuan hurriedly stepped between them. "Dugu Yan, don't be impulsive. Little Sister Ning is young and doesn't know better, so don't lower yourself to her level."

Another male student named Zhao Ming also came over. "Yeah, yeah. Dugu Yan, you're the vice-captain of our team. You can't let outsiders laugh at us."

Dugu Yan swept them a disgusted glance. "A bunch of pathetic bootlickers. Get lost."

Li Yuan smiled awkwardly, but he did not get angry.

He turned to Ning Rongrong again. "Little Sister Ning, you should also say a little less. We're all teammates. Harmony brings prosperity."

Ning Rongrong frowned in disgust. "Who is your little sister? Disgusting. You useless trash, stay away from me."

Li Yuan and Zhao Ming were insulted but did not get angry. Instead, they smiled ingratiatingly. "Fine, fine. We'll stay away. Don't be angry, Little Sister Ning."

Watching this, Dugu Yan felt her stomach churn.

She truly could not understand it. These people were supposed to be elites selected by Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Why were they so spineless before a teenage girl?

Ye Lingling remained standing not far away, calmly watching everything unfold.

She had no interest in these disputes.

Only occasionally did she lose focus, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward the entrance of the training ground.

It had been two months.

That person had been gone for a full two months.

Ye Lingling lowered her eyes and gently rubbed the cuff of her sleeve with her fingertips.

She missed him a little.

On the other side of the training ground, Yu Tianheng leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, a slight frown on his face.

He was the captain of the Heaven Dou Team and Dugu Yan's lover.

But he did not interfere in the quarrel between the two women.

Because he understood that Ning Rongrong's arrival had indeed disrupted the team's rhythm.

Yet Ning Rongrong's background also made him wary.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The number one sect in the world.

Even Heaven Dou Royal Academy did not dare offend it lightly.

Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance to the training ground.

Dressed in simple fitted clothes, he walked in with calm, unhurried steps.

Ye Lingling was the first to spot him.

Her eyes brightened slightly, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared on her cold, beautiful face.

Yu Tianheng also noticed Bai Yi and gave him a slight nod in greeting.

When Dugu Yan turned and saw Bai Yi, she no longer cared about arguing with Ning Rongrong. She quickly walked over and asked, "Bai Yi, where did you and Grandpa go these past two months?"

Bai Yi answered blandly, "I went somewhere to sleep."

Dugu Yan's eye twitched. He was obviously brushing her off.

"You... forget it. I won't bother with you. Let Lingling deal with you instead."

Ye Lingling also walked over at that moment and softly asked, "Are you all right?"

Bai Yi nodded at her. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Ye Lingling said nothing more. She merely stood quietly beside him, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

Ning Rongrong stood on the steps, staring directly at Bai Yi.

She had come here two months ago precisely to meet this person.

Yet he had vanished for two whole months.

Ning Rongrong quickly walked up to Bai Yi, placed her hands on her hips, and said, "Hey, you're Bai Yi, right?"

Bai Yi glanced at her. "Who are you?"

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then proudly raised her chin. "I'm Ning Rongrong, the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I came to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to see what abilities a genius like you really has."

Bai Yi said:

"Finished reading?"

Ning Rongrong choked on her words and said unhappily:

"Can't you be a little more polite to me? I'm the future inheritor of the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, the owner of the world's number one support martial soul."

Bai Yi said:

"Oh."

Ning Rongrong stamped her foot in anger and said:

"Why are you so annoying?! At home, nobody dares talk to me like that. You're the only one acting so indifferent!"

Bai Yi ignored her and headed out of the training grounds.

He still had something to discuss with Chief Meng Shenji.

Ning Rongrong shouted after him:

"Bai Yi! Stop right there! Tell me where you've been for the past two months!"

Without looking back, Bai Yi waved his hand.

Ning Rongrong's little face flushed red with anger. Turning to Ye Lingling, she said:

"Hey, is he always this annoying?"

Ye Lingling said softly:

"He's just serious about cultivating."

Ning Rongrong pouted and said:

"You're defending him. Do you like him?"

Ye Lingling's face reddened slightly, but she said nothing.

That only made Ning Rongrong even more irritated.

She stomped her foot and said:

"No, I have to make him acknowledge me! I'm the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. There's no one I can't conquer!"

Inside the meeting room.

Meng Shenji was reviewing a file, his brows tightly furrowed.

He was the chief instructor of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, holding a position of great authority.

Yet obvious worry showed on his face at that moment.

Spirit Hall had sent people to secretly infiltrate Heaven Dou City.

The matter had left him unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Spirit Hall's influence across the Douluo Continent was unimaginably vast.

If they had set their sights on Bai Yi, things would become extremely troublesome.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Meng Shenji put away the file and said:

"Come in."

Bai Yi pushed the door open and entered.

The instant Meng Shenji saw him, he froze briefly, then let out a long sigh of relief.

"You're finally back. If I still couldn't contact you, I was about to send people to search Sunset Forest."

Bai Yi shook his head.

"Chief, there's no need to worry. I merely went to a secret place to cultivate in seclusion."

Meng Shenji said:

"You vanished without a word for two months. How could I not worry? I even suspected that old Dugu Bo had kidnapped you."

Bai Yi smiled.

"That old man Dugu Bo has a strange temper, but he wouldn't go so far as to make a move against me."

Meng Shenji said:

"That's good. How did your cultivation go this time?"

Bai Yi said:

"I'm already level thirty-five."

Meng Shenji abruptly rose from his seat.

He stared wide-eyed at Bai Yi, his lips trembling several times.

"Level thirty-five? You went from level thirty to level thirty-five in just two months?"

Bai Yi nodded.

Meng Shenji paced excitedly around the room and said:

"At this rate, won't you become a Soul Ancestor before turning twelve? A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor! Such a genius has never appeared in the history of the Douluo Continent!"

Bai Yi said:

"You flatter me, Chief."

Meng Shenji stopped walking, and his expression suddenly turned grave.

After a moment of silence, he said:

"Bai Yi, there's something I need to tell you."

Bai Yi said:

"Please speak, Chief."

Meng Shenji said:

"Spirit Hall has already sent people secretly to Heaven Dou City. I suspect their target is you. With your talent, Spirit Hall will never stand by and do nothing. They'll either do everything they can to recruit you, or find a way to eliminate you."

Bai Yi remained calm and said:

"I understand."

Seeing how composed he was, Meng Shenji said helplessly:

"Aren't you worried? Spirit Hall's power spreads across the continent, and Pope Bibi Dong is one of the strongest Titled Douluo on the continent. If they truly move against you, even the Heaven Dou Empire may find it difficult to protect you."

Bai Yi said:

"Rest assured, Chief. I have ways to protect myself."

Meng Shenji sighed and said:

"Very well. Since you're already level thirty-five, I have a suggestion."

Bai Yi said:

"Please go on, Chief."

Meng Shenji said:

"I want you to form a team and head to the Soto Great Soul Arena for training. You've already defeated most students your age at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Remaining at the academy won't help your growth much any longer. What you need more is real combat."

After thinking for a moment, Bai Yi said:

"No problem. But I'll choose the members of the team myself. You can't interfere."

Meng Shenji asked in some surprise:

"You'll choose them yourself?"

Bai Yi said:

"I only need teammates who work well with me. I don't need the academy stuffing a bunch of trash into my team."

Meng Shenji pondered for a while, then said:

"That's acceptable. But there's one person you must bring."

Bai Yi said:

"Who?"

Meng Shenji said:

"Ning Rongrong."

Bai Yi frowned slightly.

"Her?"

Meng Shenji said:

"This is something the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect personally asked of me. Sect Master Ning hopes Rongrong can gain more experience at the academy. And with her support abilities, she'll also be of help to your team."

Bai Yi hesitated briefly, then said:

"Fine. But I won't accommodate her. If she can't handle the intensity of the team's training, she can go back to being her young lady."

Meng Shenji nodded.

"Don't worry about that. I'll explain the situation to Sect Master Ning."

Bai Yi turned to leave.

When he reached the door, he stopped and said:

"Chief, if Spirit Hall's people come looking for me, don't block them for my sake. I'd like to see what they can do to me."

After saying that, he pushed open the meeting room door and walked out.