North of Seven Treasures City.
This was the place Ning Qingyun had said had particularly beautiful scenery.
It had once been a stretch of rolling hills and forest, with dense trees and broad, open terrain.
Now, a city had appeared here out of thin air.
"City" might not be quite the right word, because it was a whole size larger than Seven Treasures City.
Pale gray walls had risen from the ground, their surfaces smooth and even, with no trace of bricks or seams.
A tower stood atop the walls every hundred meters.
Fist-sized soul-guidance crystals were set into the tops of the towers, refracting colorful spots of light beneath the sun.
The city walls stretched away on both sides, disappearing into the distance.
The city gates stood twenty meters tall. Intricate patterns were carved into their surface; on closer inspection, the designs seemed to form a phoenix spreading its wings and a giant dragon coiling around it.
Four large characters were carved into the wall above the gate.
Spirit Transmission Academy.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng stood outside the gates, staring at each other in disbelief. Both looked up at the complex, their eyes slightly widened.
To the two of them, the academy had appeared out of thin air.
They had spent plenty of time playing in the forest north of the city when they were children.
Back then, there hadn't been a city here.
Absolutely not.
Ning Qingyun and Wu Yunshan stood in front of them, gesturing toward the complex.
"This is Spirit Transmission Academy."
"From now on, this will be your academy."
Ning Tian said nothing, surveying the school.
Although she and Wu Feng had spent some time at Shrek Academy and seen the grandeur of the continent's number-one academy, they couldn't find a single flaw in the one before them.
In fact, the same thought occurred to both of them.
At least from the outside, Spirit Transmission Academy was even more luxurious than Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy's architecture was quaint and imposing, emphasizing its deep roots and long traditions.
Spirit Transmission Academy's style was far more flamboyant and exquisite. Every detail seemed to proclaim, "I've got money to burn."
There was no need to guess how many Gold Soul Coins it had cost to build an academy like this.
The amount must have been astronomical.
Ning Tian turned to Ning Qingyun and asked, "Mother, what percentage did our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect contribute?"
Ning Qingyun glanced at her, her tone even. "All of it."
Ning Tian stiffened slightly, while Wu Feng blurted out, "All of it?!"
The two exchanged a look, their faces twisted with heart-wrenching pain.
If they remembered correctly, the sect master had said in the meeting hall that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had entered into a partnership with Spirit Transmission Academy.
Ning Tian had already understood that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was in a subordinate position, but she'd never imagined that the entire academy had been funded by her sect.
They hadn't even made anyone else cough up a single Gold Soul Coin.
Wu Feng's face scrunched up, and her voice trembled as if she were about to cry. "Sect Master! That's our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's money!"
Ning Tian looked at Ning Qingyun, her voice heavy with barely suppressed heartache. "Mother, was it really worth it?"
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect isn't some easy mark."
Wu Yunshan gave an exasperated snort. "What do you two little girls know?"
"Once you meet the young master and the titled Douluo, you'll understand."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng glanced at each other again and sighed in unison.
Ning Tian schooled her pained expression, though her brows remained knitted. She said nothing more.
Wu Feng, meanwhile, had secretly made up her mind.
When she met that little brat named Gu An, she would show him exactly what Wu Feng was made of.
How dare he swindle the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect out of its money?
She'd beat every last one of those Gold Soul Coins back out of him.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wouldn't let anyone carve it up like a roast!
At that moment, Wu Feng truly fancied herself the sect's savior.
It couldn't be helped. She really wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
All she could think was that her sect had suffered a massive loss, and she had to figure out how to earn it back.
The four of them passed through the gates and entered Spirit Transmission Academy.
The campus opened up before their eyes.
The buildings were laid out in an orderly fashion, with the Soul Fighting Arena, classrooms, dormitories, and Soul Beast enclosure all clearly separated.
Every so often, they saw disciples in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's robes walking along the paths.
Ning Tian observed the place as they walked, and every thought in her head circled back to the money they'd lost.
What kind of nonsense was this Spirit Transmission Academy?
It was staffed entirely by people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
It was funded entirely by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Those three people.
They were the three Mother had mentioned.
A Titled Douluo, a woman, and a child.
They hadn't contributed anything tangible.
No, that wasn't true.
They had contributed a few brain cells and drawn up a grand promise.
Then Mother and Grandpa Wu had willingly handed over the entire fortune of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The thought made Ning Tian's chest tighten.
Ning Qingyun and Wu Yunshan weren't nearly so distressed.
They walked ahead with light steps, even wearing expectant smiles.
There was only one thing on their minds now.
Who would win the fight between Wu Feng and Gu An?
It wouldn't be long now.
The four of them made their way unimpeded across most of the academy, reaching an area at the far end.
There was a secluded courtyard here, quieter than the rest. A few ancient trees grew within it, and stone tables and stools had been set beneath them.
Then Ning Tian and Wu Feng saw the three people.
Gu An sat on a stone stool, holding the pearly white Dragon Phoenix Soul Sound Flute as he played a tune.
Mother Gu sat beside him, holding a flute of her own. She matched her son's rhythm, her melody rising and falling as she accompanied his.
The flute music was clear and lilting, drifting gently through the courtyard.
Leng Yaozhu stood nearby with her arms crossed, her head tilted slightly. Her fiery red hair fell over one shoulder, and she listened with her eyes closed.
A faint smile played at the corner of her mouth.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, the three of them stopped playing.
Gu An lowered the flute from his lips and looked up.
His gaze swept past Ning Qingyun and Wu Yunshan, landing directly on the two unfamiliar young women.
It took him only a moment to figure out who they were.
The redhead had to be Wu Feng.
The one with a screw loose.
Early in the original story, if you looked at things from the protagonist group's perspective, she really was an obnoxious character.
Impulsive, foul-mouthed, and thoughtless.
As for the yellow-haired one—
Gu An let his gaze linger on Ning Tian for a moment, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good.
It was the manga version of Ning Tian, not the anime version.
Although the manga version of Ning Tian also dressed as a boy, her delicate, gentle features still betrayed the fact that she was a girl.
And the Ning Tian before him looked even prettier than she did in the manga.
As for the anime version of Ning Tian...
All he could say was that she was painful to look at.
Wasn't that just a straight-up guy?
Ugly as sin.
"Xiao An."
A brilliant smile spread across Ning Qingyun's face.
She took three quick strides to Gu An, bent down, and swept him into her arms.
Then she rubbed her cheek against his several times.
First one side, then the other.
Gu An's face was squashed out of shape, and he froze in place.
His voice was full of helplessness. "Sister Qingyun, I mean, couldn't you at least watch your image?"
"You still haven't introduced those two to me."