Invited for Tea

Ning Tian hesitated. Reason told her to pursue love bravely, but emotion told her that, as the young clan leader, she needed to maintain restraint.

In the end, she chose an ambiguous option somewhere between the two:

"This is my Soul Tool communication number. No matter what happens, you can come to me. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan behind me will always be your friend."

"Always? That's quite an irresponsible thing to say."

Wu Feng's expression immediately changed. She hated it most when others belittled Ning Tian's kindness, and she was about to speak.

But Ning Tian raised a hand to stop her, her gray-gold eyes still calmly fixed on Ling Tianchen.

A moment later, Ling Tianchen tucked the slip of paper into his storage Soul Tool.

"Still, I accept."

Ning Tian smiled upon hearing that. At the very least, he could never outmatch her in financial resources. How could the Ling family, which controlled the tax revenue of a single city, compare to the Nine Treasures Chamber of Commerce, whose reach extended throughout the Douluo Three Kingdoms?

At least the first step had succeeded. As for the future, there would be plenty of time.

Meanwhile, Ling Tianchen had entirely different thoughts.

A free, long-term meal ticket—why would he turn that down?

Although he had a card worth one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins on him, it was enough for meals for the time being. Of course, if bloodline tempering was included, it would be nowhere near enough.

Besides, why pay when he could get it for free?

A humanoid Gold Soul Coin vault had delivered itself to his doorstep. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd, and the people ahead voluntarily parted to form a path.

A tall middle-aged man of around fifty, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking refined and scholarly, slowly approached.

"Who's that?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I'm a new student too."

"That blue-haired brat must have broken academy rules. Hmph, he actually dared to eat while sitting down. Let's see how the teacher punishes him!"

Whispers rose without end.

"Who is he, Ning Tian?"

Ling Tianchen had little impression of this random-looking character.

"I looked into things beforehand. He seems to be Du Weilun, the director of education for the Outer Court's Martial Soul Department. You should be careful."

So it was him. Ling Tianchen vaguely guessed why he had come.

"Are you Ling Tianchen?"

"Yes."

"Come with me. Dean Yan wants to see you."

Just as expected.

Ling Tianchen silently sighed. He hoped this Outer Court dean was a reasonable man.

"Understood."

Though Ling Tianchen followed Du Weilun away, chaos was left behind them.

They might not have known Du Weilun, but everyone had heard of the dean of Shrek Academy's Outer Court!

Wu Feng was dumbfounded as well. "Young Clan Leader, does eating in violation of the rules really bring such a severe punishment? Even Dean Yan has been alerted. He's so elusive that he rarely even appears at the new student assessments."

"Feng, are you stupid? If that were the reason, why didn't they take me too?"

"Eh? That's true."

Wu Feng clutched her head, looking suddenly enlightened.

"But... if it were merely the cultivation of a Soul Elder, it wouldn't be enough to alert Dean Yan. There must be something else special about Ling Tianchen."

Ning Tian wore a thoughtful expression.

"Young Clan Leader, forget about Ling Tianchen. Instead of wasting time thinking about him, why not return to the dormitory with me and cultivate properly?"

"No, I need to find out what has happened at the academy recently. It might have something to do with Ling Tianchen."

"I really don't know what's so great about him."

Wu Feng curled her lips as Jiang Nannan muttered to herself.

Her Red Dragon martial soul was innately terrified of Ling Tianchen. It was not only because ice countered fire; it also seemed as if there was suppression at the bloodline level.

How could that be? My Red Dragon is a top-tier dragon-type martial soul. How could it be suppressed? Wu Feng desperately shook her head, trying to banish the thought.

"Dean Yan, I've brought Ling Tianchen."

Du Weilun said as he lightly knocked on the office door.

"Let him come in alone."

"Go on. It shouldn't be anything serious."

Du Weilun whispered beside Ling Tianchen.

"Understood."

He had short silver hair parted seven to three, with his left eye hidden behind strands of hair hanging over his forehead. Though several fine lines had already formed at the corners of his eyes, they did nothing to conceal his refined and handsome bearing.

The middle-aged man still had excellent features. One could vaguely tell that he had been quite the handsome fellow in his youth.

"Ling Tianchen, do you know what you did wrong?"

Although the academy strictly forbade private fights, as long as no one died or suffered irreparable injuries, it generally turned a blind eye.

Hadn't Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao received no punishment?

But this time, Ling Tianchen had indeed struck too heavily. Not only had Tang Ling's martial soul been damaged, but he had also been severely injured and left unconscious. He would not be able to get out of bed for at least two or three months. Missing the new student curriculum would essentially mean dropping out early.

Such a serious matter was naturally reported to the director of education, Du Weilun, at once.

Du Weilun had originally intended to make an example of him. Shrek's rules could not be trampled upon.

But Ling Tianchen's file had startled him. Wasn't this the person Dean Yan had been searching for all along?

He possessed a pure ice attribute and had already reached the realm of a Soul Elder. Du Weilun immediately reported it to Yan Shaozhe, leading to the scene that followed.

"I don't believe I did anything wrong. My conscience is clear."

"Then how do you explain violently attacking your roommate and even crippling his martial soul? Is that not wrong?"

Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly. Though he knew how exceptional Ling Tianchen's soul ring configuration was, whether the Ice Phoenix could suppress the evil fire afflicting his disciple still needed to be verified.

Moreover, he first had to settle the matter of Ling Tianchen injuring someone. Ideally, he could also temper the boy's arrogance. After all, with such a configuration, he was practically unmatched among his peers. This task would be his.

At that thought, Yan Shaozhe's lips curved slightly upward.

Once he displayed the cultivation of a Super Douluo and his Bright Phoenix martial soul, wouldn't this brat obediently beg to become his disciple?

He was quite confident about that.

After all, throughout Shrek Academy, there was not a second Super Douluo with a Phoenix martial soul.

"Dean Yan, you're clearly only looking at the outcome without asking about the cause. It is true that I crippled Tang Ling's martial soul, but has it occurred to you that he provoked me first, then launched a sneak attack from behind and acted like a petty villain? Was I supposed to stand there and swallow my anger after being ambushed?"

"According to academy rules, if students have grievances against one another, they should settle them in the Soul Duel Zone. However... since Tang Ling attacked first, your actions are understandable."

At that point, his tone shifted.

"Still, how am I supposed to know that what you said is not a lie?"

"Whether you believe me or not is up to you."

Ling Tianchen was out of options. Why was he still obsessing over such a trivial matter? Yan Shaozhe should stop calling himself the Bright Phoenix Douluo and call himself the Chicken-Intestine Douluo instead.

"Can you release your martial soul for me to see?"

Yan Shaozhe asked after a moment of silence.

"Sorry, I'm not in a very good mood right now. I don't want to release my martial soul. Does Dean Yan have anything else?"

Yet Ling Tianchen remained completely unmoved.

You want me to release it, so I have to release it? Wouldn't that make me look pathetic?

If you have the ability, figure it out yourself like Mu En did.

A powerhouse like Mu En, even if he discovered Ling Tianchen's Ultimate Ice, would most likely let things take their natural course and would not interfere too much.

But Yan Shaozhe was different.

If he learned that Ling Tianchen possessed the Ultimate Ice attribute now, Ma Xiaotao would probably be blocking his dormitory door the very next day.

His peaceful days had only just begun. He did not want to get dragged into trouble so soon. If he could avoid it for one more day, then he would avoid it for one more day.