I'll Trade Yu Xiaogang's Whereabouts for Your Academy

"Master, you're out."

Seeing Lu Yuan emerge from the room, Tang Wutong hurried forward to greet him.

Lu Yuan placed the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch in her hands. "Wutong, would the immortal herbs inside be of any help to you?"

"If they are, feel free to pick one or two to take."

Tang Wutong shook her head and replied softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Master, but with my current cultivation, these immortal herbs can hardly have any effect on me anymore."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly. "Very well. You should continue keeping the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch. These immortal herbs may still be useful in the future."

With Tang Wutong's Rank 97 cultivation, only the Heavenly Creation Pill from Douluo Continent II would be of some use to her.

The requirements for refining the Heavenly Creation Pill were rather demanding.

A Rank 9 alchemy furnace, a whole pile of immortal herbs, and all sorts of other miscellaneous materials—it was far too troublesome, so there was no point considering it for now.

Tang Wutong obediently put away the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch.

Just then, Dugu Bo walked straight over as well.

Lu Yuan said, "Dugu Bo, do you know where Blue Tyrant Academy is?"

"I do!"

Dugu Bo patted his chest. "If Master wishes to visit Blue Tyrant Academy, I can lead the way."

Lu Yuan nodded faintly and smiled. "Good. Then come with us."

"It wouldn't do to keep staying at your residence. I happen to need somewhere to settle down in Heaven Dou City, and this Blue Tyrant Academy is quite suitable."

Tang Wutong pursed her lips as thoughts swirled through her mind.

Ever since they had left the Great Star Dou Forest, she had known that her young master had set his sights on Blue Tyrant Academy.

At the thought of this, she could not help mourning in silence for the Liu Erlong she had never met.

Lu Yuan left in a hurry, taking only Tang Wutong and Dugu Bo with him without alerting anyone else in the residence.

Dugu Yan was cultivating in her room.

After consuming the Earth Dragon Golden Melon Lu Yuan had given her, her soul power cultivation had surged from Rank 26 straight to Rank 30.

After hunting a Soul Ring nearby, the remaining medicinal power in her body had raised her cultivation to Rank 33.

Her martial soul had also evolved from the Jade-Scaled Snake into the Jade-Scaled Flood Dragon, freeing her from the risk of toxin backlash.

As for Xiao Wu, she had already been moved from the secret chamber into a specially constructed cell and placed under Ma Bao'guo's watch.

Because she had tried to escape before, Xiao Wu's meals had become the leftovers from the dogs at Dugu Bo's residence.

If she still refused to behave, Lu Yuan would not mind taking things further and denying her even vegetable leaves, starving her for five or six days.

Back to the matter at hand.

With Dugu Bo as their guide, they wound through the streets and alleys and soon found their destination.

Blue Tyrant Academy's gate tower was incredibly tall, nearly comparable to Heaven Dou City's gates.

Though the gate tower carved from white marble could not be called extravagant, it was imposing. Eight gilded characters were inscribed above it: Blue Tyrant Advanced Spirit Master Academy.

Dugu Bo led the two of them to a small building beside the gate tower.

Through the window lattice, they could see a middle-aged Spirit Master seated inside.

"What business do you have at our academy?" the middle-aged Spirit Master asked.

Dugu Bo said blandly, "Go announce our arrival. Tell your dean, Liu Erlong, to come out and meet us."

The middle-aged Spirit Master frowned, displeased by his attitude. "Sorry, but the dean is busy with countless affairs and has no time to receive outsiders."

"No time? I am a dignified Titled Douluo. Asking her to come out is already giving her face!"

Dugu Bo had always been temperamental, and few in Heaven Dou City dared to offend him.

Now that he had broken through to become a Titled Douluo, his arrogance would only grow greater.

Two yellow, two purple, and five black.

A full nine Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet before the middle-aged Spirit Master's stunned eyes.

"T-Titled Douluo, Your Excellency!"

The middle-aged Spirit Master trembled all over, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Hurry up and inform Liu Erlong. Tell her to come out and meet me," Lu Yuan urged.

"Yes, yes! I'll go right away. Please wait a moment."

The middle-aged man hastily agreed, then fled the gatehouse in a sorry state and ran toward the academy grounds.

On Douluo Continent, strength still spoke for everything. Good thing I started out with Tang Wutong as my protector... Lu Yuan secretly sighed at the sight.

Not long afterward, a figure approached at a brisk pace.

She was a mature, voluptuous beauty dressed in a simple green cloth skirt. Her jet-black hair was casually tied up, though her face looked somewhat pale.

"You are... Dugu Bo?"

The beautiful woman's gaze swept over the three of them. Of the three, only Dugu Bo's appearance seemed faintly familiar to her.

The Spirit Master circle in Heaven Dou City was only so large, and Dugu Bo counted as a notable figure. Rumor had it that he was solitary by nature, neither wholly righteous nor wholly wicked.

Although the two had little contact, she had met him once or twice several years ago.

Yet Dugu Bo looked somewhat different today. He appeared much younger than before.

Dugu Bo nodded slightly. "That would be me."

"I did not expect you to have broken through to become a Titled Douluo. May I ask what brings you to my Blue Tyrant Academy?"

Liu Erlong asked casually.

Even though the guard had already reported that Dugu Bo had become a Titled Douluo, her expression did not change at all.

Twenty years ago, the incident where that worthless Yu Xiaogang fled from their wedding had dealt her an enormous blow, leaving her utterly despondent.

As a result, she could not muster the slightest interest in anything.

Lu Yuan said, "Dean Liu, won't you invite us inside?"

Liu Erlong glanced at him and raised a hand in invitation. "Please."

The three followed her into Blue Tyrant Academy and arrived at the reception hall.

Liu Erlong gestured for them to sit. Once they had settled down, she looked at Dugu Bo. "Your Excellency, you may state your business now."

Dugu Bo said, "Dean Liu, I am not the one in charge here."

Liu Erlong froze. Just as she was about to speak, Lu Yuan said, "I'm the one looking for you."

"Who are you? If you have something to say, say it directly."

Liu Erlong raised a brow, her expression strange.

It was hard to imagine that Dugu Bo was not the one calling the shots among the three.

Lu Yuan smiled. "Dean Liu, I have just arrived in Heaven Dou City and do not yet have a place to stay."

"Would you be willing to part with this academy and transfer it to me?"

Liu Erlong's expression darkened as she said coldly, "Are you mocking me?!"

Lu Yuan replied calmly, "No, no, no. I merely wish to make a deal with you."

"I know Yu Xiaogang's whereabouts, and I can exchange that information for this academy."

"Xiaogang? You know where Xiaogang is?!"

Joy appeared on Liu Erlong's face, and she could not help leaning forward.

Lu Yuan chuckled softly. "Yes. Give this academy to me, and then you can go find your beloved Xiaogang."

"This is a very worthwhile deal for you, isn't it?"

"After all, you normally do not manage this academy's affairs anyway."

Liu Erlong fell silent. After weighing it in her heart for a moment, she questioned, "How can I be sure you are not deceiving me?"

"I have no interest in deceiving you." Lu Yuan shook his head, then paused before speaking in a deep voice.

"Besides, if we wanted to use force, we could simply seize Blue Tyrant Academy outright."

"Wutong, Dugu Bo, reveal your Soul Rings."

The two beside him immediately rose to their feet.

Six black and three red—nine Soul Rings, far beyond any ordinary configuration, slowly rose from beneath Tang Wutong's feet.

On the other side, although Dugu Bo possessed only a standard Soul Ring configuration, nine Soul Rings likewise circled around him.

Two waves of pressure bore down on Liu Erlong at the same time!

Liu Erlong's body went limp, and she crashed heavily to the ground, unable to breathe!