First Prince's Estate, study.
Qian Renxue sat quietly in the seat of honor, her gaze resting on Snake Lance Douluo before her as her brows drew tighter and tighter.
"What did you say?"
Snake Lance Douluo nodded slightly. "I personally confirmed it. He is indeed level 93."
"Didn't he only break through to Title Douluo not long ago?"
At those words, even Pufferfish Douluo standing nearby could not help but frown.
After reaching the Title Douluo realm, every additional level required exponentially more time and effort.
It was perfectly normal to remain stuck for years, decades, or even several decades without making any progress.
For a newly advanced Douluo like Dugu Bo, breaking through one level within a few years would have already been quite good. Yet now, he had advanced two levels in succession in such a short time...
"Strange."
Qian Renxue spoke softly, a thoughtful glint flashing through her eyes.
"Dugu Bo's talent is decent, but it is nowhere near this level. Has anything unusual happened around him recently?"
Snake Lance Douluo shook his head. "That Old Poison's movements have been secretive these past few months. He is often absent from his residence, and ordinary scouts cannot track him."
Qian Renxue did not press further. After a moment of silence, she suddenly changed the subject. "What about the person I told you to investigate?"
Snake Lance Douluo's expression tightened. "Reporting to Young Master, those people have already left Heaven Dou City. Their exact destination has not yet been determined, but reports from the city gate say they departed toward the northeast."
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly at this.
Since today, she had noticed that the Sun True Fire within her had grown much calmer, as though it had lost some kind of resonance.
The discomfort of being drawn and faintly disturbed had vanished, as if... the sun had left.
She raised her eyes toward the window. The sky was overcast, without the slightest trace of sunlight.
"Keep watching them for now."
"Dugu Bo's unusual behavior during this period is most likely connected to that person. If they appear again, I will go myself."
"Yes, Young Master."
Snake Lance Douluo bowed and withdrew.
Pufferfish Douluo did not leave. Only after Snake Lance Douluo's footsteps had completely faded did he speak in a low voice.
"Young Master, do you think that person is behind this?"
Qian Renxue lightly tapped the tabletop twice with her fingertips.
"I'm not sure. But for someone as proud and unruly as Dugu Bo, either something has been offered that he cannot refuse, or... he has been completely subdued."
"Either way, someone capable of helping a Title Douluo advance two levels in mere months is worth meeting in person."
Pufferfish Douluo said no more, merely nodding.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Inside the council hall, Ning Fengzhi sat in the seat of honor. An unfolded letter lay beside his hand, while Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong sat on either side of him. All three wore contemplative expressions.
"They've already left?"
It was Gu Rong who spoke.
"They have."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, his expression calm. "The scouts reported that those people at Dugu Bo's residence have left Heaven Dou City. They headed northeast."
"What a pity." Chen Xin shook his head slightly. "We didn't get to meet them."
"It doesn't matter."
Ning Fengzhi waved a hand. His gaze fell upon the letter beside him, and he gently pushed it to the center of the table.
"Though they have left, the scouts discovered something interesting during their investigation."
Gu Rong raised a brow. "What?"
Rather than answering directly, Ning Fengzhi spread out the letter and pushed it forward.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong lowered their heads to look at it together.
The letter began with "Headmaster Flender" and was signed, "Respectfully, Qin Ming."
Gu Rong picked up the letter and skimmed a few lines.
"Qin Ming? That name sounds somewhat familiar."
Ning Fengzhi explained, "A teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He is now considered one of the academy's mid-level backbones."
Having finished reading the letter, Gu Rong casually set it on the table.
"This kid is rather interesting. He teaches at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, yet instead of recruiting promising talents for the academy, he writes a lengthy letter praising some Shrek Academy as if it has no equal under heaven. Tsk, tsk."
"Shrek?"
Chen Xin leaned over to take a look, his brows twitching slightly. "I've never heard that name."
"Neither have I."
Gu Rong leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, a teasing note in his voice.
"Still, Qin Ming is a fairly decent prospect. Any academy he praises so highly should be all right... Hm? Flender?"
Chen Xin saw that name as well, and his expression changed.
"Flender... is it him?"
Noticing their unusual expressions, Ning Fengzhi asked, "Do you know this Flender?"
Gu Rong did not answer immediately, instead exchanging a look with Chen Xin.
A moment later, his lips curled in disdain.
"How should I put it... It has been many years since I last heard the name Flender."
"He has a title—Flying Horn."
Chen Xin took over.
"If I remember correctly, Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang once formed a group known as the Golden Triangle. They possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that could summon a Golden Sacred Dragon."
"Golden Sacred Dragon?"
Ning Fengzhi raised his brows slightly, finally recalling who they were.
Gu Rong, however, sneered. "What Golden Sacred Dragon? In the end, it is just a mutated fire dragon, an owl, and the mutated Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon of some trash, cobbled together. It can only fool outsiders who do not know the truth."
He paused, his tone carrying undisguised contempt.
"Do you know who the most useless of those three is?"
Chen Xin said nothing.
"Yu Xiaogang. That trash Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan drove out. His Martial Soul mutated into a pig, and he gave himself the title of 'Master' before going around swindling people.
With a fire dragon, an owl, and the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of three people combined, he claims they can contend with a Title Douluo. He boasts about it as though it were something extraordinary."
"Yu Xiaogang..."
Ning Fengzhi quietly repeated the name. As one of the Upper Three Sects, he also knew about Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul mutation from back then.
The so-called Ten Core Theories Yu Xiaogang had released were something all major powers understood perfectly well. One glance was enough to reveal their true worth.
Not only did those theories contain numerous errors, but many of their explanations were vague and insufficiently detailed.
Rather than the fruits of research, they were more like summaries and compilations of knowledge left behind by others.
Quite a bit of it had even been copied directly from Spirit Hall records. More absurdly, he had copied it incorrectly.
Taken as a whole, it was simply a shoddy collection of excerpts, riddled with errors even in the copying.
That was why, despite publishing the Ten Core Theories and calling himself a Master,
he could still only scrape by in a tiny place like Notting City. Soul Master factions and nobles with even a little knowledge looked down on him.
He could only fool ordinary people.
These matters had long since become a laughingstock among the major powers.
Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze back to the letter. After a moment, he slowly folded it.
"Since Qin Ming has written this letter, people from Shrek will most likely come."
Gu Rong looked at him. "What do you intend to do?"
Ning Fengzhi remained impassive. "Return the letter first. Shrek is not worth too much of our attention. What matters most right now are those people who have made Dugu Bo regard them so highly."
He rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. Gazing into the distance, he said thoughtfully,
"If those people return, I will make the trip myself."
Gu Rong waved an arm. "Why wait for them to come back? Didn't they head northeast? I'll go meet them first."
Ning Fengzhi was slightly taken aback. "Uncle Gu, you want to find them?"
Gu Rong laughed heartily. "Since we know they went northeast, I'll simply go look for them."
Chen Xin pondered for a moment. "Old Bones, be careful. I have a feeling that something is off."
Gu Rong burst into laughter. "Old Sword, there's actually a day when you worry about me?"
With that, he turned and strode away.
Ning Fengzhi said to Chen Xin, "Uncle Sword, with Uncle Gu's strength, where in the world could he not go?"
Chen Xin slowly shook his head. "For no reason at all, a feeling has arisen in my heart..."
"A feeling?"
Ning Fengzhi's brows furrowed tightly.
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