Three and a Half Years Later: Departure and Plans

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yu's tenth birthday arrived.

As an orphan, Jiang Yu had no idea when his birthday was in this life. But he and Wu Feng were almost exactly the same age, so Ning Yunxiu had decided to give him the same birthday as her.

At the birthday banquet, Jiang Yu and Wu Feng were the guests of honor and received plenty of gifts.

Red Dragon Douluo gave each of them a Century Fire Lotus. Consuming it would purify their Soul Power, replenish their yang energy, and nourish their bodies.

Ning Yunxiu took a more direct approach: she gave Jiang Yu and Wu Feng 5.2 million Gold Soul Coins each.

She had learned from Jiang Yu that "520" could express love.

Compared with Wu Lie and Ning Yunxiu, Ning Tian had put considerably more thought into her gifts.

She gave each of them a pendant made from Crimson Spirit Warm Jade. Worn on the body, it could ward off the cold. It also contained the core array of a level-six Soul Tool, allowing the owners of the three custom pendants to communicate within a fifty-li range. In a crisis, it could even deploy a Soul Tool barrier nearly as strong as a level-six Soul Tool shield.

After the banquet, Wu Lie left first. Seated at the head of the table, Ning Yunxiu swept a gentle gaze over the three of them and chuckled.

"In the blink of an eye, little Tian and little Feng have grown into young women. Even little Yu is nothing like the child he used to be. Time really does fly."

The three sat obediently.

More than three years had passed, and all of them had changed dramatically. Their cultivation had transformed, while their looks had shed some of their childishness and gained a measure of maturity.

They knew Ning Yunxiu had kept them behind for more than a chat about how much they had changed.

In fact, deep down, all three knew what she was about to say.

Sure enough, after briefly discussing their growth over the years, Ning Yunxiu turned to Ning Tian and Wu Feng, her tone growing serious.

"Little Tian, little Feng, you both know the sect's rules. In just over half a month, Shrek Academy's annual admissions season will begin. When it does, you'll leave the sect's protection and go live at Shrek Academy on your own."

Ning Tian and Wu Feng straightened, nervousness and anticipation mingling in their eyes.

Jiang Yu felt a little emotional himself.

By the ancestral rules of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, every heir, male or female, had to enter Shrek Academy after turning twelve and study there until graduating from the Inner Court.

The point was not to have Shrek Academy train the sect's heirs. After all, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could teach them everything Shrek Academy could.

The real aim was to temper its heirs and let them take advantage of Shrek Academy's status as the continent's greatest gathering place for geniuses. There, they could build connections, win over powerful allies, and assemble the team that would support them in the future.

Ten thousand years had passed. Though the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect remained the continent's foremost support-type sect, changes in the world had left it far less prosperous than before. Its former glory as the world's second-greatest sect was long gone.

Six Titled Douluo still guarded the sect, but only two were Super Douluo. Of the other four, everyone besides Red Dragon Douluo Wu Lie was a level ninety-one or ninety-two weakling, hardly fit to rely on.

The younger generation was in even worse shape.

Ridiculous as it sounded, Wu Feng, with Innate Soul Power of level eight, ranked among the top three talents of her generation.

The two ahead of her were Jiang Yu and Ning Tian.

That alone showed how badly the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's younger generation had declined.

So the sect was pinning its hopes on Ning Tian. While training at Shrek Academy, she could bring back a few of its geniuses to bolster the sect—perhaps even lure back a few monsters on the level of Shrek's Seven.

While Jiang Yu was lost in thought, Ning Yunxiu, who had been speaking with Ning Tian and Wu Feng, suddenly turned to him.

"Little Yu, I've thought it over. You should go to Shrek Academy with little Tian and little Feng."

Jiang Yu: ???

"Godmother, isn't Shrek Academy's minimum enrollment age twelve? I'm only ten..."

Jiang Yu hurried to object.

Ning Yunxiu smiled. "Rules aren't set in stone. I'll speak to Bright Phoenix Douluo personally. Given our longstanding ties, I doubt Shrek Academy will refuse the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect this courtesy."

"And to put it bluntly, two of the ten statues standing before their academy are ancestors of my Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! Whether Shrek Academy wants to grant us this favor or not, it will!"

Faced with Ning Yunxiu's commanding confidence, Jiang Yu had nothing to say. He could only nod.

As the very center of The Ultimate Douluo, Shrek Academy held opportunities and dangers alike. He had worried that if he waited another two years, all the best opportunities would be gone. Now Ning Yunxiu had solved that problem for him.

Meanwhile, Ning Tian was delighted to hear Jiang Yu would be going with them. Wu Feng's feelings were far more complicated.

On one hand, the three of them had been close ever since forming the Nine Treasure Trio four years ago. They had long since grown used to one another's company, and parting would have been difficult.

But as Wu Feng grew older and began to understand love, she had gradually realized what she felt for Ning Tian.

Love came with possessiveness and endless jealousy. She wanted Ning Tian to be close to her alone. If Jiang Yu went with them, the differences in his age and gender meant Ning Tian would surely pay more attention to him than to her.

More importantly, after all these years together, she had begun to sense that Ning Tian treated Jiang Yu differently.

Wu Feng could not put that difference into words, but it seemed to show in every detail of their daily lives and interactions.

She was afraid, though she could not say exactly what she feared.

Ning Yunxiu clearly had no idea what was stirring in the three children's hearts. She clapped her hands lightly and continued.

"All right, it's settled. Take it easy over the next half month and get everything you need ready. After this, you'll only be able to come home once or twice a year."

"Also, the Heaven Dou Grand Auction House is holding its Top-Tier Auction in five days. It only happens once every five years. Come take a look with me. If you see anything you want, we'll bid on it. Consider it a parting gift from me."

The Top-Tier Auction?

Each occupied with their own thoughts, the three nodded, a faint anticipation rising in their hearts.

The Heaven Dou Grand Auction House had existed since the founding of the Heaven Dou Empire. With over ten thousand years of history there, it was the largest auction house on the continent. Treasures such as soul bones appeared even at its regular high-end auctions, let alone at its Top-Tier Auction, held only once every five years.

Jiang Yu suspected it might even surpass the National-Level Auction held by the Star Luo Empire.

And Ning Yunxiu had said they could look around and buy whatever they liked. If a treasure caught their eye, they could take it without worrying about the price.

With a little luck, they might even come away with a soul bone suited to them.

How could they not look forward to it...