This Was a Crime Against All That Was Good!

"Look! It's the biggest moneybags on Douluo Continent!"

"Main Body, you old rascal, seize your chance! Marry her!"

"If we can get in with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I bet we could eat ourselves to death for the rest of our lives."

"A woman who can max out a black card full of Gold Soul Coins is the coolest."

All of you, shut the hell up! You're deafening me!

A ripple passed through the Sea of Consciousness. The tethered Gem Lanternfish shrank in on itself again, like a pufferfish holding its breath.

"Pervert!"

"Look at our young mistress again, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

Wu Feng stepped forward to shield Ning Tian. She released her Martial Soul, pressing Jiang Hao with its power.

Jiang Hao sensed something was wrong. Everyone around him was looking his way.

It's all those Clones' fault. They just had to make a fuss.

That was why he had never taken his eyes off Ning Tian.

"You dare!" Ma Xiaotao stepped in front of Jiang Hao. Flames from her Evil Fire Phoenix surged up, sending a violent wave of heat sweeping outward.

"He's mine. If anyone's gouging out his eyes, it'll be me, not you."

Seeing that Ma Xiaotao was about to start beating someone up as usual, Yan Shaozhe spoke up to stop her.

After all, if word got out that Shrek had fallen into conflict with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—and that his own student had struck someone—it would make them a laughingstock.

But Xian Ling'er blocked him.

"Leave the young people's business to the young people. Why do old fossils like us always have to butt in?"

After hearing Ma Xiaotao call Jiang Hao hers, Xian Ling'er found Yan Shaozhe, whom she had never much liked, a little easier on the eyes. The man was an indecent old fool, but the girl he had raised was all right.

She would have to find a chance to tell Hao'er: when looking at a girl, look at her eyes first.

Once the girl grew shy and looked away, he could look elsewhere. That was a technique worth teaching.

Off to one side, Zhang Lexuan looked at Ning Tian, who stood behind Wu Feng's protective figure.

Fair skin, tousled short hair, and a strikingly confident air.

So that's Jiang Hao's type? No wonder he doesn't even notice the two beauties at his side.

"That's enough, Wu Feng. Don't make a scene!"

A blush flickered across Ning Tian's face. She placed a calming hand on Wu Feng's shoulder and settled her down.

Then she approached Jiang Hao. With only a few meters between them, she cupped her hands and said, "May I ask your name? I'm Ning Tian, daughter of the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I'm a level-twelve tool-type Soul Master with one Soul Ring."

From the moment Yan Shaozhe and the others had arrived, Ning Tian had observed every one of them.

In her eyes, elders like Yan Shaozhe and Xian Ling'er had to be the teachers leading Shrek Academy's group.

But once Yan Shaozhe displayed his strength, Ning Tian recognized the characteristics of his Martial Soul and worked out that he was the Dean of Shrek Academy. The other elder beside him could hardly be an ordinary figure either.

Then there was Zhang Lexuan's bearing and the Inner Court uniform she wore.

Those told Ning Tian that she was surely one of Shrek Academy's core students.

Anyone who accompanied elders and the Dean was bound to be exceptional.

That left Jiang Hao and Ma Xiaotao, who both looked close to her own age.

Unless they were an elder's juniors or students Shrek was cultivating with particular care, they probably would not have come along.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had endured on this continent for tens of thousands of years.

It owed that longevity to more than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support abilities and the family's business dealings.

It also owed it to the way its people handled others and their keen eye for talent.

You could mock the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda for being weak, but you could not mock its Soul Masters for lacking judgment.

That was why Ning Tian could remain composed even before the powerful.

To Ning Tian, both Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Hao were people worth winning over.

After thinking it through, Jiang Hao quickly found a way out of his predicament.

"Sorry, Miss Ning. My name is Jiang Hao.

"My Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul. I'm a level-fifteen Body Soul Master with one Soul Ring.

"I'm really sorry. I thought you were a boy just now.

"When I noticed you staring at me, I thought you were challenging me!"

"Level fifteen?" Wu Feng could not help covering her little mouth. Ning Tian's lips twitched at his words, though she quickly regained her composure.

Ning Tian's Innate Soul Power had not been particularly high, but it had reached level seven. She had spent a year cultivating it to the level-ten bottleneck.

He's about my age, yet his cultivation is three levels above mine. His Innate Soul Power must be higher than mine!

A gifted student of Shrek Academy—someone worth winning over.

At Jiang Hao's last remark, Yan Shaozhe could not hold back a laugh.

"Pfft! All right, little Tian. Since we've run into each other, let's travel together.

"The forest is dangerous, and you've already obtained your Soul Ring.

"We should leave the Star Dou Great Forest as soon as we can."

Ning Tian was delighted. With a Titled Douluo accompanying them, they could pass safely through the Mixed Zone on their way to Shrek Academy.

But how could she be satisfied with merely leaving the Star Dou Great Forest together?

As the future young Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had responsibilities ahead of her.

She was the only child of her generation in the main family line. One day, the duty of winning over powerful allies, strengthening the sect, and maintaining its relationships would fall on her shoulders.

Yan Shaozhe was the Dean of Shrek Academy. She had been handed a perfect chance to bring the two sides closer.

If she let it slip away, she would probably regret it for the rest of her life.

Even with her status, she could not meet the Dean of Shrek Academy whenever she pleased.

An opportunity only counted as one if she seized it.

"Thank you, Dean Yan!

"I'm just a junior, so I won't stand on ceremony. I hope you won't mind.

"We're heading to Shrek City now that we've finished hunting Soul Beasts.

"May I travel with you, Dean Yan?"

Yan Shaozhe stroked his beard in thought.

Xuan Zi had yet to be found, and Ning Tian's group lacked protection.

Leaving them here would be hard to justify, whether on personal or practical grounds.

But he also needed to return to Shrek Academy quickly. This was difficult to turn down.

As Yan Shaozhe pondered, his gaze landed on Zhang Lexuan.

That's it. Let the youngsters go back together.

They can build closer ties, and it won't harm Shrek Academy's relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Besides, being together will give them more chances to gain experience.

"Lexuan, Dean Xian and I will head back first. The matter concerning Xuan Zi is too important to delay. Take these youngsters back by carriage at your own pace."

"Yes, Dean!" Zhang Lexuan was unwilling in a hundred different ways, but Yan Shaozhe was Shrek's Dean. She could not embarrass him by refusing.

So she gritted her teeth and agreed.

The last time they had parted from a Titled Douluo, her group had encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

What would they run into this time?

Zhang Lexuan nodded her assent.

Since that was settled, she could use the opportunity to investigate further.

She wanted to find out whether the people she had encountered last time were still in the forest.

"Here, Hao'er. I had this Soul Tool made for you after your Martial Soul awakened.

"It's specially suited to your cultivation!"

Xian Ling'er pressed a gleaming steel greatsword into Jiang Hao's hands. Red lines ran through its granite-like blade, and a ruby flashing with magnificent colors was set into the thick metal.

The heavy sword drove Jiang Hao's whole body down into the earth.

Only then did Xian Ling'er reluctantly follow Yan Shaozhe into the air, flying toward Shrek Academy.

If it had been just the few of them, they could have left quickly. But with people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect traveling alongside them, they could not simply fly over the Star Dou Great Forest in full view.

Doing so would make them easy targets for a Soul Beast ambush.

Hmm.

Watching Yan Shaozhe and Xian Ling'er leave, Jiang Hao finally felt at ease.

As long as no one with a Titled Douluo's strength remained, he was safe from being exposed.

He hefted the greatsword. The more Soul Power he fed into it, the stronger its Gravity Shift became.

This thing is good! Jiang Hao examined it. If feeding it Soul Power makes it heavier, couldn't I lift it first, then charge it with Soul Power? Gravity alone would be enough to smash someone to death.

Jiang Hao tried to put the greatsword into his Storage Soul Tool.

Without warning, the greatsword tore through space above his head and came crashing down at him.

Jiang Hao reacted instantly, thrusting up a hand to catch it. His body sank into the ground, the veins on his arm bulging.

He instinctively drew on his Soul Power, but as soon as it circulated through him, it poured madly into the sword overhead, as though it had found a breach.

No, this is a disaster! The sword absorbs Soul Power on its own. Auntie, you've done me in!

By the time half his calves were buried in the soil, Jiang Hao finally managed to hold the sword steady through sheer physical strength.

"You've got to be kidding me! Its ability is ridiculous, and I can't even put it away. Auntie, what level Soul Tool did you give me?"

A lower-level Storage Soul Tool could not hold a higher-level Soul Tool.

The ring Jiang Hao wore had a full hundred square meters of space. It was a genuine fourth-tier Soul Tool.

That meant the sword was at least fifth-tier.

She had used fifth-tier materials and a Core Array just to make a sword for physical training. A sixth-tier Soul Tool could sell for over a million.

Even fifth-tier Soul Tools went for around five or six hundred thousand. With this sword in his hands, he was carrying five or six hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

This was a crime against all that was good!