If We're Going Anywhere, It'll Be Heaven Dou Royal Academy

A month later, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi sat upright in the seat of honor, a smile he could barely conceal on his refined face.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong stood on either side of him. Like Ning Fengzhi, they were somewhat excited.

Three days earlier, Lin Ye had sent a letter saying that he and Ning Rongrong were returning, and that they were bringing a companion with them.

Today, upon receiving word from a servant, they had immediately set aside their work and come to the hall together to welcome them.

Before long, Lin Ye walked in with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.

Ning Rongrong hurried forward, calling out sweetly as soon as she entered, "Dad! Grandpa Jian! Grandpa Gu! We're back!"

Zhu Zhuqing followed quietly beside Lin Ye, carefully studying this support-type sect renowned throughout the continent.

"Ye, Rongrong, you're back."

Ning Fengzhi smiled at Lin Ye and Ning Rongrong, then turned his gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"Ye, who is this young lady?"

Lin Ye first nodded in greeting to his two masters, then stepped aside to reveal Zhu Zhuqing behind him. "Uncle Ning, this is Zhu Zhuqing, a companion we met at Shrek Academy."

Lin Ye's introduction was straightforward. He only called her a "companion," without mentioning anything about joining the sect.

As seasoned as Ning Fengzhi was, he understood Lin Ye's unspoken meaning at once.

This girl was not some prize Lin Ye had recruited for the sect. She would not be joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; she was simply his traveling companion.

Still, he hadn't expected the boy to go away once and come back with a girl in tow.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

"So you're Miss Zhu. Welcome to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Seated in his chair, Ning Fengzhi gave a slight nod. His manner was not distant, but he maintained the reserve expected of a sect master. Meanwhile, Chen Xin and Gu Rong swept their gazes over Zhu Zhuqing, scrutinizing her.

Zhu Zhuqing immediately felt two piercing gazes settle on her. The invisible pressure made her body tense slightly, but she still bowed to the three of them.

"Greetings, Sect Master Ning, honored seniors."

"Young lady, what is your Martial Soul? What level are you now?" Chen Xin asked.

"My Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat. I'm a level twenty-nine agility-attack Soul Grandmaster." Zhu Zhuqing's answer was clear and concise.

"The Hell Spirit Cat..."

They were somewhat surprised. Gu Rong spoke first. "The one from the Star Luo Zhu Family? It's rare to see a young girl venture out alone to gain experience."

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered, and she nodded. "Yes."

Ning Fengzhi spoke up then. "Rongrong, take Miss Zhu around the sect and help her get familiar with the surroundings. Lin Ye and I still have a few things to discuss."

"Sure!"

Ning Rongrong immediately agreed. She, too, wanted to give Zhu Zhuqing a "proper" look at the place where she and her Brother Lin Ye had grown up "together."

"Zhu Zhuqing, come on! I'll show you around our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Lin Ye. Only after he gave her a slight nod did she answer softly, "Mm, all right."

After the two girls left, only Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Lin Ye remained in the hall. The atmosphere changed, suddenly becoming more formal.

Ning Fengzhi looked at Lin Ye and asked, "Ye, could you tell me what happened after you left?"

Lin Ye calmly found a seat and sat down.

"Mm, are you asking about Shrek, Uncle?"

"That's right. A month ago, I received word that Shrek Academy had been destroyed." A hint of curiosity flickered in Ning Fengzhi's eyes as he watched Lin Ye.

Ning Fengzhi had been rather surprised when he first received the report from his subordinates. After all, destroying Shrek would require a Titled Douluo to take action.

Yet a month had passed, and he still hadn't discovered whom Shrek Academy had offended. That was why he intended to ask Lin Ye; perhaps the boy knew something.

Lin Ye thought for a moment, then began recounting a somewhat "polished" version of his experience.

"That academy... the atmosphere really was... well, not great."

Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluos said nothing, listening quietly.

"First, there was the dean, Flender. He really was greedy, but honestly, his ability to run a school was nothing to write home about." Lin Ye curled his lip.

"What they taught was less about cultivating as a Soul Master and more about acting like street thugs. They were always saying things like, 'Anyone who doesn't dare stir up trouble is a mediocrity,' encouraging students to throw their weight around, pick fights, and bully the weak."

Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly but did not interrupt.

"Later, Yu Xiaogang arrived—the one they call Grandmaster."

Lin Ye's tone shifted, turning openly derisive. "His reputation was trumpeted loud enough to shake the heavens. They claimed he was unrivaled in Martial Soul Theory, but what did it amount to? He was only level twenty-nine himself, stuck there his whole life, and his theories were riddled with holes."

"My Martial Soul is a little unusual, and I absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as my fourth Soul Ring. He actually stamped his feet and accused me of faking it, saying I'd resorted to crooked, sinister methods."

"Of course I'd risked my own life to absorb that Soul Ring, but he questioned me like a madman and even incited the teachers and students to turn against us. That's how the conflict started."

"Oh?" Ning Fengzhi tapped his fingers lightly against his armrest. "Didn't Zhao Wuji and Flender stop him?"

"Them?"

Lin Ye gave a soft laugh. "Zhao Wuji was Flender's loyal lapdog to begin with. Birds of the same filthy feather. Heh."

"I figured there was no staying at that academy anymore, so I took Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing and left."

"We don't really know what happened afterward."

He spread his hands and looked at Ning Fengzhi with an innocent expression.

Ning Fengzhi listened carefully, his expression betraying nothing, while Chen Xin and Gu Rong exchanged a glance.

Although Lin Ye's account was simple, they knew him well enough to be certain that the boy hadn't told them everything.

Still, since Lin Ye had no intention of laying it all bare, there was no need for them to probe further.

What mattered more now was what Lin Ye intended to do next.

"I see..." An understanding look appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face.

"If a place steeped in such foul smoke and miasma was destroyed, so be it. All that matters is that you've returned safely."

"Then what are your plans now? Where do you intend to take Rongrong and Miss Zhu?"

Lin Ye answered without hesitation. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It's the empire's highest institution of learning, after all. Its resources, environment, and instructors are far better than Shrek's. It'll be better for both Rongrong's and Zhu Zhuqing's development. I'd also like to enter the Soul Master Tournament afterward."

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Ning Fengzhi nodded, approval in his eyes.

"That's an excellent choice. With your age and strength, you certainly qualify to go there. Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, what do you think?"

Chen Xin kept his answer brief. "Agreed."

"Ten thousand times better than that backwater den."

Gu Rong also agreed. "With the imperial name behind it, its resources are certainly beyond anything Shrek can offer. It's just the place for you."

"Then it's settled." Ning Fengzhi made the final decision.

Lin Ye was a boy who knew his own mind, and Ning Fengzhi would not interfere with his decisions.

Besides, whether in terms of safety or future prospects, attending the imperial academy was the best possible choice.