Snow Qinghe, Qian Renxue

Ning Bei was pondering how to obtain the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well when Ning Fengzhi summoned him to the Council Hall.

Entering the Side Hall, he saw a blond young man of around ten years old standing beside Ning Fengzhi.

When the boy saw Ning Bei enter, he gave him a warm, springlike smile before nodding in greeting.

At that moment, Ning Fengzhi said to Ning Bei:

"Bei Er, this is the First Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, His Highness Xue Qinghe. He has come to discuss the matter of becoming my disciple. Come over and pay your respects to His Highness."

Ning Bei nodded and walked over to the boy, sizing up his chest. He seemed to realize something, unable to call it merely ordinary—it was more accurate to say it was completely undeveloped.

He had probably just killed the original First Prince and had yet to become the Crown Prince. This visit to become Ning Fengzhi's disciple was meant to tie the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the First Prince's side.

Ning Bei had still attended the noble etiquette classes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so he gave a solemn bow.

"Greetings, Your Highness the First Prince. I am Ning Bei."

"Brother Ning, there's no need to be so formal. From now on, I'll be Sect Leader Ning's disciple, so you can just call me Big Brother Xue."

Ning Bei rolled his eyes inwardly. Big Brother Xue? Are you sure you aren't Sister Xue?

He could think that, of course, but he couldn't possibly say it out loud.

"Then I'll respectfully obey, Big Brother Xue."

For some reason, Xue Qinghe felt that Ning Bei's form of address sounded strange, but he didn't think much of it. He merely felt that Ning Fengzhi's youngest son still needed to be won over, as that would help him control the Heaven Dou Empire.

Seeing the two converse so harmoniously, Ning Fengzhi revealed a faint smile as well.

"You two are around the same age. You should spend more time together in the future."

"Yes, Father."

"I understand, Teacher."

Ning Fengzhi nodded and gestured with his eyes that Ning Bei could leave. He still had matters to discuss with Xue Qinghe.

Ning Bei curled his lips, as if he cared about listening to their shady deal.

However, when he reached the door, Ning Bei's eyes suddenly lit up, as though he had thought of something.

Dugu Yan was around the same age as him, so she should be enrolling in the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy now.

Then all he had to do was attend the Heaven Dou Royal Academy as well to get in touch with her. As long as he met Dugu Yan, he wouldn't have to worry about being unable to meet Dugu Bo. When that time came, he would have plenty of room to maneuver.

Ning Bei had previously considered taking Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo straight to the Sunset Forest to blockade the entrance.

But first, it would be difficult for him to explain how he knew about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Blaming everything on the Pill Pagoda would be far too implausible.

Second, if Dugu Bo was pushed too far, he might not be able to defeat Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, but he was capable of destroying the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and perishing together with them.

That would be a terrible trade. Moreover, if Dugu Bo happened to escape from Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, Ning Bei would have even less freedom to leave the sect in the future. He would have to guard against surprise attacks at all times. After all, Dugu Bo's moral bottom line was among the lowest even within the ranks of Titled Douluo. Hadn't he attacked Little Rascal, who was only a Soul Elder in his thirties, in the original story?

Once he realized that approaching Dugu Yan was the best method, joining the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy became essential. And if Xue Qinghe wanted to place someone in the empire's junior academy, wouldn't that be effortless?

Thus, under the two bewildered gazes, Ning Bei, who should already have left, returned to stand before them once again.

"Bei Er, is there something else?"

Ignoring Ning Fengzhi's question, Ning Bei looked directly at Qian Renxue beside him.

"Big Brother Xue, I want to attend the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy. Could you make the arrangements?"

Qian Renxue was surprised by Ning Bei's words and pondered for a moment.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has far better resources than the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Why would he give up what's close at hand for something farther away?

He probably feels that the sect has too many restrictions and wants to go out and have some fun.

Believing that she had figured out Ning Bei's thoughts, Qian Renxue smiled and agreed.

"Brother Ning wants to attend the junior academy? That's simple. I can say a word to them afterward."

"It's just that this semester's classes are almost over. You can wait until the next enrollment period in half a year."

Seeing that she had agreed, Ning Bei smiled and thanked her. Under Ning Fengzhi's grim expression, he walked out of the Council Hall.

After eating lunch by himself, Ning Bei was summoned by Ning Fengzhi again before he could even take an afternoon nap.

When he arrived at the Council Hall, he discovered that Ning Fengzhi wasn't the only one there. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were seated nearby as well. Xue Qinghe was nowhere to be seen, so she had probably already left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

As soon as Ning Bei arrived, Ning Fengzhi began reprimanding him.

"Bei Er, do you know that the function of your Martial Soul absolutely cannot be exposed? I don't agree to your attending the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy."

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo remained silent beside him, clearly agreeing with Ning Fengzhi's decision.

Ning Bei had expected the three of them to react this way, so he smiled and summoned the Pill Pagoda.

Two yellow spirit rings lit up in succession, and two soul beasts appeared in everyone's view. They were none other than the Hurricane Hunting Falcon and the Golden Armor Battle Bear.

Seeing the three of them staring in confusion, Ning Bei cleared his throat.

"Ahem, ahem. Let me introduce myself. I'm Ning Bei, from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. My Martial Soul is the Summoning Tower, and I'm a level-22 Summoning System Battle Soul Master."

Bone Douluo stared at Ning Bei's antics with a face full of black lines.

"Bei Er, stop fooling around. You—" He seemed to suddenly realize something, and his words immediately trailed off. "You want to..."

Seeing that Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin had also realized what was happening, Ning Bei nodded in satisfaction.

"Father, Grandfathers, it's not as if I don't know what's important. I had already thought of a countermeasure before deciding to attend the academy. This way, I can perfectly conceal the true function of my Martial Soul."

Although the three understood that Ning Bei's Martial Soul was no longer at risk of exposure, they still asked in confusion, "Even so, you can study at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Why must you go all the way to Heaven Dou Academy?"

"That's right. Just stay at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Ning Bei shook his head helplessly. He had known these three wouldn't easily let him leave. He couldn't exactly say that he wanted to court the granddaughter of Poison Douluo. Fortunately, he had already prepared another explanation.

"Father, Grandfathers, at the end of the day, I'm still an auxiliary Soul Master. For my future partner, it would be best to find a powerful Battle Soul Master. Don't you think the sect has someone like that?"

The three fell silent upon hearing this.

Forget about a suitable female Battle Soul Master for Ning Bei—even a male one didn't exist. And even if there were one, they couldn't produce offspring together!

After understanding what Ning Bei meant, Ning Fengzhi stopped trying to prevent him.

"Since you have your own plans, we won't stop you. But remember, the outside world is different from the sect. You must conceal the true abilities of your Martial Soul."

"I understand, Father." Ning Bei nodded obediently.

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Sword Douluo looked at the excited Ning Bei with amusement.

"Good Kid, a Summoning System Battle Soul Master at that. I can't believe you thought of that."

Ning Bei scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.

Thanks to the generous reward from "Tiantian Zhan Shao"!