Xue Qinghe

Ning Rongrong turned her head in surprise. "Huh? Is that so?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "It's nothing. Of course, you can keep an eye out for me if you have the chance. Haha."

Wang Xingyu clasped his hands in a fist salute, "Indeed, Sect Master Ning."

Ning Rongrong linked arms with her father and introduced him as they walked, "Dad, let me introduce you to my friends."

She first introduced Tai Long and the other two, Ning Fengzhi nodded in greeting. Then she walked to Dai Mubai's side, "This is our leader of the Shrek Eight Monsters, the Evil Eye White Tiger Dai Mubai, who is already a level 51 Soul King at such a young age."

Ning Fengzhi paused. "Fifty-one?" He looked at the blond boy in front of him again. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen years old. A seventeen-year-old Soul King." Ning Rongrong's tone was full of pride.

Ning Fengzhi was silent for a moment, his surprise still lingering. "Evil Eye White Tiger..." he murmured twice, then looked up, "I see. Perhaps you'll have the chance to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School."

Dai Mubai nodded respectfully. "I'd be happy to."

Ning Rongrong then pulled Oscar over. "This is Oscar, the second of our Shrek Eight Monsters, with Sausage Martial Soul, a level 47 food-type Soul Ancestor."

Ning Fengzhi was stunned again. "Level 47, Food-type? Food-type cultivators can actually cultivate this fast."

Oscar scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red, and after holding it in for a long time, he finally blurted out the words that had been on his mind for so long. "Uncle Ning, I've always wanted to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I wonder if there's ever a chance..."

Ning Fengzhi chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "With your talent, which sect wouldn't be scrambling to recruit you? I'd love for you to join."

Ma Hongjun was standing next to Ning Fengzhi, had just opened his mouth halfway and was about to give a lewd smile when he caught a glimpse of Ning Fengzhi out of the corner of his eye. He abruptly withdrew his lewd smile, and his expression became somewhat distorted.

As they walked and chatted, Ning Rongrong continued, "You already know Xiao Wu, Third Brother, and Xingyu. Ma Hongjun, level 45. Zhu Zhuqing, level 46."

Ning Fengzhi slowly, his gaze sweeping over the eight young people one by one, his tone filled with genuine admiration. "No wonder they're called the Eight Eccentrics. At this age, they're all above Level 40."

He stopped at the street corner and turned to the crowd. "You all go back first. Xingyu and the other two have a few words to say."

The group left first. After they had gone far away, Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Uncle Ning, what did you say?"

"There is someone who wants to see you."

Ning Fengzhi led the three through several quiet streets and into a simple two-story building. Pushing open the door, the interior was elegantly furnished, with a faint incense burning on the coffee table. A young man with short white hair was sitting by the window, and stood up when he heard footsteps.

"This is Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Heaven Dou Empire," Ning Fengzhi, stepping aside to introduce him.

Your Highness the Crown Prince?

The three of them secretly observed out of curiosity.

Wang Xingyu's gaze lingered on that delicate face for a moment.

Is this Qian Renxue? She looks quite handsome, but her actions are baffling—she's at level 20 innate, her Angel Godhood is as secure as it gets, yet she comes here pretending to be the crown prince.

After Tang San saw through his deception, he didn't struggle and simply left, not even bothering to make a fuss. However, his character and attitude towards ordinary people were quite good.

Should he try dating Qian Renxue? Wang Xingyu thought about it again and decided against it, after all, he still had to beat up her mother.

The three clasped their hands in a gesture of respect. Xue Qinghe offered a hand in a gesture of support, his tone amiable. "No need for formalities. To reach this level at your age, and with the second ring of a thousand-year-old and the fourth ring of a ten-thousand-year-old, is truly astonishing."

Ning Fengzhi, standing beside him with a slightly apologetic expression, said, "I'm sorry, it was I who told His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Uncle Ning, it's alright, he'll be exposed sooner or later." Wang Xingyu said, but his mind was racing.

In the original novel, Qian Renxue recruited Tang San because she knew he was Tang Hao's son. Why is she doing this now?

Xue Qinghe cut to the chase. "Excuse me for bothering you, but I'm genuinely curious—how did you obtain the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring?"

So that's why.

Wang Xingyu felt relieved, stretched out his hand, and the Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, forming a triangle on the wrists of the three people.

"My Blue Silver Grass can connect two people, sharing the impact of the Soul Ring. With three people bearing the burden together, the pressure of the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is dispersed."

He demonstrated the triangular Soul Power cycle, then retrieved the Blue Silver Grass. "Unfortunately, so far, only the three of us can connect; others can't."

As for the soul impact, none of the three had normal souls, so we won't go into that.

Xue Qinghe nodded thoughtfully. "I see, so Blue Silver Grass can be used like this."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over the three of them. "Are you three willing to submit to the Heaven Dou Empire? The Empire will spare no effort to nurture you into future Titled Douluo. The Spirit Hall's power is growing ever stronger, constantly suppressing and testing both empires; a catastrophe may be inevitable."

Xiao Wu was the first to shake her head. She didn't give a reason, but her attitude was clear.

Tang San also refused, and Wang Xingyu waved his hand as well. If they really joined, wouldn't they poison the three of them? But he didn't rule it out completely. "We'll consider it. We'll give His Highness the Crown Prince an answer after the competition."

As for the end of the competition—when Tang Hao arrived carrying the speaker, who cared about that anymore?

Xue Qinghe looked regretful, but did not force it. He took a token from his waist and handed it over. The token was not big, with an upright word "" engraved on the front. "Seeing the token is like seeing me. Take it, and you can come to me at any time."

Wang Xingyu accepted the token, seemingly lost in thought. The three clasped their hands in farewell again and departed.

The door closed. Xue Qinghe sat back down by the window, the incense in the burner still burning softly. He watched the three people walk away, a hint of regret in his voice. "What a pity, teacher... we couldn't recruit them."

Ning Fengzhi picked up the now-cold tea. "It's alright, take your time. They'll see your sincerity."

The three returned to Shrek, and as soon as they entered, they were surrounded by their waiting companions. They briefly explained to everyone how the Crown Prince had tried to recruit them and how they had politely declined.

Xiao Wu pouted, her tone decisive. "I don't want to join any empire, I'm fine with being with everyone else."

Ma Hongjun sighed, "I'm so handsome, how come they didn't recruit me? They really have no taste."

Oscar laughed and teased, "You think I'm recruiting you to scam young girls out of food?"

"Tch, wouldn't it be even worse if I lied to that young girl? Besides, Jun-ge, I'm just giving out perks."

The next day, Shrek faced off against the Elephant Armor Academy.

The Grandmaster specifically requested that Wang Xingyu and Tang San play together, replacing Zhu Zhuqing with the same lineup as yesterday.

Seven people stepped onto the arena. The opposing team from the Elephant Armor Academy was already in position—all of them were burly men weighing over 200 pounds. Their team uniforms were stretched taut by their muscles, making them look like a row of mountains of flesh.

Both sides released their Martial Soul. The seven members of the Elephant Armor Academy simultaneously revealed their Soul Ring, their Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul Possession, their skin glowing with a layer of white, translucent luster, as if they were covered in diamonds.

Huyan Li stood at the front, arms crossed in front of his chest, chin slightly raised, his gaze sweeping over the Shrek members, pausing for a moment on Wang Xingyu's Fourth Soul Ring —deep purple, almost touching the black edge.

The host's voice resounded throughout the venue. "Another Soul Ancestor from the Shrek Academy! Although the Fourth Soul Ring isn't ten-thousand-year, its color is extremely deep, probably not far off! And it also possesses the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Can it bring a surprise like Tang San did yesterday? Let's wait and see!"

On the highest tier of the stands, Xue Ye tilted his head slightly, looking at Ning Fengzhi beside him. "Sect Master Ning, is this Shrek team the one you're rooting for?"

Ning Fengzhi bowed slightly. "That's right, Your Majesty. They are strong contenders for this championship."

Platinum Bishop Salas, standing to the side, calmly added, "Sect Master Ning, Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring indeed powerful, but the Diamond Mammoth from the Elephant Armor Academy has unparalleled defense; I'm afraid it won't be so easy to deal with."

Ning Fengzhi smiled, his gaze returning to the arena, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Bishop Salas may wish to wait and see."