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Ning Tian nodded firmly. "That's right. We're giving up the seeded spot. The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition isn't just a stage to show off young Spirit Masters' strength, it's also a chance to grow. With our team, plus Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, and Osler back with Heaven Dou team, we've got six Spirit Ancestors and two Spirit Elders nearly at Level 40. Getting to the finals is a sure thing. Since we're that confident, why skip the experience this competition offers?"
"Yes, what you said makes sense." Bai Baoshan said, glancing at Meng Shenji and Zhi Lin. "What do you two think?"
Meng Shenji paused, then spoke. "The Heaven Dou team's mostly new blood now. This could be a perfect way to prove Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's worth. We'll need to report it to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, though."
Zhi Lin dipped his head. "Naturally."
And with that, the plan was set.
Zhu Qing would lead the Heaven Dou team as their advisor, while Ning Tian would captain the main squad representing the academy. To keep everyone safe, the academy would also send a Spirit Saint level teacher to protect them. After all, past competitions had seen students vanish without a trace.
...….
After leaving the education committee, Yu Feng couldn't hold back. "Ning Tian, no, Captain Ning! What happened out there? You've all improved so fast. Compared to when you left, your spirit powers have increased by over ten levels! It's unreal. If I'd known, I'd have tagged along with Lingling."
Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Osler nodded, their faces grim. They knew firsthand how suffocating it had been training with the Shrek team these past two years.
"It wasn't much," Ning Tian said with a grin. "Just went through some hardships."
He launched into a string of wild stories, painting their adventures as far more dangerous than they'd actually been. Life-or-death moments? Practically an everyday thing, according to him.
Yu Feng and the others stared, wide-eyed, their interest in joining such a trip fading fast. From Ning Tian's story, it sounded like they wouldn't have lasted a day.
Strength mattered but staying alive trumped everything.
Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Zhu Qing exchanged amused looks. Ning Tian sure knew how to spin a tale and scare people off.
Truth was, they'd faced risks, but nothing that ever truly put their lives on the line.
Ning Tian switched topics. "Anyway, Rongrong, Lingling, you've been away from home for a while. The competition's still a ways off, so take some time and head back to check in. Teacher, Zhu Zhuqing, and I will help Shi Mo and Shi Mo get their soul rings."
"Alright," the girls agreed. It was high time they told their families about their martial souls evolving.
As for how that happened, Ning Tian had their story ready: their natural talent, paired with rare soul beasts he'd carefully picked to match their martial souls, had sparked the change.
For Ning Rongrong, he'd say he chose two gem-type soul beasts, which led to her evolution. After all, no one in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had ever started with Level 9 innate soul power or taken two gem-type soul rings before.
How long that excuse would hold up? Ning Tian didn't care. By the time anyone figured it out, he'd be strong enough that it wouldn't matter.
So, the group split up. Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling went to Sun Buyu to request leave.
Ning Tian, Zhu Qing, and Zhu Zhuqing stayed with Yu Feng and Osler, waiting for the Spirit Saint teacher the academy was sending. Once they arrived, they'd head to the Sunset Forest to hunt soul rings for the Shi brothers.
It didn't take long for the Spirit Saint to show up. She is a beautiful woman in Hanfu dress looking around thirty but well over fifty. Her name was Meng Na, Meng Shenji's daughter, with the same Black Demon martial soul. At Level 77, she was being groomed to join the committee someday.
Sending her to guard the Heaven Dou team proved how much the committee valued Ning Tian and his team.
After some quick introductions, the group warmed up to each other. Zhu Qing and Meng Na clicked right away, chatting like they'd known each other forever.
They set off for the Sunset Forest, talking as they went.
On the way down the mountain, they bumped into the Shrek team, who'd been waiting.
Qin Ming, spotting Meng Na, greeted her first before turning to Ning Tian with a wry smile. "Looks like you've already sorted things with the committee. Where are Rongrong and Lingling? Didn't they come with you?"
"They're taking leave to visit home," Ning Tian replied, his tone flat. "Something up?"
Qin Ming nodded seriously, then faced Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, and Osler. "After you left, Tianheng told me how you all felt. I was too caught up in merging Heaven Dou and Shrek for the competition and didn't think about you. As your old team leader, this is neglecting my duty. I apologize to you all."
He bowed to the four of them.
That threw Yu Feng and the others off balance.
"Teacher Qin Ming, it's really not a big deal."
"We never held it against you. Don't worry about it."
They scratched their heads, unsure what to say.
Ning Tian, though, gave Qin Ming a slight nod of respect. "Just say what's on your mind, Teacher Qin Ming."
Qin Ming straightened up. "I talked it over with the dean. We'd like to join you on the soul ring hunt. We could use your and Master Zhu Qing's advice on soul rings for Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu."
To the Shrek team, Zhu Qing, who'd trained someone like Ning Tian was the real deal. Even Dai Mubai and Tang San, who couldn't stand Ning Tian, had to admit she earned the title "Master."
As for Yu Xiaogang, only Flender still called him one. Teaching a healthy Spirit Master like Tang San to the point of constant stomach trouble, didn't exactly inspire respect.
Even Qin Ming only called Yu Xiaogang "Grandmaster" out of courtesy to Flender.
"What do you think, Teacher?" Ning Tian asked Zhu Qing.
Seeing that Ning Tian didn't outright say no, Zhu Qing nodded. "Fine by me. The Sunset Forest is one of the continent's three big soul beast hotspots. It is an extremely dangerous place, so sticking together makes sense."
Ning Tian had his own reasons for agreeing. He could try to interfere with Ning Tian's fourth soul ring.
Speaking of Tang San, Ning Tian thought of the cave where Ah Yin and the soul bone were. He'd covered a wilted Blue Silver Grass with Golden Devouring Beetles to fake the Blue Silver Emperor, draining his soul and mental power while using Tang Hao as a backup power source.
He decided to keep that drain going. One day, when Tang Hao would bring Tang San to "meet" Ah Yin and found a dead plant instead, it'd be a sight worth seeing.
......
So, they all headed to the Sunset Forest.
"Master Zhu Qing, Shi Mo and I have the Black Tortoise Turtle martial soul. What do you think our fourth soul rings should be?"
"Tell me about your first three soul rings and skills first."
"Our soul rings are..."
....
Along the way, Zhu Qing stole the show. Students and teachers alike peppered her with questions about martial souls. After six years spent with Ning Tian at Nuoding Academy, plus two years of travel, she'd earned the "Master Zhu Qing" title fair and square.
"Master Zhu Qing, my student Ma Hongjun has the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. His soul rings and skills are…."
"The evil fire's been holding him back from training properly. Is there any solution for this?"
Even Flender, who'd always backed Yu Xiaogang's theories, couldn't help asking about Ma Hongjun.
Zhu Qing offered practical tips: quit the brothels, take cold baths when the fire flared up, or find a chilly spot to cool off.
Whether Ma Hongjun would follow through was on him.
Next to her, Yu Xiaogang faded into the background. Only Yu Tianheng and Flender still treated him like normal. Everyone else had mostly tuned him out.
Even Tang San, listening to Zhu Qing's answers, felt a weight lift. He realized how dumb he'd been, treating Yu Xiaogang's words like truth. Most of it was basic theory, and the stuff Yu Xiaogang "figured out" himself was flat-out wrong.
Picking those three poison-type soul rings was a total mistake. If he'd gone for life-rich wood-type rings, he wouldn't have had stomach problems. He might've hit Spirit Ancestor without switching to his second martial soul. Yu Xiaogang had dragged him down.
The more he thought about it, the less Tang San cared for him.
Finally, desperate to get stronger, he turned to Zhu Qing. "Master Zhu Qing, you probably know my Blue Silver Grass has issues. What should my fourth soul ring be?"
That was it for Yu Xiaogang.
"Little San, you—"
He stared at Tang San, stunned. Just months ago, Tang San had stood up for him in front of everyone. Now, he was asking some junior academy teacher about his fourth soul ring, right in Yu Xiaogang's face.
It stung hard.
But Tang San kept going, ignoring him. "My first soul ring is from a nearly 400-year-old Mandrake Snake which gave me Binding soul skill. My second soul ring is a 600-year-old Ghost Vine, third's a 1,900-year-old Poison Spider..."
Seeing Tang San ignore him broke Yu Xiaogang.
He completely broke down.
Just like when Bibi Dong dumped him years ago, threatened by Qian Xunji or when his uncle revealed he and Liu Erlong were cousins on their wedding night.
Now again he did what he always did.
He ran.
He ran away without looking back.
"Xiaogang, where are you going? Wait!" Flender, his ever-loyal friend, took off after him.
"You all go on ahead," Flender shouted back. "I'll check on Xiaogang and catch up later."
The others stood there, puzzled. Only Ning Tian, Tang San, and Yu Tianheng had any idea what was up.
Ning Tian, as a transmigrator, knew Yu Xiaogang's real character.
Tang San, burned by his martial soul's side effects, finally saw him for what he was: a smug, insecure fraud who'd taken him as a disciple just to use his twin martial souls, treating him like a test subject to prop up his own name.
Looking back, Yu Xiaogang's guess about Tang San's twin martial souls was pure luck. His innate full soul power came from the Mysterious Heaven Skill, not his second martial soul.
As for Yu Tianheng, growing up in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he'd heard the stories. Clan members often laughed at Yu Xiaogang, calling him a coward who tried to marry his cousin, then ran off alone.
This moment, Yu Xiaogang running away again, felt all too familiar.
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