Before long.
Huo Wushuang arrived before Ning Rongrong, holding a bloodstained soul bone.
"Your Excellency, this is the soul bone of the Titan Giant Ape. I return it to you now."
Ning Rongrong's eyelids flickered slightly. Huo Wushuang, with his fire-attribute assault-type Martial Soul, was indeed quite burly.
"Soul bones, hailed as treasures of the Blood River, always incite fierce competition among factions whenever they appear."
"A thousand-year Titan Giant Ape torso bone is even more priceless. Aren't you tempted?"
"After all, it was Your Excellency who captured this soul beast. I'm already overjoyed to obtain its soul ring. Returning the soul bone to you is only right."
To say he didn't want it would be a lie.
Ordinary soul bones were already fiercely contested, let alone a torso bone from such a unique soul beast—priceless and impossible to obtain through mere wealth.
"Brother Huo..." Feng Xiaotian opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by a glance from Huo Wushuang.
"You're quite decent," Ning Rongrong nodded. "Even if you had hidden it from me, I wouldn't have done anything."
Huo Wushuang's talent might not match Huo Wu or Feng Xiaotian's, but his conduct was far more measured.
He was much better than Feng Xiaotian, not to mention Huo Wu, that powder keg.
"You also don't need to worry about me resorting to murder and theft. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan still cares about face when operating in the world."
"What's sold to you is yours. Whatever lies within is your own opportunity."
"Keep it for yourself! The soul ring and soul bone from the same soul beast are best absorbed by the one who killed it."
Ning Rongrong's words also served as a warning to the others present, especially the Soul Sage teacher.
"Th-thank you, Your Excellency."
With Ning Rongrong's approval, Huo Wushuang let out a sigh of relief.
Keeping the soul bone hidden was one thing, but returning it and having it gifted back was another.
Some things might not matter to others, but you couldn't afford to ignore them. Besides, provoking a Title Douluo at such a time would be disastrous.
Soon after, Huo Wushuang absorbed the soul bone, then proceeded to absorb the Titan Giant Ape's soul ring.
Thanks to the soul bone's enhancement, his physical attributes improved, allowing him to absorb the soul ring swiftly.
Huo Wushuang took a deep breath, stood up, and felt the surging soul power within him. He nearly let out a triumphant roar.
He had finally become a Soul Ancestor.
A level 41 Soul Ancestor, nearly level 42.
"Tell me about your soul skill." Despite her own petite stature, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but see these youngsters as juniors.
Truly, I'm just too strong.
Hearing Ning Rongrong's request, Huo Wushuang didn't hide anything and organized his thoughts:
"My fourth soul ring grants Titan's Strength."
"It boosts all attributes by 100% for a short duration. It's a buff skill that can be combined with other soul skills."
"Oh! That giant monkey's enlargement ability?" Ning Rongrong recalled the Titan Giant Ape's massive form when it clashed with her Angel's Sacred Sword.
"Not bad. It's indeed better than some ten-thousand-year soul rings."
After Huo Wushuang finished absorbing the soul ring, Ning Rongrong accompanied them as they left the Windflame Forest.
From Huo Wushuang and the others, she also learned the forest's location—southern Heaven Dou Empire.
"It seems a lot has happened in these past two years!" Ning Rongrong sighed.
"Speaking of which, weren't the Huo and Feng families originally in Blazing Fire City and Divine Wind City?"
The Blazing Fire Academy and Divine Wind Academy, like the former Tian Shui Academy, were prestigious institutions named after their locations. Yet, these people mentioned they were now in the Four Elements City, which had expanded a year ago.
How had the world changed so much in such a short time?
"That's correct, Your Excellency." As students, they weren't entirely clear on the details, but their teacher, Wang Teng, explained to Ning Rongrong:
"The conflict between Emperor Qinghe and Prince Xue Beng has intensified."
"Many families have chosen to relocate to cities with weaker political tensions."
"Four Elements City, known for its academies, was the first choice."
"Starting with the Shui family's move two years ago, the other Elemental Academy families gradually migrated to Four Elements City."
"I see." Ning Rongrong nodded thoughtfully. It seemed her family's relocation had triggered this chain reaction, and it was also linked to Qian Renxue's policies.
"What about the Divine Wind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy? Aren't they two separate institutions?"
"Their merger was practically inevitable," Wang Teng admitted, though she wasn't entirely clear on the specifics. However, the principals of Divine Wind and Blazing Fire Academies had always been on good terms.
"My guess is that it's related to Title Douluo Mammoth and Title Douluo Dolphin."
"Title Douluo Mammoth? Title Douluo Dolphin?" Ning Rongrong was surprised.
After Wang Teng's detailed explanation, Ning Rongrong gradually pieced together the sequence of events from their perspective.
Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armored School had broken through to Title Douluo, joining Shui Cangyue as the new principals of the Five Elemental Academies.
This severely impacted enrollment at Divine Wind and Blazing Fire Academies, especially since Yu Yuanzhen—for some unknown reason—had taken over as principal of Thunder Academy.
This put immense pressure on the two academies.
Three out of the Five Elemental Academies now had Title Douluo, while Divine Wind and Blazing Fire had none. Wasn't that just embarrassing?
Left with no choice, the two academies merged to strengthen their faculty, rebranding as the Blazing Wind Academy.
"What did you mean earlier about Tian Shui Academy no longer existing?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously.
"Tian Shui Academy was renamed Glazed Tile Academy and is now under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Wang Teng's tone carried a hint of surprise. Wasn't this person from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? How could she not know?
"Just like how Thunder Academy is now under the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"Yeah, exactly!" Huo Wu finally couldn't resist chiming in. "It feels strange, but it's almost as if they're preparing for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament in three months."
"Speaking of which, I remembered something." Feng Xiaotian scratched his head and grinned.
"Those monstrously strong students from the Spirit Hall—uh, I mean, the incredibly talented ones—were apparently all defeated by a single person, who forcibly took the captain's position."
"Rumors say the Spirit Hall is taking this tournament very seriously."
"Yeah, I've heard that too." Huo Wushuang nodded. "My aunt's uncle's neighbor's second aunt works at the Spirit Hall, and she mentioned it."
"They say the person who did it is from the Elder Hall, and she single-handedly defeated the entire Spirit Hall team. Just thinking about it is mind-blowing."
Reportedly, the current Spirit Hall team members are all Soul King-level powerhouses.
They were last tournament's champions, yet someone could defeat them all alone?
How absurd is that?
Most importantly, the person who defeated them alone intends to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
That means she's under 25 years old.
Absolutely terrifying, sending chills down one's spine.
Sometimes, the gap between people is wider than the gap between humans and dogs.
The information revealed by these chattering youngsters left Ning Rongrong with a complicated expression.
"Single-handedly defeating the Spirit Hall team? The Spirit Hall has such talent?"
"Well... apparently, yes!"
Could it be Qian Renxue?
That wasn't impossible.
Qian Renxue was nine years older than Tang San, making her around 23 now—well within the tournament's age limit.
But was she really that free lately?
As an emperor, shouldn't she be buried in state affairs? How did she have time to compete in a tournament?