The next day.
Under the escort of the Heaven Dou Imperial Knight Regiment, the group packed their belongings and continued their grand procession toward Spirit Hall.
No masked Title Douluo appeared to provoke them along the way—everything remained eerily calm.
As days passed, they drew closer to Spirit Hall's location.
Suddenly, the clear sky darkened, turning oppressive.
Like shattering glass, dense cracks spread across the heavens.
"Crack—"
The fissures were forcibly broken open as a skeletal dragon hundreds of meters long let out a gloomy roar, emerging from the torn space. The flapping of its wings further widened the ruptured void.
"Th-that… is that a dragon?"
The Imperial Knight Regiment members quickly formed a protective circle around the students. The captain swallowed hard, warily watching the descending bone dragon.
"No need to worry. I am Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
The skeletal dragon in the sky vanished, and Bone Douluo's voice echoed down as he descended slowly with Ning Rongrong.
Having recently broken through to Rank 98, Bone Douluo had yet to fully control his power, which was why his spatial traversal caused such a grand disturbance.
The captain of the Imperial Knight Regiment recognized the two towering pillars of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Seeing the bone dragon disappear and the familiar figure, he let out a sigh of relief.
Even the mere pressure from the bone dragon's wingbeats had been terrifying.
As Gu Rong appeared, the teachers from the other carriages also stepped out, remaining vigilant.
The only group that remained completely still was Blazing Wind Academy—uncharacteristically silent.
After a brief pause, the group resumed their journey. Gu Rong and Ning Rongrong boarded the carriage where Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were seated.
Ning Rongrong had originally intended to greet Dugu Yan and her teammates from Glazed Academy. However, she needed to clarify matters with Ning Fengzhi first—she wanted to ensure her "irresponsible" father hadn't pulled any questionable stunts in her absence.
"Rongrong, your aura…"
The moment she entered the carriage, Sword Douluo sensed the killing intent emanating from Ning Rongrong.
Though she had deliberately suppressed it, Title Douluo of such high strength could still faintly perceive it at close range.
"The Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King devoured nearly all life in Slaughter City, and Kurumi directly consumed the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King in turn."
"Until Kurumi fully digests this energy, the killing intent around me won't dissipate."
Slaughter City had been rendered useless in a short time—the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King's ruthlessness had absorbed over ninety-nine percent of its inhabitants.
Admittedly, Tokisaki Kurumi's appetite was astonishing. She wasn't afraid of breaking her teeth biting off more than she could chew.
"Is this… not a problem?" Seeing Sword Douluo's furrowed brows, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel concerned.
"It's fine!" Ning Rongrong gave him a reassuring look.
Tokisaki Kurumi was now the spirit of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Absorbing the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King was equivalent to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda absorbing this energy.
As the host of the martial soul, Ning Rongrong would inevitably be affected to some extent.
But as long as there were no severe consequences, Ning Rongrong didn't mind having a heavier killing aura.
Once confirming that Ning Rongrong truly faced no issues, Ning Fengzhi relaxed and dropped the subject, only advising her to be cautious and avoid detection by the Clear Sky School.
After all, Ning Rongrong's actions in Slaughter City were akin to grave-robbing.
Not to mention, she had toyed with Title Douluo like Tang Chen and even killed one.
"By the way, Bi Ji delivered the Life Gold a few days ago."
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi's storage-type soul tool flickered slightly, and a square box appeared in his hand.
The box's material seemed unusual—a miniature silver dragon carving adorned its lid.
"This box…" Taking the Life Gold container from Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong's expression shifted slightly.
"Is there a problem?" Ning Fengzhi instinctively asked.
"This box is made of dragon scales."
"Dragon scales?!" The three men exchanged glances. Dragon-type soul beasts were rare, but not unheard of—why would Rongrong be shocked?
"Not ordinary dragon scales. These are from a god-level soul beast."
"A g-god… the Silver Dragon King?!" Bone Douluo exclaimed. Fortunately, the carriage had been soundproofed with a barrier beforehand—otherwise, his voice would have been heard by the Imperial Knight Regiment outside.
"Mm, most likely." Ning Rongrong nodded. "The residual energy is incredibly pure."
She carefully opened the Life Gold box, revealing a faint gap. Inside, an object the size of a goose egg emitted an intense life force.
But before fully opening it, Ning Rongrong closed the lid again.
Instantly, the released life energy vanished without a trace, as if sealed away by the box's special barrier.
"Haa—"
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath.
Such a large piece of Life Gold—the Star Dou Great Forest had truly gone all out.
Life Gold possessed immense life energy, but its quality was so refined that improper handling could cause it to drain the life force of those who came into contact with it.
Ning Rongrong decided to wait until Kurumi woke up before making any decisions—this concerned whether Ning Fengzhi could break through to Title Douluo.
"Did the sender mention any precautions when delivering the Life Gold?" Ning Rongrong looked at Ning Fengzhi.
Though they had signed a contract with Bi Ji, it was merely a stalling tactic. Bi Ji had gone to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but no specific timeframe had been set.
Ning Rongrong understood Bi Ji's status—leaving the timeline open was to ensure greater leverage in future negotiations.
"Precautions?" Ning Fengzhi pondered briefly before answering. "The student who delivered the Life Gold did say that extreme caution was needed when using it. It can absorb life force just as easily as it can bestow it—that's the nature of Life Gold."
"Student?" Ning Rongrong was puzzled. "Wasn't Bi Ji herself the one who came to make the trade?"
"No." Recalling the peculiar behavior of the messenger, Ning Fengzhi added, "The one who delivered the Life Gold was a white-haired girl." He paused, then clarified, "The same Gu Yuena I mentioned in my letter."
"Gu… Gu Yuena?!" Ning Rongrong and Bone Douluo exchanged stunned glances.
"Fengzhi, Sword Guy, are you absolutely sure the one who delivered the item was Blazing Wind Academy's student Gu Yuena—and not someone else?" Bone Douluo pressed.
"Hah, how could Fengzhi and I mistake her?" Sword Douluo replied. "Speaking of which, is that Gu Yuena even a soul master? Her strength seemed more like that of a transformed soul beast."
"She is indeed a soul beast—the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena. I don't recall if I've mentioned her name before."
Silence—
The carriage fell deathly quiet. Ning Fengzhi nearly dropped the Life Gold box in shock.
"Gu Yuena…" Ning Fengzhi murmured.
He never expected that even the Star Dou Great Forest would participate in this tournament—let alone the Silver Dragon King herself, disguised as a young student.