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An hour later, Zhu Zhuqing approached Ning Tianchen and reported, "That guy entered the Huayue Teahouse in the city and met with a middle-aged man. Afterward, he likely received payment and then invited his friends to go drinking at one of the pleasure houses in town."
"Did you get discovered?" Ning Tianchen asked.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.
Tracking had always been her specialty.
Moreover, she appeared to be an innocuous young girl on the surface. Even if she followed someone openly, no one would suspect that she was tailing them.
Students who genuinely wanted to enroll wouldn't cause trouble at the registration site. The troublemaking youth must have been acting under someone's orders, and Ning Tianchen naturally wouldn't let the mastermind behind this go unpunished.
He hadn't just sent Zhu Zhuqing; he also dispatched the Yu Die sisters.
Zhu Zhuqing was responsible for tracking the youth, while the Yu Die sisters were tasked with pursuing the person behind him.
"Zhuqing, you can go back and focus on your cultivation. After school starts, I imagine quite a few people will challenge you."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She had never feared being challenged. On the contrary, continuous battles helped her improve.
Half an hour later, the Yu Die sisters returned to the academy and reported their findings to Ning Tianchen.
"We were discovered," Cai Die said softly.
"Did they give you any trouble?" Ning Tianchen asked with concern.
After checking that neither of them had obvious injuries, he finally relaxed slightly.
Yu Die smiled faintly. "We were indeed discovered, but they didn't realize we were following him. Hehe, that middle-aged man's final destination was Thunder Academy. We followed him all the way to the academy gates before the guards noticed us."
Cai Die added quietly, "Sister placed a sachet on him earlier. In the end, we pretended we were chasing a thief and successfully deceived them."
Ning Tianchen had underestimated Yu Die once again. Her lies sounded more convincing than the truth—how could someone like her possibly get into trouble?
However, behind Thunder Academy stood the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Due to his arrival, there had been several clashes between the two sects. It was only natural for the other side to try sabotaging Seven Treasures Academy.
After some thought, Ning Tianchen arranged for the information to be relayed to Ning Fengzhi.
As for himself, he took action to detain the youth. Whether or not the youth admitted to being instructed by Thunder Academy, Ning Tianchen intended to make an example of him.
---
Thanks to Ning Tianchen's decisive actions, the subsequent registration process went much more smoothly.
It was worth noting that Ning Fengzhi didn't confront the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family directly. Instead, he subtly revealed the punishment the youth had faced to the disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
This was both a warning and an ultimatum. If they persisted in their foolishness, they should be prepared to face the wrath of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
Such dishonorable acts couldn't have been ordered by Yu Yuanzhen.
When Yu Luomian realized the situation had been exposed, he immediately backed off.
If this reached Yu Yuanzhen, his position as vice-leader would likely come to an end.
---
The two-day registration period ended, and after tallying the numbers, Seven Treasures Academy had received over 1,600 applicants.
Even with selective enrollment, many talented soul masters would still be rejected.
Ke Jie held urgent discussions with the academy's leadership overnight, and they ultimately decided to expand the intake by another 200 students.
Thus, the first intake of Seven Treasures Academy totaled 700 students.
Early the next morning, students flooded into the academy, searching for their respective classes.
Ning Tianchen stood at the entrance, directing the new students to their classrooms.
Suddenly, a shadow flitted past him like a ghost, leaving behind a faint stench of decay.
Ning Tianchen's eyebrows twitched slightly as he scanned the area for the figure.
But in the blink of an eye, the figure had already vanished.
"This scent… Could it be Dugu Bo?" Ning Tianchen made a judgment call, his brows gradually furrowing.
The stench from moments ago was similar to the odor emitted when Dugu Yan released her soul skill. However, Dugu Yan didn't possess the ability to escape his perception so quickly.
Seven Treasures Academy had no prior dealings with Dugu Bo. Why would he enter the academy now? Could he be planning to kill someone?
Ning Tianchen refrained from acting rashly.
Dugu Bo possessed the strongest area-of-effect attack capability on the entire continent. Provoking him carelessly would bring trouble to both Seven Treasures Academy and the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
Moreover, this was an excellent opportunity for Ning Tianchen to approach Dugu Bo.
If he could help Dugu Bo detoxify himself, the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Dual Extreme Eye would be his.
The ancient book about immortal herbs he obtained in Balak City had been waiting for this moment.
Ning Tianchen gave instructions to the others: "Rongrong, you continue welcoming the new students here. My soul power level might be breaking through soon, so I'll go into seclusion first."
---
Entering the academy, Ning Tianchen began searching for traces of the mysterious figure among the crowd.
After about half an incense stick's time, he found no trace of the person.
"Could he have already left?"
Dugu Bo's unpredictable behavior left Ning Tianchen with no choice but to abandon the search and head to the simulated cultivation field to train.
It was the first day of school, and the students hadn't yet settled into their training routines. The simulated cultivation field was empty except for him.
Suddenly, a gust of foul wind swept through. Ning Tianchen immediately ceased his training and turned his gaze toward the source.
In the dimly lit simulated battlefield environment, Ning Tianchen vaguely saw the silhouette of a human figure ahead.
He bowed deeply. "Greetings, Senior Dugu."
The figure emerged from the darkness, exuding a powerful aura. A pair of snake-like eyes faintly appeared behind him, sending chills down one's spine with just a glance.
"How did you know my identity?" Dugu Bo asked.
Ning Tianchen explained, "Because you carry the same scent as Dugu Yan. And she wouldn't be able to approach me without making a sound."
"You have a good temperament, but your strength leaves much to be desired. Since you mentioned Yan Yan, tell me—how did you neutralize the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison?"
So that was it.
In the original timeline, Dugu Bo had also kidnapped Tang San because of this matter.
However, Ning Tianchen's status was different. Dugu Bo didn't dare act recklessly.
"Your poison techniques are undoubtedly peerless, but your granddaughter still has a long way to go. Her poison is nowhere near as potent as yours—it's only a fraction of what you possess. Naturally, I found a way to neutralize it." Ning Tianchen responded calmly.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo felt a wave of relief.
"Senior Dugu, there's no need to hide certain things. A few days ago, I came across a record about the Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul in an ancient text."
"What did the book say?" Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed like those of a venomous snake on the hunt—cold, ruthless, and deadly.
The unintentional ripple of soul power forced Ning Tianchen to take a few steps back.
Taking a deep breath, he explained, "The Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul is a cursed martial soul. While it possesses powerful poison abilities, the toxin from the martial soul also corrodes the soul master's body until they die a violent death."
"If I'm not mistaken, after your granddaughter breaks through to the Soul Ancestor level, the toxins within her body will begin to erode her. As for you, Senior, I fear your condition has already reached a critical stage."
Dugu Bo, of course, wouldn't admit to it. He sneered, "Utter nonsense! Hand over that ancient text—I'd like to see who's spreading these baseless rumors."
The ancient text contained records of the symptoms of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul, and there was a high chance it also detailed a method to detoxify it. He had to get his hands on it.
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