Chapter 11: Xue Qinghe, Qian Renxue
One day, while Ning Bei was thinking about how to acquire the fairy herb from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, Ning Fengzhi called him to the council hall.
Entering the side hall, Ning Bei saw a blond boy of about ten standing next to Ning Fengzhi.
The boy gave Ning Bei a warm smile as soon as he entered, then nodded to acknowledge him.
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi spoke to Ning Bei.
"Bei'er, this is His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe. He has come to discuss apprenticeship matters with me. You should meet him."
Ning Bei nodded and walked over to the boy. He took a quick glance at the boy's chest and thought to himself that the boy looked rather unremarkable—his chest had barely developed. He probably just dethroned the former crown prince and hasn't yet become the heir. This visit was likely for Ning Fengzhi to tie the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to the crown prince's future power.
Having taken a noble etiquette class at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Bei performed a respectful bow.
"Ning Bei greets His Highness, the Crown Prince."
"There's no need for such formality, Ning. From now on, I'll be a disciple of the sect leader, so you can call me Brother Xue."
Ning Bei inwardly rolled his eyes. "Brother Xue?" Are you sure you're not 'Sister Xue'?
Naturally, he didn't say this out loud.
"Then I'll respectfully call you Brother Xue, then."
Xue Qinghe was slightly puzzled upon hearing Ning Bei's response but didn't think much of it. He felt that Ning Fengzhi's youngest son was someone who needed to be courted, as it would help him gain control of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Ning Fengzhi, seeing the two converse harmoniously, smiled faintly.
"You two are about the same age. You should interact more in the future."
"Yes, Father."
"I understand, Teacher."
Ning Fengzhi nodded and subtly indicated to Ning Bei that he could leave. He still had matters to discuss with Xue Qinghe.
Ning Bei muttered to himself, thinking that he wasn't interested in hearing about their political deals.
However, as he reached the door, Ning Bei's eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had thought of something.
Dugu Yan was around the same age as him, and she should have already enrolled in the Heaven Dou Royal Primary Academy by now.
So, if he also enrolled in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he could establish a connection with her. As long as he could meet Dugu Yan, he wouldn't have trouble meeting Dugu Bo. That would give him plenty of room for maneuver.
Ning Bei had considered going directly to the Sunset Forest with the two Title Douluos, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, to block the entrance.
But first, he wouldn't know how to explain how he knew about the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. Blaming everything on the Pill Tower would be too far-fetched.
Second, if he made Dugu Bo angry, he wouldn't be able to beat Chen Xin and Gu Rong, but Dugu Bo had the ability to destroy the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, making it a lose-lose situation.
Plus, if Dugu Bo managed to escape from Chen Xin and Gu Rong, he would never be able to leave the house again and would always have to worry about ambushes from him. After all, Dugu Bo's moral bottom line was among the lowest even among Title Douluos. Hadn't he attacked a Soul Emperor like Tang San before?
After realizing that approaching Dugu Yan was the best option, enrolling in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy became very necessary. Xue Qinghe, wanting to place someone in the national academy, could certainly make it happen.
So, with the confused gazes of the two, Ning Bei turned back and reappeared in front of them.
"Bei'er, do you still have something to say?"
Ignoring Ning Fengzhi's question, Ning Bei directly turned to Xue Qinghe.
"Brother Xue, I want to enroll in the Heaven Dou Royal Primary Academy. Would you help me?"
Xue Qinghe was surprised to hear this and thought it over for a moment.
"The resources of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School are much better than those of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Why would he choose to go further for an inferior option?"
"Perhaps he feels that the sect has too many restrictions and wants to go out and explore."
Thinking he had figured out Ning Bei's intentions, Xue Qinghe smiled and agreed.
"Brother Ning, if you want to attend the academy, that's simple. I can make a call for you."
"However, the term is almost over, so you'll have to wait for the next semester to start in six months."
Ning Bei, seeing that Xue Qinghe agreed, smiled and thanked him before leaving the council hall, under the watchful eye of Ning Fengzhi, whose face had darkened.
After finishing lunch alone, Ning Bei was called back by Ning Fengzhi before he even had a chance to nap.
Arriving at the council hall, Ning Bei found not only Ning Fengzhi but also Chen Xin and Gu Rong seated around. Xue Qinghe was nowhere to be seen, so it seemed he had already left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
When Ning Bei arrived, Ning Fengzhi immediately began to scold him.
"Bei'er, do you know that the function of your martial soul must absolutely not be exposed? I don't agree with you going to the Heaven Dou Royal Primary Academy."
Chen Xin and Gu Rong, who were seated nearby, said nothing but clearly agreed with Ning Fengzhi's decision.
Ning Bei had already anticipated their attitudes. Smiling, he summoned the Pill Tower.
Two yellow soul rings lit up, and two soul beasts appeared: the Hurricane Hawk and the Golden Armored War Bear.
Seeing the confused looks on the three of them, Ning Bei cleared his throat.
"Ahem, let me introduce myself. I am Ning Bei from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. My martial soul is the Summoning Tower. I am a 22nd-level Summoning Battle Soul Master."
Gu Rong stared at Ning Bei with a black line across his face.
"Bei'er, stop messing around, you..." He seemed to understand something and immediately stopped mid-sentence. "You mean...?"
Seeing the realization dawn on Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin, Ning Bei nodded with satisfaction.
"Father, Grandpas, I'm not someone who doesn't know the stakes. I've already thought of a strategy before wanting to go to the academy. This way, I can perfectly cover up the function of my martial soul."
The three men fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't that there weren't any female battle soul masters suitable for Ning Bei, but there were very few even among the male ones, and they couldn't produce descendants either.
After realizing this, Ning Fengzhi stopped opposing Ning Bei's decision.
"Since you have your own ideas, we won't stop you. But remember, the outside world is not like the sect. You must keep your martial soul's true abilities hidden."
"I understand, Father." Ning Bei nodded in agreement.
Seeing that things had been settled, Chen Xin smiled at the excited Ning Bei.
"Good boy, a Summoning Battle Soul Master. You really think of everything."
Ning Bei scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
(END CHAPTER)
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