Chapter 61: The Splendor of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi Discusses the Sword and Wine, Dust Heart Emerges from Seclusion

"Zhuqing, you're finally back!"

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong hurried forward, taking Zhu Chuqing's bag, and whispered:

"Ma Hongjun has been crippled."

"Grandmaster and the Dean are in a terrible mood."

"You'd better watch what you say."

Zhu Chuqing's pretty face remained calm as she nodded gently.

"I know."

Stepping into the academy, an oppressive atmosphere washed over her.

The moment Dai Mubai caught sight of Zhu Chuqing, he abruptly stood up, clenching his fists and shouting:

"Zhu Chuqing, did you go to Heaven Dou City to see that Jian Jiu?!"

"Do you have any idea..."

"Fatty was crippled by him?!"

Zhu Chuqing turned a deaf ear, walking straight toward the girls' dormitory.

"Stop right there!"

Ignored so completely, Dai Mubai's face turned livid.

His soul power surged around him, and the faint roar of a tiger echoed in the air.

Like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, he rushed toward Zhu Chuqing, his thick arms thrusting forward with the intent to subdue her.

At this sight, Tang San's expression remained indifferent.

Oscar opened his mouth, but ultimately let out only a sigh.

"Dai Mubai! What are you doing?!" Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong cried out in shock and anger, "Zhu Chuqing, watch out!"

A fierce gust of wind had already reached her back.

Zhu Chuqing finally made a move.

Her slender figure transformed into a streak of black light, gracefully dodging Dai Mubai's capture.

"What?!"

Striking empty air, Dai Mubai's evil eyes were filled with shock.

Although Zhu Chuqing was an agility-attack system soul master, his soul power was vastly superior; the speed gap should not have been this wide.

Before his thoughts could even settle, a powerful wave of soul power emanated from Zhu Chuqing's body.

"Rank thirty-seven?!"

Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong sprang to their feet in astonishment.

A cold glint flashed!

Zhu Chuqing's slender hand had already drawn a blade from her waist.

The shouts of Yu Xiaogang and Flender rang out simultaneously.

"Stop!"

Zhu Chuqing ignored them entirely.

With a flash of blade light—not a slash, but using the cold flat of the blade—she swung viciously across Dai Mubai's cheek with a sharp, piercing sound.

*Crack—*

A resounding slap echoed through the air.

Dai Mubai was sent spinning backwards several meters, stumbling before Tang San caught him and helped him barely regain his footing.

"Bitch!"

Covering his face, Dai Mubai's evil eyes surged with murderous intent. His muscles bulged as white tiger fur rapidly sprouted all over his body.

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang and Flender stepped in front of Dai Mubai, shouting:

"Enough!"

Breathing heavily, Dai Mubai gradually calmed his soul power and stared at Zhu Chuqing, gritting his teeth.

"Zhu Chuqing, you owe us an explanation."

"Ma Hongjun of the Shrek Seven Devils has been crippled, yet you went to see the enemy."

"Is this how you act as a teammate?!"

Everyone present turned to look at Zhu Chuqing.

Zhu Chuqing, however, didn't even spare them a glance. She merely wiped the flat of the blade—which had just struck Dai Mubai's cheek—against the ground.

This gesture made Dai Mubai's face turn even darker.

"Ma Hongjun brought this upon himself."

"No matter what you say about it being voluntary, you all know deep down how many girls have suffered in silence for so long without daring to speak out."

With those final words, Zhu Chuqing looked directly at Yu Xiaogang and Flender as she spoke.

Flender opened his mouth, but finally let out a defeated sigh, his back visibly hunching over.

"Ma Hongjun..."

"It is my failure as a teacher."

Yu Xiaogang gazed at Zhu Chuqing with a mixture of doubt and suspicion.

"Zhu Chuqing, why has your soul power surged to this level?"

"And... your martial soul seems to have been enhanced as well?"

"Someone fed it to me."

Dropping those four words, Zhu Chuqing turned and walked away.

Behind her came Yu Xiaogang's deep voice:

"This time, I hope you all understand what it means to have people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens."

"Yet there is no need to belittle yourselves; you are all one-in-a-million geniuses, and I will formulate the strictest training plan for you."

"There is no need to go to Heaven Dou City. Blazing Blue Academy will merge into Shrek, securing our qualification to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament."

"Remember the humiliation of your companion being crippled; I too will remember the humiliation of being driven out of Heaven Dou City."

"When the day of the Soul Master Tournament arrives, we shall wash away this shame!"

Heaven Dou Empire.

Seven Treasure Mountain.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was located here.

Surrounded by rolling mountains and lush forests, the sect grounds were dotted with lotus ponds. Red-tiled, green-walled buildings were built against the mountain slopes, rising layer upon layer.

The domes of all the structures were covered with multi-colored glazed tiles, refracting dreamlike halos under the sunlight.

In an elegant pavilion, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Dourola Gu Rong were playing a game of chess.

Gu Rong dropped a black piece, instantly reviving a previously defeated position on the board, and a trapped dragon-like formation seemed poised to soar into the clouds.

"Hahaha!"

"Fengzhi, your calculation failed you this time!"

"With this piece placed, the sky's the limit for the dragon to fly!"

A trace of surprise flashed in Ning Fengzhi's gentle eyes.

Quickly regaining his composure, he steadily placed a white piece.

On the chessboard, the white pieces had long since connected into a massive, overarching momentum with deep roots and impregnable defenses.

"Once the chess formation is established, let the winds blow from any direction, and I remain steadfast."

"Besides..."

He paused.

"I have no wish for bloodshed."

Gu Rong looked up, a puzzled look on his face.

"No bloodshed? Then why play chess at all?"

Ning Fengzhi gently swept his hand across the chessboard, scattering the pieces.

He put away this undeclared confrontation.

Standing up tall, he stood with his hands behind his back by the edge of the pavilion, gazing out at the magnificent and varied scenery of the sect.

"People ultimately have emotions, and life is no chess game."

"How very interesting..."

Ning Fengzhi sighed softly.

"Such a vast Heaven Dou City, yet it was thrown into utter turmoil by Jian Jiu... that infatuated immortal being."

"If Sword Uncle's breakthrough in his swordsmanship wasn't so imminent, requiring us to guard him, I would truly love to visit the imperial city in person and witness the demeanor of that banished immortal."

Gu Rong shook his head with a smile.

"Come to think of it..."

"The three of us once felt that the banished immortal lacked ambition and was unworthy of Rongrong."

"Looking at it now, we were the ones with our vision confined to a narrow view."

"Fengzhi, do you have any regrets?"

Ning Fengzhi remained silent for a long moment.

"Regrets?"

"Perhaps... there is a little bit."

"After all, viewed from today's perspective, this should have been an exceptionally good match for Rongrong."

"I never stopped her, and even tacitly allowed her to draw a clear line between herself and the banished immortal, only hoping that Rongrong will not resent me in the future."

"I could tell that she wasn't entirely devoid of affection for the banished immortal."

Ning Fengzhi recalled the heartbroken look on his daughter's face after Li Xianxian left the sect.

Gu Rong also remembered Ning Rongrong's state at that time, let out a soft sigh, and changed the subject slightly.

"Heaven Dou City, after all, is home to the Nine Heart Begonia clan of the Ye family."

"Fengzhi, aren't you worried..."

Ning Fengzhi shook his head, a confident smile on his face.

"Uncle Gu, both you and I know it in our hearts."

"The banished immortal will not help the Ye family deal with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"Just as we understand that the banished immortal... will never return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"That child has a stubborn spine..."

"Furthermore..."

His gaze shifted to the sword-shaped mountain peak before the pavilion, which radiated an imposing, unsheathed-sword aura, carrying boundless confidence and reverence in his tone.

"With Sword Uncle holding down the fort."

"In this world, who could possibly shake my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"The banished immortal is indeed brilliantly talented, but the undisputed master of swordsmanship in this era is none other than Chen Xin!"

Gu Rong nodded in deep agreement.

No one knew how long a journey Chen Xin had traveled along the path of swordsmanship.

Ning Fengzhi gazed intently at that sword-intent-filled peak.

"I remember before Sword Uncle went into seclusion, this peak was still just an ordinary mountain."

"After several months of seclusion, he was actually able to influence the momentum of heaven and earth, subtly refining it into this kind of... sword-shape pointing straight to the firmament!"

"Sword Uncle's realm is truly unfathomable."

Gu Rong sighed with emotion.

"Indeed."

"Speaking of which, Chen Xin genuinely feels pity for the banished immortal."

"He truly regarded him as his mantle-inheritor. If he knew that the banished immortal's talent had returned, he would probably be overjoyed."

As his voice fell—

*Rumble—!!!*

That towering sword mountain shattered violently.

A tiny figure in white had somehow appeared high above in the clouds.

He pressed two fingers together like a sword and lightly slashed across the boundless sea of clouds.

In an instant—

Ten thousand miles of mist and clouds rolled backward in retreat.

The sky became as clear and pure as washed glass, as azure as the deep sea.

The white-clad figure vanished in a flicker.

When he reappeared, he was like a falling leaf, silently materializing inside the pavilion.

Chen Xin was dressed in pristine white, his aura restrained like an ancient, deep pool, devoid of any earth-shattering sword intent, making him look like an ordinary middle-aged scholar.

His gaze swept across Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong.

"Xianxian?"

"What were you just saying about Xianxian?"