Chapter 194: The Year's Plan

Ning Fengzhi cleared his throat deliberately, and when he saw the three gazes turn to him, a gentle smile spread across his face as he said, "His Majesty, Jade Sect Master, Bishop Sarras."

"The competition is already over; we should be heading back."

Emperor Snow Night rose quickly and agreed, "Master Ning's words are spot on; I still have state affairs to attend to, so I cannot linger in conversation. Farewell!"

As he prepared to leave, he saw Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Prince Xue Xing behind him and said, "Xue Xing, Qinghe, you both come with me to handle state matters."

"Yes, Father Emperor," Xue Qinghe and Xue Xing replied in unison, then followed the Snow Night Emperor out.

The two silently trailed the Snow Night Emperor, saying nothing. Prince Xue Xing had, at the start of the competition, intended to wait until it ended before reporting to the Emperor about Dai Mubai, Tang San and the others.

After all, the Tian Dou Royal Academy is under his administration, having recruited several prodigy students, so the credit naturally falls on him. Yet now, given Tang San's performance, he dares not utter a word, fearing he might be taken out on.

The pretended Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who is Qian Renxue, felt a bit disappointed for not seeing the person she wanted to meet. In her low spirits, with no one asking, she naturally did not wish to speak proactively.

"There are matters in my sanctuary as well, so I cannot linger; farewell," Sarras said, following closely out, feeling immense pressure here.

After Sarras left, Yu Yuanzhen finally lifted his head. When he saw Chen Xin's slightly flushed complexion, his inner frustration deepened; he was certain Chen Xin was suppressing a laugh. So he murmured, "Old Sword Man, it's been ages since we spar; our bones are rusting. How about we go out and practice a few moves to loosen up?"

"No, I've been cultivating my body and mind lately and don't enjoy fighting," Chen Xin replied solemnly, adding, "If you want a brawl, go find Old Bone. After years of my verification, his physique is the toughest—perfect as a sandbag."

"Hmph!" Yu Yuanzhen suppressed a burst of frustration, unable to vent, and could only hum a low snort.

"Uncle Yu, why not visit our Qi Bao Liu Li Sect? We recently procured some high‑quality Extreme North Ice Cloud Tea, perfect for you to sample." Ning Fengzhi stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over.

"Excellent, excellent!" Yu Yuanzhen exclaimed, his eyes instantly brightening, instantly casting his displeasure into the far‑off clouds.

That Extreme North Ice Cloud Tea is the finest and most treasured tea of the Tian Dou Empire; as the esteemed head of the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect, he has only tasted it twice, underscoring its rarity.

"The Qi Bao Liu Li Sect is truly wealthy! In the future we should let Tian Yun whisper more into Rong Rong's ear and bring in more funds for the sect," Yu Yuanzhen mused.

Ning Fengzhi forced an awkward smile and retorted, "I'm just being polite; you're really not being polite at all!"

Afterwards, Yu Yuanzhen, Ning Fengzhi, and Chen Xin headed to the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect together.

……

"Zhu Zhuqing, you're truly amazing," Ning Rongrong lunged into Zhu Zhuqing's soft embrace, rubbing and squeezing her up and down, then pouted and complained, "Hmph, that Tang San really knows no better; if you hit him harder, it would be even better. I really want to slap him a few big slaps myself."

"Rong Rong, why are you rewarding him? Aren't you afraid Tian Yun will get jealous?" Duguyan's jade hand reached out to Ning Rongrong's pretty face, kneading as she said, "Besides, Tang San has already had enough; I think Zhu Zhuqing's final kick probably shattered his kidneys."

Saying that, Duguyan couldn't help but giggle.

Ning Rongrong frowned and said, "But I get angry as soon as I see that Tang San." As she spoke, the pressure from her hand increased, squeezing Zhu Zhuqing uncomfortably.

"Rong Rong, stop messing around!" Zhu Zhuqing broke free from Ning Rongrong's meddling hands, her mood seeming off, "My performance this time wasn't good; I clearly knew Tang San's soul skill in advance, yet he still trapped me."

Zhu Zhu Yun patted Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder and comforted, "Zhuqing, recognizing your shortcomings without becoming arrogant about your strength is already great. You can't blame yourself entirely for being trapped by Tang San; his second soul skill is too insidious and unavoidable—anyone could be caught by it."

"Sisters, let's return to the academy first; your popularity is too high right now, I'm afraid we'll all get blocked here later." At that moment, Liu Erlong stepped down from the academy's exclusive viewing platform, called out to everyone, and led the women swiftly through the contestants' passage, quietly leaving the arena.

Liu Erlong's expression appeared very calm, but precisely because it was too calm, the women sensed something was off.

Especially the few women, including Duguyan, who had lived with her for two years; they understood Liu Erlong even more thoroughly than someone like Yu Tianyun, who knows her roots. Given Liu Erlong's nature, she should have excitedly embraced them and praised them, not remain this calm.

However, they quickly guessed the reason: it was because of Yu Xiao Gang!

Indeed, it's Yu Xiao Gang!

After all, unexpectedly meeting an ex naturally throws one's emotions off.

But that doesn't explain everything; anyone who suddenly meets an ex feels embarrassed and most would try to avoid them, which is why Liu Erlong hurried to slip away.

The two uninformed women, Bai Chenxiang and Yang Ruolin, though unaware of the reason, wisely asked no questions and quietly left with the group.

Liu Erlong indeed was as Duguyan and the others thought, but part of the reason was worry that fans might block them, since their popularity now is the highest among all competing teams.

Of course, most of it was personal.

She fears encountering Yu Xiao Gang, and even Fland. One is her former lover and also a cousin; their relationship is extremely complicated and awkward.

Her relationship with Fland is also complicated; although Fland is her sworn elder brother and cares for her, she noticed early on that he has been secretly in love with her.

Thus, she now doesn't want to meet either of them. After all, her status has changed; she is now a married woman, and excessive contact with other men would be detrimental.

She doesn't want this to make Yu Tianyun sulk; after all, with few resources, if she's sent to the "cold palace," her future happiness would be gone.

Moreover, she now has no lingering thoughts of Yu Xiao Gang; especially after seeing him today, she couldn't help but compare him to Yu Tianyun.

The result is obvious: Yu Tianyun wins decisively! In talent, strength, physique, looks, and personality, Yu Tianyun utterly crushes Yu Xiao Gang.

Yu Tianyun is tall and mighty, handsome, and his domineering personality is her favorite—bold in love and hate; Yu Xiao Gang is of average build, with a gaunt face, cowardly and selfish. The contrast is stark, like clouds and mud. Especially today, Yu Xiao Gang's behavior infuriated her; he even tried to slander her sisters.

With Liu Erlong's Soul Douluo strength, she heard the arena dialogue crystal‑clear: it was clearly Tang San's fault, yet Yu Xiao Gang indiscriminately blamed him. She almost, in a rage, went onstage to kick the Yu Xiao Gang master‑apprentice pair off.

Regarding the Yu Xiao Gang–Tang San master‑apprentice pair, Liu Erlong has already labeled them double‑standard, shameless, and of low character.

She couldn't help but wonder how she ever liked Yu Xiao Gang—was she blind then? Foolish? "Hmm?" At that moment, Liu Erlong suddenly turned back, her sharp gaze scanning the crowd behind.

"What's wrong, Sister Erlong?" Duguyan asked curiously, noticing Liu Erlong's odd behavior.

"Earlier I felt a mouse watching us from the shadows," Liu Erlong said, withdrawing her gaze, "I didn't spot any suspicious target. Perhaps your performance was too dazzling, attracting ill‑intent."

Then Liu Erlong's tone grew serious as she addressed the women, "From now on, don't go out alone to avoid accidents, especially you two, Rong Rong and Ling Ling. Otherwise, when Tian Yun returns, I won't know how to explain it to him."

"Hmm*7," the women exchanged glances, unusually without giggling, and earnestly agreed to Liu Erlong's request.

After all, this place is a mix of dragons and snakes; no one knows if a Title Douluo strongman is hidden among them, so staying by Liu Erlong is safest.

With Liu Erlong's Soul Douluo cultivation and her powerful Flaming Holy Dragon martial soul, even against a Title Douluo she could hold out for a long time, enough to draw the attention of various forces in Tian Dou City to come to their aid.

Liu Erlong turned back to continue leading the women to the Lan Ba Academy, but her mood grew tense, suspecting that the earlier prying gaze likely came from Tang Hao.

After all, they had just offended Tang San and Yu Xiao Gang among others. As for Yu Xiao Gang, Liu Erlong didn't doubt him much; after all, he's their nominal uncle, and even if he's a jerk and oblivious to closeness, he wouldn't truly harm their own. Moreover, Yu Xiao Gang's strength wouldn't permit such a thing.

Thus, Liu Erlong naturally suspected Tang Hao; they likely had drawn his attention. After all, Tang Hao once hammered the former Pope, which naturally worries her. And as the son resembles the father, Liu Erlong naturally thought Tang Hao was also petty.

Thinking that, Liu Erlong's steps quickened.

……

"That was close; we almost got discovered."

At that moment, in a dim corner, an elderly silhouette slowly emerged. His gaze fixed on the receding backs of the Lan Ba Academy crowd, thinking, "I didn't expect this Soul Douluo from Lan Ba Academy to be so sensitive; it seems finding a chance for revenge will be difficult."

"No! I won't accept this!" The old man's face turned vicious and snarling, his eyes suddenly wavering, "Seeking revenge is indeed hard."

A moment later, he let out a cold snort, his gaze sharpening and steady, and snarled, "Hmph, wait! They say you fear not theft but thieves' lingering thoughts; I'll patiently wait, confident you won't be alone at any moment."

He seemed to have already sketched that evil scene in his mind, "When the time comes, I will first indulge in you mortals, the finest of humanity, and then, without anyone noticing, destroy your bodies and erase all traces."

"Heh heh heh!" Thinking of that, he let out a chilling, lewd laugh.

"That old man must be sick, right?"

"Exactly, he looks like a pervert; we'd better stay away from him."

"Right, right, we mustn't be tricked by him; he doesn't look like a good person at all."

"……"

A passing couple frowned, gave the old man a disdainful glance, then quickened their steps and hurried away.

"Ah! This infuriates me! Two clueless brats!" As a Soul Saint strongman, the old man clearly heard the young couple's mutterings, and he was so angry that he felt as if a Buddha were born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven.

But he forced himself to suppress his murderous intent, gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll spare the lives of you two dogs for now."

He didn't want to cause more trouble now; after all, during the Soul Master Competition, royal security is extremely tight, and if a momentary impulse killed these two irrelevant passersby and caused his later plans to fail, it would be a loss outweighing the gain.

Calming his emotions, the old man began walking toward his residence.

"However, the background of Lan Ba Academy is truly massive; if they were to eliminate every possible suspect, I'd be in trouble too," the old man muttered softly as he walked, feeling a certain dread toward the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect, fearing they might break all rules and act so ruthlessly that they'd rather kill a thousand mistakenly than spare a single one.

In fact, he held no deep grudge against the women of Lan Ba Academy; it was only because his disciple clashed with a competing team from the academy, and when he stepped forward, Liu Erlong's overwhelming aura Shocked him, making him lose face before everyone, which sparked his resentment toward the academy's women, especially its director, Liu Erlong.

But Liu Erlong's Soul Fighter cultivation left him with no way to act, so he shifted his revenge target onto the members of Lan Ba Academy.

Indeed, the old man who had been secretly spying on the women of Lan Ba Academy was none other than the team leader of Cang Hui Academy—Shi Nian.

On the surface, he is a highly respected teacher at Cang Hui Academy, but behind the scenes he is a man who never lets a grudge go unanswered.

What he enjoys most is slaughtering geniuses; the number of geniuses he kills never falls below two pairs, yet few know the truth, and even those who suspect lack solid evidence. All this stems from his unique and bizarre martial soul—Broken Dream! This Broken Dream martial soul has no physical form; its attack is highly unusual, constructing a dreamscape within the enemy's mind, trapping them so that they are terrified to death within their own nightmare, often resulting in gruesome deaths.

This type of martial soul belongs to the spiritual type; in this era, spiritual‑type martial souls are exceedingly rare, and even ten thousand years later they remain a powerful and scarce martial soul.

However, in this era, most Soul Masters choose the strong‑attack path, and research into spiritual‑type martial souls is minimal.

Many have never even heard of spiritual‑type martial souls, and spiritual‑type Soul Beasts are also extremely scarce, so Shi Nian reaching Soul Saint cultivation without any prior experience is exceedingly difficult.

"Since I might be suspected, I'll muddy the waters! That will greatly reduce the chance of suspicion falling on me," Shi Nian mused, then a sinister idea flashed in his mind, "There is tension between Lan Ba Academy and Tian Dou Royal Academy; I'll quietly eliminate a few Tian Dou Royal Academy students first, then when chaos erupts, I'll find a chance to strike those girls."

(End of Chapter)