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Inside Seven Treasures Academy, Dugu Bo was leisurely seated in a pavilion with Ning Tianchen, playing a game of chess.
"Little guy, your chess skills are impressive—it makes me break out in a sweat," Dugu Bo remarked after one game, already drenched in sweat.
Ordinarily, he boasted of being the best chess player in Tiandou City. Yet, after more than half an hour of play, he couldn't even defeat Ning Tianchen.
"Old man, once you've been tricked by Ke Jie, your chess skills will improve too," Ning Tianchen quipped, unable to resist teasing him.
Originally, Ning Tianchen only had a rudimentary understanding of Go.
However, during training sessions, Ke Jie had repeatedly used "Heaven's Dome" to train them intensively.
To cope with the training, the members of the Seven Treasures team had crammed their knowledge of Go for a period of time.
While playing against Dugu Bo, Ning Tianchen was essentially applying what he'd just learned on the spot, leaving Dugu Bo struggling to keep up.
As they spoke, Dugu Bo suddenly furrowed his brows, closed his eyes, and sniffed deeply.
"What's wrong, old man?" Ning Tianchen quickly asked.
The Azure Phosphorus Snake Emperor martial soul was extremely sensitive to air currents, and seeing Dugu Bo's reaction made Ning Tianchen suspect something significant had occurred within the academy.
After a moment, Dugu Bo chuckled faintly. "A shape-shifting spirit beast has entered the academy—what luck! It seems fate has delivered it straight to us."
"Come, let me show you. Who knows? Perhaps you'll secure a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as a fallback."
Ning Tianchen was shocked.
A shape-shifting spirit beast walking right into their hands? This was unheard of.
But the only shape-shifter he knew of was Xiao Wu. Could the presence Dugu Bo sensed belong to her?
That didn't make sense—how could Xiao Wu possibly be at Seven Treasures Academy?
Curious, he followed behind Dugu Bo.
---
After leaving the reception room, Ko Jie kept recalling the figure hiding behind Tang San.
"This aura feels peculiar—is it an illusion?"
For a Soul Douluo to identify a shape-shifting spirit beast, they needed to focus intently on the target.
Earlier, Ko Jie had merely glanced at Xiao Wu.
After some thought, he dismissed it and returned to the principal's office to continue cultivating his soul power.
Not long after, Ning Tianchen and Dugu Bo arrived nearby.
From a distance, they saw the Shrek group exiting the reception room.
After absorbing the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Ning Tianchen's vision had improved significantly, allowing him to clearly see their figures.
They pointed toward the group and asked urgently, "Old man, is the aura you sensed coming from over there?"
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed menacingly, like a venomous snake stalking its prey. "That girl in the pink dress is a hundred-thousand-year Bone Rabbit in human form. Capture her—she can become your ninth soul ring in the future."
"Wait—they're from Shrek Academy!" Ning Tianchen stepped in front of him.
Dugu Bo sneered. "Little guy, are you still clinging to this thin bond of camaraderie?"
Ning Tianchen shook his head. "She's Xiao Wu, and the boy in blue is Tang San."
Dugu Bo had been looking for a way to avenge his granddaughter, and now Tang San had walked right into their hands.
If that was the case, then capturing Xiao Wu and killing Tang San would serve both purposes.
Ning Tianchen warned sternly, "If you want to die, I won't stop you."
Dugu Bo retorted, "What? Do these two have some kind of powerful background?"
Ning Tianchen calmly recounted what he knew. "Tang San isn't the son of some blacksmith—I once overheard him casually mention that his father's name is Tang Hao."
"Tang Hao?" Dugu Bo was startled at first but then couldn't help but laugh. "Hmph, there must be hundreds or even thousands of people named Tang Hao in this world. You don't actually think his father is the Hao Tian Douluo, do you?"
Ning Tianchen continued, "First, Tang Hao hasn't appeared on the continent for a long time. It's entirely possible that he's been living in seclusion somewhere, married, and fathered Tang San."
"Moreover, Tang San has twin martial souls. I once accidentally saw his hammer martial soul appear on his left hand. With all these factors combined, it's clear he can only be the son of the Hao Tian Douluo. And Xiao Wu is his daughter-in-law."
This statement was, of course, a bluff. Tang San was well aware of Ning Tianchen's extraordinary perception and would never reveal his Hao Tian Hammer martial soul near him.
"So, if you harm them, do you think a crazed Tang Hao will spare you and your granddaughter?"
Dugu Bo frowned deeply.
He had thought Xiao Wu was a gift falling into his lap, only to realize she was more like dung disguised as a pie. Getting involved with her would only bring trouble.
Besides, he didn't believe he could stand up to Tang Hao.
"Thankfully, you reminded me—otherwise, I might've made a grave mistake."
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go back to playing chess. I still have one final move—little guy, be prepared to counter it."
Ning Tianchen smiled faintly. "I'll be waiting."
---
On the other side, Xiao Wu felt a chill run down her spine, as if a pair of eyes were boring into her from behind.
She cautiously stayed close to Tang San, holding her breath to avoid exposing her presence.
It wasn't until they exited the gates of Seven Treasures Academy that Tang San noticed her unease.
"Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Upon hearing his voice, the others turned their gaze toward her.
Xiao Wu's body trembled slightly at first. But once she felt the "eyes" behind her disappear, she immediately regained her usual liveliness.
"N-nothing. I just felt a bit unwell earlier, but I'm fine now."
Seeing she was alright, the Shrek group didn't dare linger at the entrance of Seven Treasures Academy. After walking a few hundred meters, they stopped at a teahouse to rest briefly.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't wait to speak up. "Flender, I said something was off when we first entered the academy, but none of you listened. Now, we've made complete fools of ourselves."
They weren't dressed like nobles, so they were likely mistaken for frauds.
If word of this got out, Yu Xiaogang, as a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, would bring shame to his sect.
How could he possibly face returning to his sect after that?
Flender didn't evade responsibility and took the blame upon himself. "It's my fault for not investigating the situation properly."
Tang San shook his head. "Principal, I also bear responsibility. If I hadn't said it was Tian Dou Imperial Academy, everyone wouldn't have entered without caution."
After all, because of his words, they had taken things for granted and lost their judgment.
"There's no point arguing about right or wrong now. Let's finish this cup of tea, then go ask around town and find our way to Tian Dou Imperial Academy as soon as possible," Zhao Wuji interrupted.
Shortly afterward…
After some inquiries, the Shrek group finally learned that Tian Dou Imperial Academy wasn't located inside the city but rather on a mountain outside the city.
---
At a certain residence within Tiandou City…
"Uncle, you can't let my older brother continue recruiting talent—I can't handle it anymore!" Xue Beng lamented, his face filled with despair.
Recently, the young man who had appeared by Xue Qinghe's side effortlessly defeated the thugs Xue Beng had sent with just one move.
Now, Shrek Academy was about to enter Tian Dou Imperial Academy.
Those who could defeat the Imperial Spirit Team were undoubtedly prodigies among prodigies. If this trend continued, even the powerful individuals under Xue Qinghe would be beyond Xue Beng's ability to contend with—let alone competing for the throne.
"Beng-er, don't worry. This king will ask Mr. Dugu to intervene. Those three old fools at the academy had better know their place. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless."
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