"Sect Master, Tang San's spirit power is higher than mine, and I've always had smooth sailing in the sect. So after I lost once, my mentality was a little unbalanced," Mu Tian took a deep breath and explained the reason he was so emotional at the time.
"Hmph, hypocrisy." Ning Rongrong scoffed at Mu Tian, just as he had scolded Tang San for being a hypocrite earlier.
Ning Fengzhi ignored Ning Rongrong's chatter. He turned to Bone Douluo and then asked Ning Rongrong,"Rongrong, the child you met—around your age—his name is Tang San?"
"Mm, his name is Tang San, and he's about the same age as me and Mu Tian. His martial spirit is still Blue Silver Grass, but he's already a Great Spirit Master, and his second spirit ring is a thousand-year level," Ning Rongrong said with admiration. Then she narrowed her eyes at Mu Tian →_→."Much better than a certain narrow-minded guy."
"A thousand years? Rongrong, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Bone Douluo was the first to question it. How could someone bear a thousand-year spirit ring as their second ring?
"Grandpa Bone, I didn't lie!" Ning Rongrong puffed up her cheeks, clearly upset by his doubt."I'm not colorblind! Can't I tell the difference between purple and yellow? Besides, Mu Tian saw it too. So did everyone who went with me."
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo all looked at Mu Tian.
"...Yes, that person's second spirit ring really was a thousand-year one," Mu Tian answered truthfully, biting the bullet.
"Mu Tian, you were indeed too emotional at the time," Bone Douluo snorted coldly."Go recover from your injuries, and copy the sect's rules and regulations one hundred times while you're at it."
"Teacher, I—"
"Hmm?"Bone Douluo's eyes narrowed sharply. Mu Tian was so frightened he didn't dare say another word. He respectfully accepted the order and quickly retreated.
Sword Douluo shook his head."Mu Tian is clever, but too unrealistic. He's unwilling to learn and relies too much on his innate full spirit power and the mutated Earth Fire Lizard martial spirit. He acts domineeringly, and many disciples in the sect have opinions about him.Old Bone, don't just focus on developing his martial spirit and spirit power. It's equally important to shape his character. He came from a small village, born a commoner himself—yet now he looks down on other civilians who surpass him. That kind of attitude is a real problem."
"I know. Didn't I already tell him to copy the rules?" Bone Douluo replied helplessly."Besides, I don't think his martial spirit is just a simple Earth Fire Lizard. If it were, it would be suppressed by my Bone Dragon. But in reality, it's my Bone Dragon that seems suppressed by his martial spirit—as if it fears it.Even when he doesn't release it, that pressure is still there... Although, when I saw him just now, I didn't feel the same trembling from my spirit. Maybe it's because he's injured."
Ning Fengzhi didn't dwell on that. After sending Ning Rongrong off to play, he turned to the two Douluos and asked,"Do you think the Tang San Rongrong met is the same Tang San who wrote this theory?"
Sword Douluo said,"That's unlikely, isn't it? It takes time for a spirit master to cultivate. If he's really a commoner, where would he find the time and resources to research spirit master classifications?"
"I agree with Old Sword," Bone Douluo added.
Ning Fengzhi also felt the idea was far-fetched. It was just a passing thought that had linked the two. He sighed."It's a pity Rongrong didn't ask how he managed to absorb a thousand-year spirit ring as his second, or where he lived. The Heaven Dou Empire is vast, with countless small cities. There's no way to find someone by name alone—unless he publicly reveals his second ring."
Sword Douluo thought for a moment and suggested,"Perhaps we could investigate the soul fighting arenas in major cities. If he defeated Mu Tian, then he must be a battle spirit master. And if he wants to become known, he'll eventually enter the soul fighting arenas."
"That makes sense."Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement."But right now, we have something more urgent to do: we must send invitations to the four single-attribute clans once affiliated with the original Haotian Sect.According to this theory, all four have incredible potential:The Defense Clan is known for its strength, and many of its members are skilled blacksmiths;The Imperial Clan has astonishing defensive power;The Breaking Clan's martial spirit—the Broken Soul Gun—is a weapon of war;And the Speed Clan boasts unmatched speed, making them ideal scouts."
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi's gaze grew serious.
"I never realized it before, but this theory woke me up. Now I understand what kind of ambition the original Haotian Sect had—more specifically, when Peerless Douluo Tang Chen still led them:The Defense Clan could forge weapons and offer logistical support.The Imperial Clan, strong and resilient, could serve as the vanguard in war.The Breaking Clan's spear-like martial spirits were ideal for battlefield use.And the Speed Clan—no one could outrun them. They were perfect scouts."
Bone Douluo felt a chill run down his spine."Could it be that the Haotian Sect originally gathered these four clans with the intent of conquering the world?"
"Exactly. Before the Haotian Sect sealed itself off, it supported the Star Luo Empire. If the Spirit Hall hadn't kept the Star Luo Empire in check, war would've broken out already."
"Whether or not that was their goal doesn't matter now," Ning Fengzhi said as he glanced at the Spirit News in his hand."At least, today's Haotian Sect has lost that ambition—and even abandoned those clans."
"Then we should take them in."Bone Douluo was excited."With our financial resources, we can give them better lives. Haotian Sect discarded them—or worse, used them as scapegoats to vent the Spirit Hall's wrath. They must hold deep resentment toward the Haotian Sect."
"But will they be willing to join us?" Sword Douluo remained cautious."The Spirit Hall isn't stupid. They surely see the value of the four clans. They've probably already extended an olive branch. Even if there's bad blood between them, the Spirit Hall could simply shift all blame onto the Haotian Sect—and even hand over the personnel responsible for killing their members.After all, the value of these four clans has skyrocketed."
"We still have to try." Ning Fengzhi said firmly."At the very least, they have a blood feud with the Spirit Hall. The older generation is stubborn. They'll trust us more—we're still one of the three great upper sects."
"With the Haotian Sect sealed off, even if they saw the Spirit News, they wouldn't dare send anyone out. The Spirit Hall is surely watching them closely," Sword Douluo added, beginning his own analysis."So we only need to pay attention to Tang Yuehua. As for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, though… they worship their own bloodline. They believe the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is the strongest, so it's unlikely they'll get involved. But we still need to keep them in mind—we must avoid direct conflict."
On the other side—In the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen pondered after reading the theory.He didn't care much for it at first. After all, his clan had always relied on the dominance of their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit. The family's entrenched system wouldn't be easy to change overnight.Still, Yu Yuanzhen thought maybe Yu Tianheng could try adapting. After all, he had joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy—perhaps he would see a different path from the family's.
But when Yu Yuanzhen glanced at the newspaper again, he suddenly became irritated for no reason.
"If that worthless son of mine had this kind of talent," he cursed,"Would he have become a laughingstock?!"