Inside the side hall prepared by the royal family, the scent of sandalwood rose in wisps, dispersing among the carved beams and columns.
Xu Xingquan traced the unhealed cracks along the edge of the star chart, as if hearing the mournful cries of his martial soul. Moonlight filtered through the glass dome, casting fragmented spots of light onto his silver-embroidered purple robe, illuminating his head of white hair.
The remnants of the shattered ever-burning lamps still littered the observatory, mirroring their current predicament—a seemingly illustrious Star Crown Sect that was now struggling to survive.
After much deliberation, Xu Xingquan agreed to Emperor Xue Ye's alliance proposal. Today, they would discuss the details.
Like Emperor Xue Ye, Xu Xingquan harbored deep resentment, but he was equally terrified by the divine retribution felt during the divination. He decided to let the Tian Dou Empire take the lead.
After all, the Star Crown Sect was unfamiliar with the territory, and both the sect master and elders were gravely injured. The Tian Dou Empire would have to shoulder more of the burden.
"Sect Master, it's time to discuss the alliance." Elder Xu Xingkong's bandaged hand seeped red marks, his wounds treated by Emperor Xue Ye, though the backlash still lingered, causing his wounds to bleed intermittently.
Xu Xingquan sighed and stepped out of the side hall, heading to the meeting chamber. After a series of negotiations and exchanges of interests, Emperor Xue Ye agreed to all conditions in order to secure the Star Crown Sect's support.
…
Shrek Academy
"Xiao Yan, why does your face look so pale? Your eyes are even red."
Xiao Wu leaned closer to Xu Xiaoyan, her bright eyes filled with concern, making Xu Xiaoyan lower her head guiltily.
"It's nothing, Xiao Wu. I just stayed up too late practicing last night."
"Oh, then be careful not to overwork yourself."
Xiao Wu didn't suspect anything and skipped off to find Gu La for breakfast. Amidst the busy training, only the delicious energy cubes could soothe her heart.
Arriving at the small house Gu La had built for her, Xiao Wu was surprised to see Gu La eating with his hands.
"Gu La, are you healed already!?"
Gu La nodded slightly, glancing at Xu Xiaoyan, and smiled as he said, "Somewhat. I can move my upper body a little now. I must thank a group of kind-hearted people who helped me immensely."
Borrowing the instinctive counterattack from the divine rank caused an energy surge that immediately digested over thirty percent of the magma energy within him. Full recovery was now not far off.
Xiao Wu didn't think much of it and picked up the energy cube Gu La had prepared, praising him: "They really are kind-hearted people. Do I know them?"
"No, kind-hearted people do good deeds without leaving their names."
"Hmm." Xiao Wu chewed on the energy cube. "Then they really are good people, asking for nothing in return. If it were me, I'd definitely ask you to trade a few meals' worth of energy cubes."
Xu Xiaoyan couldn't shake the strange feeling gnawing at her. She held her portion of the energy cubes and nibbled at them in small bites.
Not long after, Ning Rongrong also arrived at the cottage—Gu La's place was becoming a makeshift cafeteria for several people.
She too was astonished by how much Gu La's condition had improved. At the same time, she brought some news: "Father will come to visit you this afternoon. He wants to consult about the intricacies of cultivating the Universal Visualization Diagram. Father knows your time is precious, so he's willing to pay."
The refusal died on Gu La's lips—he enjoyed dealing with those who had deep pockets.
"I'm not short on money. Trade for rare materials instead."
"Alright, I'll inform Father."
Unbothered by the cost, Ning Rongrong didn't care what the trade entailed. If Gu La were willing to return to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect with her, any trade would suffice.
In the afternoon, Ning Fengzhi arrived as promised, accompanied by Bone Douluo. His towering two-meter frame was particularly conspicuous, drawing even more attention than Sword Douluo.
Even Ning Rongrong was astonished: "Bone Grandpa, why are you here?"
Bone Douluo feigned dissatisfaction: "Rongrong doesn't welcome Grandpa?"
Ning Rongrong quickly moved forward, tugging on Bone Douluo's arm and playfully shaking it. "Of course not, Grandpa, sit down quickly. I've recently learned how to brew tea—please try my skills."
"All right, all right, I'll give Rongrong's tea a taste."
Bone Douluo sat on the stone bench, while Ning Fengzhi took a seat beside him.
Both men were aware that Ning Rongrong was always attended to by servants in the sect—she likely wouldn't bother learning the art of tea brewing unless it was to cater to someone special.
"Nephew, forgive the intrusion."
Ning Fengzhi skillfully navigated between politeness and familiarity, striking the perfect balance to avoid offending Gu La.
Instead of asking about the visualization diagram first, he placed a large array of materials on the stone table. "I heard you're interested in rare materials. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has amassed quite a collection. Take a look and see if there's anything you like—I'll gift you two items."
Glancing over, Gu La was secretly astonished. Some of these materials were unfamiliar to him, revealing that the sect had withheld certain treasures when trading for the super-evolution device blueprints earlier.
It made sense—without meeting him in person, he too would have hesitated to invest too much.
Activating his Appraisal Eye, the names and effects of the materials appeared before him.
"Nine-Heart Begonia's dewdrop, the first feather of the Mysterious Swan Spirit Beast…"
Ning Fengzhi introduced each item one by one, showing that he had thoroughly researched their effects.
Finally, when he retrieved a jade box, his fingers paused momentarily. As the lid opened, golden starlight illuminated the courtyard. "A material of stellar attributes, originally intended for my daughter, but despite numerous experiments, we couldn't find a suitable application."
Gu La was slightly taken aback. Through the Appraisal Eye, he identified the material Ning Fengzhi had just revealed as Star Crystal Ingots—essences condensed over tens of millions of years from small stars in the starry sky that had lost their vitality. They contained extraordinary spiritual energy.
Had they not fallen to Douluo Planet, these Star Crystal Ingots would either birth sentience, becoming celestial spirits that roamed the starry expanse, or re-absorb stardust to become new stars.
Gu La inwardly lamented—the timing of this material was unfortunate; even he found it difficult to utilize at this moment.
"It's no wonder Uncle Ning couldn't find a use for it. This material originates from beyond the starry sky, crystal clear, incredibly hard, impervious to fire and low temperatures—it's excellent material for crafting tools."
The phoenix tree leaves in the courtyard rustled without wind, the soft rustling drowning out the latter half of his sentence, yet Ning Fengzhi still caught it.
He chuckled softly. "Then it truly is unsuitable for Rongrong. Let me offer it to you, worthy nephew."
Ning Fengzhi seemed unconcerned about being deceived by Gu La. After a moment's thought, Gu La surmised that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect must have exhausted many methods and, finding none viable, sought his help as a last resort.
"A gift from an elder cannot be refused. I accept."
Gu La didn't understand the concept of modesty. Besides, although the Star Crystal Ingots were valuable, he could offer better returns.
"Accept it, worthy nephew. Even the most treasured possessions must find their way into capable hands to be of use. You've inherited your teacher's legacy—it's fitting that you receive this treasure."
Ning Fengzhi wasn't worried. Though he didn't fully understand the ingots' effects, he knew they couldn't aid the evolution of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Thus, even the most precious of treasures held diminished value for him. It was better to win favor.
"Let's get to the point. Rongrong must have mentioned my purpose for coming. Could you enlighten us on the intricacies of the Universal Visualization Diagram?"
"Certainly."
Gu La didn't refuse. He wanted to see how others viewed the visualization diagram—perhaps their perspectives might help him in unforeseen ways.
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