Ning Fengzhi's expression revealed neither joy nor anger, as if he had already expected this answer.
"I didn't expect you to be someone who values loyalty so much. It seems I was being presumptuous. If you don't mind, you may call me Uncle Ning."
Wu Qi had no reason to refuse and followed along. "Uncle Ning, would it be possible for Rongrong to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy? To be honest, I'm currently forming a team for the Spirit Master Tournament. With her joining, our team's strength would definitely rise to another level."
Ning Fengzhi agreed with a smile.
After that, they chatted about some trivial matters. Seeing that there was nothing more to discuss, Wu Qi took his leave.
After he left, Ning Fengzhi looked at Gu Rong with a hint of helplessness.
It was normal that their first meeting didn't yield much.
However, when facing Wu Qi, he felt as though he were dealing with a seasoned veteran of official circles, there were hardly any openings to exploit.
But in reality, that wasn't the case.
In terms of scheming, Wu Qi was still quite inexperienced.
He simply followed the principle of "the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make." He answered only what was asked, without elaborating or adding extra details.
Gu Rong frowned. "This kid is very cautious. But if his background were truly as Xue Qinghe described, he wouldn't behave like this. It seems our guess is correct."
Ning Fengzhi shared the same view. "Let Rongrong stay by his side. If he's perceptive enough, he should be able to guess our intentions."
"There's no need to rush. Let them spend more time together first."
On the street, Changkong looked puzzled. "Grandfather always said Sect Master Ning is a man of great talent, even the most capable sect master the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect has seen in nearly a thousand years."
"Brother Wu, was he trying to recruit you?"
Wu Qi didn't deny it. "It was only our first meeting. He didn't reveal much, and I can't tell what he's really thinking."
"But I have a feeling we'll have more contact in the future. We'll see when the time comes."
Changkong clenched his fists. "As expected, he's up to something. If he—"
Wu Qi shook his head and cut him off. "There are no eternal enemies in this world, only enternal benefits. If possible, the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect could even become a partner of the Hall of Elders."
Changkong reminded him, "Brother Wu, I know what you're capable of. But this kind of thing needs caution. Right now, it feels like we're dancing on the edge of a blade, one misstep and we could lose our lives."
As they talked, it was already noon. They decided to have a meal in the city before heading back.
Meanwhile, at Heaven Dou Royal Academy
Yu Feng and Oslo had been waiting at the training ground for a response.
To stay in peak condition, they didn't even dare eat and could only endure.
As hunger set in, and the rest of their teammates gathered nearby enjoying a hearty lunch, Oslo grew irritated and complained, "Captain, can you guys eat somewhere else? Are you watching us for fun?"
Yu Tianheng shrugged. "You can go eat too. I'm not stopping you."
"Teacher Qin went to the committee this morning. It's been so long with no reply—looks like they're scared."
"Since they've chosen to avoid us, let's drop it here. Otherwise, people might say we're bullying the weak!"
Yu Feng said firmly, "Captain, how can that be? It's just a friendly exchange, not a life-and-death battle. It's not that serious."
"If they can't even face a spar, then those two are probably all hype."
Dugu Yan said impatiently, "Fine, wait if you want. Just don't miss tonight's Spirit Arena matches."
Qin Ming had already decided to take the Royal Team out for training.
Whether they were strong or not, they had to be tested in real situations. The three committee members fully supported his proposal, as they also wanted to assess the team's true strength.
For now, the Royal Team's goal was to challenge strong teams in the Heaven Dou Spirit Arena, so they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
Of course, for safety reasons, Qin Ming wouldn't dare take them outside the Heaven Dou Empire.
This so-called training was destined to be more form than substance.
After all, most of the continent's true Spirit Master experts were gathered in Spirit City.
Without challenging the Spirit Arena there, it held little real value.
Shortly after noon, Wu Qi and Changkong leisurely returned to the academy.
Completely unaware that Yu Feng and Oslo were waiting for them at the training ground,
the moment the two stepped into the academy, Wu Qin approached them on his own initiative.
"I didn't expect you two to come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy as well. What happened before was all a misunderstanding. We—"
Wu Qin was a direct descendant of the Wu family, one of its three young masters. Wu Qi had no interest in dealing with him. "If you have something to say, say it. I'm not interested in holding grudges with you."
Wu Qi's arrival at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had already spread through the noble circles of Heaven Dou City the previous night.
As top talents by Xue Qinghe's side, and possibly future core members of his faction, they naturally attracted the attention of the major noble families.
Last night, Wu Qinan had approached Wu Qin and informed him about Wu Qi and Changkong. At the same time, he still harbored doubts about Wu Qi's identity, so sending Wu Qin to interact with him was meant to confirm it.
However, today's situation was special. Wanting to gain their favor, Wu Qin quickly said, "Don't you know yet?"
"Oslo and Yu Feng from Team One have issued you a challenge. The three committee members have already approved it. Right now, rumors are spreading all over the academy about you. Whether you accept the challenge or not, you need to decide quickly."
"What the hell?"
Changkong was completely confused. Frowning, he said, "We were only out for one morning, and now someone's challenging us? We barely know anyone here. Who are Yu Feng and Oslo, and why are they picking a fight with us?"
Wu Qi was familiar with their names.
At the same time, he roughly understood the reason.
Those two probably thought he and Changkong would take their positions.
As the so-called "strongest" team of the Heaven Dou Empire, Royal Team One would be directly placed into the finals.
Wu Qi had no intention of losing the chance to gain experience in the preliminary and promotion rounds. Even if the academy invited him to join Team One, he wouldn't agree.
After all, a team's tactics needed to be tested in real combat.
There was still room for error in the preliminaries, but on the finals stage, a single loss could ruin everything.
Wu Qi urged, "Let's go. Since they've issued a challenge, we can't back down."
Wu Qin's eyes lit up. He hurriedly ran ahead of them. "You go to the training ground first. I'll spread the word around the academy and build momentum for you."
Unprovoked enthusiasm usually had ulterior motives.
Still, the current rumors in the academy were unfavorable to them, so clarification was necessary.
Compared to handling it personally, letting someone else spread the message was more efficient.
Seeing Wu Qin's behavior, Changkong found it oddly amusing.
Wu Qi glanced at him and said irritably, "Sometimes, you're even more ridiculous than him."
Changkong didn't realize it himself. "Am I? We're just friends. I'm not your lackey."
Wu Qi shrugged. "If you say so."
"You're not Oslo's opponent. Later, find a way to choose Yu Feng as your opponent. Remember what I said."
-----
If you like story please donate some power stones and leave a review
For additional chapters
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu