Yu Mengdi shook her head gently. "I don't think I know him."
Ye Wuqing narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then why does he keep staring at you? Could he be coming for you? Don't worry, even if he really wants to make things difficult for you, no matter how powerful he is, our Justice Heaven Academy is not to be trifled with."
"The captain is right. Anyone who wants to lay a hand on our vice-captain will have to get past us first," the others chimed in, echoing his sentiment.
This brought a wave of warmth to Yu Mengdi's heart. Since her childhood, she had been hunted by evil soul masters because of her martial soul. Later, she met her adoptive parents, and with their financial support, she entered Justice Heaven Academy.
To her, Justice Heaven Academy was her second home.
Seeing the members of Justice Heaven Academy looking as though they were facing a formidable enemy, Feng Piaoling realized he had been misunderstood. He smiled faintly, stepped forward, and said, "Everyone, please don't misunderstand. I mean no harm. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Feng Piaoling, the Hall Master of the Hall of Souls."
Meng Hongchen immediately mimicked Feng Piaoling's tone and introduced herself from the side, "And I am Meng Hongchen, the Deputy Hall Master of the Hall of Souls."
Feng Piaoling rolled his eyes inwardly. When had he ever appointed her as the Deputy Hall Master?
As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Hearing Feng Piaoling speak so amicably, the tension among the Justice Heaven Academy crowd eased considerably. Ye Wuqing stepped forward to shield Yu Mengdi, nodded, and asked, "I am Ye Wuqing, the captain of Justice Heaven Academy. May I ask what business Hall Master Feng has with us?"
"It is nothing major," Feng Piaoling smiled. "I simply took a liking to Yu Mengdi's talent. At the same time, out of our past connection as fellow disciples, I wanted to invite Yu Mengdi to join my Hall of Souls."
"Fellow disciples?" Yu Mengdi looked puzzled.
"Indeed," Feng Piaoling explained patiently. "You are a descendant of the Angel Clan from the Spirit Hall of ten thousand years ago, while I am a descendant of the Wind Sword Sect, which was a subordinate sect of the Spirit Hall back then. In other words, ten thousand years ago, we were fellow disciples."
"Even if what you say is true, that was a matter from ten thousand years ago. You cannot use that to force her," Ye Wuqing said in a deep voice.
"I have no intention of forcing her. This is merely an invitation. If she refuses, I will turn around and leave immediately," Feng Piaoling said calmly.
Once these words were spoken, the members of Justice Heaven Academy found it hard to object further.
They left the decision entirely to Yu Mengdi.
Yu Mengdi looked at Feng Piaoling, then at her teammates, momentarily falling into hesitation.
In all honesty, she did not want to leave Justice Heaven Academy.
However, she had also witnessed the immense potential of the Hall of Souls.
Almost every single disciple had been trained into an extraordinary genius by this Hall Master before her. They had mastered countless combat techniques that other soul masters could only dream of.
He himself, not too long ago, had single-handedly suppressed the Dou Ling Academy, a team far stronger than Justice Heaven Academy.
If she agreed, her future path of cultivation would undoubtedly be a smooth and boundless one.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Meng Hongchen smiled and added, "Little sister, you must not miss out on such a golden opportunity. Our Hall Master doesn't invite just anyone under normal circumstances. Apart from those companions who went through life and death with him to escape Shrek's pursuit, I was the very first to accept his invitation. You are the second."
"And the reason I agreed was because our Hall Master can help me become stronger. That is far more practical than apprenticing under any Titled Douluo."
Hearing this, Yu Mengdi felt her resolve waver. She looked towards her teammates. Ye Wuqing nodded and said, "Just follow your own thoughts."
Yu Mengdi nodded, turned her head to look at Feng Piaoling, and said, "I can join, but Justice Heaven Academy is my home. I will not leave it."
"Of course. Rather than calling our Hall of Souls a sect, it is more like an organization for soul masters," Feng Piaoling smiled.
Yu Mengdi asked in confusion, "What kind of organization?"
"An organization dedicated solely to hunting evil soul masters," Feng Piaoling conveyed this sentence using soul power transmission.
"Alright, I'm in." Yu Mengdi gasped slightly. Recalling her parents who had tragically died at the hands of evil soul masters, she agreed without a single shred of hesitation.
"Great. I now officially welcome you as the Hall Master of the Hall of Souls. This Tier 5 close-combat soul tool's blade can double the attack power of Soul Kings and below, and its scabbard can deploy a defensive barrier. Consider this a welcoming gift," Feng Piaoling smiled faintly, directly untying the Thunder Tribulation Sword from his waist and handing it to her. "Additionally, in a short while, I will custom-forge a set of protective armor and soul tool boots for you."
"Thank you, Hall Master." Yu Mengdi accepted the Thunder Tribulation Sword, fully embracing her identity as a member of the Hall of Souls.
Meng Hongchen said, "As the Deputy Hall Master, I also have a gift for you. This is a Tier 5 milk bottle soul tool. It's yours."
"Thank you, Deputy Hall Master," Yu Mengdi accepted it happily.
"Are you coming with us now, or will you find me after the tournament ends?" Feng Piaoling looked at Yu Mengdi.
"I want to bid a proper farewell to my teammates," Yu Mengdi replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Very well. When the time comes, head to..." Feng Piaoling conveyed the remaining words using soul power transmission.
With that settled, Feng Piaoling turned and departed with Meng Hongchen. The moment they turned around, he asked quite speechlessly, "Meng Hongchen, since when did you become the Deputy Hall Master?"
"Apart from you and Teacher Xuan, I am the strongest in the Hall of Souls. Why can't I be the Deputy Hall Master?" Meng Hongchen pouted.
"The strongest? If we are talking purely about cultivation level, then yes, that is true. But you had better work hard. Yu Mengdi has immense potential; she could surpass you at any time. And Xiao Xiao's potential exceeds even Yu Mengdi's. You had better not let them overtake you, or else your title as Deputy Hall Master will be nothing but a hollow name."
The two walked away chatting and laughing. Watching their retreating figures, the last trace of worry in the heart of Justice Heaven Academy's captain, Ye Wuqing, vanished.
Perhaps following them would be a wonderful choice for Yu Mengdi.
On the other side, not long after Feng Piaoling and Meng Hongchen had left, they were intercepted by Zhang Lexuan.
"Do you have a moment to talk?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
"You go back first," Feng Piaoling cast a glance at Meng Hongchen, then led Zhang Lexuan away from Star Luo Plaza.
After crossing several streets, the two finally arrived at a teahouse.
The moment they stepped inside, the admiring expression Feng Piaoling had previously worn in front of Zhang Lexuan vanished completely, replaced by cold indifference.
"Junior Feng, you have misunderstood. It is true that Zhou Yi drove you all away from the academy, but the ambush on you was not arranged by the academy."
Believing that Feng Piaoling was still harboring a grudge over the events at Shrek Academy, Zhang Lexuan hurriedly explained.
"I know. The ambush back then was orchestrated by the Duke of White Tiger's mansion, with Dai Huabin as the mastermind behind the scenes. Shrek Academy only sent people to hunt us down after their attempts to persuade us to return failed," Feng Piaoling said suddenly, stopping in front of a private room and looking at Zhang Lexuan.
Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan instantly grew upset. "Shrek has never sent anyone to hunt down its own students. Feng Piaoling, how can you slander the academy like this?"
Feng Piaoling countered, "Senior Sister Zhang—no, Zhang Lexuan. You are still as naive as ever. If Shrek doesn't send people to hunt down its students, then tell me, over the years, quite a few genius students have left the academy because they could not stand Shrek's disgusting rules. Some were persuaded to return, while others simply vanished off the face of the earth. How do you explain that?"
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