"Of course, I am well aware of the Body Sect's strength. If they are to receive better nurturing, joining the Body Sect is indeed their best option. My Spirit Hall is not a traditional sect in the conventional sense, but rather an organization of soul masters. It contains quite a few sects and clans within its ranks. Perhaps one day, the Body Sect and my Spirit Hall will find an opportunity to cooperate," Feng Piaoling said calmly.
"Cooperate with my Body Sect? What bold words. However, you got one thing right. Only our Body Sect can truly nurture Body Martial Souls."
As he spoke, both Lang Ya and Yu Tao beside him were filled with pride.
Seeing that they had agreed, Feng Piaoling spoke no further. He turned to look at Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Nana, saying, "Susu, Luoluo, Nana, practice hard after you enter the Body Sect."
Feng Piaoling had already given them the cultivation methods for the fourth stage of the Green Lotus Sword Technique, as well as the fifth stage that he had deduced.
It would be enough to sustain their training for the time being.
The three girls nodded heavily, their eyes turning red. Under Feng Piaoling's watchful gaze, they left with the two members of the Body Sect.
Feng Piaoling secretly followed them underground from a distance.
Only after confirming that the three girls were safe did he return to his quarters to cultivate.
...
The next day, Star Luo Plaza became far more bustling than usual.
The two semifinal matches of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament had concluded.
Today was the finals.
It was Shrek Academy versus the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
The team battle, individual elimination tournament, and the two-two-three combat method would all take place within a single day.
In previous tournaments, there was rarely any suspense. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy would almost always suffer defeat, relegated to being the perennial runner-up.
Shrek Academy had consistently dominated the top spot for ten thousand years.
However, this year, the intervention of the Spirit Hall had brought a massive reversal.
Up until now, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had displayed enough strength to contend for the championship.
Shrek Academy, on the other hand, had suffered severe casualties and losses at the Mingdou Mountain Range.
In this final showdown of the tournament, it was impossible to tell who held the upper hand.
Thanks to this uncertainty, the black market was exceptionally active this year. Countless people were placing bets.
Feng Piaoling had also placed a bet. After all, expanding the Spirit Hall in the future would require money. Thus, he had Xuan Ziwen take the millions of gold soul coins he had accumulated over the years through various channels, combined with the funds from everyone else in the Spirit Hall, and wagered it all.
They bet on the victory of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
The odds were one to three and a half. If they won, it would bring in over ten million gold soul coins.
Dense dark clouds currently blanketed Star Luo City, which was enveloped in a faint mist. Occasionally, fine threads of rain drifted down from the sky.
This brought a touch of chilliness to the grand metropolis.
Ling Luochen walked amidst the Shrek Academy team, occasionally looking up at the sky. A hint of joy danced across her beautiful face. As a controller of the ice element, this humid and potentially rainy weather was undoubtedly most advantageous to her.
However, compared to this, she was looking forward to her duel against Feng Piaoling even more.
On one hand, she wanted to know exactly how wide the gap between them had become.
On the other hand, he had saved her life once before.
Ling Luochen was someone who repaid her debts of gratitude. Throughout this entire time, she had not yet had the chance to properly thank him.
Xi Xi felt largely the same way.
In contrast, the other five members who were about to step onto the stage could not help but feel nervous.
Although Xuan Zi had already spoken and stated that they would not be blamed even if they lost, who would actually want to lose when representing Shrek on the grand stage?
On the other side, the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy were even more anxious.
This was the closest they had ever been to the championship. If they lost this time, they might very well miss their only chance at victory.
Out of both teams, only Wu Feng, Wang Dong'er, and Feng Piaoling remained completely relaxed throughout the entire process.
Wu Feng and Wang Dong'er casually followed at the very back of the Shrek team. Ever since entering the final four, they no longer needed to compete.
Wu Feng's gaze landed on Feng Piaoling.
Viewed from the side, Feng Piaoling's facial features were highly defined, resembling a work of art sculpted by nature itself, with almost no flaws to be found.
Although he was still young, his stature was already quite tall and slender.
As Wu Feng looked at Feng Piaoling, she thought to herself, what on earth is wrong with me? Why do I care so much about a guy? Even if he is handsome and powerful, the issue is that he is a male. He isn't the Young Master, so why is my heart beating so rapidly? Could it be because he saved me?
Yes, it must be because of that...
Compared to Wu Feng, Wang Dong'er was entirely absorbed in the memory from the Mingdou Mountain Range. Back then, upon learning that the hypocrite Tang San was attempting to let his descendant possess her body, Feng Piaoling had declared his intent to protect her.
Immediately afterward, bits and pieces of their past interactions surfaced one by one, finally settling on the memory of their entrance examination. Upon seeing Feng Piaoling reveal his three soul rings—yellow, purple, and purple—she had refused to accept defeat, releasing her own yellow and purple rings to challenge him.
Thinking of this, the corners of Wang Dong'er's mouth curved up slightly.
If Wu Feng and Wang Dong'er were relaxed because they did not have to compete, then Feng Piaoling's calmness stemmed from absolute confidence in his own strength.
His mind was exceptionally serene right now. Last night, he had already arranged for everyone from the Spirit Hall to enter the Undead Demiplane.
Now, unless one of the three Ultimate Douluos—Mu En, Long Xiaoyao, or Ye Xishui—personally arrived, he no longer needed to worry about threats from Shrek or the Holy Ghost Cult.
His fighting intent rose to an unprecedented height. Perhaps his true strength would finally be validated in this match.
Inadvertently, his gaze shifted toward the city walls. At first glance, he spotted the Star Luo Empire's Emperor, Xu Jiawei, standing right in the center, with Princess Jiujiu on his left.
Princess Jiujiu was clearly looking at him as well. Whether it was due to their alleged connection to the same sect from ten thousand years ago or for some other reason, her gaze was quite friendly. Seeing Feng Piaoling look over, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
However, Feng Piaoling was not particularly interested in her. After returning a polite smile, his gaze shifted to the middle-aged man standing on Xu Jiawei's right.
The man wore golden armor and possessed regular features. His eyes were deeply set, and within his deep blue eyes, a pair of pupils gleamed in each. His face appeared somewhat lean.
Overall, he was still a handsome man.
But what truly drew Feng Piaoling's attention was not this, but the fact that the man's appearance bore a thirty to forty percent resemblance to the brothers Dai Huabin and Dai Yaoheng. His identity was already blatantly obvious.
The White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao. The biological father whom Huo Yuhao yearned for yet could never reach.
Since Feng Piaoling had spotted Dai Hao, Huo Yuhao naturally noticed him as well. A glimmer of anticipation couldn't help but flash across his eyes, hoping that his father would recognize him.
Yet, Dai Hao's brow was tightly furrowed.
Looking at Huo Yuhao, who seemed inseparable from his second son Dai Huabin, Dai Hao's expression was as dark as stagnant water.
As early as when the news of the close relationship between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin began to spread, he had sent people to specifically investigate Huo Yuhao. Consequently, the investigation had indeed turned up some clues.