Douluo: Starting with an Engagement to Zhu Zhuqing

Chapter 77: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile

Ockland Academy.

Seven-Person Soul Arena.

Since the competition was being held at Ockland Academy, most of the spectators were students from Ockland. Many students from the Tiandou Royal Academy also came to Ockland, wanting to witness the strength of the Tiandou Royal Academy's team and cheer for their own academy's team.

However, despite their words of encouragement, what they truly sought was to witness a thrilling victory.

Apart from the students from the two academies, many others from different academies attended as well, including people from the Five Elements Academy. After all, the Tiandou Royal Academy's team represented the Tiandou Empire, and as the best Soul Master team from one of the top Soul Master academies, this was a great opportunity to witness the best young talent from the Tiandou Empire.

Students from other academies felt a certain sympathy for Ockland Academy, as they knew that after facing Ockland's team, the Tiandou Royal Academy would continue to challenge other academies.

In the best viewing spot, a VIP area was specially reserved, decorated for distinguished guests.

Seated in the VIP section were three individuals of the highest status.

At the center sat Ockland Academy's principal, Jackson, whom Dai Yao had met not long ago. Though his status wasn't the highest, as the head of Ockland Academy, he naturally occupied the central position.

To Jackson's left sat a man of refined elegance. He wore a silver robe with cloud patterns, a silver crown atop his head, his features as smooth as jade, and his bearing was noble and dignified. Leaning on a spherical cane, he was greeted with a chorus of applause the moment he appeared.

This was none other than the world's number one auxiliary Soul Master—Ning Fengzhi.

Next to him sat a young girl in a beautiful light blue gown—Ning Fengzhi's daughter, Ning Rongrong.

With a pout, Ning Rongrong said, "Dad, what's so interesting about this competition? I'd rather stay in the sect and play with Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone."

Ning Fengzhi smiled gently, teasing her, "You're just trying to torture your two grandpas again."

Ning Rongrong huffed, "No way! Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone actually want to play with me!"

Seeing through his daughter's thoughts, Ning Fengzhi chuckled, and then, he turned serious and said:

"Rongrong, do you know why I came to watch this match today?"

"Why?" Ning Rongrong's blue eyes filled with confusion.

"It's because of the auxiliary Soul Master on the Tiandou Royal Academy team."

"An auxiliary Soul Master? But our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has the world's number one auxiliary spirit tool, right? Why would we need to pay attention to another auxiliary Soul Master?"

Ning Rongrong asked, hugging her father's arm.

Ning Fengzhi explained patiently, "That girl's spirit is called Nine Hearts Begonia."

"Nine Hearts Begonia," he continued, "is unlike other spirits. It's a single-line inheritance, with only one heir in each generation. Only two Nine Hearts Begonia Soul Masters can exist at the same time—if one dies, only then can the next heir appear."

"It's a spirit with the fewest numbers."

"The Nine Hearts Begonia has only one ability. No matter how many soul rings it has, there's only one soul skill: group healing. The higher the level and the more soul power, the better the healing effect."

"With a Nine Hearts Begonia Soul Master around, it's almost impossible to die."

"If there weren't so few Nine Hearts Begonia Soul Masters, it might have been our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's biggest competitor."

At this point, Ning Fengzhi's expression grew serious.

Ning Rongrong, upon hearing this, was curious to meet this auxiliary Soul Master.

To Jackson's right sat the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, Salas.

Salas was thin, like a spear, leaning on the armrest with one hand, his eyes half-closed.

The Spirit Hall had always distanced itself from the soul academies in the Tiandou Empire, so Jackson was quite surprised by Salas's presence. However, upon further thought, he realized that Salas had come for Dai Yao.

Dai Yao had used a letter of introduction from Salas to enter Ockland Academy.

However, Ning Fengzhi didn't know this.

After exchanging some banter with Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi turned to Salas and asked:

"Spirit Hall has never interfered with matters in the Tiandou Empire. May I ask why Bishop Salas has come today?"

Salas opened his eyes, looking at Ning Fengzhi with a somewhat indifferent smile.

Currently, the two empires were the primary opponents of the Spirit Hall, and among the top three sects, Ning Fengzhi, the master of the second-most powerful sect in the world, was a staunch opponent of the Spirit Hall.

With a half-smile, Salas responded, "Ning Sect Master is here, so why shouldn't I be?"

Ning Fengzhi didn't take offense. He returned a warm smile and said, "Not at all, Bishop Salas, please don't misunderstand me."

Salas's eyes flashed with appreciation. It was a pity, though—such a capable person, yet he insisted on opposing the Spirit Hall.

"I'm here today to see one person."

"Oh? Who might that be?" Ning Fengzhi asked, intrigued.

Salas gave a deep, mysterious smile and didn't answer.

"Hmph, so mysterious! Who knows what he's up to?" Ning Rongrong pouted angrily.

Time passed, and the match was about to begin.

In the Tiandou Royal Academy's rest area, seven individuals with unique characteristics gathered, all appearing to be around fifteen years old.

At the center of a couch sat a man in blue athletic wear. He had black long hair, a tall, slender build, and while he wasn't handsome, there was a dangerous aura around him as he rested with his eyes closed.

Occasionally, when he opened his eyes, they flashed with the brilliance of thunder, instilling fear in those who met his gaze.

Also seated on the couch was a woman, lounging lazily. She had short purple hair and violet-colored eyes.

The rest of the team was also relaxed, though from time to time, a pair of eyes would fall on the man, filled with admiration.

"This is Yan Zi's fifteenth time looking at the boss. When do you think they'll finally get together?"

The speaker was a handsome young man, not very tall but with a well-proportioned figure, sporting short golden hair. His lively eyes shone brightly as he leaned in close to a black-clad man, whispering in his ear, hand cupped around his mouth.

"Get lost! If you want to tease Yan Zi, don't drag me into it!" the black-clad man quickly retreated, trying to distance himself from the handsome youth.

The woman lying lazily on the sofa glanced over with a seductive smile, "Yu Feng, would you like me to pay more attention to you?"

"Don't!" Yu Feng quickly backed away, waving his hands in fear. He then turned around and reprimanded the black-clad man, "Oslo, how dare you betray me! I challenge you to a duel!"

Oslo snorted disdainfully, "You, a flying-type Soul Master, want to duel me, a ground-type Soul Master? Do you have any shame? If you duel with the boss, I won't even expect you to win, but if you last for three minutes, I'll respect you!"

"That's enough! Quiet down. When are you going to learn some composure, like the Shi brothers?" The man sitting in the center of the sofa finally spoke.

He was referring to the two men, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, who were sitting cross-legged in a corner, meditating. Like Feng Qianli, they both had square jaws and broad noses. Even sitting still, they gave off an air of steadiness and reliability.

The man in blue was none other than Yu Tianheng.

Yu Feng and Oslo both gave awkward smiles.

Yu Tianheng stood up and addressed the group, "Today, our opponents are Ockland Academy."

"Ockland Academy isn't very strong. As far as I know, their strongest member is a Soul Master with the Xuanwu Turtle spirit, named Feng Qianli."

Upon hearing the Xuanwu Turtle spirit, Shi Mo and Shi Mo's eyes lit up, and they exchanged a glance before interrupting, "Boss, leave Feng Qianli to us."

Yu Tianheng smiled, "I had the same thought."

He continued, "Another opponent we need to watch out for is Dai Yuan Yi, with a sword-type spirit. His attack power is decent, so we should be cautious."

"Is there anything else we need to keep in mind about our opponents? Anyone have any thoughts?"

Yu Feng raised an eyebrow and said, "I heard Ockland's team only gathered all seven members yesterday. Two of them even just joined the academy. They probably heard they were going to face us and didn't dare to join the team, so they tricked a few freshmen into joining."

"Boss, Ockland is just a trash academy. We don't need to take them seriously."

Yu Feng's words carried a tone of disdain for Ockland.

"Shut up!" Yu Tianheng said coldly.

He turned to look around, his voice full of authority, "Our enemy isn't Ockland Academy. It's arrogance!"

"I know very well that Ockland Academy's strength is far below ours, but they're just an appetizer! Our real enemies are the Five Elements Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy's team, and even the Spirit Hall's team!"

"Challenging the high-level Soul Master academies of the Imperial Capital is not just about proclaiming the Royal family's supremacy, it's also an opportunity for us to improve. After defeating all the academies, we will compete in the external Soul Arena Tournament, striving toward the Silver Soul Team goal!"

"Whether it's soul power or spirit abilities, we crush regular Soul Master academies. Beating them is nothing special. But arrogance can drag us all into the abyss!"

"For every battle, we need to give it our all! Don't give our opponents any chance!"

Hearing Yu Tianheng's words, Yu Feng broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sorry, boss!"

"It's alright, it's normal to be overconfident, especially for us, the chosen ones. But this is our first battle, and we can't afford any mistakes. We must go in with full focus!" Yu Tianheng smiled.

Yu Tianheng's words made Yu Feng feel ashamed. The Shi brothers in the corner nodded, and even the woman in black veiled in shadows gave a nod of approval.

Meanwhile, on the sofa, the charming Du Gu Yan's admiration for Yu Tianheng only deepened.

Just then, the door opened, and a young man entered.

He looked ordinary, dressed in simple black clothes, but his bright eyes stood out.

"Teacher," the seven said in unison.

This was Qin Ming, nearly thirty years old, already on the verge of breaking through to Soul Emperor. If he succeeded within the next two years, he would become the second youngest Soul Emperor in the continent's history!

Students from Tiandou Royal Academy were all proud and arrogant, but in front of Qin Ming, none of them could be called geniuses, which was why these proud elites held such respect for him.

Qin Ming clapped his hands and praised Yu Tianheng, "Not bad. Talent and temperament both show excellence. Tianheng is doing a great job as the captain of the Tiandou Royal Academy's team."

"Timely reminding teammates to avoid overconfidence—Tianheng did very well there."

He turned and said, "Yu Feng, you need to correct your flippant attitude."

Hearing Teacher Qin Ming's criticism, Yu Feng gave a sheepish laugh, feeling embarrassed.

With the mood lifted, Qin Ming nodded and turned to the woman in the shadows, "Leng Leng, you'll go in this match as well."

"Leng Leng's presence gives us the strongest lineup and adds insurance to our match."

"Yes, teacher!" Leng Leng responded.

"This is our first battle, and we can't afford any mistakes!"

Qin Ming swept his gaze around and said decisively.

The seven members of the Tiandou Royal Academy's team, feeling Qin Ming's attitude, all shouted in unison, "Yes, teacher!"

Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction, "Go, children, and bring victory for the Empire!"

(End of Chapter)