After Goran Tremor brought Ryker Ivory before Wu Ling, Wu Ling flicked his right hand. A small bottle flew toward Goran Tremor.
"This is a recovery potion. Have him drink it."
Goran Tremor nodded. He did not fear poison. Or rather, to show his trust, he directly had his grandson drink it.
A faint green radiance spread across Ryker Ivory's body. His broken bones and the dark, purplish bruises across his skin began recovering at a visible speed.
Wu Ling flicked his hand again. This time, he tossed a book to Goran Tremor.
Goran Tremor's calm expression wavered when he saw the book's title. Surprise, delight, and excitement flashed across his features. Ryker Ivory had not seen his grandfather this emotional in a very long time.
Out of curiosity, he secretly glanced over from the side. Written on the cover were the words Soul Art: Advanced: Earth.
"An advanced Soul Art!"
Ryker Ivory came alive as well. The cultivation methods he currently practiced were all low-grade Soul Arts. Because of the Elephant Armor Sect's position, Spirit Hall had not even given them a mid-grade Soul Art.
Goran Tremor's original goal had only been a mid-grade Soul Art. He had never imagined that Wu Ling would offer an advanced one right away. As for whether it was genuine, he was not worried. The person sitting before him was the creator of Soul Arts.
"This advanced Soul Art is exclusive to the earth attribute," Wu Ling said. "When your people cultivate it, it is an advanced method. If someone without the earth attribute cultivates it, it will not even match a low-grade method. I trust you understand what I mean."
Goran Tremor immediately dropped to one knee and swore, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I, Goran Tremor, guarantee that not a single word of this method will leak out. I also declare that our Elephant Armor Sect will serve Spirit Hall for generation after generation!"
Goran Tremor understood Wu Ling's meaning. If an earth-exclusive advanced Soul Art leaked, the people most affected would be the Elephant Armor Sect. Their position might be shaken in the long run, but to Spirit Hall itself, the difference would be minor.
Wu Ling had no real interest in Goran Tremor's oath. If Bibi Dong had not wanted him to practice ruling and managing subordinates, he would not have bothered coming here at all. Would it not be better to stay home, train until he was invincible, and only then come out to play?
"Right. How is your relationship with the other four elemental academies?"
Goran Tremor suppressed his urge to start reading the Soul Art on the spot. After solemnly putting it away, he answered Wu Ling's question.
"I do not get along with that old fellow from Thunder Academy. As for the other three academies, we can be counted as sharing the same current. I am not truly one of them, but at least we can talk."
Wu Ling nodded.
"Then forget Thunder Academy. Dealing with them is already impossible. For the other three, help me send invitations. Tell them that I will visit their academies over the next few days to use their mimicry training fields. I will also discuss a few matters with them while I am there. Have them prepare in advance. And make it high-profile."
When Goran Tremor heard the emphasis Wu Ling placed on "high-profile," he understood.
After all, as Spirit Hall's Holy Son, if Wu Ling wanted to use an academy's mimicry training field, was he supposed to sneak in like a thief?
"Understood, Your Highness. Also, the mimicry training field of our Elephant Armor Sect has already been cleared. Your Highness may use it at will."
"Talking to someone sensible really is comfortable."
Wu Ling's opinion of Goran Tremor rose slightly.
"Good. Take me to have a look."
Two days later, Wu Ling's first destination was Blazing Fire Academy. But when his carriage arrived at the academy gate, he was genuinely surprised. Waiting to welcome him were not only the dean of Blazing Fire Academy, but also the deans of Divine Wind Academy and Heavenly Water Academy.
The deans of Blazing Fire Academy and Divine Wind Academy were men. The dean of Heavenly Water Academy was a woman. When Wu Ling heard about that two-men-and-one-woman combination, his interest rose at once.
According to uncertain intelligence, this familiar arrangement seemed to have started next door in Naruto. After that came Soul Land I's Golden Iron Triangle, then Soul Land II's "two dragons and one dead" mess. In any case, no matter which version it was, the group would always split apart for some reason.
Wu Ling was waiting to hear gossip, but Goran Tremor's information caught his interest instead. The relationship among those three had apparently remained stable from beginning to end, with no sign of splitting.
According to Goran Tremor, it seemed that their Martial Souls had cut off the two-men-fighting-over-one-woman drama before it ever had the chance to air.
Wu Ling was disappointed that he would not get to eat melon, but also shocked that the three-person curse had actually been broken here.
"Greetings, honored deans. I did not expect the three of you to welcome me together. You are giving me far too much face."
"Your Highness, there is no need to be so modest," said the dean of Blazing Fire Academy. He had red hair, and even though his body had aged, his burly frame still carried a force like a flame waiting to burst. "For Your Highness to visit our academy is our fortune. How could this be too much face? If anything, we are the ones reaching above our station."
Several months earlier, these people had also watched the tournament. They understood Wu Ling's strength and potential. After watching his battles and discussing them for a long time, they had reached one conclusion.
Either the Holy Son truly was at the Spirit Leader level Spirit Hall publicly claimed, but possessed Spirit King-level battle strength, or he genuinely had the cultivation of a Spirit King.
Whichever case was true, this could no longer be covered by the word genius.
Add in the fact that Wu Ling had created cultivation methods, Soulcraft tools, and all kinds of other things, and now when most people mentioned Spirit Hall, the first thing they thought of was no longer the Pope. Instead, they wondered what the Holy Son, Wu Ling, had invented this time.
His astonishing potential and his blazing reputation were the true reasons these three Spirit Emperor-level deans were willing to welcome him with treatment almost equal to that of the Pope.
Of course, almost equal still meant below the Pope. No matter how great Wu Ling's future might become, the hierarchy of the present had to remain clear.
"Your Highness," the dean of Heavenly Water Academy said. She stood beside the Blazing Fire dean. Her hair was blue-gray, and although there were many wrinkles on her face, they still could not cover her lingering charm. "The mimicry training field you need is being prepared. Before it is fully ready, please allow us to show you around our academy and pass the time."
Hearing the invitation, Wu Ling's heart twitched.
"Why do all these higher-ups like walking around before talking business? Can we not just get straight to the point? Why make it so troublesome?"
Troublesome or not, Wu Ling understood that this was part of building a relationship. A relaxed walk before a transaction could affect the outcome, if only slightly.
Even if Wu Ling had no intention of cultivating relationships, to the leaders receiving him, this ritual had hundreds of years of history. More than the goal, the form itself mattered.
Left with no choice, Wu Ling agreed to accompany the three elders on their walk.
"Very well. Let us go."