"Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo, your presence is an honor! We apologize for not greeting you sooner!" Flender quickly bowed to the two, speaking respectfully.
As the Seven Kill Sword landed on the ground, Ning Fengzhi slowly stepped forward. A warm smile graced his face as he said, "Dean Flender, there's no need for such formalities. We've come here mainly for my daughter."
Hearing this, Flender suddenly realized they had only come to see their daughter; he had thought something catastrophic had happened.
"Sect Master Ning, Ning Rongrong is in the student dormitory. I'll take you there now."
"Then we'll trouble Dean Flender to lead the way."
Before long, Flender led the two to the student dormitory.
Ning Fengzhi had already anticipated the shabby conditions of Shrek Academy. However, when he saw the extremely simple wooden huts serving as dormitories, he still frowned slightly. After all, they had paid a considerable amount of tuition, yet the students were living in such conditions.
"To actually let Rongrong live in a place like this... it's clearly forcing her to suffer!"
The Sword Douluo didn't care about Flender's feelings at all and voiced his dissatisfaction openly. "Fengzhi, I told you long ago that it's better for Rongrong to be taught by me and Old Bone than to suffer here!"
Upon hearing this, Flender looked embarrassed but dared not question it.
In fact, he also had his own grievances. There were only a few students in the entire academy, and the tuition fees alone were not enough to fund new dormitories.
"Uncle Sword, Rongrong is used to being spoiled in the sect. Experiencing a hard life for a while will temper her character."
Ning Fengzhi took the initiative to speak up for Flender.
Hearing this, Sword Douluo snorted coldly and said dismissively, "With me and Old Bone here, why would Rongrong ever need to suffer?"
"But Uncle Sword, you and Uncle Bone can't protect Rongrong forever," Ning Fengzhi said with a hint of helplessness.
Upon hearing this, the Sword Douluo fell silent. Unless he could cultivate to the level of a Limit Douluo, he truly had no way to protect Ning Rongrong for her entire life.
But reaching Level 99 was practically impossible for him.
Just then, the dormitory door slowly opened, and Ning Rongrong walked out. Seeing Ning Fengzhi and the Sword Douluo not far away, she immediately showed a look of surprise and joy.
She rushed over and threw herself into Sword Douluo's arms.
"Grandpa Sword, I missed you so much!"
"Good girl, Grandpa Sword missed you too."
Sword Douluo quickly hugged her small body, his face beaming with smiles.
Ning Fengzhi, who was being selectively ignored, showed a hint of helplessness. This girl was still so clingy to Uncle Sword; that was probably why he spoiled her so much.
"Alright, Rongrong, stop bothering your Grandpa Sword. We still have some questions for you," Ning Fengzhi said seriously.
Sword Douluo's expression also turned serious as he asked, "Rongrong, who bullied you? Grandpa Sword will avenge you."
Faced with their questions, Ning Rongrong stammered.
Actually, upon reflection, Lin Mu hadn't specifically targeted her. Rather than having Grandpa Sword deal with him, she wanted to prove the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda on her own terms.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's reaction, Ning Fengzhi had already guessed most of the truth.
However, the Sword Douluo thought Ning Rongrong was afraid and immediately locked his gaze on Flender, questioning, "Do you know who it was?"
Hearing this, Flender was startled. If he didn't answer carefully, he would definitely be in trouble.
Neither Sword Douluo nor Lin Mu were people he could afford to offend!
Just as he was struggling to find a way to respond, Yu Xiaogang walked up from behind. With his hands behind his back and eyes blazing, he displayed an air of superiority.
"I know who made the move. It was Lin Mu, the leader of the Royal Fighting Team. He should be in the Great Soul Arena right now."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed. Even if Lin Mu was exceptionally strong, he was surely no match for the Sword Douluo, whose soul power was as high as Level 96.
This was a golden opportunity!
Even at the risk of retaliation from Lin Mu, he had to take the plunge.
"Lin Mu?"
The Sword Douluo was slightly taken aback. He had a fairly good impression of the man when they met at the Heaven Dou City auction.
He was undoubtedly a peerless genius, his talent far surpassing anyone else's. Given time, he would surely become the strongest person on the entire continent.
"Uncle Sword, there must be some misunderstanding."
After a brief pause, Ning Fengzhi looked at Yu Xiaogang and scrutinized him. "May I ask your name?"
Yu Xiaogang quickly straightened his clothes. Just as he was about to introduce himself, Ning Rongrong spoke first.
"Dad, he's the 'Grandmaster' you mentioned who stole Spirit Hall's knowledge."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded. 'Is Ning Rongrong crazy?!'
Ning Fengzhi also felt a little embarrassed. Although he indeed looked down on Yu Xiaogang's theories as plagiarized from Spirit Hall, saying it out loud made it impossible to maintain a polite facade.
"Fengzhi, I'll go meet Lin Mu first."
Sword Douluo didn't want his trip to be in vain; he also wanted to test Lin Mu's strength to see if he was as powerful as rumored.
Soon, Sword Douluo transformed into a streak of sword light and disappeared into the air, heading straight for the Great Soul Arena.
"Hopefully, Uncle Sword won't go too far," Ning Fengzhi sighed.
In his view, Lin Mu was on the side of the Heaven Dou Empire. Even if he couldn't win over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School directly, he could still be considered an ally. With the continent on the verge of turmoil, having such a powerful ally would provide more protection.
Sword Douluo quickly arrived above the arena and used his soul power to project his voice: "Lin Mu, come out and meet me!"
This message echoed throughout the entire Great Soul Arena, causing immediate chaos among the audience and participants.
In a rest room, Lin Mu was preparing for his next team battle. Upon hearing this message, his brows furrowed.
Even from just the soul power transmission, he sensed an extremely strong sword intent.
Clearly, the newcomer was none other than Sword Douluo Chen Xin, possessing Level 96 Soul Power and known as the strongest swordsman on the continent!
"Master, what happened?"
"You all continue preparing for the team battle. I'm going out for a bit."
With that, Lin Mu vanished from the room, reappearing on the roof of the Great Soul Arena.
Looking up, he saw an old man in white riding a sword in mid-air.
Assuming Lin Mu couldn't fly, Sword Douluo prepared to descend. Unexpectedly, a swift, cyan-green figure appeared on the wind, landing opposite him instantly in the sky.
"Such speed!"
Sword Douluo was startled. This guy's speed was incredible; perhaps he had defeated Poison Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo using this sheer velocity?
Suppressing his shock, he asked, "Lin Mu, I've come to you for one thing: Did you bully Rongrong?"
"Since you're already here, don't waste time with nonsense."
Lin Mu didn't bother explaining. After all, he had indeed attacked and caused some harm to Ning Rongrong.
Upon hearing this, Sword Douluo was taken aback. This fellow showed no fear whatsoever. A hint of admiration colored his tone as he said, "Good courage! If you can withstand three of my sword strikes, this matter will be considered settled."
"Enough talk. Let's fight head-on!"
---------------------------
Q and A:
Reader: Lin Mu said that he wasn't confident against Sword Douluo. So would he lose?
[TL/N: I think-]
Lin Mu: Nah, I'd win.
Lin Mu continued: Aside my Metal Armor, Nava Flame Armor, and Hurricane Armor, I have another Armor.
Reader: What Armor?
Lin Mu: Plot Armor.
[TL/N: How corny!
Anyway, hello everyone! As you can see, I've released today's five chapters in advance since we need to prepare for tonight's New Year's Eve.
I hope you enjoyed the update, and Happy New Year to you all!]