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Ning Fengzhi rolled his eyes in exasperation. Though he didn't know why Ye Wen was so confident that none of them could successfully recruit the Tianshui Academy, it didn't stop him from making such a judgment.
Moreover, Ning Fengzhi thought differently for a moment. Whether the academy joined the Medical Alliance or the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, either way, the benefit would ultimately stay within their faction's sphere of influence.
If that was the case, why bother competing?
"Seeing how confident you are, Xiao Wen, I'm pleased as your father-in-law. But teasing your elder like this? I'm not happy about it at all.
I'll have to go back and tell Rongrong about this. Her good husband is bullying her father—it's simply unacceptable! Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, what do you think?"
Watching the playful Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin and Gu Rong couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since they'd seen Ning Fengzhi like this—it was oddly amusing.
Gu Rong, with his more eccentric personality, exaggerated further: "Good thing I wasn't the one who spoke earlier, or this old man would've been bullied by Xiao Wen too. This won't do—I need to go back and let little Rongrong comfort me."
Looking at the mischievous trio of elderly men from the Seven Treasures sect, Ye Wen helplessly rolled his eyes and repeatedly begged for mercy. Only then did Ning Fengzhi and the others let him off the hook.
However, as Ye Wen rose to leave, Ning Fengzhi still added in a teasing tone:
"Xiao Wen, though you don't have as many wives as I do, those young ladies from the Tianshui Academy are quite charming. Don't go flirting around, or when your other wives get jealous, even I won't be able to help you, ha ha ha~"
Ye Wen's lips twitched. 'What arrogance!' Because the combined strength of their two families now exceeded six Title Douluos—stronger than the once-mighty Hao Tian Sect—was this father-in-law getting carried away with his newfound power? He was even playing tricks on him like someone from the Spirit Hall!
'Argh! Just because you have more wives doesn't mean you're better than me. You're still flirting around—you think you're noble?'
But remembering the earlier lesson, Ye Wen merely pursed his lips and didn't retort, leaving quietly instead.
'Hmph, you may have more wives, even half-beast beauties, but so what? Can their quality compare to mine? And all my relationships are based on mutual love! You're just an old fool buying loneliness with money—you're nothing special, and I can't be bothered to argue with you.'
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At this time, the matches on the tournament grounds were still ongoing.
After all, no matter how much Douluo might resemble a fantasy sewer, the battles of soul masters still captured the attention of ordinary people and lower-level soul masters far more than any group of so-called beauties.
Though the Tianshui Academy didn't focus on political influence, they still had some connections in the VIP seating area. They were surprised by Prince Xue Xing's earlier attempt to recruit them. Though they declined, curiosity got the better of them, so they sent someone to investigate. Soon, they learned the results.
For a moment, the members of the Tianshui team looked at their captain with complex expressions. They never expected their captain to be hiding such depth.
There was nothing to say about Shui Yue'er; she inherited her martial soul from her father's side.
Shui Bing'er, on the other hand, inherited the main lineage martial soul of the Tianshui Academy—the Condensed Water Bird, which had undergone a beneficial mutation into the Ice Phoenix.
The Condensed Water Bird was a water-attribute bird-type spirit beast with phoenix lineage, so no one was particularly surprised that Shui Bing'er's martial soul had mutated into something similar.
However, because the Condensed Water Bird was a phoenix-type soul, as long as Shui Bing'er didn't reveal her true soul power, it was entirely possible to pass it off as such.
Thus, the members of the Tianshui team had always assumed their captain's martial soul was the top-tier Condensed Water Bird, rather than the super martial soul Ice Phoenix, which was on par with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
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Still, the members of the Tianshui team only felt conflicted. Most of them weren't part of the academy's main lineage and would go their separate ways after graduation. Their captain keeping secrets didn't affect them at all. On the contrary, the revelation of Shui Bing'er's true martial soul gave them a fleeting illusion of being able to win the championship.
The teacher leading the Tianshui team wore a troubled expression.
Clearly, she was already aware of Shui Bing'er's true information.
"Damn it, we hid this information so carefully—how did it get leaked?" The teacher was utterly baffled.
The Tianshui Academy's decision to conceal Shui Bing'er's information wasn't solely to hide their ace and secure a championship. It was also to protect Shui Bing'er herself.
After all, as Ye Wen had said, Shui Bing'er had the undeniable potential to reach Title Douluo level.
Among the Upper Three Sects, the only family with a Beast Martial Soul Title Douluo was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Under normal circumstances, the Tianshui Academy's Condensed Water Bird would be suppressed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's lightning attribute due to its water attribute. However, with Shui Bing'er's martial soul having mutated into the ice-attribute Ice Phoenix, she wouldn't face this limitation in the future.
Moreover, did anyone really believe the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was truly the strongest Beast Martial Soul?
Though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was classified as a true dragon among dragon species, to be honest, it was far from impressive among true dragons.
The reason the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon earned the title of the strongest Beast Martial Soul wasn't because it truly had overwhelming power—it was simply that the real powerhouses couldn't be bothered to compete for such a hollow title.
Let's not even mention the Golden Crocodile King and the Blazing Lion from the Spirit Hall. Are either of these martial souls inferior in quality to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?
Thus, the answer was clear. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon gained its reputation as the strongest Beast Martial Soul partly because the true experts in the Spirit Hall didn't care to dispute it, and partly because ordinary Beast Martial Soul users found it incredibly difficult to reach Title Douluo level. Without any Title Douluos, there was no one to challenge the claim.
Add to that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's secret Dragon Transformation technique, which crushed ordinary soul masters at lower levels, and the title of the strongest Beast Martial Soul was solidified.
Top-tier factions could see through this clearly. Just as the Hao Tian Sect proudly clung to its title as the strongest Weapon Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan placed immense importance on its title as the strongest Beast Martial Soul.
If a new force emerged that could rival the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon in the future, especially during a period when the clan was struggling to maintain its strength, then for the sake of their reputation and the family's future development…
Could Shui Bing'er truly grow strong enough?
Prince Xue Xing had personally come to recruit her, even offering the prestigious treatment of a Duke with real authority.
At first, the teacher leading the Tianshui team was indeed tempted. After more than two thousand years of development, the lands of the two empires had been divided into smaller and smaller portions. Most soul masters granted noble titles either had pitifully small fiefs or just an empty title.
However, the teacher quickly came to her senses. She remembered the words of the Tianshui Academy's principal:
"Sigh, Bing'er is still too weak. If news of her martial soul gets out, even the Tian Dou Empire might not be able to protect us. Be careful."
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