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On the stage, there was no comparison between Tian Chao's strength and Ning Tianchen's.
The Azure Dragon Break unleashed casually by Ning Tianchen left Tian Chao struggling to defend against it. When Ning Tianchen used his fourth soul skill, Tian Chao had no choice but to accept defeat.
The referee announced loudly, "This match is over. The winner is Ning Tianchen from the Seven Treasures Academy team."
"The Beast Academy team has chosen to concede. This match is over, and the Seven Treasures Academy emerges victorious!"
Looking at Tian Chao lying on the ground, Ning Tianchen extended his hand to help him up.
After a moment of hesitation, Tian Chao accepted his gesture of goodwill.
A burly man standing at 2.5 meters tall, Tian Chao wasn't light. Ning Tianchen had to put in significant effort to pull him up.
"Haha, thank you," Tian Chao laughed heartily, placing his hand on Ning Tianchen's shoulder as the two walked off the stage chatting and laughing.
The referee glanced at the battered stage and announced helplessly, "The match will be paused until the stage is repaired."
Off the stage, Tian Chao gestured with an inviting motion. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's step aside for a moment."
Ning Tianchen responded, "Wait a moment. I need to inform my teammates first."
As a member of the team and its captain, it was best to notify everyone before leaving to avoid misunderstandings.
"Fair enough," Tian Chao nodded.
A short while later, under Tian Chao's guidance, Ning Tianchen entered the Beast Academy's tent.
The Beast Academy didn't have any students shorter than 2.3 meters, so all their furniture was oversized.
Upon entering, Ning Tianchen felt as though he had stepped into a land of giants—all the items were enormous.
Tian Chao laughed heartily, "My friend, please have a seat."
Ning Tianchen glanced at the tall chair beside him and leaped onto it.
Tian Chao got straight to the point. "I promised I wouldn't go back on my word. You can probably tell that four members of our team are disciples of our sect—our martial souls are all Snow Mountain Mammoths."
"Our sect is called the Snow Mountain Sect. It's normal for outsiders to not know about us. Our sect's base is located at the northernmost edge of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom, bordering the Extreme North Ice Plains."
So it was indeed a reclusive sect.
Ning Tianchen formed his judgment and asked cautiously, "Could you tell me more about your sect? To be honest, I'm a disciple of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. We could say we've become acquainted through this battle. Perhaps our two sects could even establish some form of cooperation."
The situation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was already well-known on the continent, so Tian Chao was familiar with it.
"Friend of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it's not that we don't want to cooperate. I'm merely a disciple of the sect, not an elder, so I don't have the authority to make decisions for the sect. Moreover, our sect's strategic focus is on the Extreme North Ice Plains—we rarely involve ourselves in matters on the continent."
"In terms of strength, our Snow Mountain Sect may not be as powerful as the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, but we're not far behind."
The phrase "not far behind" revealed much information.
Aside from the major powers near Tiandou City, no one outside was aware that Chenxin had broken through to level 97.
This meant the Snow Mountain Sect likely had at least one Title Douluo above level 95—and possibly more than one.
What a formidable sect.
Ning Tianchen spoke solemnly, "Since you're a reclusive sect, I won't inquire further. Earlier, you mentioned the sect's top genius—what's the story there?"
Tian Chao laughed heartily. "He's Guocheng's younger brother, named Tian Guozhen. Just before we set out, he turned eighteen and reached level 55 soul power. He's also the direct disciple of our sect leader. In terms of strength, he's much stronger than me."
"If you get the chance, you two should spar. Who knows, you might even become friends."
An eighteen-year-old Soul King—it was clear this person had been born with full soul power.
After breaking through to the Soul King level, a soul master's cultivation speed noticeably slows down. Normally, without at least half a year of soul power accumulation, it's difficult to advance another level.
Ning Tianchen knew that if he hadn't obtained the immortal grass, by the age of eighteen, his cultivation would likely have been around this level.
As for whether Tian Guozhen had absorbed any heavenly treasures, Ning Tianchen wasn't sure. But being able to easily defeat Tian Chao showed that this person truly had extraordinary abilities.
Ning Tianchen asked, "Why didn't he come?"
Tian Chao replied frankly, "Before the preliminary rounds began, Guocheng, Guozhen, two elders from our sect, and I entered the Extreme North Ice Plains for training. Guocheng and I came out earlier; they went deeper and missed the preliminaries."
From his tone, it seemed he wasn't particularly concerned about the Soul Master Tournament.
That made sense—being a reclusive sect, the Snow Mountain Sect couldn't afford to send disciples to publicly display their prowess.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, just before leaving, Tian Chao handed a token to Ning Tianchen.
"This is the Snow Mountain Sect's guest token. If you ever wish to enter the Extreme North, you can use this token to find us in the Wilderness Town. Of course, this is only for friendly exchanges, nothing more."
"Alright. I'll take my leave for now," Ning Tianchen said as he accepted the token and left the tent.
---
When Ning Tianchen returned, Ke Jie quickly asked, "Tianchen, did you learn anything?"
As a sect elder, he had long been involved in the sect's affairs.
Currently, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was surrounded by "wolves"—they needed a strong ally to share the pressure.
Ning Tianchen briefly recounted the situation of the Snow Mountain Sect.
"I asked them, but they don't wish to interfere in continental affairs, so I doubt they'll ally with our sect."
Ke Jie sighed. "Well, the waters of reclusive sects run deep. Not engaging with them might not be a bad thing."
Reclusive sects fell into different categories. Take the Hao Tian Sect—they were forced into seclusion. Some sects went into hiding to evade enemies, while others chose to retreat voluntarily.
Sects like the latter often had ulterior motives, using their seclusion to recover and grow stronger. Once their sect became powerful, they would reemerge.
Not long after, the stage was repaired, and the matches resumed.
In the second match, the Shrek Team also displayed overwhelming strength.
Dai Mubai, who took the stage first, achieved a clean sweep of four opponents before exhausting his soul power and stepping down. Yu Tianheng, who followed, completely crushed the Balak Team.
With only one member eliminated, the Shrek Team achieved such dazzling results and immediately caught the attention of many teams.
"These clowns are getting cocky again," Chen Huayu muttered indignantly.
"Our match against Shrek is still in the second half of the tournament. The more they reveal their strength, the better it is for us," Ning Tianchen said calmly.
In this match, Tang San didn't appear, so Ning Tianchen still didn't know if the other party had begun cultivating the Hao Tian Hammer.
---
At the end of the day's matches, the teams returned to their respective tents.
Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe arrived together at the Seven Treasures Team's rest area.
"Sect Leader, Your Highness, what brings you here?" Ke Jie saw the visitors and quickly rose to greet them.
Hearing the commotion, all members of the Seven Treasures Team rushed over.
Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly at everyone. "I'm just here to check on you. Don't feel pressured. Also, Tianchen, Qinghe has something he'd like to discuss with you. You two go ahead."
Ning Tianchen nodded and left the tent with Xue Qinghe.
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