When Zhu Zhuqing heard this, her heart filled with joy. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was not as powerful as the Spirit Hall, due to the presence of Dugu Bo, it had already become the new head of the Upper Three Sects.
Furthermore, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School mostly consisted of support system Spirit Masters, so her joining as a battle Spirit Master would definitely lead to prioritized training.
As for her talent, she was quite confident in it. Although she couldn't compare to a monster like Li Qing, she was definitely considered a genius across the entire continent.
"Thank you, I accept."
Having made up her mind, Zhu Zhuqing said no more, expressing her gratitude and giving her answer at the same time.
"Boss Dai, what's wrong with you? You came back with such a long face. Did that girl reject you again?" Ma Hongjun asked, his face full of curiosity.
Dai Mubai turned his head, his gaze sharp as a knife: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."
"Uh—"
Ma Hongjun was speechless, thinking that he must have guessed correctly, otherwise, his reaction wouldn't have been so strong.
Oscar comforted him: "Boss Dai, why give up the entire forest for one tree? Besides, bad boys get the girls, and you don't look very appealing to women right now."
"You can't get a woman by just fawning over her."
"You need to exude your charm and attract her, instead of constantly accommodating and compromising. Didn't you teach me all of this?"
Dai Mubai:
"..."
Indeed, his current situation was so similar to Oscar's first attempt at pursuing a girl, and the words Oscar had just spoken were the secret tips he had taught him back then.
Am I the simp?
"Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, come out and see who's here."
Tang San's voice immediately caught the attention of the three. They instinctively stood up and walked out of the courtyard, their gazes instantly falling on Flender and the others beside Tang Xiao.
"Fla-Flender, Headmaster, you—"
There was no excessive excitement, only disbelief, because at this moment, Flender no longer had any of his former demeanor; he seemed like a completely different person.
His hair was now completely white, his face full of wrinkles, and even his figure was much more stooped.
In just a few short years, it seemed as if decades had passed. They found it hard to imagine how Flender had managed to get through these years.
Zhao Wuji and the others, on the other hand, hadn't changed much.
"Teacher!"
Ma Hongjun's eyes instantly reddened. He rushed forward to support him, trembling as he said, "Teacher, how did you become like this? What have you been doing these past few years?"
Why did he become like this?
Having successively lost his brothers and the woman he loved, yet being powerless to avenge them, he lived every day in deep self-reproach.
Naturally, he became like this.
Flender feigned an easygoing tone: "Everyone gets old, and I'm no exception."
"But—"
Flender interrupted: "There are no buts. What about you guys? Have your cultivation fallen behind during the time we were away? Do you have the confidence to make it to the finals?"
"Listen...."
Ma Hongjun's sadness instantly vanished, and he was so guilty that he didn't dare to look Flender in the eyes.
Flender was not surprised by Ma Hongjun's reaction, as they had already clarified the situation after encountering Tang San and the others. Bringing it up now was merely to change the subject.
Flender smiled and comforted him: "Don't be discouraged. You are still young; the next competition will be your main stage."
The one-armed Zhao Wuji slapped Ma Hongjun on the shoulder, scolding him: "What's wrong with you, kid? After a few years, why have you become so timid?"
"Headmaster Flender, Teacher Zhao, how long do you plan to stay this time?" Dai Mubai stepped forward to change the subject.
Flender mused: "We'll leave after watching the competition."
In truth, watching the competition wasn't their primary purpose for coming to Heaven Dou City. The main reason was that Zhao Wuji and the others truly didn't want to see him continue to be so dejected, and they planned to take him to fight for something.
Winning or losing wasn't important; what mattered was getting that spirit out.
Coming to Heaven Dou City this time, they had no intention of leaving alive. They had all prepared themselves for death. This trip was to see Ma Hongjun and the others one last time.
After dinner, Li Qing and Shui Bing'er parted ways. He took Zhu Zhuqing back to the Dugu Residence, only to coincidentally run into Dugu Yan, who had just finished absorbing her Spirit Bone.
"Li Qing, you—"
Seeing that he had brought back a girl, and a girl with an impeccable figure and appearance at that, Dugu Yan, whose relationship with him had just made a breakthrough, was instantly stunned.
Li Qing said: "Let's talk about her situation after everyone else comes out."
He really didn't want to explain it repeatedly, so he just mentioned it briefly. Dugu Yan didn't say much either, only giving an "Oh."
Li Qing looked at her and asked: "How was it?"
Dugu Yan nodded, her face full of excitement. She had never dreamed that she would reach the Spirit Emperor level in her early twenties. This had already broken all previous records.
Of course, this was without counting Ye Lengleng and Li Qing.
Li Qing nodded in satisfaction.
With this, the finals wouldn't even require him to participate to win the championship. With one more Spirit Emperor, he wouldn't need to expose his hundred-thousand-year seventh spirit ring.
It also served as a risk hedge, even lowering the risk somewhat.
After all, having one more Titled Douluo in the future posed far less threat to the Spirit Hall than a Titled Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year seventh spirit ring.
A hundred-thousand-year seventh spirit ring.
It meant that his eighth and ninth spirit rings could also withstand hundred-thousand-year Spirit, it was just a matter of whether he could hunt hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts.
A Titled Douluo potentially possessing three hundred-thousand-year spirit rings.
The threat was self-evident.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't understand their cryptic conversation, but she carefully observed Dugu Yan, feeling that the other party was inferior to her in both figure and appearance.
If she was Li Qing's girlfriend, perhaps she could compete for him.
What was the purpose of her escaping from Star Luo City? Wasn't it to change her own destiny? Dai Mubai was no longer dependable,
but she had met Li Qing, who was a thousand times better than him.
The Zhu family's current status, to put it nicely, was due to their bloodline; to put it bluntly, it was due to their bodies.
Who wouldn't she give herself to?
Let alone Dai Mubai, even the entire Star Luo Royal Family couldn't compare to Li Qing. As long as she wasn't a maid, she could even accept being a concubine.
As for being the main wife, she had never considered it.
Because in the few years she had been in Heaven Dou City, she didn't even need to deliberately inquire; information about Li Qing would automatically enter her ears.
She knew the situations of the three girls around Li Qing.
Dugu Bo's granddaughter, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
These two couldn't be simply summarized by their looks and figures; their background and identity were their greatest assets. Even Ye Lengleng was extraordinary.
The Ye family might not be much across the entire continent, but they were still better than her, a stray dog.
There were only two paths before her: either join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and diligently cultivate. With her talent, as long as she wasn't lazy, becoming a Spirit Douluo wouldn't be a problem.
Becoming a Titled Douluo wasn't without hope either, it would just take a bit longer.
Or become Li Qing's concubine. He possessed methods to improve talent, and with his help, becoming a Titled Douluo would definitely not be a problem, it was just a matter of the specific rank.
"Brother Li Qing!"
Ning Rongrong also finished absorbing her Spirit Bone and came into the courtyard. Upon entering, she didn't even notice Zhu Zhuqing, and immediately threw herself into Li Qing's arms with an excited face, giving him a kiss.
Not bad looking, average figure, outstanding temperament—this was Zhu Zhuqing's assessment.
"Brother Li Qing, I'm level fifty!"
After kissing Li Qing, Ning Rongrong said excitedly. Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed. If the information she had received was correct,
Ning Rongrong was only fourteen years old this year, right?
A fourteen-year-old Spirit King? What a joke, wasn't this a bit outrageous?
"Rongrong!"
Dugu Yan called out to Ning Rongrong, then gestured for her to look at Zhu Zhuqing.
"?"
Ning Rongrong looked at Li Qing with surprise and uncertainty, asking: "Brother Li Qing, who is she?"
Li Qing said: "A pitiful person."
"Oh."
Ning Rongrong responded, not saying much. It wasn't her place to speak about such matters, as she was also a newcomer. It was better to let Lengleng handle it.
However, when her gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing's chest, she thought to herself: "This is too exaggerated, isn't it?"
She looked down at her own.
Hmph, small is also very cute.
Ye Lengleng also arrived in the courtyard shortly after. Her gaze immediately fell on Zhu Zhuqing, but she didn't say much.
She could be jealous, she could show her stance, but she couldn't make wild guesses or be unreasonable.
Since Li Qing chose to bring her back, he would definitely explain her situation. It remained to be seen if it was what she thought, so there was no need to rush.
Li Qing asked: "Grandpa and the others should be done too, right?"
Dugu Bo and the others were far stronger than the three girls, so their speed in absorbing Spirit Bones would only be faster than theirs. They hadn't come here simply because this was the girls' small space.
Dugu Yan nodded: "They're done, in the back garden."
"Let's go."
Li Qing patted Rongrong, who stood up from his leg. Then he led the four girls to the back garden.
"Hmm?"
Dugu Bo and the others' gazes all fell on Zhu Zhuqing, making her feel immense pressure. After all, they were all top figures on the continent.
"Her name is Zhu Zhuqing, from the Zhu family of Star Luo," Li Qing introduced Zhu Zhuqing, and then recounted the circumstances of meeting her and her experiences, also explaining the purpose of bringing her back.
Upon hearing this, Ye Lengleng and the two other girls smiled happily, and Dugu Bo and the others also showed relieved smiles.
If they could, who would be willing to let their beloved share a man with other women? Moreover, Ning Fengzhi and the others were not ordinary families.
Li Qing was indeed excellent, but accepting two others was already the limit for Ning Fengzhi and the others.
After all, the three families combined could directly make them a superpower second only to the Spirit Hall, and it wouldn't be a problem for Li Qing and the others to surpass the Spirit Hall once they matured.
The most crucial point was that Rongrong and the others were willing, so they, as elders, couldn't say much.
Other women should stay away, because their three families were already enough, and other women didn't have such deep affection with Lengleng and the others.
It was easy to cause conflicts and affect family harmony.