Chen Gang returned a month later. Though he looked weary from travel, the excitement on his face was unmistakable.
At over 70 years old, he had finally achieved the highest title in the world of Douluo—the Title Douluo.
Although Chen Gang hadn't yet formally inscribed his title at the Hall of Titles in the Spirit Hall, news of his achievement had already spread throughout Tian Dou Imperial City upon his return.
In his younger days as a soul master, Chen Gang had earned the nickname "Lion King." But now that his martial soul had evolved into the Flame Lion Emperor, he no longer wished to use the title of "King" and instead chose "Lion Emperor" as his title.
From Ye Wen's stereotypical understanding of the Douluo Continent, Chen Gang's stagnation at the threshold of the Title Douluo level for so many years wasn't due to a lack of talent but rather the limitations of his physical vitality and some old injuries he had sustained in his youth.
After all, if Chen Gang had come from a prominent family, he wouldn't have married into the Ye family. While the Ye family's Nine-Heart Begonia excelled in healing, those injuries were remnants of Chen Gang's earlier battles and had fused with his body. Without advanced treatment methods like Ye Wen's, even abundant vitality couldn't heal them.
With Ye Wen's help, combined with the transformative power of the CockscombPhoenix Sunflower—an immortal herb capable of rebirth—
And after decades of honing his spirit, Chen Gang's mental strength had long since reached the level of a 100,000-year spirit beast. In other words, if conditions allowed, Chen Gang could theoretically obtain a 100,000-year soul ring.
Unfortunately, this era lacked the existence of the Auspicious Beast. Even the Great Star Dou Forest, the largest spirit beast forest on the Douluo Continent, only housed two 100,000-year spirit beasts at its core—and their attributes didn't align well.
Still, though these two beasts appeared to be only 100,000 years old, their unique species made them no weaker than some of the lesser fiends from the Unrivaled Tang Sect era.
Currently, the only factions on the Douluo Continent confident enough to face these two 100,000-year spirit beasts head-on without fear of defeat were the Hao Tian Sect, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect's Title Douluos, and the Spirit Hall.
Ordinary soul masters attempting to hunt them would likely end up dead.
Thus, with the help of Emperor Xue Ye, Chen Gang settled for second best. He hunted an 80,000-year Crimson Demon Hound King from the Great Star Forest to serve as his ninth soul ring.
Though strictly speaking, Chen Gang's martial soul belonged to the feline family, while the Crimson Demon Hound King was canine, both were mammals and quadrupedal, so there was little risk of conflict when absorbing the soul ring.
You could say it was similar to the case of a certain genius with a plant-type martial soul who absorbed animal soul rings.
The Crimson Demon Hound King was quite noteworthy—it was the progenitor of the Three-Headed Crimson Demon Hound from the Unrivaled Tang Sect era, ranked eighth among the Ten Great Fiends and destined to achieve 300,000 years of cultivation in the future.
Though its flames hadn't yet reached the level of Extreme Fire, it was still an excellent match for Chen Gang's martial soul.
Upon his return, Chen Gang didn't rush to make a name for himself at the Hall of Titles. Instead, he planned to hold a grand banquet, inviting the elite and influential figures of Tian Dou Imperial City.
Not long ago, the apprenticeship ceremony held for Dugu Bo had stirred various factions.
Now, with Chen Gang hosting another such event, the upper echelons of Tian Dou didn't feel annoyed but instead attended with great interest.
This was because Tian Dou Empire had gained its second exclusive Title Douluo.
Though Chen Gang might not want to admit it, he was now firmly tied to the noble Ye family, inherently aligning him with the Tian Dou Empire.
However, in the world of Douluo, strength ultimately reigned supreme. Even after becoming a Title Douluo, Emperor Xue Ye couldn't simply command Chen Gang—he had to appeal to emotions.
If not for the debt of gratitude he owed Prince Xue Xing, Dugu Bo wouldn't have become a retainer for Tian Dou; he would've long since lived freely and carefree.
---
Meanwhile, at the former Blue Thunder Advanced Academy—now Shrek Advanced Academy—
Flender stared in astonishment at Ning Rongrong standing before him.
"What? Rongrong, you want to drop out!?"
Before Ning Rongrong could respond, Yu Xiaogang, who had been sipping tea leisurely, immediately set down his cup and stood up.
"No way, Ning Rongrong, I won't allow you to drop out."
The commanding tone irritated Ning Rongrong. Her once pleasant expression turned sour as she sarcastically replied:
"Hmph, what gives you the right to object? I call you 'Master' out of respect, but don't think that makes you my master. How dare you bark orders at me? Have you forgotten who I am?"
Seeing the situation escalate, Flender felt a headache coming on and quickly stood up to intervene.
"Ning Rongrong, you—!"
Yu Xiaogang, angered, was about to retort, but Ning Rongrong beat him to it.
"To be honest, I've been dissatisfied with Shrek for a long time. What have I learned here?
All we do is run—can't I just run at home? And before joining the Shrek Seven Monsters team, you gave everyone else special training, but you told me to practice my family's multitasking technique.
Though I look down on your rudimentary self-created soul skills, your blatant disregard for me is unacceptable.
Given all this, since you have nothing new to teach me, why shouldn't I drop out?"
Ning Rongrong's barrage of words left Yu Xiaogang speechless.
Meanwhile, Flender felt somewhat wronged. What else could an auxiliary soul master train besides running? Other advanced academies would've shown her more spirit beast illustrations, but wasn't the education essentially the same?
But Flender forgot—did Ning Rongrong lack resources? Did she need polishing?
Ning Rongrong came here solely to temper herself and shed her past arrogance. Now that she was willing to sacrifice herself for her sect and control her temper, Ning Fengzhi was already satisfied.
Why waste more time at Shrek?
Still, she intended to continue her studies—but at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy.
Though Huo Yu'er and Xiao Wu had already dropped out, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were still studying at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. This was a perfect opportunity for Ning Rongrong to bond with her future sisters-in-law. She'd be foolish not to seize it.
After all, if she didn't build relationships now, things might grow distant after marriage. Having read countless palace romance novels, Ning Rongrong knew she had to fight for herself as a woman.
Yu Xiaogang, unsure of what to say, his expression shifting rapidly, finally slammed the table and exclaimed:
"I absolutely refuse to let you drop out, Ning Rongrong!
Think about how hard you've worked all this time. Don't you want to earn a good ranking in the Advanced Soul Master Tournament alongside Xiao San and the others, and make your father proud?
If you feel I haven't paid enough attention to you, I promise to provide more training in the future so you can become an even better auxiliary soul master."
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