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...The Heaven Dou ministers in the hall looked at each other. Although the young girls' words were sharp, they directly pointed to the long-standing problems of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Xu Hong quietly observed the debate, his heart already clear. He finally understood why Ning Rongrong and the others did not speak highly of Yu Xiaogang—the traditional concepts upheld by this Grandmaster of theory indeed seemed pedantic and backward in the face of the reforms promoted by the Spirit Empire.
What concerned Xu Hong even more was that Tang San remained silent throughout the entire debate. This young man, whom he thought highly of, now clearly had a glimmer of struggle and thought in his eyes.
That night, Xu Hong politely declined the palace's invitation and chose to stay at the embassy. To his surprise, late at night, Tang San came to visit alone.
"Senior Xu," Tang San bowed and went straight to the point, "Regarding the theory of combining spirit tools and Spirits that you mentioned during the day, I have thought about it for a long time and have a few questions I'd like to ask..."
A look of satisfaction flashed in Xu Hong's eyes. He could tell that although this young man respected his teacher, he was not blindly following him. After seeing a broader World, Tang San was re-evaluating his own path.
And all of this was the "variable" that Xuan Ming wanted to see.
Just as Xu Hong and Tang San were discussing the principles of spirit tools in depth, Ning Rongrong and the others had already stirred up another storm in Heaven Dou City.
News of the return of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School Sect Master spread quickly, and countless Spirit Masters who were formerly affiliated with the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect came to pay their respects.
When they saw the true Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda on Ning Rongrong and felt her powerful Spirit Douluo aura, they were all profoundly shocked.
Even more astonishing was the news Ning Rongrong brought: in the Spirit Empire, all Spirit Masters, regardless of their background, could obtain equal Cultivation resources and spirit tool technical support as long as they passed the assessment.
"Sect Master," an experienced Spirit Master asked excitedly, "Is what you're saying true? In the Spirit Empire, can commoner Spirit Masters really be on equal footing with noble Spirit Masters?"
Ning Rongrong smiled and nodded: "Not only that. In the Spirit Empire, the only standard for evaluating a Spirit Master's value is strength and contribution."
These words were like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves in the Heaven Dou Spirit Master's world.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, introduced by Shui Binger and Huo Wu, visited some teachers and elders from the former Five Element Academy. The powerful strength they displayed and the new order of the Spirit Empire they described made many Spirit Masters who had been on the fence begin to waver.
In just a few days, the seemingly stable Spirit Master class of the Heaven Dou Empire had already developed subtle cracks. Although these cracks were not yet obvious, they were quietly expanding under the intentional or unintentional promotion of Ning Rongrong and the others.
Deep within the Imperial Palace, Emperor Xue Ye's face grew paler as he listened to the secret agent's report. He looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was standing by, and asked in a weak voice, "Grandmaster, in your opinion, how should we respond?"
Yu Xiaogang's brows were tightly furrowed. He could feel that Tang San had been very close to Xu Hong these past few days, and even his most favored Disciple seemed to be questioning some of his theories under the influence of that overseas spirit tool master.
"Your Majesty," Yu Xiaogang said in a deep voice, "the Spirit Empire is carrying out soft infiltration. We must strengthen control and prohibit Spirit Masters from contacting people from the Spirit Empire."
However, even he understood how pale and powerless this suggestion seemed in the face of reality.
When Ning Rongrong and the others stood there alive, demonstrating the new possibilities brought by the Spirit Empire, no prohibition could stop people's longing... In the western suburbs of Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.
Unlike the undercurrents in the city's Imperial Palace, it seemed relatively peaceful here, but beneath the calm, complex undercurrents also lurked.
Thanks to Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's status, the former Shrek Academy was no longer what it used to be.
It was incorporated into the official system of the Heaven Dou Empire, given the name "Heaven Dou Royal Shrek Academy," and received financial support from the Empire, specializing in recruiting and training commoner Spirit Masters.
The original Heaven Dou Royal Academy, however, still maintained its old rule of only recruiting noble Spirit Masters.
The Empire's high-level officials were very shrewd: through this differentiation, they could both recruit Geniuses from the common people for their own use and ensure that the privileges of the noble class were not diluted, maintaining a superficial balance.
However, this artificial division actually buried huge hidden dangers.
When excellent Spirit Masters from commoner backgrounds saw noble children with far inferior talent enjoying better resources and higher status simply because of their birth, jealousy and resentment would breed.
Similarly, when noble Spirit Masters saw "lowly" commoners gaining similar learning opportunities and even potentially threatening their status, dissatisfaction and hostility would grow daily.
The antagonism between the two groups would only intensify under the Empire's deliberate distinction.
Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Shui Binger, and Huo Wu were standing outside the familiar yet unfamiliar gate of Shrek Academy. The academy had expanded significantly, with many new buildings, but traces of its past could still be vaguely seen.
Their purpose for this trip was to visit Dean Flender and Teacher Liu Erlong.
Under the guidance of the academy staff, they met Flender and Liu Erlong in a quiet reception room.
Flender looked a bit older, but his eyes were still shrewd, though his brows showed a bit more of the fatigue and helplessness of an academy administrator.
Liu Erlong's change was even greater. She sat there, her figure still tall and straight, but her eyes had lost their former fervor and fierceness, replaced by a deep weariness and lingering gloom, as if something in her heart had been completely extinguished.
"Dean Flender, Teacher Erlong." Ning Rongrong, as their representative, stepped forward and bowed, her tone carrying a hint of complex respect.
No matter what, these two were their former teachers.
"Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and also Bing'er, Huo Wu, you... have all grown up." Flender pushed up his glasses, a complex smile forced onto his face. His gaze swept over them, feeling the profound spirit power fluctuations, and he was deeply shocked.
How many years has it been? These children have actually reached such a Realm!
Liu Erlong also looked up, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone, lingering slightly on Xiao Wu. A barely perceptible ripple flashed in her eyes, but it quickly returned to stillness. She simply nodded faintly: "You've arrived."
The atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.
Ning Rongrong tried to find a topic: "Dean, Teacher Erlong, the academy has changed so much now."
Flender sighed: "Yes, thanks to Little San and Grandmaster, the academy no longer has to worry about funding. It's just..."
He trailed off, shook his head, and said no more.
Managing an academy that was highly scrutinized by the Empire and had increasingly sharp internal conflicts, the pressure and difficulty were far beyond what that small, dilapidated academy of yesteryear could compare to.
Shui Binger spoke at the right time, guiding the conversation towards some observations of the Spirit Empire and the development of spirit tools, trying to ease the atmosphere.
However, when the topic inadvertently touched upon the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and past events, the air in the reception room seemed to instantly solidify.
Liu Erlong's face visibly grew paler, and her hands on her lap clenched slightly.
Flender quickly smoothed things over: "Let bygones be bygones. There's no point in bringing those things up now."
But Ning Rongrong and the others roughly guessed something from Flender's helpless eyes and Liu Erlong's reaction.
Ever since the Spirit City incident and the destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Liu Erlong's mentality had completely collapsed.
They later learned that they had been indirectly held captive in Spirit City until news of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's demise and Xue Qinghe's true identity spread, only then were they released.
After returning to Heaven Dou City, the relationship between Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang plummeted, filled with insurmountable estrangement.
Yu Xiaogang blamed everything on Xuan Ming, believing that Xuan Ming had caused the destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and had even "used evil methods" in Spirit City to kill his father, Yu Yuanzhen, without even returning his remains or Spirit Bone.
He swore to be irreconcilable with Xuan Ming.
But Liu Erlong felt a deep weariness.
She had no strong feelings for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to begin with, and only resentment for her nominal father, Yu Luomian.
Ironically, when the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan met its misfortune, Yu Luomian, who had his Cultivation crippled by Xuan Ming years ago and was recuperating in Heaven Dou City, along with Yu Tianxin's family who stayed to care for him, all miraculously escaped—meaning, the people who were truly related to her by blood were unharmed.
Moreover, back in Spirit City, in front of everyone, it was Yu Xiaogang who first inexplicably disrupted the situation, becoming a pawn in Spirit Hall's internal struggle, and then Yu Yuanzhen actively sought to kill Xuan Ming.
Strictly speaking, Xuan Ming was more like acting in self-defense.
In Liu Erlong's view, the root of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's tragedy might have been Yu Xiaogang's insistence on getting involved in Spirit Hall's disputes.
Yu Xiaogang naturally could not accept this "accusation," believing that Liu Erlong was making excuses for an "enemy," and the two had a fierce quarrel.
Since then, their relationship had plummeted to freezing point; although they were in the same Heaven Dou City, they were practically strangers.
Looking at Teacher Liu Erlong's disheartened appearance, Ning Rongrong and the others also felt uncomfortable.
The former Liu Erlong, though hot-tempered, was full of vitality, daring to love and hate.
Now, she seemed to have had her Soul drawn out, leaving only an empty shell.