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His mind was made up. Tang Chuan no longer hesitated. He found a dry, flat spot next to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and took out the small alchemy furnace he always carried.
He set up the pill furnace, then pulled a fire-starting Flame Stone from his soul tool. He tossed it into the furnace and slowly ignited it with his spirit power. A moment later, firelight filled the furnace, and heat radiated outward.
Tang Chuan frowned slightly as he looked at the Qiluo Tulip in his hand. He carefully plucked a single petal from the top of the stamen, then meticulously separated a small amount of the stem and roots. He put them into the now-hot pill furnace.
The small piece of the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid turned into a pink liquid as soon as it hit the flames. Tang Chuan used his spirit power to separate the impurities from the liquid, then threw them onto the ground nearby.
After repeating this several times, the small portion of Qiluo Tulip was completely refined. All that remained was a small pinch of red powder, free of any substances harmful to the human body. Tang Chuan then used the same method to refine the other immortal-grade items.
A few hours later, a multicolored medicinal pill had fully formed in the furnace. This pill was specifically for Dugu Yan. It contained the Qiluo Tulip, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, the Narcissus Jade Bone, the Earth Dragon Golden Gourd, and other medicinal ingredients that would strengthen her body, detoxify her, and improve her physique.
The goal was to remove the spirit ring poison from her body, increase her spirit power, and hopefully help her Jade Phosphorous Serpent spirit evolve into the Jade Phosphor Serpent ahead of time.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office at Shrek Academy, the air was heavy. Flender sat at his desk, his face grim as he stared at Ning Rongrong. His voice was filled with anger. "Why would you talk about the Academy's Yu Xiaogang like that? Yu Xiaogang is my good brother. How could I not know about his strength and his spirit theory level?"
Ning Rongrong stood to the side, her arms crossed, a defiant look on her face. "What I said wasn't wrong. This Yu Xiaogang really has no skill. Otherwise, why would he faint and vomit blood just because I said a few words to him?"
"You..." Flender slammed his hand on the desk, cutting her off. "If you keep this up, then pack your bags and get out immediately!"
Ning Rongrong smiled. Though she was only twelve, her innocent expression at that moment was a little unsettling. "Flender, who do you think you are? You're just a measly Spirit Saint. You want to kick me out? I'm not leaving, so what can you do about it?"
Flender didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled faintly. "That's right, I'm just a small Spirit Saint, but this is my territory, and I'm in charge. If you anger me, I'll kick you right out of Shrek Academy!"
"Flender, you wouldn't dare!" Ning Rongrong yelled, her hands on her hips. Though she was a teenager, she exuded a fierce aura. "You're the first person in my life who has ever dared to treat me like this."
Flender's smile turned into a sneer. "Your father at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School can't bring himself to discipline you, but that doesn't mean I can't. You're not my daughter. You're not my precious little one.
In my eyes, any other student here is stronger than you. Don't you look down on Yu Xiaogang? But do you know that Tang San is Yu Xiaogang's direct disciple? If you can defeat Tang San, or better yet, if your spirit power can surpass his, then I'll admit that Yu Xiaogang is a good-for-nothing.
I'll kick him out and let you stay. Do you dare to compete with Tang San? If Yu Xiaogang is truly as useless as you say, why hasn't your cultivation surpassed Tang San's? Or are the people of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School even worse than him? Are you all useless?"
"You—" Ning Rongrong's chest heaved violently. For a moment, she couldn't think of a comeback. When it came to arguing, if the people of Shrek Academy claimed to be second, no one else on the Douluo Continent would dare to claim first. Ning Rongrong was only a teenager; how could she be a match for Flender?
At the same time, in a quiet room at Shrek Academy, the light was dim. Yu Xiaogang lay on the bed, his face ashen. He was wrapped in a quilt and looked extremely weak. On the wooden table next to the bed, a meal that Tang San had brought was still warm.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang heard slow but steady footsteps outside his door. He thought it was Tang San returning and forced a little strength into his voice. "Little San, you should go cultivate first. I can manage by myself; you don't need to take care of me."
However, the footsteps didn't stop. They came closer and closer. A moment later, the door creaked open. A tall figure appeared in the doorway, dressed in a worn, dusty gray robe with patches. His face was covered in a messy beard, and his eyes were deep and cold. He exuded a suffocating sense of pressure.
Yu Xiaogang was stunned. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes as he recognized the man as Tang San's father. He asked hoarsely, "Tang Hao?! Why are you here?"
"Yu Xiaogang, it's been a long time," Tang Hao said in a low voice as he slowly walked into the room. "Ever since Little San was bullied by Zhao Wuji when he enrolled, I've been staying near Soto City just in case something happened to him.
And it did, just as I expected." The room fell silent. "Yu Xiaogang, do you know that you've been targeted by Spirit Hall?" Tang Hao stood by the bed, his eyes sharp and serious.
Yu Xiaogang's face froze, and he looked at Tang Hao with doubt. "What are you talking about? How could we be targeted by Spirit Hall?"
Tang Hao didn't say anything else. He just took a letter, which had been folded many times, from his pocket and handed it to Yu Xiaogang. "You'll understand after you read this."
Yu Xiaogang took the letter and carefully unfolded it. The paper was wrinkled, but the handwriting was still clear. The sender was the Bishop of Soto City Spirit Hall, and the recipient was clearly the Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong. He quickly read the contents, his eyes growing more serious with each word. The letter stated:
Soto City, a Spirit Master with a Blue Silver Grass spirit named Tang San has been discovered. He is suspected to be the person sought by His Holiness the Pope. This has been reported to Spirit City, and we are awaiting further instructions.
Yu Xiaogang's heart pounded. His face was filled with shock. He looked at Tang Hao with disbelief. "Spirit Hall is looking for Little San? Why would they target him?"
"Perhaps the higher-ups at Spirit Hall have already guessed that he is my son," Tang Hao said slowly, his expression unchanged. "But don't worry, I've already dealt with the person who delivered the letter. I've also dealt with everyone else who knew about this matter."
Yu Xiaogang was even more confused. He frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Little San's spirit is the Blue Silver Grass. How could they possibly guess he's related to you? Did he use the Clear Sky Hammer at some point and someone found out?"
Tang Hao's voice was low, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade. "Little San has only used the Clear Sky Hammer twice since he came to Shrek Academy. The first time was during his fight with Zhao Wuji, when he accidentally exposed it in an emergency.
The second time was while he was hunting the Man Faced Demon Spider in the Star Dou Great Forest. That time... no one else saw it besides me watching in the shadows."
The room fell silent again. Yu Xiaogang's expression was solemn, his brows furrowed as he thought. A moment later, he murmured softly, "I know Zhao Wuji. He's Flender's old brother, and he's a straightforward guy. He wouldn't do something like this. And the teachers who were there were all people Flender trusts.
There should be no problem within the Academy. Then it can only be... one of the students who were there when Little San used the Clear Sky Hammer must have told someone."
He slowly sat up. His face was still pale, but a glimmer of wisdom shone in his eyes. He began to analyze. "Xiao Wu would never betray Little San. They're like siblings, and their bond is much more than just a normal friendship.
Although Dai Mubai and Oscar have different temperaments, they've been studying and living at Shrek Academy for years and were taught by Flender himself.
Their loyalty isn't an issue; they're like Flender's confidants. So there's no problem with them. That leaves only two people: Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong."
Tang Hao lowered his head, silent.
Yu Xiaogang continued his analysis. "Zhu Zhuqing is from the Star Luo Empire. I've heard Flender mention that her relationship with Dai Mubai is unusual, and she came to Shrek mostly because of him. She's also consistently quiet, calm, and cautious.
She doesn't seem like the type to interfere in other people's affairs. Then... that only leaves Ning Rongrong from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
As soon as he said those words, Tang Hao's brows furrowed. His gaze was deep. He murmured in a low voice, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School..."
Yu Xiaogang looked up at him. "Your Majesty Haotian, I remember that many years ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was always unhappy with your Clear Sky Sect. They are a pure support-type sect, and your Clear Sky Sect has always been known as the number one sect in the world, always suppressing them. So, could it be..."