In truth, even without Li Tianyi present, Heavenly Path Academy could easily protect Xiao Wu.
With Xiao Hongchen alone, his current strength was enough to block at least two Ultimate Douluo level powerhouses.
Moreover, there was Yun Ming, an ultimate trump card. He was not the Yun Ming from the original story who died unwillingly due to the plot, but a genuine self-created godhood powerhouse.
Although he had not yet reached Li Tianyi's level or triggered heavenly tribulation, his combat strength was absolutely at the god level.
With a Rank Ten Soul Tool, the Five-Character Battle Armor crafted for him by Li Tianyi, and his martial soul Sky-Piercing Divine Spear already transformed into a divine artifact, dealing with all the Title Douluos on the continent would be effortless.
The Martial Soul Ranking continued to update. As expected, the person entering the ranking was once again one of Li Tianyi's disciples.
[Martial Soul Ranking Seventh: Extreme Cold Ice Phoenix]
[Holder: Shui Bing'er (Heavenly Path Academy)]
[Evaluation: Divine Beast level martial soul, surpassing the Ultimate Ice attribute. The supreme existence among avian martial souls. Any wielder of this martial soul is destined to possess the qualifications to become a god.]
[Reward: Martial soul quality increased by one level (Note: Beast-type martial soul quality tiers are Top Tier, Super Tier, Divine Beast Tier, God King Tier, and Transcendent God Tier), all soul ring age limits increased by ten thousand years, one hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion torso soul bone (containing the Ice Explosion Technique and a talent domain), soul power level increased by six levels, one God-Given Soul Ring.]
With Shui Bing'er ranked seventh on the Martial Soul Ranking, the rewards were unprecedentedly generous.
Not only was her martial soul quality elevated once more, she also obtained the extremely precious Ice Explosion Technique soul skill.
"Heavenly Path Academy again. What kind of monsters are coming out of this place?"
"Wait, Shui Bing'er? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
Residents of Tianshui City and students of Tianshui Academy stared at the name Shui Bing'er on the ranking, then suddenly realized the truth.
The former members of the Tianshui Battle Team were extremely excited.
"See that? Even the martial soul name matches. After Bing'er and Yue'er left Tianshui Academy, they were clearly nurtured with great care by that handsome powerhouse."
"Seventh on the continent-wide Martial Soul Ranking. What an enormous honor!"
"By the way, where's Yue'er?"
"That little girl probably cannot even make the rankings. She is carefree all day long."
"That's true. I remember a few years ago at Tianshui Academy, she skipped cultivation to sneak out and eat chicken legs, then got punished by the Headmaster with a beating."
"The Headmaster asked her whether the board tasted better or the chicken leg tasted better. Guess what she said?"
"If it were Bing'er, that would never happen. If it were Yue'er, she would definitely say that if getting beaten meant she could eat chicken legs, then the board was tasty too."
The women immediately burst into laughter, unable to straighten their backs.
At the same time, far away at Heavenly Path Academy, Shui Yue'er, who was gnawing on a chicken leg raised by the academy for two and a half years, suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo. Which jerk is talking bad about me again?"
...
At the City Lord's Manor of Tianshui City.
The father of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, along with their two mothers, raised their heads to look at the sky.
Shui Bing'er's biological mother looked at Shui Bing'er's name on the ranking, tears pouring down uncontrollably.
"Sister, Bing'er making the ranking is a good thing. We should be smiling. Look at you now, so pitiful I almost feel sorry for you."
"If some fickle scumbag saw you like this, he would probably coax and trick you back home again."
Shui Yue'er's mother spoke to comfort her, not forgetting to subtly scold their husband.
The Tianshui City Lord's old face flushed red. These two women were much like his two daughters, one lively and adorable, the other cold and elegant, giving him a taste of completely different charms.
More importantly, the children they bore him were both exceptionally outstanding.
"Sigh. Back then, Bing'er and Yue'er left with that mysterious powerhouse voluntarily in order to protect us. Who would have thought their talent would reach such a terrifying level now."
"Even many senior figures in the soul master world, and even the Pope of Spirit Hall, cannot compare."
Hearing this, the two women could not help but feel somewhat resentful.
Li Tianyi's attitude back then had been far too forceful, and to this day they still held a trace of grievance toward the Tianshui City Lord.
They had encountered a good person this time, but what if it had been someone with ill intentions?
"Ladies, I know I was wrong."
"Bing'er and Yue'er come home every year for a while, don't they? Look at them now. Cultivating at the academy actually means they took advantage of a tremendous opportunity."
"These two girls too. Every time they come back, they always bring something good. Some rare ten-thousand-year spiritual herb, some ten-thousand-year ice marrow. It is really too much."
Although he said so, the pride on his old face was impossible to suppress.
As the saying goes, a father's status rises with his daughters. His own strength had risen from the early Soul Douluo stage to peak Level 89, just one step away from becoming a Title Douluo.
"Look at how useless you are. Without me and my sister, could you have such outstanding daughters?"
"Yes, yes, the two ladies are right. Yue'er and Bing'er are busy cultivating at the academy and have no time to come home. Why not we…"
"We are not young anymore. They are chasing the peak of the soul master world. The house cannot stay empty and lonely forever, right?"
The Tianshui City Lord chuckled, rubbing his hands together without concealing his intentions.
"Look at you, you shameless old thing."
"That's right, sister. Let's ignore him."
The Tianshui City Lord was not annoyed at all and chuckled again.
"Tonight. I will be waiting for you."
...
At Shrek Academy, seeing the Ice Phoenix martial soul ranked on the list, the thoughts that had once gone quiet in Flender's heart reignited.
If the Ice Phoenix martial soul could rank seventh, then his disciple Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix ranking sixth would not be unreasonable, right?
Looking at the series of precious rewards, including a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, Flender could not help clenching his fists.
Shrek Academy was finally about to appear before the world.
At Godwind Academy, Feng Xiaotian looked at Shui Bing'er on the ranking and stopped developing his self-created soul skill.
"Shui Bing'er made the ranking."
"What about Xiao Wu? I heard from Huo Wushuang that they are cultivating together in the same hidden academy."
"The last time I saw Xiao Wu, she was already a Soul King. I must work even harder to be worthy of Xiao Wu."
At the Pope's Palace, when Bibi Dong saw the four words Heavenly Path Academy behind the martial soul holder's name again, her expression darkened even further.
Martial Soul Ranking seventh. A martial soul that was originally Divine Beast level would evolve into a God King level martial soul.
The terror represented by the words God King was something Bibi Dong, as a god's inheritor, understood better than anyone.
"Heavenly Path Academy, Heavenly Path Academy. What exactly are you people?"
She felt inexplicably irritated, with a growing sense that this academy would ruin all her plans that had been laid for many years.
"Shui Bing'er. Former student of Tianshui Academy. Martial soul Ice Phoenix. Innate soul power Level 9. Six years ago, she and her sister Shui Yue'er were taken as disciples by a mysterious powerhouse."
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