Thank you to our new Patrons: Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456, DeathClan1980, Leroy, Drake Blazer, Mridk and Jose! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 220: A New Theory of Soul Masters is Born on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! It's called Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I Am the White Emperor of Heaven! As always, Patrons will have unrestricted access to all of my stories including futures ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside Huo Lie's study, Feng Changlin informed him of the matter.
"Old Huo, this is a great opportunity. Hosting the inter-academy exchange tournament at Seven Treasures Academy is also the best chance for you to connect with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
These days, watching the Feng family's shops in the Seven Treasures Marketplace rake in profits daily, no one was more anxious than Huo Lie.
Aligning with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would indeed bring benefits to their family, but it also meant sharing the risks associated with the sect.
Take, for example, the subordinate sects of the Hao Tian Sect back in the day. When the Spirit Hall attacked, the four subordinate families bore the brunt of it and nearly faced extinction. Meanwhile, the Hao Tian Sect merely sealed themselves away, suffering far fewer losses compared to the four families.
Seeing Huo Lie still hesitating, Feng Changlin continued, "Old Huo, let me tell you something—Poison Douluo has an ambiguous relationship with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. This means that the sect effectively has three Title Douluos at their disposal."
"Since we are aligning ourselves with them, they will naturally take responsibility for our safety."
Huo Lie snorted. "Old Feng, did Sect Leader Ning promise you some benefit? Why are you speaking so highly on their behalf?"
Even if Ning Fengzhi hadn't promised anything, the three families were already aligned with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, so their benefits were assured to be substantial.
Feng Changlin feigned anger. "Old Huo, after all these years of brotherhood, what kind of person do you think I am?"
"Elemental City is currently in shambles. Back when Thunderclap Academy moved into Elemental City, we were powerless to resist. Now, Elephant Academy not only occupies a dominant position within the city but also constantly oppresses our three families."
"By allying with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, we can live peacefully in Elemental City and receive their support. Moreover, given the sect's influence and the strength of Sword and Bone Douluo, who would dare to challenge them?"
Huo Lie didn't rush to make a decision. "Alright, I won't oppose Seven Treasures Academy hosting the inter-academy exchange tournament, and Blazing Academy will attend on time. As for allying with the Seven Treasures Glazed TileSect, let's wait for Old Shui to arrive, and we'll discuss it together."
Feng Changlin nodded and arranged for Feng Xiaotian to invite the Shui family over.
---
When the three old friends met, they exchanged pleasantries before diving into the main topic.
"Old Shui, Old Huo has already decided to ally with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. What about your Shui family?" Feng Changlin asked.
Huo Lie glared at him but didn't object.
Feng Changlin was right. Only by relying on the power of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could they hope for better days ahead. Otherwise, under the encroachment of Elephant Sect, they would eventually be forced out of Elemental City.
Shui Ningbing wasn't as hot-tempered as Huo Lie. She was gentle by nature and disliked conflict.
With a calm expression, she said evenly, "Our three families will move forward together."
"In that case, during the inter-academy exchange tournament, I'll introduce you to Sect Leader Ning," Feng Changlin said.
Shui Ningbing interrupted, "Old Feng, you're being overly optimistic. If Elephant Sect didn't have backing, how could they dare seize our land under the emperor's nose?"
Feng Changlin paused, suddenly realizing something. "You mean… Elephant Sect is acting under someone else's orders?"
Shui Ningbing neither confirmed nor denied. "I suspect it's the Spirit Hall. If after we ally with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Elephant Sect still moves against us, then we can infer that the Spirit Hall will eventually target the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as well."
Feng Xiaotian, listening nearby, was astonished.
The usually unassuming head of the Shui family had actually considered such a deep level of strategy.
Huo Lie furrowed his brows. "If this timeline stretches to twenty years, the children of the Seven Treasures team, including our descendants, will have a chance to grow stronger. By then, we might stand a chance against the Spirit Hall."
Shui Ningbing gave a bitter smile and leaned back in her chair. "Old Huo, Old Feng, we have no choice. In the competition between major powers, we are merely sacrificial pawns. The difference lies in whether we can secure a way out."
"What I've thought of, Sect Leader Ning, with his wisdom, must have already considered as well. When the nest falls, there are no intact eggs. Aligning with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect may be our only way forward."
Feng Changlin nodded thoughtfully, then shifted the topic. "Let's leave this discussion for when I introduce you to Sect Leader Ning. For now, let's focus on the inter-academy exchange tournament."
Shui Ningbing analyzed, "Tiandou Imperial Academy will surely give Ning Fengzhi this face. Since our three families have decided to attend, should we inform Thunderclap Academy?"
Huo Lie snorted coldly. "They can come if they want. Not a single member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family is any good."
Originally, the term "Elemental Academies" referred to the Wind, Water, and Fire academies. A hundred years ago, when Thunderclap Academy forcefully entered Elemental City, the name "Four Elements Academies" came into use out of necessity.
Now, Elephant Sect wanted to get involved and rename it the "Five Elements Academies." But their conduct was too despicable, and they lacked the influence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. No one in the Four Elements Academies took their claims seriously.
---
With the matter settled, Feng Xiaotian immediately returned to Seven Treasures Academy and sent word of the results to Ning Fengzhi.
Early the next morning, Seven Treasures Academy publicly announced that they would host the inter-academy exchange tournament.
In addition to the Four Elements Academies and Tiandou Imperial Academy, they also invited two advanced soul master academies near Tiandou City: Auckland Academy and Flame Radiance Academy.
Inviting these two academies was purely to include weaker teams, ensuring that the older academies wouldn't lose face.
---
Inside Shrek Academy, upon hearing the news, Yu Xiaogang quickly gathered the Shrek Seven Monsters.
"Teacher, you're not planning to make us participate in the inter-academy exchange tournament, are you?" Tang San didn't think it was a wise decision.
Their current strength wasn't sufficient. Competing against veteran academy teams would expose all their trump cards, which wouldn't be beneficial for the upcoming Soul Masters Tournament.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't foolish enough to reveal their secrets. He explained, "Xiao San, this is a great opportunity to observe the matches. Seven Treasures Academy has already announced that during the tournament, the academy will hold an open day, allowing students from any academy to freely enter and exit."
"We'll go to watch the matches and try to understand the strengths of these veteran strong teams. Later, when we encounter them in the Soul Masters Tournament, we'll have a better chance of winning."
"Uncle Xiaogang is right. We'll just go to observe," Yu Tianheng chimed in.
Tang San couldn't help but ask, "Tianheng, do you have any information about the other academy teams?"
He was worried that the veteran academy teams might either be too weak to draw out the full strength of the Seven Treasures team or too strong for them to handle in the future.
Yu Tianheng shook his head. "The connection between Tiandou Imperial Academy and the Four Elements Academies isn't very close. Aside from their captains, I don't know much about the other members of these four teams."
"Yu Tianxin of Thunderclap Academy, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang of Blazing Team, and Shui Bing'er of Tian Shui Team—these four are the new leading figures of Tiandou City's younger generation. They deserve special attention."
"As for the other two academies, they've never made it past the preliminary rounds of the Soul Masters Tournament. Their strength is weak and not worth paying attention to."
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.