Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After staying in the infirmary for a while, Flender prepared to leave. Now that Liu Erlong had become the vice principal and he was the principal, there were many issues waiting for him to handle. If it weren't for today's incident, he wouldn't have come to the infirmary.

Before leaving, Flender glanced at Ma Hongjun, who had a bandage wrapped around his head, and instructed the Grandmaster, "Xiaogang, take care of Hongjun for the next couple of days. Look into the issue of his evil fire and see if you can find a solution that benefits both parties. This kid has had a rough life. If we strip him of his manhood, there's no point in living."

"Got it. Go handle your business," the Grandmaster waved impatiently. If it wasn't for avoiding Liu Erlong, he wouldn't have volunteered to take care of Ma Hongjun.

Solve the issue of evil fire? He had never encountered such a problem before. How could theory alone fix it?

"You just want me out of here." Flender smiled helplessly and then changed the subject, "So many years have passed. You can't avoid her forever, can you? Someday, you'll have to face her."

The Grandmaster sighed and replied, "It's not that I want to avoid her, but she... she will always be my cousin. How can I face her or our family?"

"You..." Flender glared at the Grandmaster, speechless. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Fine. It's not my place to judge what's between you and Erlong. Since you're avoiding her now, at least focus on Hongjun's issue. It's best if you can solve his evil fire problem."

"Otherwise, he'll be obsessed with women all the time, and if this goes on, he'll end up dead on a woman's bed one day!"

With that, Flender cast a hard glare at his disappointing disciple, Ma Hongjun, and walked out of the room.

After Flender left, Ma Hongjun quickly turned to the Grandmaster and pleaded, "Grandmaster, you're a renowned theorist in the spirit master world. You must have a solution that doesn't involve cutting off my... my precious, right? Please, don't cut it off. Without it, what's the point of my hard work in cultivation?"

Seeing Ma Hongjun's anxious expression, the Grandmaster found it amusing but kept a serious face, replying solemnly, "Hongjun, how can you think like that? As a highly talented spirit master, how can you focus only on women? Only by cutting it off can you concentrate fully on your cultivation and reach the peak of the spirit master world. Trust me, cut it off."

"If you cut it off, your cultivation will undoubtedly progress smoothly, and when you become one of the top powerhouses on this continent, you'll have more women than you can handle. Why worry about a few mediocre ones now? Don't forget, once you're strong enough, there will be a whole forest of women waiting for you!"

The Grandmaster's tempting words made Ma Hongjun feel a momentary illusion, as if cutting it off really would bring him endless women in the future. But on second thought, if it's gone, how could he enjoy them? As Ma Hongjun pondered the connection, Dai Mubai, who was lying on the nearby bed, turned his head away in disdain. If he kept listening, he might not be able to resist getting up and punching the Grandmaster.

Damn it, what's the use of having many women if you've lost your "precious"?

...

At the Blue Tyrant Academy's Martial Spirit Mimicry Training Ground, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing hadn't slept the entire night after what happened the previous evening. In front of them, Xiao Wu was diligently training, completely unaware of what had transpired. She thought Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had come to train with her, so she didn't pay much attention to them.

Sitting on a large bluestone, Zhu Zhuqing hugged her knees, and Ning Rongrong didn't know what to say. As the little devil of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Rongrong was good at taunting others, but when it came to comforting people, she was at a loss.

"Did you tell Oscar?" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly asked.

"Mm..." Ning Rongrong nodded slightly and said softly, "You know, Oscar is much better than the others, and I don't want to let such a genius join other forces. It would be a huge blow to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."

"Last night... I..." Zhu Zhuqing didn't dwell on the topic of Oscar. What she really wanted to know was whether Dai Mubai had taken advantage of her the previous night. If he had, she would end her life right away.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's tightly clenched hands and her trembling body, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but giggle. She leaned in and whispered in Zhu Zhuqing's ear, "Don't worry. Someone saved us last night. That scumbag Dai Mubai didn't succeed. Didn't I already tell you this morning that those two scumbags were hung up on the streetlights in Heaven Dou City, for everyone to see?"

"Who was it?" Hearing that she hadn't lost the most important thing to her, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes filled with tears. She asked Ning Rongrong with reddened eyes.

"Uh... it was too dark, I didn't see clearly," Ning Rongrong dodged the question. "After we were saved, that person left quickly, and I didn't have a chance to ask for their name."

"You didn't see them clearly..." Zhu Zhuqing's eyes dimmed. Yes, it was so dark. As a support-type spirit master, it was normal for Ning Rongrong not to have seen clearly.

However, what Zhu Zhuqing didn't know was that Ning Rongrong had indeed seen the person's face and knew exactly who it was. She just didn't want to reveal it so easily, not knowing what would happen if she told Zhu Zhuqing. Besides, when compared to Zhu Zhuqing, she felt she had certain... disadvantages.

"Rongrong, I have something I want to talk to you about. Can we chat in private?"

At that moment, a series of footsteps approached from a distance. Oscar walked over briskly.

"Huh?" Ning Rongrong was startled and instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she saw Oscar's serious face, she nodded lightly, "Alright, let's go."

...

In Heaven Dou City, at the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Due to the lateness of the previous night, Cheng Xiao hadn't planned to visit immediately. Instead, he stayed at a random hotel and waited until morning to visit the person who had given him the token to enter the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—Xue Qinghe, or rather, Qian Renxue.

After inquiring, Cheng Xiao made his way to the Crown Prince's residence, located in one of the most luxurious areas of the city.

Looking up at the grand building at the end of the street, marked with the emblem of the Heaven Dou royal family—a swan—he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. "As expected of the Crown Prince's residence. I thought the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's accommodations were impressive, but this... this is on another level."

With that, Cheng Xiao made his way along the clean, stone-paved street, heading straight for the Crown Prince's mansion at the end of the road.