"Sect Leader Ning," Emperor Xueye asked knowingly, pointing in the direction of Dongfang Jing, "who is that young man? You seem quite interested in him."
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty, that is Dongfang Jing, the captain of Zixing Academy. My daughter was fortunate to receive his care before. Judging from his appearance, his strength must have improved somewhat during this training trip."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xueye and Salas exchanged a glance, each with their own plans.
Tianshui College's spectator seats.
"Oh? That boy is...?"
A beautiful woman, dressed in a dark blue dress and exuding a gentle and mature air, gazed into the distance and her eyes fell upon Dongfang Jing.
She has long, dark green hair, and time hasn't left many marks on her face; instead, it has added to her mature womanly charm.
It was Shui Liuli, the teacher leading the team from Tianshui College.
Hearing their mother's words, Shuiyue'er and Shuibing'er, who were sitting next to her, also came over.
"Mom, do you know him? Who is he?" Shuiyue blinked her big eyes, looking very curious.
Shui Liuli looked at the silver-haired figure, a hint of reminiscence flashing in her eyes.
She patted her two daughters' heads and said softly, "Have you forgotten? A few years ago, in the Great Soul Arena of Shuilan City, there was that brilliant young man wearing a mask."
Reminded by Shui Liuli, the two sisters exchanged a glance, and memories deep in their minds were instantly awakened.
"Ah! It's him!"
Shui Yue'er let out a soft cry, covered her mouth, and exclaimed in surprise, "So it's my brother-in-law!"
As soon as she spoke, she felt the temperature around her drop sharply.
Turning her head, she saw her older sister, Shui Bing'er, staring coldly at her, her eyes seeming to say, "Try talking nonsense again?"
Shuiyue shrank her neck, stuck out her tongue, and dared not utter another sound.
Shui Bing'er ignored her sister's nonsense and instead looked up in the direction of the Eastern Mirror.
If it really is him...
So, the pretty girl I met in the players' tunnel yesterday, was she his sister, the chubby little girl from back then?!
Girls really do change a lot as they grow up!
And even my brother has changed so much, he's become even more handsome...
On the other side of the Eastern Mirror.
He keenly sensed that countless eyes were fixed on him.
There were curious onlookers, infatuated female fans, and even scrutinizing teachers from rival colleges.
For example, at Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wu's eyes were filled with fighting spirit; and at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and the others had angry looks that seemed to be spitting fire.
But when Dongfang Jing turned his head and coldly swept his gaze over, those few glans that had been so aggressive just moments before instantly shrank back, not daring to meet his eyes.
Only Tang San.
Even from this distance, Dongfang Jing could feel the resentment and malice in his eyes, which were fixed on him.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Dongfang Jing's lips.
Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being impolite.
He was too lazy to explain anything to Xiao Wu anymore; he wanted to get rid of this protagonist from the original story once and for all!
Then, his gaze shifted to the other side.
Tianshui College.
Dongfang Jing also remembered their identities.
Seeing that Shui Liuli had hardly changed and still retained her charm, and Shui Bing'er, who had become even more graceful and beautiful.
Dongfang Jing said to Biji and the others beside him, "I'm going to say hello to some acquaintances. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he got up and walked to the viewing area of Tianshui Academy.
"Knock knock knock".
He knocked on the door.
The door was quickly opened, and it was Shuiyue who opened it, all excited.
She couldn't see clearly from a distance, but now that she was closer, Shuiyue felt as if her breath was about to stop.
That's so cool!
His skin was so good that even girls were jealous, and his golden eyes seemed to have magic.
What brother-in-law? This is clearly my destined husband!
Shuiyue'er screamed inwardly, but smiled broadly: "Please come in! Please come in!"
Dongfang Jing smiled and nodded, then walked into the private room.
After exchanging pleasantries and reminiscing, they made an appointment to meet again.
Shui Bing'er and the others responded politely. Shui Bing'er was rather reserved and simply smiled and nodded.
But the other girls looked at him as if he were some rare treasure, their eyes scanning his face without any hesitation.
"I haven't heard from you since we parted ways in Shuilan City."
Looking at the young man who had grown into a towering tree, Shui Liuli sighed, "I thought... but my judgment was right. As expected, you can now chat and laugh with a big shot like Poison Douluo."
"You flatter me, senior."
Dongfang Jing acted very modestly and did not explain much. "I am very grateful for your help back then. I will always remember this kindness."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and joked, "I remember you once said that if we faced off in the Soul Master Competition, you wanted me to go easy on those pretty ladies, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shui Liuli burst into laughter, her body trembling with mirth.
"Of course I was just joking." She gave Dongfang Jing a reproachful look. "Don't let their usual joking around fool you, these girls are still Soul Masters, they have their own dignity, okay? A competition is a competition, how can you hold back? If you dare to hold back, they'll be furious with you."
Dongfang Jing was taken aback.
Sure enough, Shui Bing'er and the others around her showed a hint of arrogance and dissatisfaction on their faces.
Dongfang Jing realized he had misspoke and quickly apologized, "I misspoke. The sisters are all exceptionally capable, so there's no need for me to go to such lengths."
Just then, the referee's voice rang out through the amplified soul guide.
The match is about to begin.
On the battle stage, the team members from both sides have taken their positions.
On the Thunder Academy side, each member wore a dark blue team uniform, their bodies crackling with electric arcs, exuding an imposing aura.
Captain Yu Tianxin stood at the front, tall and handsome, but his face was filled with solemnity.
He is a level 43 offensive-type Soul Master, the pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex clan.
Behind them, Lei Dong, Lei Tian, and Lei Mie were all Soul Masters. The last three remaining were all Soul Venerables.
This lineup would be a favorite to win the championship in any region.
The audience seats at Tianshui College.
Shui Liuli looked at the situation on the field through the glass window, her brows furrowing slightly.
She turned to look at Dongfang Jing and said with some worry, "Thunder Academy is not easy to deal with. Their martial souls are all lightning attribute, with extremely strong attack power, and they are exactly the kind of counter to our water attribute soul masters."
"The overall strength of Thunder Academy is only slightly weaker than that of the strongest Divine Wind Academy."
She analyzed, "By the way, why didn't you participate? If you had, you could have easily taken a point from them, right? Could it be because of Dugu Yan from your team?"
"Although she is a Soul King, the team at Thunder Academy is very well coordinated, and Captain Yu Tianxin has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, which is very effective against Dugu Yan in terms of bloodline. As a result, the Soul King's level advantage has been greatly reduced."
Shui Liuli, being a seasoned mentor with a keen eye, immediately saw the crux of the problem.
However, Dongfang Jing only smiled slightly after hearing her analysis.
He shook his head and said in a relaxed tone, "If I participated, it would be too unfair. I'm mainly here to accompany my sister and teammates to gain experience, so I won't be making a move."
"After all, they could win the championship on their own."
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(End of the chapter)