A week had passed since Gu Jian's birth. On this day, the small dragon awoke, her cultivation level reaching an astonishing two thousand years. While her physical size hadn't increased further, her strength had grown considerably.
Ye Haitang had completed the redesign of the medicinal plots at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Since they had officially joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Gu Xuan provided Ye Haitang, Zhang Jinyuan, and You Mingluo each with a Barrier Breaking Pill and a Soul Ascension Pill. The last three remaining Soul Ascension Pills were distributed, while one Barrier Breaking Pill was kept in reserve for the final refinement of Ning Fengzhi's Star-Moon Pill.
The decision to grant these to the three elders was rooted in their high natural talent; each had a genuine chance of breaking through to the Titled Douluo rank in the future. After consuming the Soul Ascension Pill, You Mingluo's soul power successfully reached Rank 89. Once he reached the peak of that rank and consumed the Barrier Breaking Pill, his chances of breakthrough would be immense.
Zhang Jinyuan and Ye Haitang each gained a rank of soul power, reaching Rank 87 and Rank 86, respectively. If Ye Haitang could eventually reach Rank 90, the healing capabilities of a Titled Douluo-level Nine-Hearted Begonia would be terrifying—perhaps truly capable of bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh from bone. Gu Xuan held great expectations for this possibility.
In exchange for these gifts, Gu Xuan took the Sun-Burning Flower and the 20,000-year Golden-Feathered Eagle left leg bone. Ye Haitang naturally had no objections; she understood the priceless value of the pills he had provided better than anyone. With this endowment, any lingering regrets she had about joining the Clan vanished.
Currently, she managed the herb garden, and a portion of the pills she and Yang Wudi would refine in the future would belong to her family—this was the ultimate benefit. Furthermore, as a Nine-Hearted Begonia owner, her cultivation speed at the Well was significantly faster than others, making her the greatest beneficiary of the move.
Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling eventually departed for Seven Treasure City on the back of Gu Jian. The Seven Treasure Academy was now fully established, with the student body quickly surpassing two hundred. It consisted of the younger generation of the Clan, alongside youths from the Breaking Clan and the Ye Family. While those originally belonging to the Clan made up half the students, over a hundred were newly recruited talents from outside. As one of the Upper Three Sects, the Clan's prestige naturally drew such a following.
As they neared Seven Treasure City, Gu Xuan withdrew Gu Jian into his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse. While riding a dragon was undeniably stylish, there was no need to be overly ostentatious. Upon arriving at the academy, Gu Xuan went directly to the "Genius Class." It was small in number but consisted of absolute elites—the foundation of future Titled Douluos.
The entry requirements for this class were draconian: one had to reach Rank 20 before the age of twelve and possess the optimal soul ring configuration. While exceptions existed for those with extraordinary willpower and skill, few had yet met that standard through sheer effort alone.
The current roster of the Genius Class included:
Ning Rongrong. Martial Soul: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Age 12, Rank 36.
Li Li. Martial Soul: Man-Faced Demon Spider. Age 11, Rank 35.
Zuo Yan. Martial Soul: Phoenix God Wings. Age 13, Rank 37.
In addition to this trio—whom Gu Xuan considered his core team for godhood—there was a young man from the Breaking Clan named Yang Pojun, the grandson of Yang Wudi. With a Rank 8 innate soul power, he was now fifteen years old and Rank 41. Heavily cultivated by the Clan, his future achievements were expected to surpass even those of his grandfather.
The remaining two students were Ma Bao and Zhan Yu. Ma Bao possessed the Blazing War Horse Martial Soul, a Rank 42 Power Attack Type at age fifteen. Zhan Yu possessed the Steadfast Shield, a Rank 41 Defense Type at age fifteen. Both were talents raised by the Clan since childhood. Originally, Ning Fengzhi had intended for them to follow Ning Rongrong, much like the relationship between himself and the Sword and Bone Douluos, but Gu Xuan's monstrous talent had eventually made that plan unnecessary.
The seventh and final core member was Dugu Yan. At eighteen, her soul power had broken through to Rank 46. She served as the first Captain of the Seven Treasure Team, and her strength was feared by all.
As Gu Xuan entered the classroom, he saw Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Li Li chatting. The moment they spotted him, the three girls stood up in a flurry of excitement.
"Xiao Xuan!"
"Brother Gu Xuan!"
"Big Brother!"
The greetings were simultaneous, yet the titles varied. Gu Xuan smiled warmly. "How is it? Has everything been well lately?" The girls nodded; life at the academy was good, if a bit monotonous due to the intense study and cultivation required by the Clan.
Zuo Yan, Ma Bao, Yang Pojun, and Zhan Yu also looked over. They held a natural reverence for Gu Xuan, who had reached Rank 45 at only twelve years old. To motivate them, the academy hadn't hidden his rank. They knew that while they had "cheated" with pills, Gu Xuan had done the same and still remained leagues ahead. However, seeing his new, mature appearance for the first time made them feel somewhat out of place. He was already unfairly handsome, and his current look left them with no way to compete.
The four boys didn't dare have designs on Dugu Yan or the little princess Ning Rongrong, but they were all secretly enamored with the adorable Li Li. Yet, like Zuo Yan—who had been a "licking dog" for over a year with no success—they found that Li Li was completely indifferent to them. It was truly a tragedy of aesthetics.
As the greetings subsided, Dugu Yan noticed Ye Lingling standing behind Gu Xuan. She instantly beamed with delight. "Lingling?! You transferred here, too?"
Ye Lingling offered a thin smile, but her expression was somewhat strained. Facing Dugu Yan's genuine warmth, she felt a wave of uncertainty. Over the past month, her relationship with Gu Xuan had progressed significantly; only a week ago, they had shared a passionate kiss. At the time, caught in the heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten about Dugu Yan. Now, facing her best friend's familiar enthusiasm, she felt a twinge of guilt. She feared that if Dugu Yan realized she had "stolen the home" in her absence, their friendship would explode.
Though Gu Xuan had reassured her, actually standing before Dugu Yan made those anxieties impossible to ignore.
(End of Chapter)
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