After Lin Yuhan accepted her defeat, Ning Fengzhi also conceded decisively, handing over the techniques he mastered to Zhen Hua. "Truly worthy of Your Majesty's esteemed disciple. We admit defeat wholeheartedly. We were overconfident before. I never imagined there could truly be someone in this world destined to become a Divine Craftsman. The Douluo Federation's prodigies truly emerge in an endless stream. It is enviable."
Looking at the smile on Ning Fengzhi's face, the blacksmiths of the Blacksmithing Association felt an impulse to punch the man.
You lost. Why are you smiling?
Zhen Hua raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, "You flatter me. Xingluo's forging techniques are equally impressive."
This was not false modesty on his part. Lin Yuhan's performance had indeed been impressive. If Gu Yuena had not been present today when the challenge came, this Xingluo girl might actually have won. Among the younger generation of the Blacksmithing Association now, perhaps Only Gu Yuena could surpass her.
"Since the competition is over, will you be staying to witness what follows?"
Zhen Hua's tone was flat, clearly intending to see them out.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi did not move. Instead, he said, "Your Majesty Zhen Hua, there is actually another matter we wish to discuss. We would like to invite you and your disciple to participate in the exchange activities to the Xingluo Continent half a year from now."
This man had no shame.
Everyone present, including Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan, thought this.
With the attitude he had just shown, now inviting others to participate in an exchange activity, how could Zhen Hua possibly agree?
Zhen Hua thought the same. He was about to refuse without a second thought. He had nothing to discuss with these "unwelcome guests." But Ning Fengzhi's next telepathic message made him swallow the refusal that was already on his lips.
"Besides the exchange event, I also wish to discuss another matter with Your Majesty. It concerns the attack you suffered a year and a half ago." Ning Fengzhi's expression was solemn. "Regarding that attacker, Xingluo has intelligence on him. Please consider it carefully, Your Majesty Zhen Hua."
Zhen Hua frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Ning Fengzhi's face for a moment, as if speculating on the other's true intentions.
Because of his status as a Divine Craftsman, the attack on him had become a trending topic on the soul tool network for a period of time. So although he was somewhat surprised that Ning Fengzhi knew this information, he did not suspect that the man had any connection to the Holy Spirit Cult.
If the members of the Xingluo delegation were all members of the Holy Spirit Cult, then the Xingluo Federation would probably have been completely infiltrated by evil soul masters by now. No matter what, the Xingluo Federation was still a country. It could not have fallen that low, could it?
However, the Xingluo delegation had no prior contact with him before today. Suddenly raising the topic of evil soul masters inevitably caused Zhen Hua some confusion.
What exactly was Xingluo's purpose? Was their visit to the Federation not to probe their strength?
Zhen Hua thought for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the group behind Ning Fengzhi, finally resting on the man's calm expression.
"All right. Come with me." Zhen Hua finally spoke, beckoning to Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena, Bear Lord, and the Xingluo delegation members, then turned and walked toward the elevator.
A flicker of a smile passed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes. He quickly followed Zhen Hua's pace. Lin Yuhan and the others exchanged glances, clearly surprised by the turn of events, but they could only follow closely behind.
Everyone followed Zhen Hua to his office. Ning Fengzhi left the other blacksmiths outside, not bringing a single person with him.
Zhen Hua gestured toward the sofa. Watching everyone take their seats, he turned his gaze to Ning Fengzhi. "If you have something to say, say it freely here. Or do you need someone to leave? Do you want to speak with me alone?"
The fact that the other had left all his own people outside meant that the matter to be discussed probably exceeded his expectations.
Ning Fengzhi glanced at Huo Yuhao and the other two, then gently shook his head. "No need. The reason His Majesty and the Speaker sent me to the Douluo Federation is precisely to seek cooperation against the Holy Spirit Cult."
"By the time we reach Mingdu, we will also conduct negotiations with the Federation Speaker and the Spirit Transmission Tower Master. The three of you are all important members of the Spirit Transmission Tower, worthy of trust. Just keep what you hear today to yourselves and do not spread it outside."
Bear Lord frowned. But seeing Gu Yuena nod calmly, he said nothing and nodded in agreement.
"Very well. You just said you know who attacked me. How is that?" Zhen Hua stared intently at Ning Fengzhi, his voice low. "Do not tell me the attacker has a connection to your Xingluo."
A bitter smile appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face. "You guessed correctly. The attacker indeed has a connection to our Xingluo."
At this point, he took out a document folder and placed it on the table. But he did not open it immediately. Instead, he stood and gave a solemn bow.
"Before I explain, please allow me to apologize for my earlier rudeness. There are likely moles from the Holy Spirit Cult within our Xingluo. If they became aware that we intend to cooperate with the Douluo Federation, it would certainly alert them."
"So along the way, I have maintained an arrogant attitude toward everything in the Douluo Federation, thereby demonstrating Xingluo's stance toward the Federation. Only by doing this would those eyes lurking in the shadows believe that our trip harbors no intention of cooperating with the Douluo Federation. This desperate measure is purely forced by circumstances. Please forgive us."
Zhen Hua's gaze scraped like a blade across Ning Fengzhi's apologetic face. The air in the office seemed to freeze. Even the sound of breathing became clearly audible.
"Sit down." After a long while, Zhen Hua finally spoke, pointing to the sofa across from him. His gaze turned toward the door. "The others do not know?"
He did not believe Ning Fengzhi's one-sided account. The cooperation might be genuine, but the earlier provocation and challenge were not necessarily false either.
The two countries had a long standing grudge. If there was an opportunity to fiercely embarrass the other side in some field, neither would pass it up.
If they had lost, Ning Fengzhi's words might have been different.
"Yes, they do not know. Among the entire delegation, only I am aware of this matter. However, regarding the attacker who assaulted you, quite a few members of the delegation do know his situation."
Ning Fengzhi opened the document folder and took out a person's file. "The person who attacked Your Majesty Zhen Hua back then was this man, right?"
Huo Yuhao, Zhen Hua, and the others all looked over.
The paper had a photograph attached. It was a man whose appearance was truly daunting. He stood nearly two meters tall, with an exceptionally robust build. His thick arms were thicker than the thighs of an average adult. The exposed skin, whether on his arms or his face, was covered in a layer of fine scales.
Beside the file was recorded the man's name. Tong Yu.
"He is Qilin Douluo. He was originally a Titled Douluo of our Xingluo Federation."
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "But now, he is the Holy Spirit Cult's Dark Qilin."
Dark Qilin?
Thinking of the attack he had encountered a year and a half ago, Zhen Hua narrowed his eyes.
A level 98 Super Douluo.
If not for the presence of Dark Phoenix Douluo, he probably would not have survived. After all, although he was a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, he was essentially a pure blacksmith. His combat ability was lacking. He was far inferior to those soul masters specialized in combat.
If he did not wear his battle armor, he might not even be a match for some Soul Douluos.
"In other words, this man was trained by your Xingluo?" Bear Lord pointed at the Qilin Douluo on the file, his mouth twitching. "Your Xingluo wouldn't happen to be the main stronghold of evil soul masters, would it?"
"Your Majesty Bear Lord, you jest." Ning Fengzhi said. "His situation is somewhat special. He fell into evil because of his life experiences. Evil soul masters exist everywhere. Hasn't Shrek Academy produced them as well? We did not wish for this either."
At this point, Ning Fengzhi's gaze flickered slightly as he glanced at Bear Lord. He selectively recounted Tong Yu's story.
Upon his innate martial soul awakening, Tong Yu had awakened a canine type martial soul. His initial spirit power level was only around rank two.
Although he worked very hard at cultivation, due to his limited talent, he failed his graduation exam when he finished primary academy. He had not even reached two rings.
The girl he liked also abandoned him, choosing another "academically excellent and morally upright" classmate.
From that point, Tong Yu turned extreme.
He chose to commit suicide by poison, directly swallowing the insecticide used at home for pest control, and in a large dose. But not only did he not die, his martial soul instead evolved into a Qilin. His cultivation speed advanced by leaps and bounds.
However, his appearance also changed accordingly. The scales covering his body looked very ferocious. In the eyes of outsiders, he was a true monster. Even his family saw him that way.
Tong Yu's personality thus became even more withdrawn and eccentric, until Monster Academy found him, provided him with resources, and cultivated him with all its strength.
At age twenty four, he reached the realm of Titled Douluo. At age thirty two, he became a Super Douluo.
"Oh? That talent is not bad."
Bear Lord was somewhat surprised.
Having not reached two rings by graduation from primary academy, yet becoming a Titled Douluo at twenty four. In other words,
Tong Yu had spent just over ten years transforming from a one ring soul master into a nine ring Titled Douluo.
"Yes, everyone thought very highly of him, including several high ranking lords."
A flicker of unusual color passed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes, but it did not affect his words. "However, hatred had already taken deep root in his heart. He could never forget the things that had forced him onto a path of no return."
"When he finally became a Super Douluo, he found the female classmate who had abandoned him. By then, she was already married with children, living a peaceful life. However, Qilin Douluo brutally killed her in front of her child. After that, he fell into evil and became an evil soul master, vanishing without a trace."
This was the story of Qilin Douluo as seen through the eyes of the Xingluo people. But as a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, Ning Fengzhi knew more inside information.
For example, Qilin Douluo had killed that female classmate because she had broken both of his mother's legs and abandoned her in the mountains. For example, that female classmate had tried to rescue, sending someone to rescue his mother. Qilin Douluo had not intended to kill her, only to seriously injure her. But there had been no timely rescue. Before anyone could come to rescue her, that female classmate died. Her young child witnessed the entire process.
As for the cause of this matter, it actually stemmed from Qilin Douluo being taken away by Monster Academy without informing his mother. Tong Yu's mother, searching for the missing Tong Yu, had approached that female classmate, believing she might know Tong Yu's whereabouts. This ultimately led to the tragedy.
Well, how to put it? Even in the eyes of Ning Fengzhi, a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, this series of events was rather difficult to judge.
That female classmate had treated Tong Yu as her "Lapdog," ordering him around at will. After graduating from primary academy, she abandoned him without considering the consequences.
Monster Academy had not notified his family when they took Tong Yu away, causing his mother to seek out that female classmate.
During his cultivation, Tong Yu had not thought of his family, not going home to visit for over a decade.
The Holy Spirit Cult had not interfered at all in Tong Yu's experiences before he turned to them. There had been no need to interfere much. They had simply investigated everything in the end and laid it all out before Qilin Douluo. He had then fell into madness.
If they had not given him hope to live, Qilin Douluo would definitely have committed suicide at that time.
After listening to Ning Fengzhi's account, Zhen Hua frowned deeply.
Because of Ning Fengzhi's selective narration, in his ears, this so called Qilin Douluo was an evil soul master who had turned extreme purely because of an unsuccessful love affair in childhood. Moreover, he was a dangerously talented individual who might potentially advance to Limit Douluo.
Compared to the solemn Zhen Hua, Huo Yuhao was quietly marveling at the power of the God of Love on the Douluo Continent while also looking at Ning Fengzhi, who seemed about to speak his final words.
This story had a particular person. If used properly, it could completely make the Spirit Transmission Tower step into this muddy situation in Xingluo.
The man before him had Come Prepared.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered.
As he thought, Ning Fengzhi continued. "Shortly after Qilin Douluo fell into evil and became an evil soul master, he joined the Holy Spirit Cult. And for various reasons, someone in Xingluo sent that poor child who had lost his mother, Tang Ziran, to the Douluo Federation through Illegal Immigration."
"What did you say that child's name was?!"
Bear Lord suddenly bounced up from his seat, his thick arms braced on the table, his eyes locked on Ning Fengzhi like lightning.
Ning Fengzhi seemed startled, but quickly calmed down. "Tang Ziran."
"Tang Ziran, Tang Ziran... Is that not the name of Wulin's father?"
Bear Lord repeated the name, his expression changing slightly as he looked at Huo Yuhao, seemingly seeking confirmation.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao slightly slightly and sent a telepathic message. "Captain Guang Biao once investigated. Wulin's father came from the Xingluo Continent. Captain Guang Biao relayed this information to the Eastsea Spirit Transmission Tower. I saw it at Carefree Teacher's place."
Upon hearing this, Bear Lord's expression turned uncertain.
That kid Wulin's background was truly complicated enough. It was one thing for his biological father to be a god. Even his adoptive father had such a bizarre origin.
As if sensing something from Bear Lord's expression, Ning Fengzhi asked curiously, "Does Your Majesty Bear Lord perhaps know the whereabouts of Tang Ziran?"
Bear Lord snorted coldly. "Is that relevant to what you are trying to say now? Continue."
"Ah, all right."
Ning Fengzhi gave an embarrassed smile. "This is the ins and outs of Qilin Douluo's story. From this, one can see his brutal and ruthless character. And you have certainly witnessed his strength yourself, Your Majesty Zhen Hua. Our Xingluo Federation is not as prosperous as the Douluo Federation. Even one Qilin Douluo is already headache enough."
"But as far as we in Xingluo know, the strongest of the Holy Spirit Cult is not him. Therefore, we plan to use this exchange activity to cooperate with the Douluo Federation in a Surround and Annihilate campaign against the Holy Spirit Cult. We have intelligence on the Holy Spirit Cult's base!"
***
->Support me with power stone
->for 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(End of Chapter)