The following day!
Tiandou Empire Palace!
Gu Rong accompanied Ning Fengzhi to the outside of a certain palace...
The former glanced around and frowned, "Feng Zhi, isn't it somewhat inappropriate for us to come here on our own?"
Although Xue Ye had already permitted them to move freely within the imperial palace, that still wasn't as unconstrained as it was in the Seven Treasures Glaze Sect!
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi revealed a faint smile, "Uncle Bone, since I have decided to mentor the Crown Prince, I naturally intend to give it my all, how can I miss out on the morning time?"
Gu Rong was at a loss for words, "Fine, just pretend I didn't say that just now!"
Thereafter, Ning Fengzhi walked up to the palace door and knocked with a steady rhythm...
"Crown Prince!"
Almost the next second, a voice came from inside the palace...
"Come in!"
It was only then that Ning Fengzhi pushed the door and entered, the first thing that caught his eye was Xue Qinghe, who was holding a book and occasionally showing a thoughtful expression...
Upon closer observation, one could tell that his room was extremely tidy, without any fault to find...
Xue Qinghe glanced up and saw Ning Fengzhi, immediately put down the book in his hand and stood up...
Quite surprised he said, "Sect Master Ning? What brings you here?"
Ning Fengzhi spoke in an incredibly gentle tone, "I just happened to be passing by and wanted to check in. I didn't expect the Crown Prince to be not only talented but also very diligent!"
Xue Qinghe replied without changing his expression, "Sect Master Ning is too kind, this is nothing worth mentioning!"
Ning Fengzhi didn't waste any more time on this topic and spoke again, "That reminds me, Crown Prince, you surely haven't forgotten, starting today, you will be studying under me!"
Xue Qinghe's eyes shimmered as he said with clasped hands, "Of course, I haven't forgotten. It is my honor to receive guidance from Sect Master Ning!"
Ning Fengzhi nodded in approval, "Good, but since I am the teacher and you are the disciple, we should also change the way we address each other!"
Xue Qinghe quickly understood and changed his way of addressing, "I got it, Teacher, and you can just call me Qing He."
Seeing how quickly the latter understood, Ning Fengzhi's smile grew wider, "Alright, I won't decline!"
Perhaps, agreeing to become Xue Qinghe's teacher was the right choice!
If he could cultivate him with care, he, might just become an emperor who surpasses Xue Ye!
Thinking about this, he then looked back at Gu Rong and suggested, "Uncle Bone, please go take care of Ning Rongrong for a while, I would like to have a private talk with Qing He!"
Gu Rong, out of instinct, declined...
"No, I must ensure the safety of you, the Sect Master!"
Although Ning Fengzhi was the master of a sect, he was after all a support-class Soul Master and without his own protection, if there were to be an attack, he would be practically defenseless!
But Ning Fengzhi merely smiled indifferently, unconcerned he said, "Uncle Bone, rest assured, this is the Tiandou Empire Palace, well-guarded, nothing will happen!"
To tell the truth, he wasn't very worried about his own safety!
Knowing he couldn't sway the other's decision, Gu Rong had no choice but to agree, "Well then... Okay, Sect Master, please be careful!"
After nodding at the two, he vanished from the spot...
Only then did Ning Fengzhi turn his attention back to Xue Qinghe, casually speaking, "Qing He, let's be off then!"
After saying that, he led the way out of the palace...
"Yes, Teacher!" Xue Qinghe replied and quickly followed...
He was actually quite curious as to how Ning Fengzhi planned to instruct him; if it was just ordinary knowledge, that would undoubtedly be a waste of time!
...
Skywater Academy!!
Shui Bing'er and the others thought that a good day's rest would lift their spirits.
But as it turned out, the more they thought about it, the angrier they got!
Snow Dance expressed her dissatisfaction frankly, "It's all that damn Hulena's fault that I didn't get any sleep last night!"
"We should have knocked her down at that time, then see if she still acts so high and mighty!"
Shen Liuyu nodded in agreement, "Exactly, exactly, it's only because she has the title of the goddess of Martial Soul Hall that she dares to bully us like this!"
Gu Qingbo also showed a hint of hostility, "Hmph, choosing someone like her to be the goddess, the Pope of Martial Soul Hall doesn't seem that great either!"
Qiu Ruoshui found the former's words resonated deeply, "In my opinion, they should strip her of her goddess title, just finding anyone to replace her would be much better!"
Watching her companions pointing fingers at Hulena, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but give a wry smile, "Although Hulena's personality is indeed very unpleasant, there's no denying that her talent is superior to that of all of us!"
Upon hearing this, Shui Yue'er pouted in retort, "Sister, why are you speaking for that person? Don't forget how she treated you at that time!"
Shui Bing'er pursed her lips, "Yue'er, I certainly haven't forgotten."
"To be honest, I also despise her from the bottom of my heart, but that doesn't mean we can deny her excellence!"
Shui Yue'er, however, didn't see it the same way, "I don't think she's that excellent at all. She just practiced a few more years than us, huh!"
However, she soon seemed to think of something and exclaimed, "Oh no, oh no!"
Shui Bing'er looked at her with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong?"
With an air of seriousness, Shui Yue'er said, "Sister, think about it. Isn't Hulena always following Xu Sheng around? Isn't she going to snatch away the person you like?!"
Shui Bing'er's cheeks flushed with shyness once again, "Yue'er, what are you talking about? Xu Sheng isn't my possession—what do you mean by 'snatch away'?"
But Shui Yue'er covered her mouth and giggled, "Sister, anyone with eyes can see that you like Xu Sheng, don't bother denying it!"
"Right, everyone?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Snow Dance...
Shui Bing'er bit her thin lips, unsure of how to explain...
She did have a favorable impression of Xu Sheng, but it wasn't to the extent of liking him!
Seeing that she was still somewhat obstinate...
Everyone began to persuade her earnestly, "Bing'er, Yue'er makes some sense. If you're too slow, Xu Sheng might really be snatched away!"
"Yeah, yeah, that Hulena has an enchanting aura all over her. Who knows if she'll use some unconventional methods to win over Xu Sheng!"
"Bing'er, don't be shy—we'll all support you if you pursue Xu Sheng!"
"Bing'er, you don't want the person you like to be taken away, right? So be bold!"
After hearing these words, Shui Bing'er involuntarily imagined what it would look like for Xu Sheng and Hulena to be together...
Suddenly, a sense of loss surged in her heart...
She stretched out her hand to her chest, "Could it be that I have really fallen for Xu Sheng?"
Yes, it must be so!
I like Xu Sheng!
So I can't let her have him!!
In an instant, her eyes became much clearer...
She then turned to look at Snow Dance, who hadn't taken a stand...
"Snow Dance, if I were to pursue Xu Sheng, would you support me too?"
Snow Dance was momentarily stunned, then slowly turned away without answering the question...
And in her eyes, there flitted a touch of desolation...
...