Dugu Bo's eyes lit up: "You little rascal!"
He was growing fonder of Li Xun by the minute, seeing much of his younger self in the boy.
"I just came up with it on the spot."
Li Xun scratched his head and chuckled. If his strength allowed, he wouldn't have resorted to such methods. In any case, he had already provided Teacher Yu Xiaogang's strategy of borrowing resources to achieve one's goals.
Whether to face the difficulties head-on or to temporarily yield and accumulate strength would depend on Teacher's decision.
Ning Fengzhi lowered his head, his brows tightly knit.
As someone skilled in strategy, he naturally understood the feasibility of this approach.
However...
As the renowned leader of a major sect, even if his allegiance to Spirit Hall was feigned, he couldn't avoid the gossip and criticism from others.
Ning Fengzhi glanced up at Sword Douluo, only to meet the latter's gaze.
Sword Douluo gave Ning Fengzhi a slight nod.
He had already pondered this deeply. On one side was the sect he had lived with for many years, and on the other was the powerful Spirit Hall. In the end, his emotions tipped the scale.
As long as he could create a one-on-one situation with Qiandao Liu, joining Spirit Hall might not be entirely out of the question.
Silence...
Though everyone had their thoughts, no one was willing to speak first.
Even Li Xun remained silent.
This decision could only be made by Ning Fengzhi himself. Even if they chose to confront Spirit Hall head-on, it would likely result in Sword Douluo losing an arm and the sect's disciples being nearly wiped out.
Just as everyone waited for someone else to speak, a voice announced from outside the hall.
Yang Wudi had arrived.
Ning Fengzhi and the others exchanged glances, feeling a headache coming on.
The Breaking Clan's conflict with Spirit Hall was far more complex than theirs. Since the Clear Sky Sect had sealed its mountain, their clan had faced significant oppression from Spirit Hall.
...
"Haha, Brother Fengzhi, it's been a while!"
Just as the group remained silent, a hearty voice echoed from outside the hall. Soon after, a tall figure strode in.
"Brother Wudi, I apologize for not greeting you properly," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, standing up and taking a few steps forward, cupping his hands in greeting.
The others also rose from their seats.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had a cooperative relationship with Yang Wudi, and he was a formidable figure in his own right. This respect was well-deserved.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ning Fengzhi introduced: "This is Senior Dugu Bo."
Yang Wudi's expression turned serious as he bowed: "Greetings, Your Excellency."
A year ago, Li Xun had mentioned that Poison Douluo was discussing joining the sect with Ning Fengzhi. However, after his cooperation with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the matter seemed to have been forgotten.
At times, he couldn't help but wonder if Li Xun had been lying to him. Fortunately, today's events confirmed that the boy had been telling the truth.
Once everyone had taken their seats.
Ning Fengzhi, still smiling, spoke first: "Brother Yang, are you satisfied with this year's profits?"
The two parties had been cooperating in selling medicine for a year, but due to hasty preparations, they hadn't reached the initial goal of a million in annual profits.
A few days ago, he had sent someone to invite Yang Wudi to collect his share of the profits, but he hadn't expected the man to arrive so early.
"Haha, if I weren't satisfied with an annual income of over nine hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, I'd be too greedy," Yang Wudi grinned.
When they first cooperated, Li Xun had mentioned a potential annual profit of a million. Though they hadn't quite reached that mark, they were close.
This was only the first year of their cooperation. Once their business expanded, the million Gold Soul Coins Li Xun had predicted might even be an underestimate.
"Brother Yang, I'm glad you're satisfied," Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile.
Yang Wudi had not officially joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and their cooperation was still based solely on mutual interests.
Such a partnership was quite unstable for Soul Masters, as the Douluo Continent revered strength above all, and Gold Soul Coins were far too easy for someone like Ning Fengzhi to obtain.
Through their frequent interactions over the past year, Ning Fengzhi had also gained a rough understanding of Yang Wudi's character.
For a powerhouse like him, while money was important, it paled in comparison to his personal convictions and the rise and fall of his clan. Now that the Spirit Hall had grown so powerful that it was nearly invincible, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was about to change its strategy.
Coincidentally, Yang Wudi had come to visit.
Ning Fengzhi felt it necessary to sound out Yang Wudi's thoughts in advance, to hear what he had in mind, so as to avoid any sudden conflicts in the future that could catch both sides off guard and lead to a fallout.
After some consideration, Ning Fengzhi spoke thoughtfully, "Brother Yang, your timing is perfect. We were just discussing matters related to the Spirit Hall."
He then proceeded to inform Yang Wudi about the many hidden powerhouses within the Spirit Hall, though he omitted the part about Li Xun's plan to join the Spirit Hall.
As the hidden strength of the Spirit Hall was revealed, Yang Wudi's expression gradually turned grave. "I had no idea the Spirit Hall was so deeply concealed. No wonder they forced the Clear Sky Sect into seclusion."
"So they already knew how powerful the other side was," Yang Wudi thought to himself, his face tightening as he clenched his teeth.
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When the Clear Sky Sect fled, they didn't even bother to inform anyone, leaving the four clans to foolishly clash head-on with the Spirit Hall. If the Spirit Hall truly intended to annihilate them, they would only need to dispatch less than half of their Titled Douluo, and the four single-attribute clans would be...
"Brother Yang, now that you know this, what are your plans?" Ning Fengzhi asked softly.
He needed to know what Yang Wudi was thinking to continue the discussion.
If Yang Wudi still harbored thoughts of the Clear Sky Sect, then there was no need to bring up the next matter. The two sides would continue to cooperate, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would no longer invest effort in the Breaking Clan.
After all, if they were to align themselves with the Spirit Hall, the Breaking Clan might even turn against them.
"..."
Yang Wudi's mind was in turmoil, and for a moment, he couldn't think of what to do next.
The Clear Sky Sect was out of the question. Not only had they abandoned the four clans, but it was also uncertain whether they would dare to reopen their mountain gates.
The two great empires couldn't possibly withstand so many powerhouses.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant School had been weak for a long time, and the lower four sects already had factions leaning toward the Spirit Hall, while the four single-attribute clans didn't even have a single Titled Douluo.
Thinking about it this way, only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School remained as a formidable force, now boasting three Titled Douluo.
However...
Yang Wudi looked up at the Sword Douluo and the other two.
Compared to the Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was still too weak.
"Ah! It seems Brother Yang has no solution either," Ning Fengzhi said, seeing Yang Wudi's expression and feeling a sense of helplessness. "When I first heard about this, I felt just as powerless as you do now."
"But Xiao Xun has provided me with an interesting idea."
Yang Wudi turned to look at Li Xun. "What has this kid come up with?"
When Li Xun had discussed cooperation with him before, he had already sensed that this kid was no ordinary person. He hadn't expected that even in the face of such a monumental issue with the Spirit Hall, Li Xun could still offer some advice.
Seeing Yang Wudi's gaze, Li Xun chuckled but remained silent.
He simply took out an Immortal Herb and began to examine it carefully in his hand.
Yang Wudi glanced at Li Xun, but his attention remained on Ning Fengzhi.
However, when he looked back at Ning Fengzhi, he suddenly felt something was amiss and quickly turned his head again to look at the herb in Li Xun's hand.
"Brother Yang, we plan to join the Spirit Hall."
Ning Fengzhi had been closely observing Yang Wudi's expression and noticed he was captivated by the item in Li Xun's hand.
He quickly spoke these words.
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