"No need," Li Xun and Dugu Bo simultaneously interrupted Ning Fengzhi's musings about the future.
After speaking, the two exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thoughts.
"What's the matter?" Ning Fengzhi was taken aback.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were also puzzled. When a Titled Douluo joins a sect, the proper respect should be given without fail. Any slight might be interpreted as a lack of regard.
Moreover, this was also a way to showcase strength to other factions.
"Xiao Xun, you explain. I'll supplement if there's anything missing," Dugu Bo coughed lightly into his hand.
He wasn't deeply familiar with the Spirit Hall, and he had only just learned about their specific strength from Li Xun. Speaking out of turn might lead to unnecessary ridicule.
"It's like this..."
Li Xun immediately repeated what he had told Dugu Bo.
Since the three from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School knew that Qiandao Liu was a Limit Douluo, Li Xun focused his description on the number and strength of the Titled Douluos in the Spirit Hall.
Dugu Bo also chimed in at the right moments, sharing information about his contemporaries.
"So many Titled Douluos..."
Ning Fengzhi was startled. He knew the Spirit Hall was strong; Qiandao Liu alone was intimidating. This was the root of his emphasis on the unity of the Upper Three Sects.
Because only Tang Chen from the Clear Sky Sect could suppress Qiandao Liu.
Now that the Clear Sky Sect had closed its doors, a Limit Douluo was left unchecked, along with sixteen or seventeen Titled Douluos. Just thinking about this situation was disheartening.
It seems we need to contact the Clear Sky Sect as soon as possible... Ning Fengzhi thought to himself.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo also furrowed their brows, their minds racing.
Sword Douluo, in particular, was more affected.
His father, Chen Jianjun, a 98th-level Titled Douluo, had died from severe injuries after challenging Qiandao Liu. Although his father had urged him not to seek revenge before his death, how could he be content?
But now, with his strength insufficient, he hadn't even reached the level at which his father had been defeated.
He could only bury his desire for revenge deep in his heart, waiting for the day when, like his father, he could personally confront the 99th-level Limit Douluo at the Spirit Hall.
But today, Li Xun's words shattered his original plans.
In the future, he might not only face Qiandao Liu but also a host of experts from the Spirit Hall.
After all, when his father challenged Qiandao Liu, the Spirit Hall wasn't this powerful.
"If it's truly as Xiao Xun says, then we'll have to temporarily inconvenience Senior Dugu."
After a brief silence, Ning Fengzhi spoke gravely, "All these years, I've been wary of the Spirit Hall, but I never expected such a huge oversight in intelligence. I didn't realize the Spirit Hall had grown so powerful."
"Now that Senior Dugu has joined us as our hidden ace, I also need to contact the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant School to alert them."
"Alas! With the Spirit Hall's current dominance, only by uniting the Upper Three Sects can we hope to catch a breath in such a situation."
Here it comes, Li Xun rolled his eyes. Today is the day to sever that unity!
Ning Fengzhi might not yet realize that getting involved with the Clear Sky Sect would bring misfortune. And Li Xun needed some time to develop; no matter how fast he progressed, when the Soul Hunt Operation came, he still wouldn't be a match for a Titled Douluo.
"Teacher, I've always had a question. What is the grudge between our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Spirit Hall?" Li Xun organized his thoughts and spoke slowly.
Ning Fengzhi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting his disciple to ask such a question.
However, as his most outstanding disciple and the future pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, it was necessary for him to understand the broader situation and the enmities of their sect.
"Xiao Xun, the Spirit Hall has long harbored ambitions to unify the continent, and there's also the matter of your Sword Grandpa's vendetta." Ning Fengzhi glanced at Sword Douluo, who nodded, and then proceeded to explain the grievances of their predecessors.
"So, as long as Qiandao Liu dies, there will be no more enmity between us and the Spirit Hall, right?" Li Xun pretended to ponder.
Ning Fengzhi was startled by Li Xun's simplistic and blunt approach.
"Xiao Xun, it's not that simple," Ning Fengzhi said, his mind gradually calming as he prepared to explain the complexities to Li Xun.
"The Spirit Hall's ambitions are on the verge of overflowing. Sooner or later, they will provoke conflicts on the continent. Only by uniting the Upper Three Sects and jointly resisting the Spirit Hall can we suppress them before the situation becomes irreparable."
Li Xun rubbed his face. Reasoning with someone so set in their ways was exhausting, so he decided to take a more drastic approach.
"Teacher, what does the Spirit Hall's desire to unify the continent have to do with us?"
Ning Fengzhi chuckled. Although his disciple was reliable, he was still too young to understand the intricacies.
But as a teacher, it was his duty to guide him at this moment.
"If the Spirit Hall seeks to unify the continent, they will inevitably wage war against the Heavenly Dou Empire."
"And our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is located in Heavenly Dou and has close ties with the royal family. If Heavenly Dou is defeated, we may also face the Spirit Hall's purge."
Li Xun frowned, "Then why don't we just not help the Heavenly Dou royal family? These nobles aren't exactly good people either."
"Let them fight if they want to."
"I've heard a saying: 'Help the strong, not the weak.' Given the Spirit Hall's strength, Heavenly Dou is bound to lose. Why should we sacrifice ourselves for Heavenly Dou?"
"Moreover, without our involvement, the war might end sooner, reducing the harm to the common people."
In war, it's always the common folk who suffer. The longer the war drags on, the greater the harm to them. The conflict between the Spirit Hall and Heavenly Dou isn't like an invasion by foreign tribes. Whoever wins, does it really matter?
Would the common people really fare worse if the Spirit Hall unified the continent?
"Xiao Xun, you're oversimplifying things."
Ning Fengzhi frowned. He felt there was some truth to Li Xun's words, but something still felt off.
He organized his thoughts.
"Once the Spirit Hall unifies the continent, they will inevitably see us as a destabilizing factor and move to integrate and purge the major sects. When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain intact?"
"Teacher, I have an idea. What do you think of this?"
Li Xun pondered for a moment, then spoke as everyone turned to him, "What if we pretend to join the Spirit Hall to avoid direct confrontation, and then find an opportunity to eliminate Qiandao Liu, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo, avenging Sword Grandpa and Grandpa Du Gu?"
"What do you think?"
Of course, Qiandao Liu would sacrifice himself without anyone else needing to intervene.
Li Xun's suggestion was also a way to give everyone a way out, a step down, to avoid direct confrontation with the Spirit Hall.
Otherwise, given Ning Fengzhi and the others' deep care and pride for their sect, even if they knew the strength of the Spirit Hall, they probably wouldn't back down.
Silence fell over the group as they all remained quiet.
In their mindset, Soul Masters should face their enemies head-on, and conflicts between factions should only be resolved through direct confrontation. They had never considered such a cunning approach.
Before they could finish their thoughts, Li Xun continued, "Teacher, three elders, think about it. As long as we are alive, isn't Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wherever we are?"
"With your abilities, couldn't you secure a place for us within the Spirit Hall?"
"When Rongrong, Yan jiejie, and I grow up, with seven or eight Title Douluos in our sect, who wouldn't fear us?"
"By then, turning the Spirit Hall into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wouldn't be impossible!"
(End of Chapter)