Chapter 49: Turning the Spirit Hall into the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect

There is no need..." Li Xun and Dugu Bo spoke almost simultaneously, interrupting Ning Fengzhi's grand vision for the future.

The two men exchanged a glance after speaking, each fully understanding what the other was thinking.

"What is it?" Ning Fengzhi asked, momentarily stunned.

Both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were a bit puzzled as well. When a Titled Douluo joins a sect, the due respect and prestige are never lacking anywhere. Showing even the slightest negligence might lead others to believe you do not value them properly.

Furthermore, this was also a way to demonstrate strength to other forces.

"Little Xun, you explain it. If anything is missing, I will supplement it," Dugu Bo said, coughing lightly behind his hand.

He did not have a deep understanding of the Spirit Hall, and the specific details regarding their strength had only just been acquired from Li Xun. Speaking rashly might lead to unnecessary jokes.

"It's like this..."

Li Xun immediately repeated everything he had just told Dugu Bo.

Because the three members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect already knew that Qiandaoliu was a Limit Douluo, the core focus of Li Xun's description revolved around the number and overall strength of the Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo.

Dugu Bo also chimed in at the appropriate moments, adding intelligence he knew about his contemporaries.

"To think there are so many Titled..."

Ning Fengzhi felt a jolt in his heart. He knew the Spirit Hall was powerful, and Qiandaoliu alone was enough to inspire awe. This was the fundamental reason why he had always emphasized that the Upper Three Sects should stand as branches from the same tree.

After all, only Tang Chen of the Clear Sky School could suppress Qiandaoliu.

Now that the Clear Sky School had closed its gates to the world, a Limit Douluo was left unchecked, and on top of that, there were some sixteen or seventeen Titled Douluo. Just thinking about such a situation filled one with a sense of helplessness.

It seems I need to contact the Clear Sky School as soon as possible... Ning Fengzhi thought to himself.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo also furrowed their brows, their minds churning with restless thoughts.

Sword Douluo felt this even more acutely.

His father, Chen Jianjun, a ninety-eighth-rank Titled Douluo, had died of severe injuries after challenging Qiandaoliu. Although his father had told him not to seek revenge before he died, how could he ever let it go?

It was simply that his current strength was lacking, and he had not even reached the level at which his father had been defeated back then.

He had no choice but to bury the desire for revenge deep inside his heart, waiting for the day when, like his father, he could personally go to the Spirit Hall and test his might against that ninety-ninth-rank Limit Douluo.

However, Li Xun's words today had shattered his original assumptions.

Perhaps what he would have to face in the future was not just Qiandaoliu, but a whole host of powerhouses from the Spirit Hall.

After all, when his father challenged Qiandaoliu back then, the Spirit Hall was not yet this powerful.

"If things are truly as Little Xun says, then we can only wrong Senior Dugu temporarily..."

After a brief silence, Ning Fengzhi said in a deep voice, "All these years, I have constantly guarded against the Spirit Hall, yet I never expected such a massive omission in our intelligence, allowing the Spirit Hall's strength to swell to this extent without our knowledge."

"Now, Senior Dugu's joining can serve as our reserve force. I still need to contact the Clear Sky School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to raise their vigilance as well."

"Sigh! Now that the Spirit Hall is mighty, only by having the Upper Three Sects stand together can we carve out a breathing space in a situation like this."

Here it comes, here it comes, Li Xun rolled his eyes internally. Today was the day to cut those branches right off!

Ning Fengzhi probably still did not know that getting tangled up with the Clear Sky School would only lead to misfortune. And Li Xun needed some time to develop; after all, no matter how fast he grew, when the Spirit-Hunting Action arrived, he would still be no match for the Titled Douluo.

"Teacher, I've always had a question: what grievances are there between our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall?" Li Xun gathered his thoughts and slowly spoke up.

Ning Fengzhi was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected his disciple to ask him such a question.

However, as his most brilliant disciple and the future pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it was necessary to let him understand the grand trends of the world and their own sect's grudges.

"Little Xun, the Spirit Hall harbors grand ambitions and has long desired to unify the Continent, not to mention your Sword Grandpa's hatred..." Ning Fengzhi glanced at Sword Douluo, and seeing him nod, he proceeded to recount the grievances between their previous generations.

"In other words, as long as Qiandaoliu dies, we will have no further grievances with the Spirit Hall, right?" Li Xun feigned deep thought.

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was stunned; he hadn't expected Li Xun's perspective to be so simple and brutal.

"Little Xun, matters are not that simple." Ning Fengzhi's mood gradually calmed, and he prepared to explain the stakes involved to Li Xun.

"The Spirit Hall's ambition is already overflowing and will sooner or later provoke conflict across the Continent. Only by uniting the Upper Three Sects to jointly resist the Spirit Hall can we suppress them before the situation becomes irredeemable."

Li Xun rubbed his face. Trying to reason with someone whose mindset was so deeply entrenched was a very exhausting endeavor, so he decided to apply a heavy remedy.

"Teacher, what does the Spirit Hall unifying the Continent have to do with us?"

Ning Fengzhi chuckled. Although this disciple of his was reliable in his actions, he was ultimately still too young to understand the stakes at hand.

As his teacher, however, this was precisely the moment for him to guide him in the right direction.

"If the Spirit Hall wishes to unify the Continent, it will inevitably trigger a war with the Heaven Dou Empire."

"And our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is located within Heaven Dou and maintains close ties with the imperial family. If Heaven Dou is defeated, needless to say, we too will face a purge by the Spirit Hall."

Li Xun frowned. "Then wouldn't it be fine if we just don't help the Heaven Dou Imperial Family? These nobles aren't good people anyway."

"If the two of them want to fight, let them fight."

"I once heard a saying: help the strong, not the weak. Given the Spirit Hall's strength, Heaven Dou is bound to lose; why should we sacrifice ourselves for Heaven Dou?"

"Besides, without our participation, the duration of the war might even be shortened, and the harm to commoners could be reduced."

The ones who suffer in war are always the common people; the longer it lasts, the greater the harm to them. The war between the Spirit Hall and Heaven Dou wasn't like a foreign invasion—whoever wins, isn't a win still a win?

Could it be that if the Spirit Hall unifies the Continent, the common people would somehow live even worse lives?

"This... Little Xun, you are thinking about things too simply."

Ning Fengzhi furrowed his brow. He felt that Li Xun's words had a grain of truth to them, yet something felt a bit off.

He gathered his thoughts.

"Once the Spirit Hall unifies the Continent, they will inevitably view us as an unstable factor and thus proceed to integrate and purge the major sects. When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact?"

"Teacher, I've thought of a method; see if you think this is feasible."

Li Xun paused for a moment, seeing everyone looking at him: "If we pretend to join the Spirit Hall to avoid forming a direct confrontation with them, and then find an opportunity to kill Qiandaoliu, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo—avenging Sword Grandpa and Dugu Grandpa—"

"Do you think this is feasible?"

Of course, Qiandaoliu would die through sacrifice even without anyone else killing him.

The reason Li Xun said this was to offer the others a pie in the sky, providing them with a step down so they could climb down and avoid a direct confrontation with the Spirit Hall.

Otherwise, given the pride and protectiveness Ning Fengzhi and the others held toward their sect, even if they knew the Spirit Hall's strength, they probably wouldn't bow their heads.

Silence. Everyone present fell silent.

In their worldview, battles between soul masters required meeting the enemy head-on, and conflicts between forces only involved head-on opposition. They had never even considered such opportunistic methods.

Before they could finish thinking it through, Li Xun continued, "Teacher, three grandpas, think about it—as long as we remain alive, anywhere we are is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"With the capabilities of the few of you, could you not lead us to secure a foothold within the Spirit Hall?"

"By the time Rongrong, Sister Yan, and my generation grow up, our sect will have seven or eight Titled Douluo combined; who wouldn't fear us by three points?"

"By then, turning the Spirit Hall into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might not even be out of the question!"