Although most of the elders in the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn held a retively favorable attitude toward Dugu Bo and Chen Ming—or at least, even if they were cautious, they believed that forming ties was the best course of action—there is no shortage of fools in this world.

  Even with 50% of the elders advocating for good retions and 40% agreeing that fostering ties was a viable strategy, the remaining 10% of foolish individuals cmoring to kill Dugu Bo outright and force Chen Ming to hand over soul tool technology, hoping to make soul tools and their techniques the secret inheritance of the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn.

  Ning Fengzhi said nothing and merely observed as this group of radicals banded together. Then, after confirming who they were, he quietly approached Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, whispered a few words to them, and stepped back.

  While the radicals believed Ning Fengzhi was seriously considering their proposal, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo summoned their martial souls. The pressure of the Bone Dragon's martial soul instantly subdued those foolish individuals, while the Seven Kill Sword fshed, and several heads flew into the air, their blood staining a rge swath of the ground.

  Without uttering a word, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo scanned the remaining elders before returning to Ning Fengzhi's side. Ning Fengzhi, still wearing a gentle expression, appeared entirely unperturbed by the scene, as though it had nothing to do with him.

  "I hope none of you forget the principles of the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn, nor POison Douluo's strength, nor the survival strategies appropriate for a support-type sect.

  Forming alliances with talented individuals and strengthening retionships with Titled Douluo has been our way of survival for thousands of years. It has always been this way, and it will remain so in the future. Sacrificing the bigger picture for short-term gains—abandoning potential allies to create powerful enemies—is pure idiocy."

  Among the sin elders were several who were reted to Ning Fengzhi by blood, but his tone remained cold.

  What a joke. Did these fools think he hadn't considered just abducting people outright?

  Several years ago, when Ning Fengzhi first noticed Chen Ming's extraordinary talent and his monstrous comprehension and control over the realms of soul masters, he entertained that thought.

  But Dugu Bo was not someone to be trifled with—he wasn't a nice person, nor was he someone easily provoked.

  In Ning Fengzhi's calcutions, Dugu Bo was an even greater threat than Qian Daoliu.

  After all, Qian Daoliu was famously benevolent and rigidly principled. During his travels across the continent, his actions had always aligned with the angelic principles of his martial soul. Even when his son was killed by Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Cn, and the Spirit Hall could destroy the Clear Sky Cn, Qian Daoliu refrained due to a prior promise.

  But Dugu Bo? He was notorious for his eccentric temperament and extreme protectiveness. If even a hint of hostility toward him or Chen Ming was detected from the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn, Ning Fengzhi was certain that Dugu Bo would unleash his full martial soul true body in the dead of night and flood the cn with poison, turning it into a death zone.

  And decades ter, once Chen Ming had grown stronger, even the remnants of the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn scattered across the continent would likely be exterminated.

  Ning Fengzhi had heard from Ning Rongrong that Chen Ming, now just fifteen years old, had already reached the level of Soul King. With such talent, it wasn't just pusible that he could become a Titled Douluo in the future—many believed he could even aspire to become an Ultimate Douluo.

  In another thirty years, by the age of forty-five, Chen Ming would undoubtedly become a Titled Douluo, and with his peak sting over a century, who knew how long he might live?

  Those idiots may have had nothing but chamber pots on their necks, but Ning Fengzhi's head was firmly intact, as were the heads of the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn's disciples. Ning Fengzhi's control over the cn remained solid. After this literal demonstration of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey," none of the elders dared to oppose Ning Fengzhi's decisions. Whatever Ning Fengzhi said or proposed, they only offered supplementary suggestions, never objections.

  By the next morning, the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn had set a new course for its future. Large quantities of gold and silver were taken from their treasury and crafted into currency and bars by artisans. Spiritual-type soul masters and talented craftsmen were summoned from across the nd to begin studying the few Level One formation arrays provided by Chen Ming.

  It was only then that Ning Fengzhi realized that Chen Ming's earlier endeavors to bring the Bcksmith Association under his control were far more significant than they had seemed. Over the years, the association had flourished, with Divine Craftsman Lou Gao's strength and forging techniques reaching new heights—likely with Chen Ming's influence behind the scenes.

  Why not suspect Dugu Bo?

  Well…

  Though Ning Fengzhi hadn't had much contact with Dugu Bo, he had already noticed that Dugu Bo's mind was… not exactly sharp. He wasn't a fool, of course, but he cked the kind of long-term vision or strategic pnning that someone like Chen Ming possessed. His personality was straightforward, even rigid.

  This straightforwardness was precisely why Ning Fengzhi feared Dugu Bo's potential retaliation. Someone like him didn't bother with eborate schemes; if provoked, he would simply destroy everything in his way without hesitation.

  Considering that most of the continent's top bcksmiths had likely been recruited by Chen Ming and that the Bcksmith Association, as a hub, along with the Divine Craftsman himself, now fell under Chen Ming's influence, Ning Fengzhi deduced that Chen Ming had likely acquired soul tool technology years ago—or at least knew where to find it—and had prepared in advance by gathering a group capable of mass-producing soul tools.

  However, Ning Fengzhi was in no rush.

  As long as soul tools could be mass-produced, the Seven Treasure Gzed Tile Cn had no qualms about purchasing them. Even if they were expensive, as long as the production capacity was sufficient to equip every disciple with a soul tool for self-defense, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't hesitate to exchange the metals gathering dust in their treasury for them.

  In fact, Ning Fengzhi was secretly hoping that every bcksmith in the Bcksmith Association would learn soul tool technology so that he could bribe a few and secretly study the soul tools himself.

  While Ning Fengzhi was busy mobilizing resources, Chen Ming inspected Shrek Academy briefly before returning to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to adjust his state and reflect on his recent gains.

  Most importantly, due to the frequent use of his origin power, Chen Ming's soul power level remained stagnant at 65, even after several months.

  Now that he had his divine sense, a divine position, and even a pseudo-divine body, Chen Ming was determined to focus on increasing his soul power.