Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"Brat, where the hell have you been?"

A green silhouette descended from the sky, landing just outside the pavilion. The sudden voice startled Cheng Xiao, who had only just regained his focus.

Turning his head slightly, he saw that outside the pavilion, Dugu Bo stood with his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face as he walked toward him.

"Old Poison? What are you doing here?" Cheng Xiao looked at him in surprise and asked, "Didn't you say you were tired and wanted to rest in Sunset Forest for a while?"

"Rest my ass!" Dugu Bo forced a stiff smile, waved his hand dismissively, and said with annoyance, "Our faction has been growing too fast, and now the Spirit Hall has its eyes on us. Even if I wanted to rest, I don't have the chance anymore."

"The Spirit Hall is after you?" Cheng Xiao instinctively asked.

"You bet." Dugu Bo shook his head before recounting the events of the previous night in detail.

"What?! Teacher took your poison?" Cheng Xiao exclaimed in shock. "Didn't that mean you were going to poison him to death?"

"Poison him to death, my ass!" Dugu Bo smacked Cheng Xiao on the head and chuckled. "Do you think I'm that reckless? While Chrysanthemum Douluo did ingest my poison, I also gave him an antidote. Besides, given his high spirit power, he won't die so easily."

"Well, that's good. I have to say, you're smarter than you look." Cheng Xiao smirked.

"Get lost." Dugu Bo rolled his eyes before continuing in a serious tone, "I must admit, I didn't expect Bibi Dong to send Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to hunt me down. If it weren't for you helping me improve my relationship with Chrysanthemum Douluo, I might have come back severely injured today."

Hearing this, Cheng Xiao nodded in agreement. However, based on what he knew, it wasn't supposed to be that difficult for two Rank 95 Titled Douluo to take down a Rank 91 Titled Douluo. Given Yue Guan's personality, he must have secretly gone easy on Dugu Bo during the chase. After all, there weren't that many Titled Douluo in the world, and they were all familiar faces.

Even so, the speed of the Spirit Hall's response was alarming. Cheng Xiao had only just established his academy, yet they had already sent people to hunt down Dugu Bo. If their faction truly grew strong enough to challenge the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong would undoubtedly make things even more difficult for them.

"Huh? Grandpa, why are you here?"

Just then, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling walked over. Dugu Yan glanced at her grandfather curiously before turning to Cheng Xiao. "Cheng Xiao, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived at the academy. Judging by his demeanor, he's here to see you."

"To see me?" Cheng Xiao pointed to himself in surprise.

Dugu Bo cast a deep glance at Cheng Xiao and warned in a low voice, "Cheng Xiao, that brat Xue Qinghe is definitely not as simple as he seems. I won't stop you from interacting with him, but you must remember—sometimes, you need to look beyond appearances to see the truth."

"Prince Xue Xing once saved my life, so if you associate with Xue Qinghe, be extremely cautious."

After listening to Dugu Bo's warning, Cheng Xiao nodded in understanding. He then waved at Dugu Yan, signaling her to leave. Before leaving, Ye Lingling's gaze lingered on Cheng Xiao for a moment. It wasn't until Dugu Yan gently tugged her sleeve that she snapped out of her daze and followed her. With the black veil covering her face, Cheng Xiao couldn't make out her expression.

"Alright then, let's go, Old Poison. Let's meet the Crown Prince together—consider it a way to ease your mind." Cheng Xiao sized up Dugu Bo and chuckled.

Dugu Bo didn't argue and simply nodded in agreement.

Before long, the two of them walked along a tree-lined path and arrived at the academy's conference room.

Standing at the door were two teachers. Upon seeing Cheng Xiao and Dugu Bo, they greeted them with warm smiles. "Headmaster, His Highness the Crown Prince is already inside waiting for you. We'll take our leave now."

After saying that, the two teachers nodded politely before walking away.

Pushing the door open, Cheng Xiao and Dugu Bo stepped inside. Right away, their eyes landed on Xue Qinghe, who was seated on the sofa, elegantly pouring tea for a middle-aged man beside him.

The man had delicate features, a refined demeanor, and an air of gentle elegance. He wore a pristine white robe free of any specks of dust. He looked to be in his forties and had a scholarly and approachable presence.

The moment Cheng Xiao saw the man, he recognized him instantly. Shifting his gaze, he looked at the young girl and the elderly man seated beside him, his brows furrowing slightly.

He hadn't expected these three people to appear here today. They were none other than Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

"Cheng Xiao, my friend, you're finally here." Xue Qinghe set down the teapot, stood up, and smiled at Cheng Xiao.

"Your Highness." Cheng Xiao cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, though his gaze remained on the other three. He truly hadn't anticipated their visit.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xue Qinghe introduced them. "Cheng Xiao, let me introduce you. This is Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and also my teacher. This elderly gentleman is Sword Douluo Chen Xin, the guardian elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He is a Rank 96 Titled Douluo and is known as the strongest offensive Douluo on the continent."

"And this young lady is Ning Fengzhi's beloved daughter, Ning Rongrong, who also happens to be my junior apprentice-sister."

"Ning Sect Master, we meet again." Cheng Xiao nodded at Ning Fengzhi with a slight smile.

"It's been a while, Cheng Xiao." Ning Fengzhi returned the smile before glancing at Dugu Bo. "It's been a while, too, Senior Dugu."

"Why have you come here, Sect Master Ning?" Dugu Bo asked coldly. "I doubt the esteemed Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would take much interest in a newly founded academy."

"Watch your words, Old Poison." Sword Douluo slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze piercing like a blade. Even Dugu Bo's expression stiffened slightly under his pressure.

"Sword Uncle." Ning Fengzhi gave Chen Xin a subtle glance before turning back to Cheng Xiao with a smile. "Cheng Xiao, I heard from Qinghe that he invested in the academy you and Senior Dugu founded. My daughter was eager to visit, so I decided to bring her along."

As he spoke, he shot Ning Rongrong a look. Without hesitation, she stood up and extended her hand toward Cheng Xiao with a confident smile. "Hello, Cheng Xiao."

"Hello." Cheng Xiao also stood up and lightly shook her hand.

"Thank you for saving me last time." Ning Rongrong smiled sincerely.

"It was just a small matter," Cheng Xiao replied.

"Hm? Rongrong, Cheng Xiao saved you? When did this happen?" Ning Fengzhi was momentarily stunned.

At this moment, not only Ning Fengzhi but also Xue Qinghe, Dugu Bo, and Sword Douluo turned to look at Cheng Xiao with curiosity.

Cheng Xiao explained, "Miss Ning was being followed that night. I happened to be passing by, so I helped her. The gold card she gave me was a token of gratitude, but I believe it should now be returned to its rightful owner."

That night had been an unexpected encounter. But since then, Cheng Xiao had started noticing changes—his presence had begun to alter events that weren't supposed to happen. This was the so-called butterfly effect.