Ning Fengzhi thought that Juegui Douluo had come here to do something harmful to the Spirit Hall when he saw Juegui Douluo appear around Star Luo Mountain. But upon seeing the golden name card in his hand, he realized he might have misjudged.
"Fengzhi, I think Juegui Douluo may have come here without informing Bibi Dong."
"Perhaps. If the Spirit Hall knew about this, they would be in trouble."
Ning Fengzhi kept pondering Juegui Douluo's objective. Their strength was definitely formidable on the mainland. What exactly did the Star Crown Sect have that was so enticing to them?
After agreeing to Jue Douluo's request, Ning Fengzhi quickly arrived at Star Luo Mountain using the map provided by the previous sect master. He entered the mountain gate under the guidance of disciples.
It was his first time entering the Star Crown Sect. He subconsciously observed the surrounding buildings and facilities. It could be said that they were ordinary and did not appear like the number one sect on the mainland.
"Master Ning, our Star Crown Sect only looks beautiful at night."
"Is that so? Then I must stay and take a look."
The Star Crown Sect did not receive many visitors. Those who did visit were either acquaintances or held high status on the continent. The disciples responsible for welcoming such guests had to be carefully selected.
Xu Mingqing, of the third generation of the Star Crown Sect, was older than Xu Mingxi and was a level-76 control-type Soul Saint.
Most importantly, he was responsible for the largest industry outside the sect. He was skilled at reading people and speaking eloquently.
He led Ning Fengzhi to the sect master's hall at the mountain peak, fully aware of what should and shouldn't be shown to them.
Ning Fengzhi walked along the path, passing the outer sect soul master training grounds, where two Soul Douluo elders were leading training sessions.
He was also brought to "pass by" a medicinal field filled with precious herbs, a valley where star-carrying ox soul beasts were raised, and a pool where star-absorbing turtle soul beasts were fed.
He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't seen any of the older generation of the Star Crown Sect, nor many from the middle generation.
"The elders prefer to stay in the simulated training grounds during the day. It's not an ideal time for us Star Crown soul masters to train."
"Is that so? And over there, is that a soul beast?"
"Oh, that's a treasured creature guarded by our elders who manage medicinal materials— a ten-thousand-year-old medicine-pounding rabbit."
Isn't daytime the best time for training? What did this have to do with their absence? It seemed that the older generation of the Star Crown Sect was occupied with something.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes glowed with a complex expression. Although he didn't recognize the type of soul beast the medicine-pounding rabbit was, he understood the meaning of "ten-thousand-year-old."
Since when were ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts and medicinal ingredients linked together on the Douluo Continent?
In his opinion, the mere tip of the iceberg the Star Crown Sect had revealed—whether intentionally or not—was enough to prove they possessed a legacy thousands of years old.
"Master Ning, please come in. The Sect Master and Young Master are waiting inside."
"Very well, thank you for your effort."
Ning Fengzhi led Bone Sword Douluo into the reception room. Xu Mingqing quietly closed the door and turned to stand guard outside.
The reception room was filled with the aroma of tea, which refreshed Ning Fengzhi as it reached his nose.
It was a rare treasure sent by the Ling family in gratitude to the Star Crown Sect for their help. It was produced from a thousand-year-old cold mist pine tree in the far north. Only a dozen tea leaves could be harvested every ten years—very rare.
It had nourishing effects for soul masters. If Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't personally brought two Super Douluo to the sect to demonstrate their sincerity, the Sect Master would never have taken it out.
In fact, as the wealthiest sect in the world, Ning Fengzhi had seen all kinds of treasures, and he had received some from the Ling family.
What surprised him was that the Star Crown Sect, which had long remained in the southwest borderlands of the continent, actually had connections with the Ling family in the north.
Furthermore, the water used to brew the cold mist tea seemed to come from a high-quality source, bearing a slight resemblance to the spiritual springs unique to the Shui family.
Ning Fengzhi quietly sipped the tea, but thoughts raced through his mind. The Shui family seemed to be doing fine—it was likely from their last expedition at sea. But what about the Ling family?
As for the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall—if he wasn't mistaken, they were mentioned by Mo Yao, the head of the Mo family, a major soul master clan in the southeast of the Star Luo Empire.
From the southern part of the Star Luo Empire to the northern borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Crown Sect had silently established ties with so many clans. This didn't seem like the behavior of a sect trying to remain hidden from the world.
And if he remembered correctly, he had once seen documents in the sect archives that mentioned the queen of the Star Luo Empire seemed to have revealed her martial soul.
The information clearly stated in black and white that her martial soul was a crown-type weapon martial soul that could control starlight.
"Master Ning, is this tea not to your taste? Shall I ask Mingxi to bring you another?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Master Xu. This tea is excellent, truly excellent."
Seeing Xu Mingxi approaching and pretending to take the teacup, Ning Fengzhi hurriedly declined. What a joke it would be to let a Super Douluo pour tea for him.
Although Ning Fengzhi was the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he knew this was simply a polite gesture from the Star Crown Sect.
One side was interested in forming an alliance, the other in recruitment. They conversed pleasantly, and the sect master specifically invited Ning Fengzhi to stay and attend the Star Crown Sect's banquet that evening.
"Master Ning, the Spirit Hall is our common enemy, so we can certainly cooperate. But the specific form of cooperation can be discussed after the banquet.
At that time, there are some things in the Star Crown Sect I'd like you to try and offer your advice on."
"Then I shall follow your arrangements."
Finally, Ning Fengzhi informed Xu Mingxi and the others about the matter concerning Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo, and went to the guest room under Xu Mingqing's guidance to rest for a while.
After Xu Mingqing left, Ning Fengzhi's expression suddenly turned serious. He paced around the room, repeatedly thinking about the sect master's final words.
What form of cooperation? In the cooperation just discussed, he had already made considerable concessions to the Star Crown Sect. Was that not enough?
"Fengzhi, stop pacing. If you don't want to cooperate, let's just go back."
"No, Uncle Jian, it's not that I don't want to cooperate. I just think the Star Crown Sect's intentions may not be as simple as taking the initiative in collaboration."
"You mean… they want to recruit us?"
"Yes, but I don't know what gives them such confidence."
The Star Crown Sect was strong, with five or even six titled Douluo, but his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was clearly not weak either.
In addition to the Azure Bird worshippers guarding the sect, they also had three titled Douluo, who were not easily controlled.