Su Shangmo, for his part, came first to offer his congratulations...

He once again offered to help Dragon Flame Academy in the second round, but Lu Chao still refused.

This left Su Shangmo feeling quite helpless.

Previously, the Saint Bone Su Family had thought Lu Chao would have no choice but to compromise with them after the first round. Instead, he had actually managed to win.

Now, for the second round, he clearly didn’t stand a chance, yet he still refused their help.

In the end, Su Shangmo hesitated for a moment before saying no more. He continued to stay close by Cheng Chuming’s side, protecting him.

A little while later, Marquis Longyin also arrived...

The moment he entered, he couldn’t help but curse out loud, railing against Zeng Quan for his lack of integrity. How could he expect to win anyone over with such blatant sabotage?

But Lu Chao immediately met him with a single sentence: "In the second round, we will crush all who target us."

Marquis Longyin then left, returning to a few of his trusted team members...

"Looks like I worried for nothing. The Fake Lu Chao isn’t the least bit afraid of being targeted in the second round. He has the look of someone who’s already won."

At Marquis Longyin’s words, his trusted team members’ mouths fell open.

"That’s impossible, isn’t it? They’re facing over a thousand people, and Zeng Quan is deliberately using the warhorses to rally them."

"Right, even if the Fake Lu Chao is some kind of super-general, he can’t be *that* unstoppable, can he?"

"A Military Genius needs soldiers to command."

In response to his men’s words, Marquis Longyin gently shook his head. He didn’t know where Lu Chao’s confidence came from either. He was just remembering the question Lu Chao had asked as he caught up to him, just as he was leaving Dragon Flame Academy’s courtyard.

Lu Chao’s question was precise: "In the second round, if I completely tear apart the twenty University Institutes, will Marquis Longyin be able to withstand the pressure?"

The pressure, that is, of the wrath of twenty enraged University Institutes.

And Marquis Longyin’s reply to Lu Chao had been: "Just get it done."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes...

’Brother Wang said that while the Beast Flame alliance has been formed, the powers of the Seven Great Flame Countries are a tangled mess. Each has its own agenda. The chances of truly forging them into a force capable of resisting the Great Wu and Nanye in just a few months are practically zero.’

’But perhaps this Fake Lu Chao is an opportunity. Perhaps he can shatter the superficial prosperity of the Beast Flame alliance.’

’Perhaps he... can make the Beast Flame alliance truly strong.’

At this thought, Marquis Longyin quickly wrote a letter and had it sent to his Brother Wang—the Dragon Flame King.

「Later that night.」

Lu Chao was in a room in their courtyard, deep in his Cultivation. His True Qi surged violently, and the Fire Sparrow Flame burned around his body.

BOOM...

Suddenly, his aura surged, breaking through from the Innate Third Layer to the Fourth Layer. He had advanced another minor realm.

His consciousness was immediately plunged into his Bone Inner World.

’Innate Fourth Layer...’

’This means I can now devour a second Star Heavenly Destiny Bone. But as before, my real goal... is to retrieve the Star Fire Sparrow Bone.’

His gaze fixed upon the vast, starry expanse of his Bone Inner World, settling on the Star Fire Sparrow Bone.

The enormous and complex Fire Sparrow Meridian Map unfurled once more. Lu Chao took a deep breath, circulating the True Qi he’d comprehended from the Fire Sparrow Map throughout his entire body. He constantly cross-referenced it with the Star Fire Sparrow Map, and finally, he clenched his hand upward fiercely...

But the Star Fire Sparrow Bone didn’t move an inch.

’It seems my comprehension of the Fire Sparrow Map isn’t perfect yet. It must be absolutely flawless to completely retrieve the bone from my Bone Inner World,’ Lu Chao concluded with a hint of regret.

’If I just wanted my Life-taking Star-devouring Bone to devour the Star Fire Sparrow Bone, I could pluck it out easily enough. But I need to summon it out of the Bone Inner World, which is why it remains completely motionless.’

’It just means my comprehension of the Fire Sparrow Meridian Map is still incomplete.’

He opened his eyes and looked at Cheng Yunsu, who was beside him wiping the bloodstains off his mask. He gave her an apologetic look.

"Xiao Su’er, you’ll have to wait a few more days before I can fully restore your Martial Dao."

’I was hoping to get it done as soon as I reached the Innate Fourth Layer, but it’s clear I was too impatient.’

Cheng Yunsu smiled gently. "It’s only a few days. I’m not in a hurry."

Though she didn’t know exactly how Lu Chao planned to restore her Martial Dao, Cheng Yunsu would never rush her husband.

She placed the clean mask aside...

"Lu Chao, Father seems to have already decided to truly go to the Saint Bone Su Family."

"He hopes we can have a powerful backer."

Lu Chao nodded. It was a decision that was more or less set in stone.

The Saint Bone Su Family would absolutely not give up on their Saint Bone Heir, and now they were constantly showing their sincerity.

And after the Elders of the Saint Bone Su Family had dealt with Elder Lady Su, they were no longer as overbearing as they had been. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"That’s fine too. As long as the Su Family treats your father with sincerity, we have no reason to stand in his way. As his cultivation realm improves, he’ll be able to gain control of the Saint Bone Su Family step by step."

"Of course, your father will have to change his surname. It’s a good thing he feels nothing but hatred for Cheng Weishan."

Cheng Yunsu listened to her husband and nodded gently...

Her father had no qualms about changing his surname. After all, Cheng Weishan wasn’t worthy of respect; it was just a matter of habit.

Just as Lu Chao and his wife were speaking softly...

Outside the courtyard, a sickly sweet voice suddenly sounded, "Well, if it isn’t my dear Sister Caicai? What a coincidence. I never expected to run into you here."

A second voice, filled with resentment, followed: "Wu Yiyi..."

Hearing this, Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu stopped talking and exchanged a glance. Wu Caicai was here.

Then, Cheng Yunsu asked in confusion, "Miss Wu is a student at Tiger Flame Academy—now the Beast Flame Tiger Institute—so it makes sense she’d find a chance to visit us. But who is that other person?"

The second voice just now had belonged to Wu Caicai.

After fighting their way from the Great Wu Empire into the Tiger Flame Kingdom, Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng had gone their separate ways. They had even agreed to meet up at Tiger Flame Academy, but events had spiraled out of control.

The Six Great Flame Countries had absolutely no tolerance for the Descendants of Azure Flame, and in the end, even Fan Jinhua, a Tiger Flame Tutor, was forced to leave.

Thus, their plan never came to fruition. But now, they could finally meet at Beast Flame Academy.

"It sounds like Miss Wu’s family. Let’s go out and see."

As Lu Chao spoke, he led Cheng Yunsu out of the room. Fan Jinhua, Luo Wendeng, and several other Descendants of Azure Flame also emerged. They had fought shoulder to shoulder with Wu Caicai in the Great Wu Empire and were naturally overjoyed to see her.

Moreover, Fan Jinhua had been her tutor at Tiger Flame.

Just as they walked out of the courtyard...

From outside, that sickly sweet voice came again, "Sister Caicai, if I remember correctly, Uncle doesn’t allow you to have contact with the Descendants of Azure Flame anymore. Why did you run over here again?"

"If I go tell Uncle, you’ll be in for it. After all, it’s not like he’s very fond of you, is he?"

Just as she finished speaking, Lu Chao and the others stepped out of the courtyard.

They saw Wu Caicai standing outside the gate, with Uncle Leng still by her side.

Opposite Wu Caicai was a dazzlingly beautiful woman in yellow clothes, who was also accompanied by a few guards.

Flanked by her guards, the woman exuded an air of seductive charm.