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Who let that kid drag their little princess off for training so soon? If it had been a few years later, when Rongrong was older, they wouldn't have minded as much. But she was still so young, and the strongest in her group was only a Spirit Elder. What if they ran into trouble?
Ning Fengzhi watched Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, usually so serious, fussing over Ning Rongrong like a pair of goofy old men. He couldn't help but smile. "Alright, Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, what's all this about? Rongrong is back, safe and sound, isn't she?"
When it came to Ning Rongrong's training trip, Ning Fengzhi had always disagreed with the two Douluos. So when he found out she'd left with just a letter, he didn't send the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect out to hunt her down. A flower stuck in a greenhouse would never bloom, after all.
More than that, he trusted Ning Tian. Sure, the boy had a crowd of girls around him and a flirty streak, but he was cautious, not reckless. His daughter wouldn't come to harm with him.
Well, unless it was 'that' kind of harm then Ning Fengzhi wouldn't just allow it, he'd welcome it.
And he'd been right. Rongrong had grown a ton under Ning Tian's wing. Even without checking anything else, the surge in her soul power was proof enough.
"Exactly! I've told you over and over, I'm fine. Why won't you believe me?" Ning Rongrong said, pouting.
"Alright, Rongrong, we believe you," Bone Douluo said. "But you've got to tell us where you've been these past two years. You have no idea how worried I was. My hair's practically falling out. Not like this guy, who just stood around with a blank face and didn't even look for you."
Bone Douluo's tone was teasing, and he couldn't resist poking at Sword Douluo.
"Rubbish! You're the one with the blank face," Sword Douluo shot back.
Seeing them about to bicker again, Ning Fengzhi cut in. "Enough, Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle. Let's hear Rongrong out first."
The two quieted down.
With Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo all watching her, Ning Rongrong started her tale. "It all began when Ning Tian came back from his break..."
As she spoke, she started stretching the truth. Basically, she made everything sound as dangerous as possible, just like Ning Tian had when he'd spooked Yu Feng and the others.
Hearing about all the close calls Ning Rongrong had faced, even Ning Fengzhi, who'd braced himself. felt his pulse quicken. Sword and Bone Douluo were on edge too, looking ready to make Ning Tian answer for it if anything had gone wrong.
Inside, Ning Rongrong felt a twinge of guilt. 'Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Grandpa Bone, Grandpa Sword. I didn't want to trick you, but for Ning Tian's sake, I had to.'
Ning Fengzhi, clueless that his daughter had been led astray, asked, "Rongrong, weren't you scared of facing all that danger? Didn't you ever want to give up?"
"Of course I was scared," she said honestly. "But Ning Tian once told us that talent without effort makes you a fool, effort without talent makes you average, and having neither makes you useless. He said he didn't have talent, so effort alone wasn't enough; he had to risk it all. When I heard that, it lit a fire in me. I had to push myself too."
That was the one real thing she'd said since coming back; words Ning Tian had used to comfort them after their first kill in Las City.
She was putting them to good use now.
"No wonder you've jumped more than ten levels in just two years," Ning Fengzhi said. "From the soul power I can feel, you're close to Spirit Ancestor, right?"
Without her martial soul out, a Spirit Master's power wasn't obvious. Ning Fengzhi, lacking the Purple Demon Eyes skill, could only guess based on what he sensed. He didn't dare think she'd hit Spirit Ancestor, that would be too wild.
Ning Rongrong grinned. "Not close. I'm already there."
She raised her right hand, and a burst of nine-colored light gathered in her palm. A small glazed pagoda appeared, its base wrapped in golden light like tulip petals.
Two yellow and two purple soul rings rose from her feet, circling her slowly.
"You've really broken through to Spirit Ancestor!" Ning Fengzhi exclaimed. Now he could feel it clearly, Level 41.
Sword and Bone Douluo noticed something more.
"Nine layers, nine colors….it's the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda," they said together, staring at the pagoda in her hand.
"What?" Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened as he finally spotted the two extra layers beneath the golden glow.
The colors faded as Ning Rongrong pulled her martial soul back, her delicate face glowing with pride. "Ning Tian helped me pick two special soul rings based on his own martial soul's path, and that's how it evolved."
"Two special soul rings?" Ning Fengzhi asked. "What kind of soul beasts gave you those to turn the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
Ning Rongrong gave her rehearsed answer. "Two gem-type soul beasts or, more exactly, one prehistoric exotic beast and one gem-type soul beast."
"Prehistoric exotic beast?" Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo exchanged confused looks. The term was odd, but a sect as old as theirs had some records on it.
Ning Fengzhi, who'd dug through ancient texts trying to break past Level 79, knew a little. "Prehistoric exotic beasts aren't normal soul beasts. They're unique creatures that don't leave soul rings when they die. Instead, they produce something like a pearl."
Ning Rongrong nodded. "Right. When Ning Tian took me to the Star Dou Great Forest for my third soul ring, we got lucky and found a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python."
"After we took it down, it didn't drop a soul ring but a seven-colored pearl. Ning Tian knew it was a prehistoric exotic beast and had me refine it."
"That pearl turned into my third soul skill, giving me a boost in soul power. My martial soul didn't change much at first, but my training speed shot up. Then, four months ago, when Ning Tian helped me hunt a 5,000-year-old Mystic Crystal Turtle, my martial soul evolved completely."
Ning Fengzhi thought it over. "So the pearl was the key. But what kind of creature is this Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python to cause such a huge shift in Rongrong's martial soul?"
Sword Douluo smiled, happy for her but curious about the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
Bone Douluo shrugged. "Who cares what it is? As long as Rongrong's martial soul evolved, that's what counts. Maybe she can describe it, and we could find another pearl to help Fengzhi evolve too."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a small laugh. "Prehistoric exotic beasts are called that because they're one of a kind. There's probably no second Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python out there. Still, it's worth writing down for the future."
Ning Rongrong let out a quiet breath, glad she'd pulled it off. "It had seven-colored scales, light purple eyes, and a strange scent..."
Ning Fengzhi called for paper and a pen, recording every detail as a top-secret note for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
When that was done, Bone Douluo sent a silent message to Ning Fengzhi. "Fengzhi, no matter what, we need to get Ning Tian into the sect. At the very least, we can't let him join Spirit Hall or the other big sects. He could become a real problem otherwise."
Ning Fengzhi nodded firmly. Even without the nudge, he'd have agreed. Beyond Ning Tian's strength, his knowledge of martial souls could lift the whole sect up in the next decade or two.
Sword Douluo caught their looks and knew what they were planning. He usually stayed out of these things, but he liked Ning Tian. "I think he'd make a great grandson-in-law."
Ning Rongrong's cheeks went pink, and she nearly blurted out that he already was. But she remembered Ning Tian's warning; if she spilled the truth, Sword and Bone Douluo might think he was a flirt and cause trouble. "Grandpa Sword, don't say that. Ning Tian's already with Zhu Zhuqing..."
But love can muddle your head. Ning Rongrong, who'd just tricked the three of them, was now an open book. They could see her heart was set on Ning Tian.
As the saying goes, a man chasing a woman faces a mountain, but a woman chasing a man faces only a thin veil. And Ning Tian was a soft-hearted guy. With a little push, they could make it work, maybe even get him to marry both Rongrong and Zhuqing.
"Ning Tian and Zhuqing are my friends," Ning Rongrong said quickly, worried they'd act against them. "Dad, you can't hurt them."
Ning Fengzhi chuckled. 'Hurt Ning Tian? The kid was likely his future son-in-law, and he came with Zhuqing, another talented bonus.' He was delighted, not upset.
"Don't worry. I'm grateful he helped your martial soul evolve. But since he's quietly won my daughter's heart, I should at least meet this future son-in-law, right?"
Realizing they'd seen through her, Ning Rongrong's blush deepened, spreading to her neck. Still, she felt a flicker of hope. No one wants their love to go unblessed by family, and she was no exception.
...….
Meanwhile, not long after splitting from Yu Xiaogang, Flender caught up with Ning Tian and the others.
From Flender, they learned Yu Xiaogang had gone to visit an old friend. Ning Tian had a hunch about what that meant.
He wasn't about to let Yu Xiaogang get away with it. In the original story, Bibi Dong went off the deep end after the Spirit Master Competition, partly thanks to Yu Xiaogang. Ning Tian wouldn't let that happen.
But he wouldn't kill him either. Sometimes, letting someone live in misery was more satisfying.
.....
In just three days, using Ning Tian's year-long experience there, they found soul beasts for the Shi brothers and left.
On the way out, Ning Tian made an excuse to split off, saying he'd buy supplies in Heaven Dou City. Instead, he disguised himself and chased after Yu Xiaogang, who was heading toward Spirit Hall.
For a Level 29 Great Spirit Master with a farting martial soul like Luo Sanpao, Yu Xiaogang had moved fast, reaching the Heaven Dou Empire's border in just a few days. Ning Tian figured he hadn't stopped once.
It took nearly a day to catch up, just outside the empire's edge. Without a word, Ning Tian knocked him out cold with one hit.
Then, with a small willow-leaf knife, he performed a clean, complete physical castration. He even used the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone skill to heal the wound, so Yu Xiaogang wouldn't notice right away.
Next was his soul power. Only Spirit Masters could enter Spirit Hall, so without it, Yu Xiaogang had no shot at seeing Bibi Dong.
To strip a Spirit Master's soul power, you break their soul rings or their martial soul entirely. But Ning Tian, a decent guy from the 21st century, couldn't let a "fearsome" martial soul like Luo Sanpao vanish. So he just broke Yu Xiaogang's soul rings.
He also took the Pope's Token, plus all his money and food. The storage soul tool and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan token? Fed to the Golden Devouring Beetles.
Now it was foolproof.
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