Looking at the two Titled Douluos in front of him, Ning Fengzhi still wanted to resist a little, but as soon as he thought about their terrifying strength, that idea was immediately extinguished. He could only place his hopes on his wife.
He turned his head and looked at Madam Ning with puppy-dog eyes, a bit aggrieved, and said, "Qing'er~"
"Fengzhi, I want to help too… but in the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, apart from you as the Sect Master, there's no suitable candidate. Only if something happens to your body can the sect collect large quantities of whale glue without arousing suspicion. No one else is suitable," Madam Ning said with a smile in her eyes.
Hearing this explanation, Ning Fengzhi's face instantly fell. He naturally understood this reasoning: as long as news spread that his health was in trouble, then others in the sect could use the excuse of currying favor with him to buy whale glue. Only in this way could they prevent other factions from discovering the effects of whale glue too soon.
At this moment, Xu Yang had finished absorbing the whale glue. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Ning Fengzhi's downcast face.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xu Yang asked in confusion.
"It's nothing! How are you feeling now?" Ning Fengzhi immediately returned to his usual gentle and refined demeanor and asked with curiosity.
"I feel much stronger, and my soul power has increased from level nine and a half to level ten. I can now absorb my first spirit ring!" Xu Yang clenched his fists and cheerfully shared the changes from absorbing the whale glue.
"Uncle Jian!" Ning Fengzhi called.
Upon hearing this, Sword Douluo nodded and walked over to Xu Yang, using his soul power and spiritual energy to check his physical condition.
Xu Yang immediately felt a warm current flow into his body. It circulated briefly within him before quickly retreating.
"Fengzhi, Xu Yang's physical fitness and meridian strength have reached the level of a Grandmaster (Great Soul Master). He can absorb a 700-year-old soul ring without issue." After withdrawing his hand, Dustheart (Sword Douluo) gave a rough estimate of Xu Yang's current body strength.
"Excellent!" Ning Fengzhi's face lit up with joy. He looked at Xu Yang and took out a ring from his storage ring, handing it over. "Yang'er, your discovery can elevate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to a new level. This storage ring is your reward. I'll arrange for sect disciples to help you hunt for a soul ring in the Sunset Forest. Prepare yourself well!"
"Thank you, teacher!" Xu Yang said gratefully, taking the storage ring from Ning Fengzhi's hand. This wasn't the era of Douluo Dalu 2 where soul tools were widespread. At present, storage soul tools were rare and dwindling in number. Most soul masters, even at the Soul Sage level, might not own one.
Later, led by a maid, Xu Yang arrived at his residence. It was located in the rear mountain of the sect, right next to Ning Fengzhi's place. The room was about 200 square meters and filled with luxurious furniture — simply opulent beyond words.
After dismissing the maid, Xu Yang went to the bathroom to wash up. Absorbing the whale glue had caused him to expel a lot of bodily impurities.
After cleaning up, Xu Yang went to the balcony, sat on a meditation cushion, activated his Sun Martial Soul, and began to cultivate. Unlike most people who just refined soul power during meditation, he added an extra step: after circulating the soul power once through his Martial Soul, he then absorbed it into his dantian.
As time passed, his originally neutral and balanced soul power began to change, gaining characteristics of the Sun Martial Soul — pure yang and firm, with a sense of heat and a burning sensation.
The newly-formed soul power felt purer to Xu Yang and was easier to control.
It also strengthened his connection with his Martial Soul.
As for the heat and burning sensation, he believed it was due to his soul power adapting to the solar attributes. Once his body adjusted, the discomfort would fade.
"As expected, just like I thought — the attributes of soul power will change depending on the Martial Soul and the absorbed soul rings. For example, Dugu Bo's soul power completely turned into poison attributes due to constantly absorbing spirit rings and using poison-type soul skills."
Soul power being influenced by one's Martial Soul was a certainty. Xu Yang had realized this not long after he arrived in this world. Soul power in a soul master's body couldn't be too varied in attributes, or it would lose purity and become harder to control.
If two conflicting attributes clashed inside the body, they could fight internally and eventually cause the body to explode.
So the top sects' soul masters typically chose one or two types of soul beasts to obtain their rings from. This ensured soul power purity and personal safety — the optimal choice.
Xu Yang agreed with this approach. It was common knowledge formed over thousands of years on Douluo Continent — not something his baseless theories could overturn. Most of his ideas had no real data to back them up and were just speculative.
Without absolute certainty, he believed it best to stick to Douluo's cultivation system.
Otherwise, wouldn't he just become the next Yu Xiaogang?!
When the heat inside his body became uncomfortable, Xu Yang stopped meditating and prepared to head to the dining hall.
After asking a maid, he quickly found his way there.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's dining hall was massive — about half the size of a football field. Many soul masters were eating inside. Arriving at the order counter, Xu Yang's mouth nearly watered at the array of dishes on display.
Here, it was an à la carte system. The sect had hired top chefs from across the continent, dedicated to serving its disciples.
As Ning Fengzhi's disciple, Xu Yang could order anything he liked, and most dishes were made with soul beast meat, which slightly boosted cultivation speed.
After ordering several dishes that interested him, Xu Yang found they had a unique flavor compared to food from his previous life — equally delicious.
After a satisfying meal, he inquired again and headed to the library to read.
Meanwhile, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect began large-scale procurement of whale glue. Rumors began circulating in the soul master world that Ning Fengzhi was in poor health and urgently needed whale glue.
Within a week, this news reached Emperor Xue Ye's ears.
Emperor Xue Ye sympathized deeply with Ning Fengzhi's situation and even sent two high-quality pieces of ten-thousand-year whale glue.
In his mind, Ning Fengzhi's poor health explained why he was over forty and still childless.
He never imagined it was because Ning Fengzhi wanted to focus on improving his strength during his prime years and hadn't planned for children yet.
Since news of Madam Ning's pregnancy hadn't spread, this would serve as a perfect cover story.
Meanwhile, Xu Yang's routine life came to an end, as Ning Fengzhi had arranged for someone to help him hunt for a soul ring.
(End of this chapter)