Upon returning to his residence, Xu Yang adjusted his mindset and continued his cultivation.
Having learned from his previous experience, he decided not to explore theories unrelated to this world, such as firearms or grenades, and instead focused on studying knowledge related to soul masters.
His daily routine gradually became more structured: he would wake up early to absorb Eastern Purple Qi, eat meals, meditate to cultivate soul power, eat again, train physically, eat once more, and learn knife techniques and combat experience from Ning Haiyan. On rainy days, he would choose to rest and read books.
This routine continued for nearly nine months until Madam Ning began to give birth.
Inside the room, Ning Fengzhi was no longer the calm and gentle figure he usually was; instead, he paced anxiously at the door. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stood nearby, their clenched fists revealing their own unease.
Long before the embryo had fully developed, Ning Fengzhi had used his soul power to determine the child's gender and had chosen the name Ning Rongrong early on, symbolizing the continued prosperity of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Thus, both he and the two Douluos were eagerly anticipating this new life, which explained their current tension.
Xu Yang stood silently beside them, observing. In a world like this one, where ordinary people might face difficulties during childbirth, it was hard to imagine such issues arising in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Not only were there healing soul masters within the sect, but Madam Ning herself was a Soul Saint—giving birth should be a straightforward matter. He couldn't understand why these three were so anxious.
Over these nine months, Xu Yang's soul power had risen to level 16. His knife techniques had improved significantly; while his archery skills weren't perfect yet, he could at least hit the target's center. He had also grown twenty centimeters taller, reaching a height of 1.6 meters, although his face still looked quite youthful.
During this time, Xu Yang had worked with Ning Fengzhi to have Bone Douluo help him establish techniques for refining his body using soul power. He didn't approach Ning Haiyan for this because Ning Haiyan lacked talent in this area; after Xu Yang explained the theory to him, Ning Haiyan spent two months researching without any progress.
With no other options left, Xu Yang sought help from Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi didn't doubt Xu Yang's sudden idea but instead considered the possibility of refining the body with soul power. He personally consulted Bone Douluo for assistance in researching it. As expected of a Titled Douluo, Bone Douluo's understanding of soul power surpassed that of ordinary soul masters; within less than a month, he developed a method for refining the body using soul power.
However, this method was only useful for soul masters below the rank of Soul Sovereign and offered only marginally better results than conventional physical training methods. Nonetheless, both Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluos believed that while it couldn't serve as a regular training method, it held some merit worth exploring further.
Even though it was just a rudimentary technique, Xu Yang benefited greatly from it. His Solar Soul Power was exceptionally strong and aggressive; after practicing this technique combined with "Morning Light" and Eastern Purple Qi for recovery from previous injuries, he could cultivate without restraint.
Additionally, thanks to the mind control techniques from Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School—though Xu Yang had only reached the level of "Three-Pointed Heart"—he could already multitask effectively during training sessions by splitting his focus to refine his physique.
This was also why he had grown to 1.6 meters in just under nine months while achieving four consecutive jumps in cultivation level to reach level 16.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!"
Just as Xu Yang reflected on his gains over these past nine months, a sudden loud cry of an infant echoed from inside the room.
"They're born! They're born!"
Ning Fengzhi exclaimed excitedly as Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo relaxed their tightly clenched fists.
"Congratulations to the Sect Master! Both mother and daughter are safe!"
The midwife stepped out of the room and respectfully congratulated Ning Fengzhi.
"Good! Go collect one thousand gold soul coins from the sect as your reward!"
"Thank you, Sect Master!"
Ignoring the midwife further, Ning Fengzhi hurried inside in just a few quick steps. Xu Yang followed behind Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo into the room.
While Ning Fengzhi attended to Madam Ning with care, Xu Yang's gaze fell upon the tightly wrapped infant beside them. The baby wasn't particularly attractive—wrinkled and scrunched up—as most newborns are; it would take a week or two for them to look normal.
"Ning Rongrong has been born! That means Tang San has also been born. The news about Tang Hao killing Qian Xunji will likely spread soon."
Aside from Dai Mubai and Oscar among Shrek's Seven Monsters, the other five were around similar ages—at most just a few months apart. Since Ning Rongrong had been born now, it meant Tang San had also arrived into this world; Tang Hao's explosive confrontation with Qian Xunji must have already occurred.
However, Xu Yang wondered why there hadn't been any news about it yet; logically speaking, there should have been reports by now!
...
A few days later came news that Qian Xunji had been severely injured by Tang Hao and died shortly after returning to Spirit Hall. The announcement of Bibi Dong becoming the new Pope spread across Douluo Continent like wildfire.
Following this incident, Spirit Hall began pressuring Haotian Sect to hand over Tang Hao. Seven Titled Douluos stood at Haotian Sect's gate; in order to appease tensions, Haotian Sect chose to seal its mountain and expelled Tang Hao from their ranks—no longer managing even their affiliated sects.
Within just weeks, weaker sects were completely annihilated by Spirit Hall's forces while even powerful single-attribute sects fell into decline under Spirit Hall's oppression—no longer holding their previous status in the soul master community.
"It seems that Limit Douluo Tang Chen has truly gone missing; otherwise Haotian Sect wouldn't choose such a humiliating way to submit," Ning Fengzhi thought gravely upon receiving this information.
Due to Spirit Hall's dominance over matters now affecting all three major sects' alliances on paper—they relied on Tang Chen as their backbone against Spirit Hall—but now it appeared that Tang Chen really was missing.
With Haotian Sect sealing its mountain and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect being quite proud due to their dragon-type martial spirits—it would be challenging for them to cooperate sincerely now.
"This sealing of Haotian Sect puts Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in an awkward position within the soul master community!"
Unlike Haotian Sect or Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect which could act independently due to their strength—Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School relied on its status as an auxiliary sect built around the continent's top support martial spirit: Seven Treasure Glazed Tower. Being an auxiliary sect meant they couldn't isolate themselves like Haotian Sect; they needed connections with talented individuals across various factions if they wanted their school to survive long-term.
"Windzhi, you don't need to worry too much. There are still two forces on Douluo Continent capable of dealing with Spirit Hall; as long as we strengthen our cooperation among ourselves I believe preserving Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School shouldn't be an issue," Madam Ning said with a smile while cradling Ning Rongrong in her arms. As Ning Fengzhi's wife she wasn't merely ornamental; she possessed strong capabilities herself and quickly recognized Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's current predicament.
(End of Chapter)