"The old bone said Rongrong has returned from the City of Slaughter." Inside the carriage, Ning Fengzhi received a letter sent from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, written by Gu Rong.
"I wonder how she's doing." Ning Fengzhi sighed. "No matter what, it's good that she came out safely. It's just..."
Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly as he skimmed the contents of the letter, feeling somewhat speechless.
"Rongrong… I can't control her anymore."
Going to the City of Slaughter, fighting against the Title Douluo of the Clear Sky School—including Tang Chen, the Limit Douluo of the Clear Sky School—who knows how Rongrong managed that.
Hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Sword Douluo rolled his eyes. "Fengzhi, let's be honest—when have you ever been able to control Rongrong's affairs?"
"Sword Uncle, can you at least save me some face?" Ning Fengzhi retorted.
"A real man must be adaptable—there's no need to be so delicate." Sword Douluo scoffed before changing the subject.
"I originally thought the championship of the Ranking Tournament would be contested between Shrek Academy and Glazed Academy. Who would've thought Shrek Academy would be completely swept by one person?"
"That girl named Gu Yuena." Ning Fengzhi fell into thought. "I never expected Blazing Wind Academy to have such a hidden ace!"
"Between her and Dugu Yan, who do you think would win?" Sword Douluo suddenly asked.
Silence. A long silence.
"I can't judge, but… I have a faint feeling that Dugu Yan isn't her match."
"Indeed, I feel the same way!" Sword Douluo sighed. "But Rongrong should be back soon. The old bone said he'd bring her along. Counting the days, she should arrive in the next couple of days."
"If only I could break through to Title Douluo." Ning Fengzhi sighed.
The gap between level 98 and level 99 was sometimes even greater than the gap between humans and dogs.
Generally speaking, even if he, an 89th-ranked Soul Douluo, amplified Chen Xin at his peak of level 98, it would at best barely compare to a pseudo-Demi-God at level 99.
Strong?
Very strong. But compared to the unpredictable variables that might appear next…
It still felt inadequate.
Fortunately, Sword Douluo had mastered Soul Ring Fusion. Though it couldn't compare to a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, it still placed him at the pseudo-Demi-God realm—perhaps even making true Demi-Gods wary.
But for divine attendants like Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen, according to Ning Rongrong's words, they could unleash strength at the peak of Quasi-God level. If it really came down to a fight, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's foundation was still too weak.
The journey to Spirit Hall wasn't short, especially with such a large group traveling together.
Thus, they would rest in towns along the way, giving the students time to digest their combat experiences.
The convoy entered a town along the route. Spirit Hall had made arrangements for reception along the way, though staying elsewhere was also allowed—there was no enforcement.
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and the members of Glazed Academy stayed at a hotel affiliated with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. As expected of the wealthiest sect under the heavens, their financial power was no less impressive than Spirit Hall's.
"Patriarch, a student from Blazing Wind Academy is here to see you. She says it's something important."
"Blazing Wind Academy?" Hearing the report from the disciple outside, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo exchanged glances. After a moment of thought, Ning Fengzhi asked, "Did she say what it was about?"
"She mentioned it was related to a previous transaction between you and Blazing Wind Academy's Lady Bi Ji."
That Bi Ji was a Limit Douluo was now common knowledge. Back then, to support Xue Ke, she had openly displayed her level 99 strength.
"Understood. You may leave."
After the sect disciple stationed at the hotel left, Ning Fengzhi turned to Sword Douluo and asked,
"Sword Uncle, what do you think?"
"As expected, that Bi Ji is from the Star Dou Great Forest." Though there had been speculation, it wasn't until she sent someone here that it was fully confirmed.
"Fengzhi, the deal between Bi Ji and us—no, it seems it was actually with Rongrong."
"That soul contract thing…"
"Right. She said she would stay at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School for a while, but she never came. And Rongrong mentioned there was no specific time agreed upon."
"Given the nature of this contract, I'm inclined to think Rongrong never intended for Bi Ji to come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the first place. Otherwise, she would've set a date."
"It's about the Living Soul Gold, isn't it?" Sword Douluo fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I remember Rongrong saying that with Living Soul Gold, she was confident she could help you break through to Title Douluo."
With just the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor's soul bone, it was still slightly insufficient.
Otherwise, Ning Fengzhi would already be a Title Douluo by now.
Ning Fengzhi stood up from his chair. "Let's go see her. If she's come at this time, she probably isn't here for small talk."
Sword Douluo nodded and followed Ning Fengzhi out of the hotel.
Standing quietly at the hotel entrance was a beautiful young girl in a white dress, her long hair cascading down to her waist.
The girl seemed detached from the world, serene.
Even from a distance, she gave off an untouchable aura.
"First time meeting you, Gu Yuena of Blazing Wind Academy. I am Ning Fengzhi, Patriarch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. May I ask what business Lady Bi Ji has with us?"
"Mn." Gu Yuena looked up, studying Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo for a moment before taking out an exquisite box from her pocket.
The box was cuboid, with a silver dragon engraved on its lid—seemingly imbued with some kind of sealing effect.
"Inside is the Living Soul Gold you requested." Gu Yuena paused briefly before continuing, "If you aren't confident, don't open this box."
"Living Soul Gold, as the name suggests, can emit vast amounts of life energy—but it can also reverse that and drain the life force from its surroundings."
With that, the box in Gu Yuena's hand vanished.
The next moment, it appeared in Ning Fengzhi's grasp.
Ning Fengzhi didn't even react in time, his hand instinctively trembling as he held the box.
"You… just who are you?" Sword Douluo's expression turned grave, his heart secretly shaken.
When the other party had transferred the box into Ning Fengzhi's hand, he hadn't been able to react at all.
Though he hadn't been fully focused, he was still a peak level 98!
If she had attacked just then…
Sword Douluo didn't dare dwell on it, sucking in a cold breath.
"We'll meet again. I hope we won't be enemies." Gu Yuena's body gradually turned from solid to illusory before vanishing completely.
Even after she disappeared, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo remained cautious—especially Sword Douluo, who had already activated his 98th-level soul power and was scanning the surroundings for any signs of an ambush.
"Sword Uncle… was that girl really just a student?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly, feeling more and more like the world had become surreal. Were kids under 25 these days all this absurd?
Back in his day, he had been one of the brightest stars in the Spirit Master Tournament.
But now?
Good heavens, everyone seemed to come and go like ghosts.
All sorts of monsters were crawling out of the woodwork.
"Perhaps… she's a 100,000-year spirit beast in human form?" Sword Douluo wasn't sure either.
After all, by all appearances, she had seemed entirely human.
And she carried strong auras of fire, ice, and water.
"Never mind, no point overthinking it." Ning Fengzhi tossed the unanswerable questions aside. Rongrong would be here soon anyway—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would be hers to manage, so she could deal with the headaches.
"Ah… Fengzhi, you're becoming more and more resigned." Sword Douluo sighed. "Speaking of which, what do you plan to do with the contents of this box?"
"We'll wait for Rongrong. She'll be here soon anyway."
"Since she wants this position, she'll have to handle unexpected situations." Ning Fengzhi chuckled, glancing at Sword Douluo. "Don't you think so, Sword Uncle?"
Sword Douluo: "..."
You've already stored the box in your soul tool—what else can I say?