"It's actually her!" Ning Fengzhi sighed with emotion.
Ning Rongrong had occasionally mentioned the name Gu Yuena, but no one had connected the student from Blazing Wind Academy who delivered the Life Gold to the true god of Star Dou Great Forest.
"Father, is Gu Yuena still with the convoy?" Ning Rongrong extended her senses but detected no trace of Gu Yuena.
Even if she were a god, as long as she wasn't deliberately concealing herself, Ning Rongrong should have been able to sense her presence.
When it came to understanding divine power, Ning Rongrong was exceptionally well-informed in the Douluo Continent.
The divine power of the Asura God, the Rakshasa God, the Angel God, and even that of the Ancient Ice Phoenix sealed in the Extreme North—she had collected traces of them all.
In a way, Ning Rongrong had gathered fragments of each.
Now, with the divine aura lingering on the Silver Dragon King's scale in the box, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had nearly collected all divine-related artifacts on the continent, aside from those linked to the Sea God.
"No, your Sword Grandpa and I have been observing Blazing Wind Academy these past two days," Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "After delivering the Life Gold to us, Gu Yuena disappeared."
"Is that so…" Ning Rongrong fell into thought.
What was the Silver Dragon King doing out here? Logically, her top priority should be recovering from her injuries, not participating in some meaningless competition.
After pondering for a long time, Ning Rongrong still couldn't figure out the reason.
"Never mind, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
As long as she had trump cards in hand, no matter what Gu Yuena did, it was unlikely she could threaten the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"Rongrong, there's been a change regarding the finals," Ning Fengzhi suddenly changed the subject.
"A change?" Ning Rongrong didn't quite understand.
"Indeed. It seems soul tools will now be permitted," Ning Fengzhi frowned. "This was relayed to me by Xue Qinghe, but it will be officially announced by Spirit Hall during the finals."
"Wouldn't the other competing teams oppose such a last-minute rule change?"
"They can't oppose it!" the Sword Douluo interjected. "Spirit Hall is offering a 100,000-year soul bone. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, most teams won't object."
"Even if they can't take first place, second or third still comes with a 10,000-year soul bone."
"Soul tools are something our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan specializes in. And it seems Tang Xiao proposed this—could they be plotting something?" The Sword Douluo was puzzled.
Ning Tian had brought a seventh-ranked soul tool for self-defense, but logically, the Clear Sky Sect shouldn't know about this.
What was their reason for doing this?
Ning Fengzhi couldn't understand.
Were they trying to extend an olive branch to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?
"Tang Xiao…" Ning Rongrong fell silent, her brows furrowing before she shook her head. "Soul tools aren't exclusive to us."
"Hm?" Ning Fengzhi was confused, and both the Sword and Bone Douluo turned their gazes to Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, what do you mean…?"
Ning Rongrong sighed, finally realizing the Clear Sky Sect's intentions. "Gu Yuena's Silver Dragon Spear, the Angelic Sacred Sword in my hands, and Tang Chen's Asura God Sword—in a way, these are all divine-ranked soul tools."
"This…" The three exchanged glances.
"Isn't that too outrageous?"
"No, not at all," Ning Rongrong said after a long silence. "The Clear Sky Sect knows they probably can't win under normal circumstances, but with divine artifacts, it's a different story."
"However, what puzzles me is why Spirit Hall agreed to this." Ning Rongrong was genuinely perplexed.
The Angelic Sacred Sword was already in her possession—what trump card did Qian Renxue have?
Surely she knew that divine artifacts, in essence, could also be considered soul tools.
Could it be related to Gu Yuena?
Gu Yuena's Silver Dragon Spear was her own possession—it could be classified as either a martial soul or a soul tool.
As for Tang San, Ning Rongrong had her suspicions. Perhaps he had truly begun the Asura God's trial.
"Rongrong, what are your thoughts on the finals?" Ning Fengzhi sighed. How had the Spirit Master Grand Tournament escalated to the use of divine artifacts?
"If Ning Tian deems it appropriate, she can use the Lotus Tower," Ning Rongrong said after a pause. "There's no need to worry too much about the finals."
"I've reached the half-step to the Supreme Realm. It's only a matter of time before I fully break through."
After further discussions with Ning Fengzhi and the others about the competition, Ning Rongrong gained a general understanding of the Glazed Academy team's strength.
All members had reached the Soul Ancestor rank. That meant in the four months since Ning Rongrong left, those who were level 39 Soul Elders had broken through to level 40 and obtained their fourth soul rings.
Dugu Yan had even reached level 68—a 21-year-old level 68 Soul Emperor was simply terrifying.
Days of tranquility passed one after another.
——
Spirit Hall City.
Traveling without rest, Master Yu Xiaogang finally arrived in Spirit Hall City just before the competing teams.
He had only one purpose for this trip—to obtain the cultivation method for twin martial souls from Bibi Dong.
He couldn't wait any longer!
Glazed Academy's Dugu Yan and Blazing Wind Academy's Gu Yuena were breaking all conventional logic with their strength.
Only by acquiring the twin martial soul cultivation method could they hope to close the gap.
If Tang San's soul power could reach a comparable level, there would be no reason for him to lose to women.
Thus, he had to come to Spirit Hall City to find that woman. Even if it meant sacrificing something, he would secure the cultivation method. For the sake of his disciple, Yu Xiaogang was willing to go all out.
Clad in plain clothes and covered in dust, Yu Xiaogang passed the entrance inspection without delay and headed straight for the center of Spirit Hall City.
Before long, Master stood before the gates of the Pope's Palace.
Without waiting for the guards to speak, Yu Xiaogang pulled out a Spirit Hall token from his robes.
"Take me to see your Pope."
"If you delay an urgent matter, how many heads do you have to spare?"
"This…" The guard holding the token hesitated. The Pope had just given strict orders that no one was to disturb her, but this token was a Elder's Token.
"Elder, please wait in the side hall. We must first inform Her Holiness the Pope."
"You—"
"Apologies, but the Pope has explicitly commanded that no one is to disturb her." The guard remained unyielding, returning the token and escorting Yu Xiaogang to the side hall.
Fuming, Yu Xiaogang didn't want to wait a single minute, but when under another's roof, one had no choice but to lower their head.
"Damn it, once I see Bibi Dong, I'll make sure this guard pays for this." After Yu Xiaogang was led away, another guard rushed toward the central assembly hall at full speed.
At this moment, inside the Pope's assembly hall, there were three people—or rather, only three.
One man and two women.
All guards around the Pope's Palace had been withdrawn to prevent leaks.
Besides, given the identities and power of these three, if something were to happen, no force in Spirit Hall would be of any use. These three were the pinnacle of the continent's power structure.
The three present were:
Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, and Gu Yuena.