Seeing the worried expressions on her teammates' faces, Ning Rongrong smiled slightly:
"There's no need to worry too much. Among the 32 teams participating in the finals, the only ones we need to pay attention to are Shrek, Blazing Wind, and the Spirit Hall team."
"Rongrong, are you saying the teams that advanced from Star Luo are weak?" Yu Hairou raised her hand and asked.
There was no helping it—the preliminary and advancement matches in the Heaven Dou Empire had already produced inhumanly strong Soul Masters.
If Star Luo had a few more like that, the competition would truly be difficult.
"Relax, just give it your all in every match."
"There's no need for tactics or formations. With me and Dugu Yan here, there won't be any surprises."
Plans and lineups only matter when both sides are relatively equal in strength. When one side's power far surpasses the other's, all strategies are meaningless. To put it simply, it's like hyping yourself up like a tiger, only to end up with a 0/5 score.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted and came to a stop.
Out of curiosity, most of them lifted the curtains to look outside.
It turned out to be a checkpoint set up by Spirit Hall, where Soul Masters were inspecting travel documents. Taking advantage of the pause, everyone caught a glimpse of Spirit Hall City in its entirety.
Even the most luxurious, jewel-encrusted cities paled in comparison.
Especially the sacred mountain shrouded in an aura of holiness—the Giant Sword Mountain.
Wrapped in mist, towering into the clouds.
It exuded a faint pressure at all times—sacred, serene.
It made one feel the urge to kneel in worship.
"Is that the location of this tournament?" Dugu Yan also observed the scenery outside, particularly the place situated slightly behind the center of Spirit Hall City, revered as the sacred ground of Spirit Hall.
"Yes, Giant Sword Mountain."
"Legend has it that in ancient times, the Asura God and the Angel God battled for a thousand and one nights, and the mountain was formed when the Angel's Holy Sword fell." Ning Rongrong explained.
"Was that battle... proper?"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone's heads instantly swiveled toward Ning Tian.
"Uh... I was just joking, ahaha, ahahahaha!" Ning Tian awkwardly scratched the back of his head and forced a laugh.
"I don't know if it was proper, but you'd better not spout nonsense like that inside Spirit Hall City."
"If you accidentally get arrested, Father might not bail you out."
As Ning Rongrong spoke, she paused briefly before turning her gaze back toward Giant Sword Mountain through the gap in the curtain.
"Rumors say there was bad blood between the Angel God and the Asura God. It's best not to casually spread stories about them—you might get into trouble!"
"Anyway, there's a special reason the finals are being held at Giant Sword Mountain."
"A special reason?"
Aside from Dugu Yan, the rest of the Glazed Academy team looked somewhat puzzled.
"That's right. The legendary Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall is participating in this tournament."
"That rumor is true?" Ning Tian exclaimed in surprise.
It was said that Spirit Hall's new Holy Maiden had single-handedly defeated every member of the Spirit Hall team.
As much as he didn't want to believe it, it wasn't entirely impossible.
For example, a certain pink-haired little sister right in front of him.
Others might not know, but as Ning Rongrong's second brother, he had a clearer understanding of her strength.
Not long ago, when Ning Rongrong left, he had asked Ning Fengzhi about her whereabouts.
Ning Fengzhi told him that their adorable little sister had gone to Slaughter City.
At first, Ning Tian hadn't fully grasped what Slaughter City was.
It was only after researching it that he realized—it was a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones.
And now, Rongrong had safely returned from Slaughter City, looking no different from before.
Didn't that make it even more terrifying?
Now, he was increasingly convinced of his father's words:
"What Ning Rongrong gives you, you can take. What she doesn't give, you can't take."
Damn, such a domineering little sister.
Ning Tian felt like he couldn't handle it. No wonder Ning Yun had slipped away earlier—as the eldest brother, he really knew how to shift the pressure onto him.
"The Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall... Ning Tian, you've actually met her before!" Ning Rongrong withdrew her gaze from outside the carriage and looked calmly at her second brother.
"She's the current Heaven Dou Emperor's beloved. It's said that for her, Xue Qinghe would forsake all others in the world!"
The more she spoke, the more her scalp tingled.
Was Qian Renxue planning to monopolize everything?
Truly worthy of being Spirit Hall's young master, always coming up with new tricks. In this regard, I, Ning Rongrong, acknowledge you as the strongest.
Sure enough, upon hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Ning Tian's expression changed.
As the child of a major sect, his mind quickly filtered through the implications. Frowning, he asked:
"Does Father know about this?"
If Xue Qinghe's lover was Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden—and an incredibly powerful one at that—this might not bode well!
"He knows. Don't worry about it." Ning Rongrong said meaningfully. "No matter what Xue Qinghe plans, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has enough foundation to handle it."
"But—"
"Enough. Focus on the tournament, and when you have time, go play with your soul tools." Ning Rongrong waved her hand, cutting him off.
"Anyway, the clan's complicated affairs aren't something you need to stress over."
"After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan won't cut off your allowance."
Ning Tian's forehead twitched.
Was he worried about his allowance?
He was concerned that if Heaven Dou and Spirit Hall joined forces, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan might accidentally disappear!
However, with Ning Rongrong's explanation, Ning Tian could roughly guess that Ning Fengzhi might be planning something.
"Ah, right. I'm not the clan leader, nor the heir. Why am I worrying about this?"
"If the sky falls, the taller ones will hold it up. Why am I stressing over nothing?"
With that thought, Ning Tian returned to his carefree self.
After a long journey, they finally entered Spirit Hall City.
It had to be said—compared to Heaven Dou City, Spirit Hall City, the holy land of Soul Masters, was the wealthiest place on the continent.
Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan couldn't compare.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was just a sect, while Spirit Hall City was the holy land of Soul Masters. That was the difference.
Night swallowed the last remnants of dusk.
Ning Rongrong once again discussed matters with Sword Douluo and the others.
"What?"
"Yu Yuanzhen said he wants to go to the Pope's Hall tomorrow and hopes you'll accompany him?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened as if she were listening to a fairy tale.
Since when did that stubborn old man from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, who swore he'd never bow to anyone, lower his pride enough to ask the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for help?
From the looks of it, Ning Fengzhi had expected Ning Rongrong's surprise. Unhurriedly, he took a sip of tea and smiled:
"Rongrong, the relationship between the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall was never good to begin with. On top of that, for some unknown reason, they recently broke a trade agreement with Spirit Hall."
"Now, their relationship has grown even more tense. While they haven't outright clashed, relations have definitely deteriorated."
"There must be some reason for this, right?" Ning Rongrong frowned.
Yu Yuanzhen came over in the middle of the night just to ask Ning Fengzhi to accompany him to meet the Pope tomorrow?
Ning Fengzhi said leisurely: "Yu Xiaogang used Tang Hao's token to impersonate a Spirit Hall elder and got caught. Pope Bibi Dong demanded Yu Yuanzhen bring sufficient compensation to bail him out."
"Rongrong, you know about Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang's past relationship. It seems they've completely fallen out now..."
"Yu Yuanzhen is nervous and wants you to mediate tomorrow, maybe even whisper a few words in Bibi Dong's ear?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but think along these lines.
"What 'whispering in her ear'?" Ning Fengzhi sighed. "We're just going to observe. The deal will probably go through—after all, Bibi Dong didn't kill Yu Xiaogang, did she?"
"Anyway, that's not what I'm worried about." Ning Fengzhi sighed. "What do you think about tomorrow's events?"
"Well..." Ning Rongrong hesitated slightly. "If possible, I'd like to go with you to meet Bibi Dong. With me there, it might be safer."
"Wait, Rongrong, do you really not trust us that much?" Gu Rong complained.
"It's not a matter of trust. It's just that the Silver Dragon King might very well be inside Spirit Hall right now."
"So..."