"Just kidding, don't get too worked up, it's bad for your health."
Catching Ning Yun's eye-roll, Ning Rongrong chuckled, "This soul bone that Father can't use has a decent age, but its effects aren't as good as the thirty-thousand-year Illusory Wisdom Skull."
"Why don't you keep this soul bone? It's probably worth around thirty million gold soul coins."
"I've got enough personal savings to cover it."
"Forget it!" Seeing Ning Rongrong's generosity, Ning Yun was full of suspicion. "I'm worried I'd end up selling myself to pay you back."
"Besides, this soul bone..." Ning Yun sighed, "Wouldn't it be more suitable for Elder Lou Gao?"
Both emotionally and logically, Ning Yun didn't feel he should compete for a soul bone that wasn't of great use to him.
It would be a waste, especially since he was an auxiliary soul master, not like Ning Rongrong, who wielded her tower to smash people as an "auxiliary."
Giving it to him would indeed be less practical than giving it to Lou Gao.
In the past two and a half years, as direct descendants of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, people like himself and Ning Tian each had a seventh-tier soul tool. Soul bones weren't exactly a necessity.
"I do plan to give it to Elder Lou Gao, but if you need it, it's fine too."
"After all, you're my big brother, right?"
"What about Ning Tian?" Ning Yun rolled his eyes. "If you can't balance the scales, it's better not to try at all!"
"Don't forget, you're the one who'll become the sect leader in the future."
"Some things need to be considered for the sake of the sect."
"Not listening, not listening, turtle chanting scriptures." Ning Rongrong covered her ears with both hands, shaking her head repeatedly.
Ning Yun: "..."
"Fine, stop acting weird." Ning Yun threw Ning Rongrong another eye-roll. "I'm not as easy to fool as Ning Tian. I know you can take this seriously."
Escaping from a Limit Douluo, a powerhouse as natural as eating or drinking, and now acting cute in front of him—even if she was his little sister, it was pretty exasperating.
"Caught me, huh!" Ning Rongrong shrugged, her playful expression fading.
"Actually, I think if you could advance to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, you'd be more suited to be the sect leader than Ning Tian."
"You can see my situation. I can't stay in the sect leader position long-term. The next in line can only be you or Ning Tian. You don't expect Father to step down and then cling to power again, do you?"
"Can't give birth?"
"Get lost!"
Ning Rongrong's face darkened with frustration.
What kind of person is this? I'm talking about serious matters here!
And where did you learn all this nonsense? That's your first reaction?
Hmph, Xue Qinghe must have corrupted him.
"I'm not interested in the young sect leader or sect leader position." Ning Yun shrugged. "My goal is the stars in the sky, the distant sea."
"On the other side of Douluo Continent, there seems to be another continent."
"I made a promise with Miss Zi Zhenzhu to explore it together someday."
"Uh..." Ning Rongrong's eyelid twitched. As expected, those two were a bit too close—there was definitely something going on!
You don't like delicate, soft, easy-to-push-over girls, but instead, you go for Zi Zhenzhu, with her curvy figure, always risking her life for thrills as a soul master?
The sea, really!
How many heads does Ning Yun have to spare for a hundred-thousand-year soul beast to chew on?
"Fine, do as you please!" Ning Rongrong spread her hands. "But I warn you, without at least level 95 or a ninth-tier soul tool, don't recklessly venture into the outer sea."
"There are plenty of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the sea, and..."
"Strange, Rongrong, you're actually worried about your big brother? I always thought you were heartless."
A tic mark appeared on Ning Rongrong's forehead as she snapped, "Who did you learn that sharp tongue from?"
"No idea!" Ning Yun spread his hands. "A certain young sect leader who wishes to remain anonymous does this all the time. I picked it up without meaning to—impressive, right?"
Ning Rongrong: "..."
"Forget it, I'm not arguing with you about this nonsense. It's giving me a headache." Ning Rongrong rubbed her forehead.
After a few years in Vast Sea City, even his speech had become more outgoing. The gentle, refined, calm big brother who was so similar to Ning Fengzhi was gone for good.
"The person who brought these two soul bones—do you have any clues?"
"Any idea which faction they're from?"
Soul bones from deep-sea soul beasts, over seventy thousand years old, were as difficult to obtain as hundred-thousand-year soul beasts on land.
The deep sea was not only remote but also a logistical nightmare.
A lone soul master without a faction, obtaining such a treasure and not keeping it but selling it?
"You're worried Sea God Island is fishing?" Ning Yun dropped his playful demeanor, his brows gradually furrowing.
The Nine Treasure Commerce Guild had some, but not extensive, ties with Sea God Island.
With the guild's presence, the residents of Sea God Island seemed less devout in their faith in the Sea God, at least with fewer fanatical believers than before.
In the past, when danger struck, they prayed for the Sea God's protection.
Now, when danger struck:
"Come on, everyone, head to the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild and buy some pills for protection."
As a result, soul masters who bought pills returned alive, while those who prayed to the Sea God ended up in the sea.
Over time, people found the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild more practical.
The Sea God was just a matter of faith.
"That's part of it." Ning Rongrong didn't deny Ning Yun's judgment about the soul bone seller.
These days, she hadn't stayed in Vast Sea City constantly, occasionally heading out to sea to investigate matters related to the ocean.
For others, the sea was extremely dangerous and terrifying.
But for Ning Rongrong, as long as she wanted to escape, even a Limit Douluo couldn't stop her.
Naturally, she could roam freely.
She had noticed certain soul beast groups gathering in a specific area, possibly even forming a beast tide.
Whether Sea God Island was behind it, Ning Rongrong had no evidence.
For now, she didn't want to fall out with Sea God Island, which had a first-level god backing it.
Her own strength was still too weak. If she could reach the Four Realms of Perfection, or even the Everlasting Life Realm beyond, she wouldn't need to be so cautious.
Pulling back her thoughts, Ning Rongrong looked at Ning Yun across the table and asked, "Who exactly sent these two soul bones? At least tell me if they're male or female and what they look like."
"About that..." Ning Yun fell silent for a long moment.
"What's wrong?" A trace of confusion appeared on Ning Rongrong's face.
"No, I don't know their identities, but... sigh!"
Ning Yun sighed. Because of Wang Quan Fugui, Ning Yun felt he had to tell Ning Rongrong everything, and it might even alarm their father, Ning Fengzhi.
Under Ning Rongrong's puzzled gaze, Ning Yun explained, "The ones who brought the soul bones were two women—no, more precisely, a mother and daughter."
"The woman called 'Mother' by the girl looked about thirty years old."
"The girl herself looked around fifteen or sixteen."
"But..." Ning Yun's expression grew grave, "Wang Quan Fugui sensed a presence from the girl not weaker than a Title Douluo, perhaps even surpassing him..."
"What, what's that?" Ning Rongrong, about to take a sip of tea, froze, the tea in her cup rippling slightly.
A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Title Douluo?
Ning Yun, do you know what you're saying?
(End of Chapter)