At noon, when heading to the cafeteria, Ning Rongrong followed right behind Dugu Feng.
She even chased Feng Ling and Feng Li far away, breaking the hearts of the two bootlickers once again.
"You promised to teach me cultivation. But cultivation isn't just about meditating and absorbing soul power. I'll follow you and except when you're asleep, I'll be with you all the time!" Ning Rongrong said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Dugu Feng studied her carefully.
So different from the Ning Rongrong in the original story.
But then he remembered that when she was at Shrek Academy, she wanted to buy Tang San's hidden weapons for her clan, and even thought of recruiting geniuses for the sect.
She was never just a spoiled little princess.
Having her tag along might actually be a good thing. With Ning Rongrong by his side, it was like carrying a bodyguard.
If Spirit Hall targeted the Dugu Clan, if Qian Renxue decided to act recklessly and sent a Titled Douluo after him, then with Ning Rongrong around, perhaps Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo would be nearby.
Wouldn't that make her the perfect shield?
Dugu Feng's mood brightened.
After lunch, the two went to the simulation training grounds. The afternoon was cultivation time.
There, Dugu Feng ran into Ge Ying again.
Ge Ying hadn't changed much, except his aura was heavier and was closer to the realm of a Soul Emperor.
"Brother Feng, I really want to know what you've been through these years. The killing intent on you now… it's comparable to my father's. And he's someone who's spent his whole life in the army!"
Ge Ying looked utterly shocked.
Before, Dugu Feng was cold and distant. Now, he radiated murderous intent, as if he might strike down anyone at any time.
The change was frightening.
Ning Rongrong pricked up her ears. She wanted to see if Dugu Feng would answer.
"Brother Ge, you flatter me." Dugu Feng only smiled and said no more.
How could he speak of the City of Slaughter?
He then went to the edge of the small lake within the training grounds.
"Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers!"
From his hand, purple light shot forth, plucking twelve leaves from a tree.
Not one more, not one less.
"Poison Explosion!" One leaf suddenly detonated.
"Jade Phosphorus Violet Poison!" (T/N : I am getting tired of this name scheme. Same thing over and over again!)
Purple mist streamed from his mouth, blanketing the area around him, while every pore in his body tried to control and release toxins.
This was the third stage of Jade Phosphorus Violet Poison. He still needed more practice to fully master it.
"Snake Belly Sword!"
"Snake Step!"
One after another, he cycled through his soul skills.
Whether martial soul skills or techniques created by the clan, he practiced them all with care.
Seeing how seriously he trained, Ning Rongrong raised her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and began amplifying him.
When Dugu Feng performed Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers, her eyes lit up.
"Dugu Feng, your self-created soul skill is so cool! Point where you want, and it hits. Teach me, okay?"
Her tone was unusually gentle.
Dugu Feng was speechless. "You're an auxiliary-type spirit master. Shouldn't you focus on training your support skills?
Look at my twelve finger strikes—each one is different.
They're controlled by my will, aimed wherever I choose.
I can even send one finger east, another west. If someone attacked from behind, even just hearing the sound, I could lock on and strike a killing blow."
As he spoke, his right hand reached across to his left shoulder, firing a finger strike backward and pinning a falling leaf with precision!
"Too cool!"
Ning Rongrong's mouth formed another perfect "O."
"I may not know much about the cultivation methods of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but just now, your amplification for me never shifted once. That's a problem.
Your first soul skill is Strength Amplification. It's almost useless to me.
Only when I stab out with Snake Belly Sword do I need that extra strength.
At all other times, you should conserve your soul power and pour it into Speed Amplification.
You're a support spirit master, but you also need to control the flow of battle. You must adapt your amplifications to your teammate's skills, their traits, the rhythm of the fight. That requires split-mind control, just like my Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers.
Soul skills might seem simple, but they can always be refined further."
Dugu Feng pointed it out directly.
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. "You said you don't know our sect's soul skills, but what you just said—it's almost the same as what my father told me.
And wait...you know about our Heart Separation Control ?!?"
Dugu Feng gave her a look like she was slow.
"Do I need to 'know' it? You think Sect Master Ning would really amplify with all seven skills at once, draining soul power evenly, like you?
My Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers also consumes different amounts of power depending on the strike.
Our martial souls are different, but the techniques of using soul skills—they're the same in essence."
Ning Rongrong fell into deep thought. She didn't get angry at his look this time.
For the first time, she realized that Dugu Feng's rapid growth had reasons.
She had originally wanted him to "teach" her just to probe into his background and strength.
She thought he grew fast simply because he worked harder.
But now, she had to admit—his understanding of martial souls was top-tier.
Could he really be more of a genius than me?
For the first time, Ning Rongrong admitted it: Dugu Feng was stronger than her.
With that thought, she became serious. She would see just how far his genius went.
So she earnestly discussed Split-Mind Control with him.
The Dugu Clan also had similar techniques—otherwise, how could Jade Phosphorus Twelve Fingers exist?
Now, with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's method as a reference, both of them benefited.
For once, both put all their focus on cultivation.
But their closeness did not escape the notice of Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo.
That very day, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—
Inside a resplendent golden hall, an old man stood, displeased. His frame was shockingly large, all bones propping up his robes. His face was withered, skin tight against his skull, deep-set eyes making him look like a walking skeleton.
That image could only belong to Bone Douluo.
He scowled at Ning Fengzhi, who was leisurely sipping tea on the sofa.
"Fengzhi, Rongrong is spending time with Dugu Feng of the Dugu Clan. And her attitude toward him is nothing like toward Feng Ling and Feng Li.
The Dugu Clan is not a suitable choice of partner."
Ning Fengzhi calmly took another sip of tea.
"Years ago, when Rongrong first fought him in a duel, I had already noticed him.
Though he vanished for some years, now that he's returned, his spirit power has reached twenty-seventh rank.
His academy record says his innate soul power was eighth rank.
I believe—it was at least ninth!"