Bottleneck

Chen Xin laughed and scolded, "It is indeed foolish to announce your background. I never expected Tianchen to have such awareness."

In sparring matches within the sect, it was generally best to follow the rules. After all, they were all on the same side, so there was no need to worry about anything.

It was only because Ning Tianchen's Soul Power Level was lower than his opponent's that others had no grounds for gossip.

Ning Fengzhi wore a faint smile throughout. "Ning Mou believes that preserving as much suspense as possible before the official fight begins would be better."

Normally, a soul master who had just absorbed their first soul ring would only be at level eleven. Yet Tianchen was already level fourteen, which could greatly confuse his opponent.

Upon hearing that, Bu Qing immediately flew into a rage.

"You dare look down on me? First Spirit Ability, Water Domain!"

The Water Cloud Staff spun rapidly in his hands, forming a patch of water on the Martial Arts Arena.

The Water Domain was not large, covering only the ground beneath Ning Tianchen's feet. Standing within it reduced his movement speed by twenty percent.

"A control-type spirit ability?" Ning Tianchen murmured, yet made no move.

His opponent's spirit possessed no long-range attack methods. If Bu Qing wanted to harm him, he had to close the distance.

Ning Tianchen's legs were trapped in the Water Domain, but only his movement on foot was affected; his upper body remained unrestricted. Therefore, he did not need to do anything. He only had to wait for his opponent to approach.

"How is that possible? He's trapped in my Water Domain, yet he isn't panicking at all!" Bu Qing shouted.

Below the Martial Arts Arena, Ning Fengzhi could not help shaking his head with a sigh.

For a child, feeling their movements restricted would inevitably cause panic. But for someone experienced in battle, it would have no real effect.

At that moment, Ning Tianchen stood on the Martial Arts Arena with his sword in hand, like a battle-hardened veteran.

"Sword Uncle, have you ever taught Tianchen combat techniques?"

Chen Xin thought for a moment, then chuckled. "This old man did mention a few things. I never expected the boy to remember them. Heh, he truly surprises this old man."

Seeing that Ning Tianchen refused to take the bait, Bu Qing grew anxious.

Maintaining the Water Domain continuously consumed his soul power. At his age, his control over soul power was still crude. He only knew that if this continued, his soul power would eventually be exhausted.

Unable to contain his impatience, he took the initiative and attacked.

The Water Cloud Staff danced in his hands as he explosively pushed off with both legs and charged toward his opponent. Raising the staff, he aimed to bring it down in a heavy strike.

Ning Tianchen's gaze sharpened as he swept his sword upward.

While he had stood still earlier, he had also been gathering momentum.

A layer of soul power coated the Seven Kill Sword. As he swung, sword qi burst forth from its blade, catching his opponent off guard.

"Unfortunately, relying only on the first soul ring's insight into sword qi is still too forced." Ning Tianchen felt some regret.

The damage from that sword qi was only slightly greater than a normal slash with his sword.

Bu Qing frowned deeply, unable to stop himself from thinking, Such powerful attack strength. Is this the same Seven Kill Sword Spirit as Sword Offering's? It doesn't feel like it.

Whether it was the Seven Kill Sword or not, that attack power was undeniably real.

If he had not blocked in time, one of his arms might have been cut off.

"Second Spirit Ability, Water Cloud Waltz Staff!"

To preserve enough soul power, Bu Qing chose to deactivate his First Spirit Ability.

The Water Cloud Staff whirled rapidly in his hands. When the final strike descended, it formed a phantom that smashed toward Ning Tianchen.

"First Spirit Ability, Azure Dragon Break!"

A layer of sword qi gathered over the Seven Kill Sword's blade. Ning Tianchen swung the Seven Kill Sword, and the sword qi transformed into the phantom of an azure dragon.

The two phantoms collided, and the Water Cloud Staff was utterly suppressed.

"How is this possible?!"

Not only Bu Qing, the person involved, but even the spectators could not help crying out.

How could a soul master's First Spirit Ability shatter a Soul Grandmaster's Second Spirit Ability?

Chen Xin's breathing quickened as he blurted out, "The Seven Kill Sword has always been the continent's number one attack-type Weapon Spirit. Now that Tianchen's spirit has evolved once more, its attack power has made a tremendous leap. In the future, the title of number one Weapon Spirit under heaven may return to the Seven Kill Sword because of Tianchen."

Seeing his expression, Ning Fengzhi knew this was no empty talk.

Chen Xin's grandfather, Chen Xun, had once been defeated by Tang Chen. From then on, the Seven Kill Sword had completely lost its position as the number one Weapon Spirit under heaven.

Now that he had witnessed Ning Tianchen's performance, perhaps the future truly would unfold as Chen Xin had said.

Would that not mean the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would possess two number ones under heaven?

If so, the sect would once again be elevated to entirely new heights.

Thinking of this, Ning Fengzhi tried his best to restrain his excitement so that he would not lose his composure before others.

There was no longer any suspense in the battle that followed.

Ning Tianchen deliberately prolonged the match in order to temper his swordsmanship and movement techniques.

Only when he felt he could no longer improve did he end the match.

After stepping down from the Martial Arts Arena, Chen Xin patted his shoulder with a satisfied expression. "You did very well. Remember today's feeling. From now on, this old man will arrange sparring matches for you every day."

"Thank you, Sword Offering." Ning Tianchen clasped his hands in thanks.

He had gained quite a lot from today's battle against a stronger opponent.

While Ning Rongrong was away, he had to seize the time to deepen his understanding. Once she returned, he would probably have to set aside some time every day to play with her.

Over the next half year, Ning Tianchen studied at the Special Training Camp in the mornings and sparred with sect disciples in the afternoons. After Ning Rongrong finished school, they would stroll around Heaven Dou City for a while.

Rather than objecting, Ning Fengzhi was happy to let them go out and have fun.

After all, affection nurtured from childhood would only become deeper in the future.

Of course, Ning Tianchen had also gained quite a few benefits from Ning Rongrong during this time. His personal treasury gradually became more substantial as well.

One morning, Chen Xin inspected his cultivation as usual.

Ning Tianchen eagerly told him about the issues he had encountered in recent days of training. "Sword Offering, no matter how I spar with others these days, my swordsmanship simply cannot break through."

After a pause, he added, "I plan to use this bottleneck period to devote more energy to cultivating my soul power."

Chen Xin did not agree with his idea. "Encountering bottlenecks in cultivation is inevitable, but for you right now, the gains from cultivating soul power are far less than those from practicing swordsmanship."

"The golden period for a soul master's cultivation is from the age of twelve to thirty. At your current stage, once you reduce your swordsmanship training, it is very likely that your understanding of the sword will regress."

"For now, you may temporarily give up cultivating soul power. While maintaining your swordsmanship practice, devote more time to rest."

"Cultivation requires balancing work and rest. During this time, go have some fun with Rongrong. Also, the Sect Master wants you to persuade Rongrong not to casually talk back to her teachers at the Special Training Camp."

Ning Tianchen smiled helplessly.

So this was a new assignment.

Still, because of his cultivation bottleneck, he truly had neglected Ning Rongrong these past few days.

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