Improper

The next morning, Su Cheng stood by the window of his hotel room, looking at the sunrise streaming in, silently reminiscing about the madness of the previous night.

Actually, he didn't really intend to do anything by bringing Zhu Zhuqing out for training and incidentally guiding her in cultivation.

Even when checking into the hotel, they booked two rooms.

He wasn't pretending to be serious.

Although Zhu Zhuqing is High-level Spirit Master, and her appearance and figure are already extremely mature, she is actually not that old.

Given that he just broke through to the next level, his mental state isn't great, and he should get more rest.

Moreover, even if she didn't say it outright, Su Cheng could tell that she was under a lot of pressure. As for where this pressure came from, it was self-evident.

Not only that, he also couldn't think of a good solution for Qian Renxue's situation at the moment.

Taking it any further would be unfair to any of them.

But Su Cheng never expected that Zhu Zhuqing would be so proactive, which was completely beyond his expectations.

The stark contrast between her words and actions last night and her usual demeanor made her incredibly alluring.

One couldn't control himself...

What's most surprising is that Zhu Zhuqing's constitution is really sensitive, which is completely opposite to her appearance and her temperament.

"Sigh, what are you still hesitating about? You've already thought it through, why are you still looking back and forth here..."

As I pondered this, I became somewhat lost in thought.

"Brush--"

Suddenly, a chilling light, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, swept in and hovered directly in front of Su Cheng's neck.

The sharp blade seemed capable of slicing through hair, causing a slight stinging pain to his skin.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Su Cheng looked helpless and tilted his head back slightly to avoid the sharp blade pressed tightly against his skin.

"Do you think I'm a toy?!"

A chilling voice, almost capable of freezing the air, came from behind, carrying an barely suppressed, intense rage.

Recalling the events of the previous night, Zhu Zhuqing felt both angry and ashamed, her pretty face flushed red.

"No, didn't you enjoy it too?"

"You're still spouting nonsense here!"

Su Cheng turned around, and the girl opposite him was only wearing a simple undershirt.

On the large expanse of exposed fair skin, there were still many red marks and hickeys.

He glanced at it but didn't pay any attention, assuming that the other party hadn't had time to remove these marks with their Soul Power. He reached out and hugged her slender and supple waist, and gently kissed her fair cheek.

Seeing that he ignored her threats, Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth inwardly, but could only helplessly withdraw her Soul Power, pretend to calmly shake off the arm, and coldly snorted, "Wait for me a moment."

After saying that, she turned around, picked up her clothes from the ground, dressed quickly, and went to the next room.

As a result, more than an hour passed while they waited.

The door was opened softly.

How could you—

Before he could finish saying "so long," Su Cheng swallowed the words back, a hint of amazement flashing involuntarily in his eyes.

It was still the familiar jet-black fitted long dress, but this time it was embroidered with dark silver patterns, as simple yet mysterious as the night sky.

A dazzling Diamond Necklace adorned her delicate collarbone, each diamond sparkling brilliantly. On each of her fair, slender earlobes hung a stud earring, set with a deep blue gemstone—clearly a valuable piece.

A light red eyeshadow was applied to the corners of her eyes, making her already captivating bright almond-shaped eyes appear even more translucent.

Her long hair, shimmering with a dark red luster, reached her waist. Combined with the cold and aloof aura cultivated from that past memory, along with her tall figure and perfect bust and hip curves after advancing to Soul Emperor, she appeared exceptionally noble and dignified.

She didn't look like a young girl at all; instead, she seemed more like a high-ranking noblewoman in her twenties.

"What are you looking at?"

Noticing Su Cheng's somewhat dazed look, Zhu Zhuqing felt smug, but said nonchalantly.

She smoothed the strands of hair that had fallen down her temples, and the exquisite sterling silver hair ornament that was inserted at an angle gleamed.

Upon seeing this, Su Cheng was both amazed and somewhat puzzled.

Although Zhu Zhuqing wasn't exactly unkempt in the past, she rarely cared about her appearance. Her clothes were always simple and lightweight, not to mention makeup and accessories. How come she looks like a completely different person today?

"What are you doing...?"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and go."

Zhu Zhuqing waved her hand impatiently, showing no intention of explaining.

Su Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and a playful smile appeared on his face. "Could it be that you're getting dressed up for so long because you're going to meet my elders?"

"Stop being so self-righteous here, aren't you annoying?" Zhu Zhuqing blushed upon hearing this, then turned around and was about to leave.

"Etc."

Su Cheng quickly pulled her back, gently tidied the hair behind her ear, and then gently stroked her delicate neck and collarbone with his fingers.

He subtly channeled his Soul Power through his fingertips, preparing to erase the remaining red marks on her long neck.

"Slap!" The next moment, his fingers were slapped away by Zhu Zhuqing. "What are you doing?"

"You still have some red marks here, let me take care of them for you."

"I can do it myself, can you stop wasting your time here?"

"Um, okay."

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is located more than ten miles outside of Heaven Dou City.

After leaving the hotel, the two arrived at the foot of Zongmen Mountain in no time.

This was Zhu Zhuqing's first time here, and she was somewhat surprised. "I've long heard that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the richest in the world. Seeing it today, I can see that this mountain gate is truly extraordinary, no less than the Star Luo Imperial Palace."

"Yes, they are indeed a wealthy family." Su Cheng sighed softly, his expression somewhat strange.

In this world, without strength to rely on, no matter how much money you have, you're just someone else's piggy bank.

Excluding himself, the current strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is actually insufficient to match their enormous wealth.

Without lingering at the foot of the mountain, the two walked up the mountain together.

The disciples guarding the mountain all recognized Su Cheng by now, and they did not stop him from arriving. They simply sent one disciple back to the sect ahead of time to greet him.

Su Cheng didn't mind what he saw. Instead, he slowed down and strolled along the mountain path with Zhu Zhuqing.

"I heard you even adopted a younger sister at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Walking along the road, Zhu Zhuqing casually asked as if nothing was wrong.

"That's right." Su Cheng nodded. "She is the sect leader's only biological daughter, and she has exceptional talent. She is considered the designated successor to the sect leader."

"You mean Ning Rongrong, the one who sided with the Heaven Dou Royal Family before? Her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul caused quite a stir back then. But given your personality, why would you suddenly adopt a younger sister? Even if she's exceptionally talented, she's at most on the same level as my former food-type Soul Master teammate Oscar."

"I come from an ordinary background. No matter how talented I am, without a background, I would be unable to make a difference in a place like Heaven Dou City. It is thanks to my teacher's favor and the guidance of Senior Poison Douluo that I was able to complete some of my plans. My teacher had no children of his own and treated Ning Rongrong as his own daughter. Since he had this idea, I had no reason to object."

"You have very deep feelings for Senior Sword Douluo."

"My teachers are like family to me."

"So in the end you still betrayed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and became a lackey of the Spirit Hall."

"Hey, don't be so rude," Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'becoming a lackey'? Besides, you've joined the Spirit Hall too, so what does that make you? 'Marrying a dog, following the dog'?"

At this point, he suddenly chuckled softly, "Speaking of which, I wonder who was pretending to be a cat or a dog in bed last night?"

"Su Cheng!"

Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face flushed bright red instantly, and she grabbed his arm, ready to lash out.

"Elder brother!"

Suddenly, a beautiful figure appeared from the side of the mountain path, calling out loudly in their direction, and then ran over quickly with a joyful expression.

"Ning Rongrong." Su Cheng noticed her and quickly waved to greet her.

The person who arrived was Ning Rongrong.

When she got closer, she noticed the intimate way the two were pulling and tugging at each other, and her smile froze slightly as she carefully examined Zhu Zhuqing standing next to Su Cheng.

The woman before him was extremely beautiful; with the shimmering pearls in her hair ornaments, she seemed almost otherworldly.

But compared to her exquisite looks and outstanding figure, her noble and aloof temperament is far more eye-catching.

"Long time no see, Ning Rongrong." Su Cheng looked at Ning Rongrong with some surprise in his eyes. "It seems you haven't wasted your time in the past year or so."

The girl before them had already reached the mid-stage of the Soul Ancestor.

This rate of improvement in strength is quite astonishing.

While the medicinal properties of the Immortal Herb, the Aromatic Silk Beauty, and her already remarkable talent played a role, she was clearly also diligently cultivating. Considering Ning Rongrong's somewhat playful nature, this was quite commendable.

"Yes, I'm already at level 44 in Soul Power, and I'm almost at level 45." Ning Rongrong nodded first, then seemed a little dissatisfied and said angrily, "I came back less than two days after you left last time. Why didn't you wait for me a few more days?"

"Is that so? Haha, that's indeed a bit unfortunate. I had some other things to attend to at the time. Besides, I told the sect leader that I would be back soon, and it's only been a little over half a year since then."

Seeing that she kept glancing at the woman beside her, Su Cheng took the initiative to introduce her, "This is Zhu Zhuqing, the student from the Shrek Academy who has the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul, whom you have met before."

"Hello." Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly to her, reverting to her usual aloof expression.

"So it was you!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise.

No wonder she felt this woman looked familiar, but couldn't quite place where she had seen her before.

However, the other person's change was too great. It seemed as if they had matured by seven or eight years in an instant, and their temperament was completely different from before.

Or rather, this should be the aura she naturally possesses, but because her appearance was still somewhat immature at the time, it didn't show up.

"You..."

Ning Rongrong's gaze lingered for a moment on Zhu Zhuqing's clean, white, jade-like neck.

The patches of red marks in that place were somewhat glaring.

Although she was young, she knew a lot, and some bad thoughts immediately arose in my mind.

"Cheng'er".

Before the group could say anything more, several more figures appeared at the end of the mountain road.

Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and Gu Rong all came out from the sect's main hall to greet them.

Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi both wore smiles, and even Gu Rong was no longer as indifferent as before.

Those two volumes of the Innate Skill seem to have indeed played a significant role.

However, the image of him smiling on his bony, stiff face was rather unappealing.

"Teacher, Sect Master, Senior Bone."

After greeting the group in turn, Su Cheng continued, "This is His Holiness the Pope's personal disciple, Zhu Zhuqing."

"So he's a disciple of the Pope."

Ning Fengzhi nodded, then said, "Let's go, don't stand outside, let's go back and talk first."

After saying that, he led the group toward the central Council Hall of the sect.

The distance was short, and the six people quickly entered the hall and took their seats as host and guest.

This place is considered the core area of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and they never assign disciples to serve here.

Therefore, Ning Fengzhi personally took the teacup and teapot from the table.

Just as he was about to brew tea, Su Cheng interrupted him, saying, "Leave the sect leader to me. Drink the tea I brought."

As he spoke, he took out a small wooden jar the size of a fist from his Soul Tool and gave Zhu Zhuqing a wink.

Zhu Zhuqing frowned secretly upon seeing this, recalling what the other party had said in the Moonlight Pavilion yesterday.

Su Cheng took the teapot from Ning Fengzhi, poured in a small amount of tea leaves and cold water, and then heated it with his Soul Power.

When the water temperature was just about to boil, stop transferring Soul Power and wait a moment before lifting the lid.

Then a delightful fragrance wafted out.

The aroma of the tea alone was enough to make everyone present, who were used to fine teas, show expressions of enjoyment.

"How is it compared to the tea served at the Moonlight Pavilion?"

After pouring tea for the group, Su Cheng raised an eyebrow at Zhu Zhuqing.

"Why didn't you take it out back then?" Zhu Zhuqing, unwilling to back down, changed the subject.

"This stuff is extremely precious, I can't bear to offer it to Yu Tianheng."

"This is truly excellent tea. Even within the Spirit Hall, this kind of tea is quite rare," Ning Fengzhi remarked after tasting it.

As Honorary Elder of the Spirit Hall, he was naturally entertained every time he visited Spirit City.

Not to mention that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School was extremely wealthy and had countless delicacies, yet they had never tasted such fine tea.

"It's specially made for the Pope; I brought it here as a gift for some of my elders," Su Cheng chuckled.

"Neither the elders nor anyone else?"

"No."

His words did not cause any ripples in the hearts of the others. In their view, it was perfectly normal for Su Cheng to receive some special treatment given his talent and contributions.

Ning Fengzhi was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously glanced at Su Cheng again, pondering to himself.

He knew Su Cheng was never a boastful person, and that bringing out such fine tea today was undoubtedly a gesture of respect to Chen Xin, as Su Cheng had claimed. However, the fact that he specifically mentioned the Pope suggested there might be other motives.

He then thought of the progress they and a few disciples had made in cultivating the Innate Skill over the past few days, as well as the discussions he had had with Chen Xin Gu Rong about the current situation on the continent, and suddenly he became thoughtful.

However, apart from him and Su Cheng, the others also had their own thoughts and were somewhat distracted.

Chen Xin and Ning Rongrong secretly scrutinized Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting on the other side.

The extremely casual way she and Su Cheng were exchanging words just now both made them somewhat uneasy.

Chen Xin, in particular, was filled with doubt.

Although he was devoted to the way of the sword and never married, he had seen so much in his life that he could naturally see the unusual nature of their relationship.

But he was even more aware of the relationship between Su Cheng and Qian Renxue of the Spirit Hall.

That granddaughter of Qian Daoliu is obviously extremely strong and domineering, and she has a very deep relationship with Su Cheng. How could she tolerate the existence of another person?

Even he himself had already been respecting and blessing the relationship between the two, so how did another one suddenly appear?

In addition, this Zhu Zhuqing is also somewhat strange.

The Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul is extraordinary, and it has intricate connections with the Star Luo Imperial Family. Why would it choose to join the Spirit Hall, become a disciple of the Pope, and be entangled with Su Cheng? All of this is completely illogical.

The more he thought about it, the more speechless he became. He simply couldn't believe that his disciple, whom he treated almost like his own son, was so frivolous deep down.

On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing was also in a state of emotional turmoil, and didn't even notice the strange looks from Chen Xin and the others.

What puzzled her was why Su Cheng and Bibi Dong had such a good relationship.

The Pope allowed him to give a drink that even other elders were not allowed to enjoy to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Why did Bibi Dong go to such lengths to bring herself and Su Cheng together, and break up Qian Renxue?

Thinking back to the scenes that occurred on the Hell Road, and the low moans that Bibi Dong uttered when she was delirious, a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

Even the exceptionally precious tea in his hand was difficult to swallow.

It's estimated that among everyone present, Gu Rong was the only one truly focused on tasting the tea.

"By the way, Cheng'er."

At this moment, Chen Xin finally noticed the look Ning Fengzhi gave him, and a thought struck him as he remembered something else.

He then put aside the matter concerning Zhu Zhuqing for the time being, intending to inquire about it in detail privately later.

Hesitantly, he asked, "Is there another part to the manual you taught me before, or am I mistaken?"

This is why Ning Fengzhi gave him a meaningful look.

Given the relationship between Chen Xin and Su Cheng, it was perfectly fine for him to ask that question.

But if Ning Fengzhi were to ask that question, it would seem rather ungrateful.

"You noticed?" Su Cheng, somewhat surprised.

Chen Xin is indeed different from many Soul Masters in this world. He not only focuses on Soul Power cultivation when improving his strength, but also has a deep understanding of the principles of cultivation.

After a moment of contemplation, he said seriously, "Teacher, you are right, the content is indeed incomplete."

"However, the missing part might have a significant impact, but it's not of much use to you, so I didn't write it all out."

"In fact, there is another part of the Innate Skill that can improve the purity of bloodline and help improve the quality of Martial Soul."

"What?!" Ning Fengzhi reacted strongly upon hearing this. His teacup even trembled slightly, spilling a considerable amount of tea.

However, his first reaction was not to the impact of this technique, but to its significance to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Xiao Cheng..." His eyes were fixed on Su Cheng, hesitant to speak, but the longing in his eyes was hard to hide.

Su Cheng instantly understood his thoughts and shook his head with a slightly helpless expression.

"Sect Master, it's not that I'm deliberately hiding it. I've already said that this part of the content is of no use to you, including the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

"The principle behind the cultivation technique I created for improving the quality of Martial Soul lies in purifying the bloodline, enabling the Martial Soul to reach its highest potential."

"But the upper limit of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is Soul Saint, which is an inherent deficiency. Even if the bloodline is purified to the limit, it is an unchangeable reality."

"Only by using special methods, like Ning Rongrong, to make up for the defects in her Martial Soul, can it be evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

"Cultivating the missing part will at most allow Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master with low Innate Soul Power levels to possess higher quality Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul."

"..." Ning Fengzhi stunned on the spot.

For a moment, he seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit, revealing a hint of dejection.

"I see..."

Zhu Zhuqing, upon hearing this, suddenly frowned and glanced at Ning Rongrong across from her, seemingly unintentionally.

"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda..."

She hadn't thought of this before, but now she suddenly thought of herself.

Just like the Nether Civet Martial Soul and the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul.

Normally, no matter how much one cultivates the techniques, without obtaining the White Tiger Martial Soul bloodline, it is impossible for the Netherworld Cat to directly complete its evolution.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda are fundamentally different; they are no longer the same Martial Soul at all.

So, what's the story with Ning Rongrong?