The Adorable Ning Rongrong

As Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong planned, based on the talent Lin Yao had displayed, to build him into the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's next generation during his growth.

Lin Yao, the subject of their conversation, was fully focused on Cultivation in his room, free of distractions.

Gentle yet dense Soul Power flowed slowly through the Meridians within his body like a lively stream. Every circulation was like a tender cleansing and nourishment for his body.

Under the careful nourishment of that Soul Power, Lin Yao could clearly feel his strength increasing in a subtle yet continuous manner.

Although this increase did not bring the shocking, leap-like improvement that came from absorbing a Soul Ring, his Cultivation speed was already much faster than that of others with Innate Full Soul Power at the same level.

"Not bad Cultivation speed.

Sure enough, compared to the Soul Master stage, the Soul Power absorption and accumulation speed at the Soul Elder stage is much faster, and the Soul Power absorption efficiency within my body has become purer as well.

Getting a Soul Ring early was absolutely the right decision."

Lin Yao silently sighed to himself.

When he sensed a trace of fatigue in his Meridians as his body absorbed and transformed Soul Power, he understood that he needed rest to balance work and recovery. Only after he had recovered could he efficiently absorb Soul Power again, so he slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, a brilliant streak of Golden Light flashed through his eyes before disappearing into their depths.

With the successful addition of this Soul Ring, the potential of the Star Sword had been unlocked as though by a mysterious key, developing immensely.

His Cultivation speed also seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, becoming even faster.

After adding the Soul Ring, one benefit after another had followed.

Lin Yao did not know whether others could have such a wonderful experience, but he knew in his heart that he had truly gained enormously this time.

He could not help but wonder whether, aside from his exceptional talent, absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his limit had also produced some special effect.

"What's this..."

Just as Lin Yao turned his head to relax, he inadvertently spotted a letter lying quietly on the table.

On the envelope were several crookedly written words: "Meet at the Martial Arts Arena tonight. Signed, the Big Sister of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Seeing those words, Lin Yao paused slightly before the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a faint smile.

He opened the letter and found even fewer words inside, only a dozen or so crooked characters filled with ambition and determination: "A showdown tonight. Let's decide who will be the sect's future boss."

"This girl knows I'm back, yet she didn't come see me and left a letter instead. Could she have read too many storybooks and decided to challenge me by letter?"

Lin Yao muttered softly, unable to stop Ning Rongrong's playful, adorable image from appearing in his mind.

"If I hadn't seen this letter and failed to show up tonight, wouldn't this girl have waited there for a long time? If she got stood up, wouldn't she be furious?"

Lin Yao shook his head. He thought that resting during his break from Cultivation and playing along with Ning Rongrong would not hurt.

This was also a good chance to let her understand that she could not beat him in age, much less in strength. She was born to be the little sister, so she should stop constantly thinking about becoming the older sister.

By then, night had already fallen, and the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was shrouded beneath a quiet black veil.

Lin Yao walked steadily toward the Martial Arts Arena.

He did not encounter many people along the way, only occasionally passing a few patrolling disciples.

Those patrol members had clearly learned of his identity from Ning Fengzhi and the others. When they saw him, they all respectfully bowed slightly.

Then they did not disturb him further and continued concentrating on their patrol duties.

Lin Yao now held an extremely high position within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. His priority ranked only below Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, and the two Title Douluo.

However, some people found this deeply puzzling.

Lin Yao might possess the exceptional talent of Innate Full Soul Power and a top-tier Martial Soul, but that did not mean he should ascend in a single step and receive such lofty treatment.

In their eyes, one should only possess such an extraordinary position after increasing one's strength and making a certain contribution to the sect.

Lin Yao's status within the sect had suddenly risen so sharply that it was as though he were the illegitimate son of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master, brought back home.

Ning Rongrong might have noticed that the three elders were showing Lin Yao exceptional care. Feeling that some of the affection she normally enjoyed had been taken away, she developed a strong defensive reaction and the desire to suppress Lin Yao.

In truth, there was also some gossip and dissatisfaction within the sect.

How had someone who came from elsewhere to make a living in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect suddenly gained a status higher than some senior and talented disciples within the sect?

However, Ning Fengzhi had established tremendous prestige within the sect over the years through his outstanding efforts to revive it. On top of that, Chen Xin had accepted Lin Yao as his student, so even those with thoughts in their hearts chose silence and said nothing more.

But Ning Rongrong had placed the letter in Lin Yao's room before he returned today. There might not have been no one secretly guiding her behind the scenes.

Those people wanted to test Lin Yao's true strength and see just how capable this so-called genius was after obtaining his Soul Ring—whether he was truly outstanding or merely impressive on the surface but useless in practice.

The thoughts behind it all were complex and subtle, difficult to describe one by one.

"He's here."

"That guy's here. Hurry up and stand, stop squatting."

"Young Miss Rongrong, he's here."

The moment Lin Yao stepped into the Martial Arts Arena, he saw a group of people.

That group had originally looked listless, but the instant they saw him, they became excited, as though a stone had been tossed into a calm lake and sent ripples spreading across its surface.

At their head was Ning Rongrong, who had just been boredly feeding mosquitoes.

"Hmph, you bad guy. You made me wait so long, but you finally came. If I hadn't been worried about disturbing your Cultivation and getting punished by Father, Sword Grandfather, and Bone Grandfather, I would have kicked your door down already."

The moment Ning Rongrong saw Lin Yao, she pouted and complained with an aggrieved look, just like a spoiled little princess.

"Little Sister Rongrong, why did you suddenly arrange all this? I didn't see you when I came back today, and I actually missed you quite a bit. So the moment I saw you tonight, my mood improved considerably."

Lin Yao smiled, his tone filled with indulgence.

The moment he said that, the expressions of some people behind Ning Rongrong instantly changed.

Some looked surprised, while others wore strange expressions as they cautiously glanced at Ning Rongrong, whose little face had faintly reddened.

Those with quick minds heard Lin Yao's words and felt that their relationship was likely that of particularly close brother and sister.

And this relationship seemed to have the sect master's approval.

If they helped Young Miss Rongrong now, would they end up offending both sides later?

"Stop saying nice things. Unless you personally call me big sister, I'll teach you a proper lesson today and let you know who's older and who's younger."

As Ning Rongrong spoke, she waved her hand. Several people immediately stepped out from behind her and surrounded Lin Yao in a fan-shaped formation.

"Little Brother Yao, do you want them to challenge you together, or do you want to challenge all of them by yourself?"

Ning Rongrong blinked and asked with a sly expression, as if she were already certain of victory.

"Oh, this is quite sophisticated. Are you thinking that if I knock them all down by myself, you'll never be able to escape being the little sister?"

Lin Yao raised an eyebrow and teased.

"Hmph, say whatever you want. This time, I feel like I've definitely won.

Young Miss Rongrong never fights battles she isn't sure of winning.

I'll give you a chance now. Just become my little brother, and you can follow me around enjoying the good life from now on. That'll save you from suffering physically."

Ning Rongrong raised her chin with an extremely arrogant tone, deliberately flicking her smooth, neat short hair with one hand.

Her smug appearance made people want to vigorously ruffle her hair and pinch her adorable little cheeks.

Lin Yao looked at the people behind Ning Rongrong and noticed that the oldest among them was only five or six years older than himself. He concluded that none of them could possibly be a Soul Ancestor, and he relaxed.

Then he gently shook his head and said:

"No. I don't think you can defeat me just by relying on those people behind you. This time, you're probably going to miscalculate. You should wait and obediently call me big brother, Little Sister Rongrong."

"So arrogant! You all, stop standing around. Teach this guy who keeps trying to be my big brother a lesson and let him know that Young Miss Rongrong's dignity cannot be offended."

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's pout rose even higher in anger, and she immediately gave the order to those people.

"Young Master Lin Yao, don't blame us. We're only following orders."

The leader stepped forward and spoke politely. He looked roughly seven or eight years older than Lin Yao and was the strongest among this group.

Although his tone was polite, his attitude toward Lin Yao was mostly because of someone else.

And that someone else, unsurprisingly, was Ning Fengzhi, who valued Lin Yao's talent.

He did not understand Lin Yao's true strength, nor could he be bothered to understand it.

Even though he knew this might offend Lin Yao, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect bore the surname Ning after all. He had neither reason nor qualification to refuse Ning Rongrong's request.

Even if he was considered a minor genius among his peers.

He had heard that this person had some small teacher-student connection with Sword Douluo, but before Young Miss Rongrong's prestige, that relationship seemed far less important.

Still, this placed some pressure on Yan Jun.

So he thought that he would be gentler when making his move and maintain some restraint. It would be enough to make Lin Yao look slightly embarrassed.

As for doing all this, it was to earn Ning Rongrong's trust and perhaps even fulfill his family's hopes by building a good relationship with her.

Then he would obtain corresponding resources, and with his talent, he would certainly go farther on the path of a Soul Master.

Lin Yao looked at the speaker with calm eyes and softly said:

"You're very confident in your strength. You don't really think you've already won, do you?"

"If we were the same age, I admit that I would not compare to a top genius like you with Innate Full Soul Power.

But in reality, I am much older than you and have the advantage of age. My current strength is not something you can compare to.

My name is Yan Jun. My Martial Soul is the Iron Armored Bear. I am a level thirty-one Attack Type Battle Soul Elder.

Now you should understand the gap between us, right?"

Yan Jun stopped the others who wanted to join in and introduced himself according to the customs of Douluo Continent.

The moment he finished speaking, three Soul Rings rose from his body.

The first was a pale yellow Soul Ring emitting a faint glow. The second was a deep yellow Soul Ring, while the last was a noble pale purple Soul Ring—a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

This optimal Soul Ring configuration displayed his strength and pride as a Soul Elder.

"Not bad."

Seeing the three Soul Rings floating around Yan Jun and sensing the pressure of a Soul Elder emanating from them, Lin Yao remained expressionless as he spoke softly.

Yan Jun was probably one of the most outstanding youths in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's generation.

Becoming a Soul Elder at fourteen or fifteen, he would have been fully qualified to join Shrek's second team in the original story, second only to Tang San and the others who had consumed Immortal Herbs.

In Douluo Continent, Soul Masters could mostly only improve their strength through precious items such as Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Other resources that increased strength were extremely scarce.

For an ordinary genius like Yan Jun, improvement would become slower and slower later on, which was why he had remained unknown in the original story.

Compared to the Shrek Seven Devils, who had both the aid of Immortal Herbs and the empowerment of Divine Throne Inheritance, ordinary geniuses would inevitably fail to keep up when talent needed to erupt later on. Their talent was insufficient, and they had never been altered.

"You so-called top genius—I already found your Innate Full Soul Power astonishing when I first heard of it.

But now it seems your arrogant contempt for others is far stronger than your actual strength."

Yan Jun saw Lin Yao's calm expression, as though bullying a First Ring Soul Master with the strength of a Soul Elder did not deserve even the slightest attention from the latter.

Lin Yao looked as though he had already won. Anger immediately rose in Yan Jun's heart, and he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Little brother, no matter how strong your talent is, with your current strength, you are no match for me.

You had better comply with the young miss's wishes. That way, we can avoid conflict, and everyone will save face."

Yan Jun attempted to subdue Lin Yao without fighting.

"No need. This is a good opportunity to see what an opponent at the Soul Elder level is like."

Ignoring Yan Jun's words, Lin Yao immediately summoned the Star Sword.

As he held the Star Sword, the pale purple Soul Ring floating around its blade instantly shocked everyone present.

Everyone's pupils suddenly shrank, their faces filled with astonishment. Then sharp intakes of breath rose one after another.

"Hiss!"

"How is that possible?!"

"A... a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? His first Soul Ring is actually a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? This..."

"And judging by the Soul Power fluctuations around him, he isn't merely a First Ring Soul Master who just broke through. He has already reached level seventeen..."

Everyone exclaimed in disbelief. Their doubts about Lin Yao's rumored talent vanished beneath that pale purple Soul Ring.

Ning Rongrong, who knew Lin Yao best among them, was even more stunned. Her little mouth hung slightly open, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

How had this guy who always wanted to be her big brother caused such a huge commotion after not seeing her for just over ten days?

Not only had he absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, his Soul Power had even broken through to level seventeen, eight levels above hers. What kind of monster was he?

For the first time, Ning Rongrong, who possessed the honor of being the most talented direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in centuries, was utterly shaken and felt a deeply buried trace of helplessness.

Suddenly, Ning Rongrong felt that her plan to subdue Lin Yao this time might be in trouble. This won't backfire, will it?