A Slightly Airheaded Bone Douluo

Ning Fengzhi's peculiar train of thought left Bone Douluo speechless for a moment.

Gu Rong had only seen Ning Fengzhi giving away a Soul Bone like a spendthrift!

But it had actually been a test?

Good heavens...

"Rongrong, did you know?" Gu Rong subconsciously turned his head.

"Yes, I could tell." Ning Rongrong nodded. "Dugu Bo is someone we can trust."

Gu Rong: "..."

Had cultivating to the rank of Titled Douluo somehow made him a little stupid?

Out of the three of them, he was the only one who had failed to see anything.

The Thirty Thousand Year Soul Bone given to Dugu Bo just now was the Sacred Defense Soul Bone they had taken from Tang Hao back then. It did not suit Gu Rong, but it suited the Swan Martial Soul.

Ning Fengzhi had handed it to Dugu Bo for two reasons.

The first was to confirm Dugu Bo's character—to see his first reaction and actions upon receiving a Thirty Thousand Year Soul Bone.

The second was to further verify his character: whether he would give that Soul Bone to Prince Xue Xing.

After all, Dugu Bo owed Prince Xue Xing a favor.

Earlier, Dugu Bo had seemingly spoken up for Xue Beng, settling that karmic debt, but... it probably would not be so simple.

Still, the specifics depended on what Dugu Bo chose to do.

Using a Soul Bone that was not particularly useful to fully confirm the character of a Titled Douluo could not really be considered a loss.

"Fengzhi, Rongrong... do you really think so highly of Dugu Bo?" Bone Douluo truly could not understand.

"Dugu Bo may not be able to defeat most Titled Douluo, but his Martial Soul and poison abilities can wipe out every Soul Master below the rank of Titled Douluo," Ning Rongrong said. "In a sense, his joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can provide every sect disciple with another layer of protection."

"Hmph, aren't Jian Ren and I strong enough?" Bone Douluo asked somewhat unwillingly.

"That's not what I meant." Ning Rongrong spoke awkwardly, feeling as though she was coaxing the two Titled Douluo at home like children.

How had everything become the opposite of the original story?

"I... am guarding against Spirit Hall." Ning Rongrong finally voiced her concern.

"Spirit Hall..."

Upon hearing that, both Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong sighed.

No one knew just how strong Spirit Hall truly was, but one thing was certain: they definitely had more Titled Douluo than they revealed publicly.

"Besides..." Ning Rongrong continued, "Poison Douluo is proficient in medicinal herbs and pharmacology. By joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he can put those talents to even greater use."

"Whether rationally or emotionally, Dugu Bo's value to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect far exceeds that of an ordinary Titled Douluo."

A little worried that Bone Douluo might bristle again, Ning Rongrong added after speaking:

"Uh... I mean, aside from Bone Grandfather and Sword Grandfather, those Titled Douluo around levels 91 to 94."

"Rongrong, you really didn't need to add that." Bone Douluo's face darkened. "Jian Ren and I aren't children. We can judge for ourselves, so you don't need to be so concerned about our feelings."

"No, I was just telling the truth." Ning Rongrong gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, right—what exactly happened with Xue Ye?"

Though they knew Ning Rongrong was changing the subject, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo exchanged a glance.

Bone Douluo said, "It concerns Xue Beng. We hoped it would not become a bigger issue, and Xue Ye seemed to feel the same way. But when we went to the palace, we did not see Xue Qinghe."

"Come to think of it, I found something strange. Prince Xue Xing gave us a Thirty Thousand Year Soul Bone, so why did he call it a Thousand Year Soul Bone when speaking to Xue Ye?"

Could an imperial prince really misjudge even the age of a Soul Bone?

Mistaking a Thirty Thousand Year Soul Bone for a Thousand Year Soul Bone—was that not far too absurd?

Impossible, right?

Bone Douluo found it quite puzzling.

"So that's how it is." Ning Rongrong looked thoughtful.

"Rongrong, what else did you figure out?" Bone Douluo asked.

Ning Rongrong did not answer. If she explained everything herself, Bone Douluo beside her would seem a little airheaded! She looked at her father, Ning Fengzhi, and said:

"Dad, I don't know the full course of events, so I don't know what conclusion you reached. Could you tell us?"

Ning Fengzhi looked at Ning Rongrong, then at Bone Douluo. After gathering his thoughts, he explained:

"There are two possibilities. The first is that Xue Ye does not trust Prince Xue Xing, which made Prince Xue Xing afraid to reveal it."

"The second possibility is that Xue Beng is not as much of a wastrel as the rumors claim, but Prince Xue Xing does not want anyone to know. Giving us the Thousand Year Soul Bone was likewise meant to seal our mouths."

"The reason Xue Beng was made to pretend to be a wastrel may also be related to Prince Xue Xing. As for the true reason... just as Rongrong mentioned before, he suspects that the deaths of the Second Prince and Third Prince were connected to Xue Qinghe."

"Through this matter, Prince Xue Xing likely also wanted us to understand that Xue Qinghe is not as kind as the outside world believes."

"He wanted to force us not to choose sides now—or, even if we did, to think long and hard before doing so."

"Th-this is so complicated?" Bone Douluo's eyelids twitched. Prince Xue Xing concealing the age of the Soul Bone, and Xue Beng provoking Rongrong—simply not telling Xue Qinghe about either of those things could lead to consequences this enormous. Absurd. Utterly absurd.

"Yeah." Ning Fengzhi sighed. "I'm starting to wonder whether becoming Xue Qinghe's teacher was the right decision."

"Rongrong, what do you think?" Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze toward Ning Rongrong.

"The matter of taking him as a disciple has already become a done deal, hasn't it?" Ning Rongrong's tone carried a trace of helplessness.

It was not as though they could not simply walk away from it.

But if they did, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's reputation across the entire Douluo Continent would be ruined!

The heir to the Heaven Dou Empire was taking a master, all the witnesses had arrived, and then the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect said, "We're not doing this anymore. We're going home to sleep." What credibility would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have left?

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was in business. They had to honor their word.

Even if a deal fell through, goodwill should remain.

They were not Tang Da Chui, who picked up the Clear Sky Hammer every day and smashed things everywhere, acting like a demolition crew.

They were civilized people.

Taking Qian Renxue as a disciple was not impossible. It was merely a question of how to handle what came afterward!

Ning Rongrong's only concern was the God Realm.

In the original story, Bibi Dong began the Rakshasa God trial and needed to devour someone with an Angel Martial Soul.

Then Qian Xunji became the sacrifice.

Tang San's divine trial was even more outrageous—he could even watch Qian Renxue's divine trial unfold.

Twice in a row! That already counted as provocation!

And the Angel God had no reaction at all?

If someone claimed the Angel God was still alive, would anyone believe it?

And also, also...

In the original story, Ning Rongrong and Oscar used their resurrection skill to revive Tang San. That was even more ridiculous!

Never mind the Rakshasa God in the God Realm—did the Angel God really have nothing to say about that?

That was practically cheating right in its face, okay?!

Based on all that, Ning Rongrong remained cautious toward Qian Renxue.

As for Tang San, his early and middle stages were rather miserable. Leaving aside whether he could follow the original story after joining Shrek, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill was absolutely out of the question.

Besides, she had no desire to drag the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect down with her and have Spirit Hall wipe them out.

Simply put, during the early and middle stages, Spirit Hall was one reckless disaster after another, with endless troubles; once Tang San and the others rose to power in the later stages, they could not finish Spirit Hall off anyway.

As for Shrek... that mainly depended on the God Realm.

"Forget it. Development comes first! I'll sit steady and watch the world unfold."

As long as she could push Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo to rank ninety-nine, then raise Ning Fengzhi to Titled Douluo.

She would still be the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, able to have whatever she wanted.

Hoping her father would become a dragon was better than starting over from scratch.

What if it actually worked?

With that thought, Ning Rongrong's mind settled. She looked at Ning Fengzhi and asked:

"Have you prepared anything for Xue Qinghe's apprenticeship gift?"