Training with Ning Rongrong

Ning Rongrong followed Wang Chuan back to his courtyard, where there were many rooms nearby. Wang Chuan casually helped her settle in.

"Is this good enough now? My father told me to follow you," Ning Rongrong said unhappily.

"I didn't want this either. Who knew you'd be so bold? You actually dared to report this to Uncle Ning." Wang Chuan teased casually.

"However, since Uncle Ning has entrusted you to me, how could I betray his good intentions? So, you need to cultivate alongside me," Wang Chuan proposed.

"No, I want to play every day. As for cultivation, can't we wait until I grow up?" Ning Rongrong began acting cute again, her coquettish expression seemingly capable of melting anyone's heart.

"Resistance is futile. Be good and listen. Around seven in the morning, I'll practice my swordsmanship, and you'll study that Secret Technique that can achieve Heart Separation Control beside me. In the afternoon, I'll study evasion techniques, while you'll learn theory from the teacher. At night, it'll be time for Meditation Cultivation." Wang Chuan laid out his plans for Ning Rongrong in full, pouring them out like beans from a bamboo tube.

"Huh? What kind of person are you? Don't you have any time for entertainment at all? Where did someone like you even come from? Are you really happy cultivating every day?" Ning Rongrong asked absentmindedly.

"Happy? Perhaps. But if you cultivate seriously every day, I'll give you one day off every two days. After all, my master taught me that balancing work and rest is the best way to cultivate. What do you think? If you disagree, then you'll cultivate with me every day."

"Fine, fine, I agree. Brother Chuan is the best." After hearing the latter half, how could Ning Rongrong dare refuse? She immediately even started calling him Brother.

More than a month had passed since Ning Fengzhi's earnest lecture. The arrogance Ning Rongrong carried had visibly faded, and she gradually grew accustomed to the regular days of cultivation with Wang Chuan.

At first, she had been unwilling to obey. She was always trying to slack off—secretly dozing during cultivation and cutting corners on the basic movements she was supposed to complete, hoping only to squeeze out more time to play with those novel little things. Wang Chuan saw it all but said nothing, merely deducting an entire day from her scheduled rest time. That struck straight at Ning Rongrong's sore spot. Puffing up with anger, she clenched her fists and went to complain to Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo. Her little mouth was pouting so hard she could have hung an oil bottle from it, and she embellished the story of how Wang Chuan had "deducted" her time.

Yet the three exchanged glances, and none of them took up her complaint. Sword Douluo stroked his beard and said calmly, "Wang Chuan's arrangements have their reasons. Rong Rong, you should listen obediently." Bone Douluo chimed in as well. "Exactly. You little brat, haven't you learned enough lessons yet?" Ning Fengzhi was even more direct. He waved a hand and had an attendant send her back to Wang Chuan's residence. When Wang Chuan finished cultivating that day and saw that she was still sulking, he flicked her forehead twice. The force was light, yet it carried an unmistakable firmness. Ning Rongrong covered her forehead and looked into Wang Chuan's calm, unruffled eyes. The last of her defiance suddenly withered away. From then on, she truly behaved herself much more.

Later, Ning Fengzhi specifically spoke with Wang Chuan and suggested giving Rong Rong appropriate rewards—for instance, if she cultivated diligently for three consecutive days without slacking off, she could be allowed to go play half a day early; or they could find some exquisite little trinkets rarely seen on the market as prizes. The method proved effective. Ning Rongrong seemed to have had her competitive spirit awakened, becoming increasingly serious in her cultivation. The delight she showed when receiving rewards was far more genuine than when she had once thrown tantrums to get things.

The way she addressed Wang Chuan also quietly changed. From the initially reluctant "Wang Chuan," to the awkward "Brother Chuan" later on, and then to the bright, sincere cries of "Brother Chuan" now, even she had not noticed when that closeness had taken root. The power of habit was truly frightening. Even a spoiled little devil like Ning Rongrong had been thoroughly smoothed into obedience.

What was even more surprising was that the month of solid cultivation had not gone to waste. Ning Rongrong's Soul Power steadily broke through from rank nine to rank ten. After her family found a suitable soul ring for her, her Soul Power surged again, directly breaking past rank eleven and leaving her only one step away from rank twelve. Watching the harmonious scene of Wang Chuan patiently guiding her while Rong Rong listened attentively, Ning Fengzhi and the other two stood in the distance with gratified smiles on their faces. This girl had finally set foot on the right path.

Not long after, this steady cultivation brought Ning Rongrong an even greater surprise—she made breakthrough progress in Heart Separation Control and truly grasped its essentials. When she excitedly demonstrated before Ning Fengzhi that she could control three objects at once, the eyes of the usually gentle Sect Master instantly lit up. He immediately had someone bring out the treasured Thousand-Year Jade Marrow to Consolidate Foundation and Cultivate Origin for her. He also specially permitted her to choose a Soul Tool she liked from the family treasury. His affection and pride nearly overflowed.

As the time they spent together day and night grew longer, the invisible boundary in Wang Chuan's heart quietly began to dissolve. From his initial respect for Ning Fengzhi and the other two, to the unconsciously softened look in his eyes whenever he watched Rong Rong chatter away about amusing cultivation stories, to silently remembering Sword Douluo's tales of his youthful battles, to being unable to resist joining in when he saw Bone Douluo tinkering with those strange mechanisms—without realizing it, he had already included all three of them among those he wished to protect.

Just as a great tree instinctively shields the flowers and grass beneath it from wind and rain, Wang Chuan also began instinctively considering the dangers that lay ahead for them.

In his heart, these people who had given him warmth and trust were no longer merely "people of the Glazed Sect." They were as important to him as blood relatives, family he was willing to devote everything he had to protect.