The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Hope

"It was merely a fortunate coincidence."

Yu Mingfei smiled calmly and brushed it aside.

"What brings you two here today?"

His attitude contained only the most basic courtesy and respect for Chen Xin.

There was nothing else.

After all, Yu Mingfei had already repaid Chen Xin's life-saving favor through the Second Prince of Star Luo.

He owed neither Chen Xin nor the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect anything.

Chen Xin had devoted his life to the sword, and his state of mind was as clear as a mirror. How could he fail to notice Yu Mingfei's attitude?

In the end, it was his own Sect Master who had handled things poorly.

They had missed the chance to build a friendship for nothing.

All he could do was smile bitterly to himself.

"I did indeed bring Rongrong here today because there is something I wish to ask of you, little friend."

Chen Xin brushed a hand over Ning Rongrong's head and looked at Yu Mingfei expectantly.

Ning Rongrong seemed to understand something as well. She immediately became well-behaved and stopped speaking.

"Please, go ahead, Senior."

Having noticed Yu Mingfei's attitude, Chen Xin did not beat around the bush.

"Little friend, both the Sect Master and I were immensely astonished that you broke through your former shackles and allowed your Martial Soul Mutation to reach its current state.

"I wonder if you know anything about the inherited Martial Soul of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

At Chen Xin's prompting, Ning Rongrong held out her hand. A small seven-tiered pagoda appeared, with two Hundred-Year Soul Rings slowly revolving around the first and second tiers.

Yu Mingfei took only one glance before withdrawing his gaze.

"The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is renowned throughout the continent as the number one support Martial Soul. Even someone with a crippled Martial Soul like me has heard about it so often my ears have grown calluses."

Though it sounded like praise and flattery, Ning Rongrong could not feel happy at all.

Before setting out today, Ning Fengzhi had merely told her to listen to Chen Xin in all things and said nothing else.

But by now, how could she not understand the purpose of their visit?

Chen Xin gave Ning Rongrong an indulgent look before continuing, "What you may not know, little friend, is that although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is famous far and wide, it possesses a fatal flaw unknown to others.

"With only seven tiers, it can only have seven Soul Rings attached. Every Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master, no matter how gifted, can only stop at rank seventy-nine.

"They cannot break through to Spirit Sage and reach the levels beyond."

Yu Mingfei lowered his head with a soft laugh, utterly unconcerned.

"Why are you telling me this, Senior? Such a sect secret is not something an outsider like me should hear."

Seeing Yu Mingfei still playing dumb, Chen Xin could only speak more plainly.

"Please forgive me, little friend. Fengzhi and I have looked into it. When you were six, your Innate Soul Power was already rank nine.

"For the following six years, you made no progress whatsoever. When you left Blue Tyrant Academy two months ago, you were still rank nine.

"How is that not strikingly similar to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's situation?"

Chen Xin's gaze burned brightly.

"During that period, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect came into contact with Old Poison, causing the poison to consume his Granddaughter's body. You were expelled from the sect and vanished without a trace.

"When I saw you in the Star Dou Great Forest two months later, your soul power had already broken through.

"Not only had you obtained your first and second Soul Rings in succession, but you also progressed rapidly in a short time.

"Now, your soul power has reached rank thirty. With just one more Soul Ring, you will become a Soul Elder.

"Both Fengzhi and I believe that you will maintain this pace afterward, all the way to Soul Ancestor, Soul King..."

Chen Xin's breathing grew somewhat hurried, and there was a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is one of the Upper Three Sects, its development has always lagged behind the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

"While its support-oriented nature is certainly one factor, the more important reason is this fatal flaw of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"I brought Rongrong here today to seek an answer for the sect, to seek a sliver of hope.

"Is it possible for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda to break through its upper limit as well?"

Yu Mingfei raised his head and met Chen Xin and Ning Rongrong's expectant gazes, then laughed.

"Senior, aren't you thinking too highly of me?

"I'm merely a minor Soul Master. How could I possibly solve a thousand-year problem for your sect?"

"Your sect has studied it for so many years. Could it be that you have not found even the slightest clue?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head in disappointment, but Chen Xin still refused to give up.

He seemed to have an extraordinary degree of confidence in Yu Mingfei.

"If it were anyone else, I would definitely have my doubts.

"But if it's you, Mingfei! I believe you must have a way.

"Even if you don't have a way, you must at least have an idea, right?"

As Chen Xin said this, excitement showed on his face.

"Putting everything else aside, what you said in Seven Treasure Hall a few days ago—

"It directly cleared away the haze clouding my mind and allowed me to grasp the existence of Soul Cores. Now, I am only half a step away from Rank 97.

"I could cross it at any moment!"

He turned to glance in the direction of the pharmacy, then lowered his voice.

"Didn't Old Poison also make tremendous progress in Soul Power in such a short time with your help?"

Yu Mingfei found this strange as he listened.

Seven Treasure Hall? The Titled Douluo of this era hadn't even clearly understood the concept of Soul Cores?

I know Dugu Bo's Soul Power improved, but that was because his Soul Bone stored his toxins, reducing their effect on his Soul Power and allowing him to advance in rank.

What does that have to do with Soul Cores... Wait!

Yu Mingfei suddenly recalled a detail.

There was one major difference between Dugu Bo and other Titled Douluo.

He had cultivated a body full of Poison Arts and condensed an extremely toxic pill pearl within himself!

This Toxic Pill Pearl was not only the core of his Soul Power circulation, but also the vessel containing the essence of the toxins within his body.

In a sense, wasn't that a Soul Core?

It simply possessed the additional function of a poison pill!

It was precisely because this Soul Core's functions were so mixed that Dugu Bo was somewhat weaker than other Titled Douluo.

Yet his Poison Arts made up for part of that weakness, and his terrifying poison-based Soul Skills instead made everyone fear him even more.

Yu Mingfei could not help marveling at the wonders of the world.

All things depended upon one another.

This Diminishes, That Grows; fate arose and fate faded.

When Yu Mingfei fell silent, Chen Xin assumed he was already considering it.

He continued.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has studied our sect's Martial Soul for so many years, so naturally we have some clues.

"Fengzhi found in the ancient records that rare treasures capable of allowing one to break through the limits of a Martial Soul had once appeared in the central region of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"That was exactly why I went to the Star Dou Great Forest that time.

"It was also why the sect recruited Ye Lingling."

Since Chen Xin needed Yu Mingfei's help, he held nothing back in his explanation.

"Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul possesses healing abilities unmatched across the continent.

"This Martial Soul is envied by the heavens. Only two people can possess it in each generation, but it also grants them a special Sensing ability toward certain rare plant-type treasures.

"That time, Dugu Bo and I brought Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling with us because we wanted to use this extraordinary ability of hers to search the Star Dou Great Forest.

"If we truly found something—

"First, perhaps we could resolve the toxins eating away at Dugu Yan's body.

"Second, we might be able to break through the innate limitations of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"Only, I never expected..."

Chen Xin sighed at this point.

"We happened to encounter a Soul Beast Tide. Dugu Bo stayed behind to protect the two Juniors.

"I ventured alone into the core region. Although I encountered the rare Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Titan Giant Ape—

"There was no trace of the rare treasure capable of breaking through those limits."

Yu Mingfei listened intently. He had not known that Ye Lingling possessed such an ability.

There were countless Immortal Herbs near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, yet he had never seen her react to any of them.

But when he remembered that Ye Lingling had needed Dugu Bo's poison pill even to move about within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Yu Mingfei understood.

This place was suppressed by two Divine Springs, and the many Immortal Herbs could not even develop intelligence.

Ye Lingling's little bit of Sensing was practically no different from having none at all.

However, after Yu Mingfei absorbed the Ice Fire Dragon King Remains, those Immortal Herbs had become much more lively.

Yu Mingfei looked seriously at Chen Xin and explained, "Senior Chen Xin, Mutated Martial Souls and ordinary Martial Souls are ultimately different."