The Punishment for Getting Found Out

The moment the two Thousand-Year Soul Rings appeared, Ning Tian's expression changed.

Although Wu Feng had gained two Soul Power Levels from the rewards in the diary and had now reached Level 26, she still had only two Hundred-Year Soul Rings. Compared to her opponent's two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, she had no advantage at all!

She'd almost forgotten: Wang Dong'er had received the same reward she had, increasing her Soul Ring age by a thousand years!

Without her help, Wu Feng could very well be at a disadvantage!

As Wu Feng's pupils constricted slightly, she showed no sign of backing down. Her Martial Soul immediately possessed her, scales spreading across her body as two yellow Soul Rings appeared.

Two yellow Soul Rings against two purple ones, with a further gap in Soul Power and no absolute advantage from their Martial Souls—Wu Feng's defeat was inevitable.

Seeing that Wu Feng was about to be hurt, Ning Tian, frantic with worry, could no longer hold back. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in her palm, and the three Soul Rings behind her lit up in turn.

"The Seven Treasures turn and reveal their glaze! First: Strength, Second: Speed, Third: Attack!"

The three purple Soul Rings shone brilliantly.

The smile on Ao Yao's face gradually froze. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and drew in a sharp breath.

Ning Tian's Soul Ring configuration was this outrageous too?

A few days ago, when he'd helped Ning Tian hunt for a Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest, perhaps he hadn't paid much attention, or perhaps the forest had been too dim. Whatever the reason, Ao Yao hadn't noticed anything amiss.

But now, those three purple Soul Rings were shining right before his eyes!

Ao Yao immediately realized something was wrong.

When Wang Dong'er's Soul Rings had changed just now, he could still find an excuse for her: some kind of incident had increased their age. After all, Wang Dong'er was part of Tang San's daughter, so although such an anomaly was strange, it wasn't impossible to explain.

But Ning Tian... There was no way to explain this.

Even if his arrival had caused a butterfly effect, how could it possibly have caused something this outrageous?

Could the mere appearance of one variable like him have let Ning Tian absorb her first two Soul Rings beyond her level, giving her two purple rings?

Don't tell me Ning Rongrong had grown tired of being a god and decided to pass the Nine-Colored Goddess's divine position to Ning Tian, who then increased her Soul Ring ages by passing a divine trial.

Not even a dog would believe that!

So what could have made Ning Tian's Soul Ring configuration so outrageous?

Could his diary system really be giving rewards not only to him, but to Ning Tian as well?

Ao Yao's face stiffened.

Because he realized that this might be the most reasonable explanation.

The frog of scheming keeps feeling your belly; eliminate every other possibility, and this... must be the truth!

That raised the question: if Ning Tian really had gotten her Soul Rings through his diary, how had she received them?

He got rewards by writing in his diary... So, by the same logic, Ning Tian got rewards by reading it?

That was a bit too absurd... Surely Ning Tian hadn't also bound some kind of one-click follow system?

Whatever the method, the important thing was that Ning Tian could get rewards from him!

Verifying it would be easy.

[ Ning Tian is an idiot! ]

Ning Tian, who was boosting Wu Feng, froze. She glanced at Ao Yao, utterly baffled.

Okay, confirmed, folks!

Ao Yao finally understood why Ning Tian had acted so warmly toward him the first time they met. So she was linked to his diary!

Did that mean Ning Tian had been able to see all his earlier diary entries?

Ao Yao suddenly remembered the only diary entry he'd written in his previous life—and how it had cost him his kind and considerate landlady forever...

I knew I shouldn't write in a diary!

Oh, wait.

That wasn't quite right.

If he hadn't written a diary, he'd still be a Level 10 Soul Master with an Innate Soul Power of two and a half and a lousy glass-bead Martial Soul.

So, it seemed like he did have to keep writing... It just felt inexplicably embarrassing to have other people read what he wrote.

Ao Yao couldn't help taking a deep breath. His gaze toward Ning Tian grew complicated.

Ao Yao was still caught up in the fact that she'd read his diary. Little did he know that a storm was already raging in Ning Tian's heart.

[The diary-copy owner Ning Tian has been discovered by diary host Ao Yao to be able to read the diary. Punishment mechanism activated.

Since Ning Tian did not deliberately reveal the existence of the diary copy, the punishment has been reduced...]

[Ning Tian has received a punishment: Martial Soul regression.]

[The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda has regressed into the Six Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. Her cultivation limit is now Level 69.]

Ning Tian felt as if she'd been struck by lightning, and fear appeared on her face.

She looked at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm in terror. The light atop the topmost tier of the exquisite seven-story pagoda suddenly vanished, replaced by a gray haze, as if a layer of gray mist had shrouded it.

Wang Dong'er and Wu Feng, who had been fighting fiercely, both stopped. Shock showed in their eyes.

Their reactions were slightly different, of course. Wu Feng immediately released her Martial Soul and came to Ning Tian's side. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know what to say, so she simply took Ning Tian's hand. Wang Dong'er felt sympathy for Ning Tian, but also grew wary.

Ning Tian must have aroused Ao Yao's suspicions because the colors of her Soul Rings had changed.

And when Ao Yao had suddenly written that Ning Tian was an idiot, her reaction had confirmed his suspicions, revealing her secret to him.

The punishment of Martial Soul regression was severe, to say the least.

That meant... she would have to be even more careful from now on.

As for why she hadn't made Ao Yao suspicious, Wang Dong'er thought it might have something to do with her identity.

Although Wang Dong'er hated to admit that she was part of Tang San's daughter, applying that identity to her Soul Rings did just barely explain things.

As long as she was more careful from now on and didn't let Ao Yao notice anything, she wouldn't end up like Ning Tian.

Ning Tian's hands felt ice-cold. Even with Wu Feng's warmth and her fire-type Martial Soul, they wouldn't warm up at all.

She really felt like crying.

At first, she'd approached Ao Yao because she thought he could help her evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, reviving her ancestor Ning Rongrong's former glory and restoring the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to its former splendor!

But now, her Martial Soul hadn't evolved. It had regressed instead.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda already had a limit: she could only cultivate to Level 79. And now you're telling her she can only cultivate to Level 69 from now on, without even being able to have a Martial Soul Avatar?

Could this be the punishment for having her secret identity exposed?