Wanting to Take You as My Master

"Third Brother! You're finally done—we've been waiting for you!" Xue Qingxi waved at Tang San beside Tang Ling with a grin. "Want to test your Soul Power? I feel like mine's been purified!"

"Sure!" Tang San hurriedly answered upon hearing Xue Qingxi call out.

Though the subject had been briefly changed, Tang San still could not help feeling embarrassed when his senior sister's divine sense had swept over him earlier, even though he knew she had merely been checking his Soul Power.

Now that someone had given him an excuse to leave, Tang San agreed without hesitation. He needed a moment to recover—his senior sister had just seen him soaking wet.

"Senior Sister, I'm going to spar with Qingxi!" With the tips of his ears burning red, Tang San looked at Tang Ling.

Tang Ling had been watching Tang San with her concealed divine sense since earlier. She had watched his temperature steadily rise, his ears turning red before his face did, and now that he had finally cooled down, he immediately agreed.

She smiled and nodded. "Go on. The herbs will indeed make your Soul Power denser. Be careful when circulating it."

"Got it!" Tang San nodded eagerly. On the other side, Xue Qingxi also greeted Ning Rongrong.

The two took two steps forward at the same time and summoned their martial souls. Neither used a soul skill. Instead, they circulated their Soul Power and traded punches and kicks.

"What are they doing?" Dugu Yan moved closer to Ning Rongrong and asked curiously.

"Qingxi and Third Brother both learned martial arts from Sister Lingling. They often spar like this. Sister Lingling said it can both train their control over Soul Power and let them exchange pointers." Ning Rongrong watched their movements without turning around.

Suddenly, Ning Rongrong got to her feet and summoned her martial soul as well. "Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!"

After her martial soul appeared, a pagoda taller, brighter, and more magnificent than before appeared in Ning Rongrong's hand. Holding it, she called out to the two, "Qingxi, Third Brother! Watch out, I'm joining in!"

With that, she decisively used her soul skill. "Nine Treasures Turn Out Glazed, Nine Treasures Have Names: First, Strength; Second, Speed!"

As soon as she finished speaking, two yellow Spirit Rings descended, and four beams of light shot toward Tang San and Xue Qingxi respectively.

"Alright!" Feeling the Soul Power settle over him, Xue Qingxi shouted and immediately unleashed his soul skill. "Second Soul Skill, Wind Blade Pursuit! Third Brother, block this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two yellow Spirit Rings descended. Xue Qingxi rose slightly into the air, and several gray wind blades slashed toward Tang San.

"Definitely!" Tang San replied with a smile before using his soul skill. "Third Soul Skill, Blade Severing Water! Water Shield!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an icy-blue water shield appeared before Tang San. When the wind blades reached it, the shield firmly blocked them.

Crack!

The wind blades continued forward, but the slowly flowing water gradually dispersed their force. Once the blades could no longer advance, Tang San circulated his Soul Power again. The next moment, the water shield became an ice shield, and the wind blades instantly shattered.

"Whoa! Third Brother, your water can turn into ice?" Xue Qingxi stared at the frozen water shield in astonishment. He quickly flew over and carefully examined the ice shield.

"Because of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the water can change, but only for fifteen seconds." Facing his curious gaze, Tang San explained with a smile.

A moment later, the ice shield melted and the water shield reappeared. Tang San shrugged helplessly. "See? It changed back. And there's a time limit on that transformation. If I want to turn it into ice again, I'll have to wait half an hour."

"That's still amazing! It could catch someone off guard!" Xue Qingxi happily patted Tang San on the shoulder.

Tang San nodded in agreement. "It is. Even this small amount of ice element could save a life at a critical moment." As he spoke, Tang San dispersed his Soul Power and dismissed his martial soul.

"Third Brother, Qingxi, how did the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda feel? Hurry and tell me!" Seeing that the two had stopped, Ning Rongrong eagerly ran over and asked impatiently.

"The first soul skill increased my strength twice as much as before. The second soul skill should have reached three times the previous effect." Tang San pondered briefly before giving his assessment.

Hearing the way she addressed them, a trace of fondness flashed through Xue Qingxi's eyes. He then added, "Third Brother didn't use the second soul skill, but I did. It really can reach three times the effect."

"Then that means my third soul skill will be four times stronger than before!" After hearing their firsthand impressions, Ning Rongrong cried out excitedly.

"Unless something unexpected happens, that's correct." Tang Ling walked over from the spring, patted Tang San's shoulder in praise, then looked at Ning Rongrong and confirmed her guess.

"Ah! It's really that incredible?" Ning Rongrong stood frozen in place, muttering to herself in disbelief. It took her a moment to recover.

She looked at Tang Ling with blazing eyes, unexpectedly at a loss for words.

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, but still gathered her courage and looked at Tang Ling. "Sister Lingling, that herb truly helped me so much. Although this might sound like repaying kindness with enmity, I still want to ask... can I also take you as my master, like Qingxi did? That herb is too precious, and it will be provided to my sect in the future as well. So, as the next sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I want to take you as my master! From now on, I will honor and respect you as my teacher!"

As Ning Rongrong spoke, her gaze was resolute. Back when she had wanted to acknowledge Tang Ling as her sister, it had been to thank her for her guidance. This time, it was the same!

Feeling the determination in her voice, Tang Ling was momentarily speechless.

That pause gave Ning Rongrong the wrong impression. Her lips paled slightly, but her gaze grew even firmer. "I know Sister Lingling is the Princess of the Balak Kingdom and has her own trading company. You lack neither status nor connections. But I still want to help Sister Lingling. In the clearest possible capacity, I want to help you, rely on you, and attach myself to you!"

Tang Ling broke into a brilliant smile. She raised a hand and ruffled Ning Rongrong's hair, speaking gently. "Silly girl, what are you rushing for? I never said I was unwilling. Since I agreed to Sword Grandfather's request to take you with me, I already intended to teach you as my student. The reason I didn't ask you to take me as your master back then was because both Sword Douluo and I felt that you should have your own choice. When Qingxi agreed to take me as his master, we had already reached an understanding in private. Only then did Uncle Xue Yang have him formally acknowledge me as his master."

As she spoke, Tang Ling fixed her gaze on Ning Rongrong's slightly reddened eyes. "You've grown up, Rongrong. You made this choice yourself, and you faced your responsibilities with greater maturity and consideration. I'm very pleased. I believe your family will be very pleased too. So, Rongrong, why haven't you changed how you address me yet?"

"Teacher!" After hearing Tang Ling's words, Ning Rongrong could no longer hold back her tears. She choked out the word and threw herself into Tang Ling's arms.

Tang Ling caught her in an embrace, her eyes full of helplessness. She turned to Tang San, then beckoned Zhu Zhuqing over. "Zhuqing, what do you think?"

Zhu Zhuqing quickly walked over upon hearing this. After listening to Tang Ling, she hesitated briefly and softly asked, "Can a teacher also be family? Can she also be an older sister?"

Tang Ling smiled. "Of course she can. Teacher is only a symbol of status. Just like A-Xuan and me—he is both my student and my junior brother."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly and moved closer to Tang Ling. "Teacher, Zhuqing is willing to be your student. Sister, Zhuqing also wants to be your family."

"Alright." Tang Ling stroked her hair and nodded solemnly.

Tang San stood to the side, looking at the two girls in Tang Ling's arms. On one hand, he was happy for them. On the other, jealousy was driving him mad.

He took a deep breath and forced out a smile, calming his gaze and hiding the emotions in his eyes.

Though he knew his senior sister was their teacher and older sister, he still could not stop himself from wanting to pull them out of her embrace.

Why couldn't Senior Sister's embrace belong to me alone? Tang San grumbled inwardly, his gaze gradually deepening.