The steward's face darkened with fury. This was no small matter.
Just as he was about to explode, a deep, resonant voice called out from the doorway.
"Let him answer."
The door to the room was pushed open. An old man in plain gray robes walked in, his face expressionless.
His body carried only a faint ripple of soul power, like that of an ordinary old farmer.
But Mu Rong's heart gave a sudden jolt.
He was pretending to be weak! He'd been playing the fool!
He hadn't expected the real big shot behind the scenes to finally show up!
Now he owed Mu Rong a huge debt of gratitude.
"Sorry for the trouble, young friend. My people were ignorant and caused a disturbance outside. I hope you won't take it to heart," the old man said with a smile.
"Not at all. I was only joking around. I wouldn't dare take it seriously," Mu Rong replied, standing up with a modest smile.
"Oh, good." The old man nodded. "When do you need those materials? I'll have someone send them over. It'll save you a trip to the Great Dou Soul Fort."
"Any time within the next two years."
Mu Rong held up eight fingers.
"Seriously, I'll be going to the Great Dou Soul Fort every day. If I find them, I'll let you know ahead of time.
"If I don't, then I'll have to trouble you to look for them. This matter is important to both me and my big brother."
"Fine. It's a deal."
"Good. Then this young man won't keep you any longer."
Mu Rong rose to his feet. The elderly man, with his slightly stooped figure, turned and walked out of the room.
Once their backs had disappeared from view, the steward leaned close to the old man and whispered at the door.
"Elder, please spare my life! I had no idea that young man had such powerful connections! Even if you beat me to death, I still wouldn't have known!"
"Forget it. You didn't know any better."
The old man waved a hand.
"Quickly arrange for people to gather the things he wants. We have to pay some price to win over a future Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's honored guest. It's worth it."
"Yes, Elder!"
The old man watched the direction Mu Rong had left in, murmuring thoughtfully to himself.
"Interesting. The younger generation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan has actually ended up in a tiny place like Suotuo City..."
After walking a long way from the Great Dou Soul Fort, Zang Lin finally let out a long breath.
"Boss! That guy almost scared me to death! I thought I was going to have to pay for it today! I was sweating so much my back was soaked!"
"Why are you calling me boss? How could I possibly get caught that easily?"
Mu Rong took off his mask, revealing a calm, handsome face.
"That token... is it really from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan?"
Zang Lin hurriedly recounted how Mu Rong had given the token to the steward.
It was one terrifying thing after another. His heart was still pounding.
His mouth hung open for a long time. He couldn't quite accept how his worldview had been overturned yet again. He'd have to reconsider just how impressive a boss Mu Rong was.
As for what had happened today, Mu Rong had thought it through.
If circumstances hadn't forced his hand, he never would have used the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's token.
That thing was a life-saving talisman, and it was also a favor owed.
Once he used it, he'd owe the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan an enormous debt of gratitude.
What kind of place was the Great Dou Soul Fort?
It was an enormous, high-level gathering place in the Douluo Continent. Its backing was so powerful that even the Sealed Void Demon sat in its command pavilion.
If he hadn't had that token today, and if he and Zang Lin hadn't been so capable, they would have been forced into submission, turned into tools for others to exploit, and reduced to helpless punching bags.
As for the request to collect the rare herbs, it would have been laughed off as a joke.
With the token in hand, the Great Dou Soul Fort didn't dare lay a finger on him. They had to go out of their way to find the herbs for him.
Behind that was not Mu Rong's own reputation, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's.
He owed them a favor.
But to find that Icefire Celestial Dragon Ginseng, the herb that could help the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's Soul Douluo break through and become a Titled Douluo, he had to deliver it to Mu Rong.
And that was fair. A little sacrifice could bring a great reward.
Given how much goodwill and favor he'd gained from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, this price wasn't too high.
Besides, as long as his Icefire Celestial Dragon Ginseng could help the clan produce one Titled Douluo, even if he had one fewer stalk, it wouldn't affect him much.
And that wasn't the only good thing.
Mu Rong's demeanor had already earned him the admiration and respect of the younger generation, almost to the point of worship.
As the two returned to the academy gates, a towering figure blocked their way.
It was Ao Dewei.
Behind him, the two brothers followed, glaring resentfully at Mu Rong.
Zang Lin stepped forward and stood in front of Mu Rong, warily watching the trio.
"Ao Dewei, what are you trying to do now?"
Ao Dewei ignored Zang Lin. He stared straight at Mu Rong, his expression grim.
"Mu Rong, I want to challenge you again!"
Zang Lin couldn't help but laugh.
He shook his head, looking at Ao Dewei like a fool.
"Pfft, my boss is right here. Aren't you tired?"
"You've challenged him half a year ago, then again every three or five days. That makes six times, right? Didn't you get beaten black and blue every time, your nose and face bruised? Have you never thought about why?"
"I..." Ao Dewei flushed crimson and was at a loss for words.
That was right. Why?
Every time, he felt his strength had improved by leaps and bounds and confidently issued a challenge, but the result was always the same.
The other party could always find a way to defeat him that he could barely understand, and it was infuriatingly easy.
That sense of powerlessness made him despair.
Seeing Ao Dewei fall into deep thought, Mu Rong lost all interest in him.
He went around Ao Dewei and continued on his way.
"If you really want to defeat me, go do something meaningful."
Mu Rong's calm voice came from up ahead.
"Surpass my record at the Great Dou Soul Fort. That alone would be enough. Challenging me every day won't get you anywhere. The truly strong are forged through life-and-death battles."
After saying that, Mu Rong didn't even look back as he walked into the academy. Zang Lin smugly made a face at Ao Dewei, then followed close behind.
Ao Dewei was left standing alone where he was.
Pfft...
Surpass his record at the Great Dou Soul Fort?
Was that place even for people?
It was still the Great Dou Soul Fort, after all. He knew how deep its waters ran.
Everyone who could earn a name there was already a renowned soul master.
Surpass his record? And Mu Rong's record was only the beginning?
Ao Dewei felt as if every last bit of strength had been drained from his body. An overwhelming sense of despair washed over him.
His poor little heart was afraid that he'd really picked a fight with some kind of monster called Mu Rong.
Back at the dorm, Mu Rong took a stalk of pale white, translucent herb from his soul guide's storage ring. Its leaves were scattered and faintly glimmered.
A hundred-year-old soul-calming herb.
It was an excellent auxiliary herb for soul masters who wanted to cultivate their spiritual power. Its effects were remarkable.
The spiritual power and perception of beast-type soul masters ranked near the bottom among all soul masters.
If they focused on cultivating spiritual power as well, they could often gain a great advantage in battle.
Unfortunately, the soul masters of this era cultivated soul power too roughly.
Aside from those whose martial souls were naturally spirit-type, few people focused on cultivating their spiritual power.
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