Impossible, Uncle Jian!

The three exchanged a few pleasantries before Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin finally left the clinic with smiles on their faces. With that weight lifted from his heart, it was settled! His position as a friend had been secured. What a relief.

In these turbulent times, having one more powerful friend meant having one more path to survival. A person like Wriothesley was absolutely worth befriending.

He seemed like a lavish spendthrift, a "money-scattering boy." He appeared to have given away quite a lot, but his true goal had been nothing more than that fragile, bubble-like friendship! Such feelings could collapse at a touch, yet they felt incomparably precious. It truly made one sigh at the wonders of fate!

Otherwise, why would he spend so generously? Did he have so much money that he had nowhere to burn it?

Someone else might have thought Ning Fengzhi had gone mad, but Wriothesley did not think so.

On the contrary, he understood perfectly well why Ning Fengzhi had acted this way.

There was only one reason he had been so "generous": he wanted to gain Wriothesley's friendship.

Friends were a very important bond!

Wriothesley understood that clearly.

Although Ning Fengzhi appeared gentle and humble, he was an extremely ambitious man, and he was intelligent enough as well. Since that was the case, there was naturally no need to doubt the sincerity of his invitation.

Though that sincerity came with a very strong ulterior motive.

After leaving the clinic, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin's moods both grew heavy.

The two exchanged a glance, and each understood what the other was thinking.

Spirit Hall's ambitions were far from small, yet on the continent, it seemed no one dared to take the lead.

This had been especially true since the Clear Sky Sect sealed itself away more than a decade ago.

Under such circumstances, whoever acted first would be the first to suffer.

But who would be willing to make the first move? Who would be willing to be the one to stick their neck out?

Yet if everyone refused to act first and waited for the other side to move, then only one outcome awaited them: destruction. No one would sit still and await death.

Now, Spirit Hall had grown far too powerful. Even the two great empires seemed unable to contend with it.

Spirit Hall's dominance had caused many factions across the continent to choose silence.

If they could not unite, then perhaps one day, Spirit Hall would choose to annex the two great empires and turn the continent into a place where Spirit Hall's word was law.

Both Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin hoped that day would never come. But if it truly did, all they could do would be follow the tide of the times.

However, after leaving the clinic, Chen Xin still seemed somewhat distracted.

"Uncle Jian, what's wrong?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously when he saw that Chen Xin had been absentminded since earlier.

"Nothing. I just think Duke is truly a strange person." Chen Xin paused slightly, then gave a bitter smile.

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "He is immensely powerful, one of the strongest among the Title Douluo. Any faction would treat him as an honored guest if he joined them. But I feel that he does not seem willing to cooperate with us."

"Indeed." Chen Xin frowned. "He does not wish to cooperate with us, nor does he care about Spirit Hall. I fear it is not because he is afraid of offending Spirit Hall. Rather, it seems more like he simply looks down on Spirit Hall."

"Yes." Ning Fengzhi nodded at that. "Still, it would be better for us to befriend someone like him. He may prove useful in the future."

Ning Fengzhi truly did wish to befriend Wriothesley. After all, on the Douluo Continent, even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could not guarantee absolute safety.

What if Spirit Hall attacked tomorrow?

Even openly, Spirit Hall possessed more Title Douluo than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That was not even counting the hidden Title Douluo in the shadows. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's inherited Martial Soul was incredibly powerful, it also had weaknesses. That was why they needed a powerful existence like Wriothesley.

"You're right." Chen Xin smiled and nodded, though inwardly, he shook his head.

It would not be so easy to befriend someone like that, even if they wanted to.

But if they prescribed the right medicine, Ning Fengzhi refused to believe that anyone could truly be without wants or desires.

"But Uncle Jian, I felt that you had something you wanted to say just now." Seeing Chen Xin hesitate, Ning Fengzhi knew he must have had something he wanted to ask Wriothesley.

He knew Chen Xin had been acting somewhat strangely since last night, but it had not been appropriate to ask. Now that Chen Xin seemed to have something he wanted to say, Ning Fengzhi could only ask himself.

"A Title Douluo at such an age, who has also grasped momentum... I can't help feeling the itch to test my skills." Chen Xin spoke with excitement on his face.

After all, although he too was a Title Douluo, Chen Xin was already nearing his limit.

He felt that he could no longer improve.

Above Rank 95, each rank required not only greater Soul Power, but also one's state of mind and comprehension.

But as he looked at Wriothesley, a thought could not help arising in his heart: Break through!

Perhaps this was his opportunity!

Chen Xin was already over a hundred years old. If he wished to live, he still had another one or two hundred years ahead of him. However, his Martial Soul was the Seven Kill Sword.

Seven Kill meant killing enemies and killing oneself. If Chen Xin wanted to advance further, he had to break through his limits. Otherwise...

And now that Chen Xin knew about Spirit Hall, if he wanted to break through, this might be his only opportunity.

The boundary between life and death was certainly a chance for enlightenment, but if possible, Chen Xin did not want to break through under such circumstances.

He was unwilling to remain like this for the rest of his life. He wanted to break through.

If he could break through, perhaps he could extend his lifespan.

He still wanted to watch Rongrong take charge of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

Therefore, he had to find a new way to break through, and now he had found Wriothesley.

Because Wriothesley was different.

He had become a Title Douluo at such an age, even younger than Tang Hao. Tang Hao had become a Title Douluo at forty-four and had been called the continent's youngest Title Douluo. Yet Wriothesley was not even thirty and was already a Title Douluo. This showed just how extraordinary Wriothesley's strength and talent were. He was undoubtedly a peerless genius.

Of course, he did not intend to fight Wriothesley to the death. He also knew that, given Wriothesley's strength, the current him was absolutely no match for Wriothesley. The gap between them was likely enormous.

But if they could fight once, it should help improve his strength.

Even if it was only a tiny amount!

He needed to break through. He needed to become even stronger!

"I wonder whether he would be willing to fight me?" Chen Xin looked ahead, and his expression gradually became resolute.

Ning Fengzhi knew that Chen Xin was not only obsessed with swords, but also obsessed with martial arts. Before Gu Rong was injured, they would have a small fight every three days and a major one every five.

The arena on the back mountain had to be rebuilt once a week.

Therefore, Ning Fengzhi naturally understood what he was thinking, but he still needed to make one final confirmation.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could not withstand Chen Xin making such trouble!

The ages of Title Douluo were a complete mess, entirely dependent on the setting. Bo Saixi's view: according to the settings in Douluo Continent, Title Douluo had lifespans of around 300 years, and every rank they advanced extended their lifespan by another 100 years.

Yu Xiaogang's view: he believed that Title Douluo could live for around 120 years.

Tang Xiao's view: he believed that Ultimate Douluo, Rank 99, could live beyond 200 years.

Tang San's view: he believed that Title Douluo could live for around 200 years.

Combined view: different characters held different views, but it was generally believed that Title Douluo had lifespans of around 200 years.

These settings varied across different works in Douluo Continent. For example, in The Unrivaled Tang Clan and The Legend of the Dragon King, the lifespan was set at 300 years, but in Ultimate Douluo, even those who broke through Rank 100 would still die of old age without a divine position.

So here, I simply calculated it based on 300 years.