"Thank you, little brother, for taking care of Rongrong these past few days," Ning Fengzhi said.
Ye Yuan put on a flustered expression and said, "How could that be?"
"Rongrong is clever and quick-witted. She actually helped me quite a lot."
Hearing Ye Yuan praise her, Ning Rongrong immediately felt much better.
"Don't just stand around. Let's talk inside."
"Then thank you." Ye Yuan cupped his hands.
Then he followed Ning Fengzhi into the main hall.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to follow, Gu Rong stopped her. "Rongrong, we haven't seen each other in so many days. Keep me and that old fellow Chen Xin company for a while."
Ning Rongrong was about to refuse when Ning Fengzhi spoke first. "Rongrong, you've been away by yourself for so many days. Your Sword Grandpa and Grandpa Gu have been talking about you every day."
"Go talk with them. Leave little brother Ye Yuan to your father."
"But..."
"Rongrong, your Sword Grandpa really hasn't chatted with you in a long time."
Ning Rongrong hesitated for a moment.
Then she shot Ning Fengzhi a warning look. "Dad, don't you bully Brother Ye."
"Hahaha, your father is still the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How could I bully your Brother Ye?"
Chen Xin and Gu Rong took Ning Rongrong away to play.
It was an unspoken understanding between them.
Ning Fengzhi handled the sect's affairs, while Gu Rong and Chen Xin never involved themselves in them.
The two of them were only responsible for taking action when the sect encountered a crisis.
Ning Fengzhi and Ye Yuan entered the hall.
"Please sit." Ning Fengzhi pointed at a chair nearby.
"Thank you." Ye Yuan could not help but marvel at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth.
Take the chair he was sitting on, for example. He had once been fortunate enough to see it at an auction in the Star Luo Empire.
At the time, it had sold for the exorbitant price of three hundred thousand Soul Coins.
Wealth that ordinary people could not earn in a lifetime was merely a chair here.
Ye Yuan felt that he might need to change his way of cooperating with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After all, his future enemies were the two great empires, Tang San, and the two God Kings in the heavens.
He could not manage it alone.
"Little Ye, may I call you that?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
"Of course. I'm the one getting the better end of the deal."
Ning Fengzhi carefully sized Ye Yuan up and thought, Not bad. He is indeed a fine-looking young man.
Neither servile nor overbearing, and his looks are worthy of Rongrong.
It's just his strength...
Ning Fengzhi lightly tapped the floor with the cane in his hand.
In an instant, the Soul Power pressure of a level seventy-nine Soul Sage surged toward Ye Yuan.
That Soul Power pressure was like an endless sea.
Ye Yuan knew that Ning Fengzhi was testing his strength.
He immediately released his martial soul, the Bloodthirsty Sword, to withstand the pressure.
Ye Yuan appeared exceptionally relaxed beneath that Soul Power pressure.
Ning Fengzhi nodded. It seemed Ye Yuan's strength really was quite good.
He increased the pressure again.
It felt as though a massive mountain had been placed atop Ye Yuan.
A light sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Ye Yuan gritted his teeth. He had not expected Ning Fengzhi, an auxiliary Soul Master, to possess such abundant Soul Power.
He had thought Ning Fengzhi was ultimately just an auxiliary Soul Master.
No matter how strong he was, there should have been a limit, yet he had not expected him to be this strong!
Ye Yuan had underestimated Ning Fengzhi.
Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Ning Fengzhi was a level seventy-nine Soul Master. The gap between their strengths was far from small.
A white figure appeared in the corner of the room. It was Chen Xin.
Ning Rongrong had just told him about asking for swordsmanship, and he had also guessed that Ning Fengzhi would test Ye Yuan. Thus, he had asked Gu Rong to keep Ning Rongrong occupied.
He had quietly come to watch from the shadows.
Ye Yuan was forced directly to one knee. Just as Ning Fengzhi was about to withdraw his pressure—
Ye Yuan mobilized all the Soul Power in his body, and two purple soul rings suddenly appeared.
"Two purple soul rings!" Ning Fengzhi exclaimed in shock.
He had only heard it from his daughter before, so he had been somewhat doubtful.
But now that he had seen them himself, he finally believed it completely.
Chen Xin thought, His first and second soul rings are both thousand-year soul rings. This is simply unheard of!
One had to know that Soul Masters' physical constitution was extremely ordinary in the early stages.
Having a thousand-year soul ring as one's first soul ring was simply impossible!
A Soul Master's future achievements were inseparably tied to the age of their early soul rings.
Thus, throughout history, countless Soul Masters had sought every possible way to raise the age of their early soul rings.
Yet not a single one had succeeded.
This included Spirit Hall's former strongest expert, Qian Daoliu!
"Good, good, good!"
"Let me see where your limit lies."
Ning Fengzhi increased the Soul Power pressure again, and Ye Yuan, who had just been about to stand, dropped to his knees once more.
Cracks appeared on the ground.
Ye Yuan thought, Looks like I'll have to show some real strength.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect currently had close ties with the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. It could be said that it belonged to the royal faction.
Trying to pull it over to Spirit Hall's side would be extraordinarily difficult.
At present, only by displaying his talent and strength could he gain an opportunity to negotiate with Ning Fengzhi.
"Come, then. I'll use this chance to fuse my third soul ring!"
In an instant, dark clouds shrouded the skies above the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Thunder rumbled continuously, and the surrounding scenery gradually darkened.
The scene looked like the end of the world.
While Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were distracted, a black soul ring appeared above Ye Yuan.
"What is that?!" Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin cried out.
"This... this is a ten-thousand-year soul ring!"
"Ye Yuan is going to fuse with a ten-thousand-year soul ring?"
"But he hasn't killed a ten-thousand-year soul beast at all."
With a flash, Chen Xin appeared beside Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Chen Xin with confusion, while Chen Xin gave him a look that said he did not know either.
The black soul ring entered Ye Yuan's body and began continuously fusing with him.
Ye Yuan's aura instantly surged several times over.
His Soul Power continued soaring.
Level twenty-one... level twenty-five... level thirty!
In less than a minute, he had risen ten whole levels!
He had obtained this soul ring when he awakened the Candle Dragon Emperor, but he had never absorbed it.
It differed from soul rings dropped by slain soul beasts.
It was a ten-thousand-year soul ring that had formed on its own after he awakened the Candle Dragon Emperor. Moreover, as Ye Yuan's strength increased,
the age of this soul ring would continue to rise as well.
It completely overturned Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin's understanding.
They felt as though they were dreaming.
It was as if the person before them was not human at all, but a monster!
"Ah!!!" Ye Yuan forced himself to stand, his posture straight and unyielding.
"This child is simply not of this mortal world. He is more like an immortal banished from the heavens!"
"Only a heavenly immortal could accomplish such a thing."
Even the well-traveled Chen Xin could not help but sigh in admiration.
"This boy has quite a few secrets. What family could he possibly come from?"
"Even the reclusive Clear Sky Sect absolutely could not raise such a genius!"
"Could he possibly be a god's descendant?"
Ning Fengzhi stared blankly.
"Child, I offended you earlier."
Ning Fengzhi was about to withdraw the pressure.
Bang!
Ye Yuan fell to his knees again, and Ning Fengzhi turned his head.
"Let me see where this boy's limit truly lies!"
Chen Xin had made his move. This Soul Power pressure differed from Ning Fengzhi's.
This pressure carried sharp sword energy and was fierce and unyielding.
It crushed him until he could barely breathe.
Ye Yuan was miserable. Damn your uncle.
I can still withstand Ning Fengzhi, but why is a Title Douluo like you bullying Brother Yuan?!
This was seriously fucked up.
"Kid, if you don't bring out all your strength now, you might die!"
"Let me see just how talented you are for our little princess to like you so much!"
It would have been better if Chen Xin had said nothing. The moment he did, the pressure Ning Fengzhi released grew even stronger.
"Damn it!"
Ye Yuan braced both hands against the ground, veins bulging.
Is there no justice left? You're a Title Douluo bullying the weak. Aren't you ashamed of losing face like this?!
"I originally wanted to keep this as a trump card, but it doesn't matter if I reveal it early."
Golden light gradually emerged in Ye Yuan's eyes.
The surroundings of the three of them were instantly swallowed by darkness.
A pair of enormous golden lanterns suddenly appeared in their field of vision.
No, those were not lanterns. They were a pair of eyes.
"Looks like this boy is about to bring out his hidden trump card."
"What kind of monster has our little Rongrong brought to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Before you continue