Show Hand Is a Kind of Wisdom

Qin Yue shifted his gaze from the Dragon Core to Ning Tian.

"Ning Tian, you know I came from the Qin Clan. The Qin Clan has treated me well, and I'm not some ungrateful wretch. I can't be like the Sect-Protecting Douluo of your Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."

"If you truly choose to join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect directly, then this Thunder Bead cannot be entrusted to you."

A smile played on Ning Tian's lips. She was quite satisfied that Qin Yue had laid everything out so plainly. She withdrew her hand, leaving only the Jingxiao Thunder Bead before him, then got straight to the point.

"Ten thousand years ago, the sect was still known as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Yet under the discerning eye of the sect master at the time, our ancestor Ning Rongrong became close with Sea God Tang San. By a fortunate chance, her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul evolved into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and the name Nine-Colored Douluo shook the world."

"Over these ten thousand years, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has continuously befriended talented Soul Masters. Even if only twenty or thirty percent of them choose to repay that goodwill, it is still enough for the sect to reap endless benefits."

"Just like the sect master from six hundred years ago and Tyrant Thunder Douluo. One investment allowed the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to dominate the continent for three hundred years. Even if you develop a rift with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the future, I would merely lose a Thunder Bead that has been unusable for centuries."

"But if you are a gentleman who repays kindness, then our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will surely welcome the next three hundred years that belong to us."

"The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has done business for generations. We never tire of using little to win big."

Qin Yue nodded slightly. Though he did not consider himself a righteous gentleman, everything was relative. Compared to Certain God King and the humanized ancestor of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he truly was the better investment.

Besides, he had already intended to deepen his relationship with Ning Tian. Now that she had placed such a heavy bet on him, even if it was not mutual affection, it could still be called a match made in heaven.

Qin Yue rose to his feet, picked up the Dragon Core and the small box together, and calmly said to Ning Tian, whose radiant smile faced him, "Time will prove that this is your... no, the entire Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's most successful investment in history."

Without drawing attention to it, Ning Tian tugged Wu Feng, then rose with a smile. "This little sister will wait eagerly."

Wu Feng, who had been forcibly dragged out of her grief by Ning Tian, looked utterly confused. Hearing Ning Tian speak, she nodded repeatedly. "Me too."

Sensing the old man outside abruptly falter in momentum, Qin Yue was amused. He silently prayed for Wu Feng for two or three seconds, then waved the Dragon Core in his hand. "We're all acquaintances, so I can't be bothered making excuses. Let's call it here today. I'll head back first and test this thing's effects."

Ning Tian nodded lightly. "Brother Qin definitely won't be disappointed. See you tomorrow."

Only after watching Qin Yue vanish around the end of the corridor did Ning Tian turn her gaze toward Wu Feng. Her eyes were full of amusement and anticipation. She had likewise noticed that her Feng Mei was about to face disaster.

Wu Feng was baffled by Ning Tian's gaze. Tilting her head, she asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The very next moment, before Ning Tian could answer, Wu Feng cried out. Someone had grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her completely off the ground. An incomparably familiar elderly voice sounded beside her ear. "My apologies for making Young Sect Master laugh. I will certainly give this girl a proper lesson."

"Grandpa?! Young Sect Master, save—"

Wu Feng was scared out of her wits. Flailing wildly, she tried to call for Ning Tian's help, but the old man merely raised his hand and threw her out the window. Several people below skillfully caught and tied her up, then swiftly took Wu Feng elsewhere.

The visitor was Elder Wu, the old man who had just delivered the Dragon Core. Looking at Ning Tian, he frowned slightly. "Tian'er, others may not know what truly happened ten thousand years ago, but we know it perfectly well. No matter how gifted that Qin Yue is, you should not have been so hasty. What if..."

The old man stopped there, but both he and Ning Tian understood what this "what if" meant.

Ning Tian understood why the old man held such an attitude. That great battle ten thousand years ago had practically drained the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's foundations. It would have been one thing if they had received some return, but that ancestor, who had taken all the benefits, had ascended to the God Realm without saying a word! Not only had she failed to protect the sect through its weak period without a Sect-Protecting Douluo, she had not even passed down the bloodline of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda!

As a result, ten thousand years later, their Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was still using the flawed Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. If their inheritance had not been properly preserved, later generations might have thought the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was merely a fantasy dreamed up by their ancestors.

Ning Tian composed herself, suppressing all her displeasure toward a certain ancestor, and smiled softly at the old man.

"Grandpa Wu, although Qin Yue and I have not known each other for long, it is clear that he is at least reasonable. He acted for Feng Mei out of sympathy, and he took the initiative to make it clear that he and I were not particularly close."

"Someone who puts everything openly on the table, combined with his talent that is rare in this world... perhaps this investment may not achieve complete success, but how badly could it possibly turn out?"

Elder Wu was speechless. Qin Yue's talent truly was unparalleled. An Ultimate Martial Soul already represented extraordinary talent, while his cultivation speed, several times faster than those of other Ultimate Martial Souls, was even more terrifying.

At that, he came to understand. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had always enjoyed using little to win big. With a peerless treasure like Qin Yue wandering before her eyes, Ning Tian, whose very bones carried the blood of investment, naturally found it hard to resist.

Besides, the item had already been given away, and Qin Yue had shown his willingness to befriend them. Trying to take it back now would be truly foolish.

Moreover, although Ning Tian was the Young Sect Master, she was far from qualified to mobilize a treasure like the Jingxiao Thunder Bead. The fact that Elder Wu had appeared here today already revealed the current sect master's attitude.

Having grasped the key point, Elder Wu laughed heartily. "Grandpa doesn't understand these things, but Grandpa trusts your and Xuan Yin's judgment. Even if that boy's talent is exceptional, turning that talent into real strength won't happen in just a year or two. If he truly says one thing and means another, Grandpa will personally retrieve the item!"

"If that day truly comes, then I'll have to trouble Grandpa Wu."

Ning Tian smiled awkwardly, her expression strange. She thought of Qin Yue's exceedingly bizarre strength. In a few more years, Grandpa Wu might not necessarily be able to defeat Qin Yue with the Thunder Bead's support.

Meanwhile, Qin Yue had arrived at a property the Qin Clan had specially purchased for him in Shrek City.

Although he did not know what material the black box was made from, it could completely conceal the Dragon Core's aura when closed. Yet when he cultivated with the Dragon Core, that concealment would fail.

The Dragon Core was of great importance. He was unsure whether Mu En, who also possessed a Dragon Core, could sense his own, and he did not wish to gamble on whether this "Dragon God Douluo" could remain true to himself. Thus, he simply moved out of Shrek, completely eliminating that possibility.