"What's wrong, Tian'er?"
At that moment, Ning Shan had been eating.
But as he ate, he suddenly saw Ning Tian standing in the doorway, looking flustered.
His brows furrowed.
Ning Tian hurried over to the dining table.
She had run over so quickly that her breathing was uneven.
Looking at Ning Shan, she spoke rapidly:
"Father, Brother ran away!"
The teacup Ning Shan had been holding stopped in midair for a moment, then he set it down heavily on the table.
Thud!
He looked at Ning Tian, disbelief in his eyes. "How is that possible?"
"I specifically had someone lock him in that secret room made of Dark Iron Rock yesterday!"
"Even an ordinary Soul Ancestor would struggle to break out of that room. He's only Level 30—how did he escape?"
"Come with me and you'll see," Ning Tian said helplessly, turning toward the door.
Ning Shan stood and strode after her.
The two crossed the corridor and made their way to the Confinement Room deep within the sect.
Before they even entered, Ning Shan saw a crowd of sect disciples on patrol gathered at the entrance, along with several elders in charge of security.
The elders were gathered around the hole in the wall, grimly inspecting the rubble on the ground.
Ning Shan pushed through the crowd and went to the hole.
The Dark Iron Rock wall, once fitted together seamlessly, now had a gaping hole in it, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading all around.
The edges were smooth. It had clearly been shattered in an instant by an intense external force.
Ning Shan stared at the scene in silence for a long while before speaking in disbelief. "Th-this can't be possible..."
An elder stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Sect Master, the wall was forcibly shattered by an external force."
"Judging by the traces of Soul Power left at the scene, it looks like some kind of high-frequency attack that erupted from multiple points simultaneously."
"This must have been the young master's Self-Created Soul Skill, 'Six Extremes Heaven-Collapsing Force'..."
"I never imagined the young master had become this strong..."
Voices rose all around them as everyone marveled at Ning Feng's skill.
Ning Tian looked at her silent father and asked softly, "Father, what should we do now?"
Ning Shan took a deep breath, then turned to the elders and ordered, "Send people out at once. Search the entire sect!"
"No matter what, find that disobedient son and bring him back!"
"The registration deadline for Shrek Academy is coming up! This is Shrek Academy—we can't just decide to join whenever we want!"
"If he misses this chance, his future will be ruined!"
The elders immediately split up and led people off to search.
Ning Shan remained where he was and let out a heavy sigh.
He simply couldn't understand why Ning Feng was so opposed to Shrek.
Every genius on Douluo Continent was eager to get into Shrek.
Yet Ning Feng had such a strong aversion to it.
"Honestly..."
Just then, Ning Shan's wife came over to his side. Looking at the disarray, she urged him quietly, "Dear, the child's grown up. Since he's so resistant, why not just let him be? You can't force something and expect it to turn out well."
"Bullshit!" Ning Shan whipped around, his voice rising several notches.
"What does he know? He's still a child and doesn't understand anything!"
"Shrek Academy is the best on the continent. That's an ironclad fact."
"If he doesn't go to Shrek, he'll always be a huge step behind everyone else! You're ruining his future!"
After regaining some composure, Ning Shan turned to Ning Tian. "Ning Tian, don't worry about him. You'll set off for Shrek this afternoon and report in."
"Your brother is being childish, but you can't be."
"The future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect rests entirely on you two siblings."
"Even if he stubbornly refuses to go to Shrek, at least you'll be able to grow properly there. You'll also meet the top young talents, and you'll need those connections in the future."
"Understood, Father," Ning Tian replied.
Meanwhile, Ning Feng had already traveled far beyond the reach of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The morning air in the mountains was damp.
Ning Feng sped through the woods.
His destination was clear: the Star Dou Great Forest.
He had reached Level 30 and needed to hunt for his third Soul Ring before he could continue advancing.
The Body Sect was in the Heaven Dou Empire, and the route there passed right by the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
So it was on his way.
The journey was still long,
but Ning Feng didn't waste any time.
He traveled by day, and at night found a sheltered rock face or cave to spend the night, avoiding any unnecessary distractions.
The journey was a little monotonous, but Ning Feng adapted quickly.
Early on the second morning, just as dawn was breaking and mist still hung in the forest,
Ning Feng got up at once.
He loosened up briefly, then took his place in an open patch of ground.
He had a habit of practicing his punches every day.
With a thought, his Martial Soul appeared.
The muscles in his back shifted. Two heads sprouting from his shoulders opened their eyes, and four arms extended from beneath his armpits. Together with his original pair, all six arms hung at his sides.
He took a deep breath and began throwing punches.
His six arms traced paths around his body.
He wasn't punching blindly; he was feeling for the point where each inch of muscle exerted its strength.
As he moved, he entered a state of quiet focus. His breathing slowed to a crawl, and even the birdsong in the surrounding woods grew clear to his ears.
This was the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man" that every Soul Master longed to enter.
Once he entered this state...
Ning Feng felt the Soul Power fluctuations in the air seem to slow down.
The power circulating within him converged from six different angles toward a single core.
At a certain instant, without any warning, Ning Feng thrust all six arms forward at once.
This time, his fists stirred up no powerful gust of wind and made no sound as they cut through the air.
All six landed precisely on a granite boulder half a man's height in front of him.
"Thump."
A muffled sound.
The granite's surface remained intact, without even a single fragment breaking off.
But Ning Feng withdrew his hands, walked over to the stone, and gave it a gentle push.
The entire boulder collapsed in an instant, crumbling into a pile of fine powder.
In that brief moment, the structure inside the stone had been completely pulverized by six converging forces.
Ning Feng looked at the pile of stone dust, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"I never thought I'd enter the state of 'Unity of Heaven and Man' at a time like this. What a pleasant surprise."
"Hmm... I should give it a name."
"Since it's a force that collapses things from within, I'll call it 'Six Extremes: Collapse Fist.'"
He took some rations from his Storage Soul Tool and ate a little.
Then he put away the Storage Soul Tool, checked his bearings, and continued toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
The next few days passed without incident.
When Ning Feng emerged from the woods again, the view opened up before him.
Ahead lay a vast, ancient primeval forest. Its trees soared into the clouds, blotting out the sky.
Even from the edge, he could feel its oppressive weight.
The Star Dou Great Forest lay before him!
Before you continue