"But the most likely reason for that closeness was that your Martial Souls belonged to the same lineage. And you quietly enjoyed it, keeping Flender and Liu Erlong apart for all these years."
"From what I understand, you and Dean Liu Erlong were on the verge of getting married. But at your wedding, Dean Liu Erlong's father, Yu Luomian, showed up and broke you two apart."
"Why did Yu Luomian show up at just the right moment? Why hadn't he come looking for Dean Liu Erlong in all those years, only to appear at your wedding?"
Su Ming looked at Yu Xiao Gang with a mocking smile, then delivered his final line.
"Am I right, Master Yu Xiao Gang?"
After Su Ming finished, Yu Xiao Gang slowly lowered his head, not daring to meet Liu Erlong's or Flender's eyes.
Across from him, Liu Erlong was furious beyond words. She couldn't believe that her feelings for Yu Xiao Gang over the past twenty-odd years had been nothing but a complete lie. She got to her feet and ran out, and Flender hurried after her.
"Erlong! Erlong, wait for me!"
Yu Xiao Gang, seated across from Su Ming, also started to rise and chase after her to explain. But one sentence from Su Ming made him sit back down, abandoning the idea.
"If you go after her, your Martial Soul will be a pig for the rest of your life."
Tang Hao, who was hiding nearby to protect Tang San, was also utterly shocked. Yu Xiao Gang was a complete scumbag. Damn, I'm already enough of a beast myself, and all I did was trick a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. When this guy gets ruthless, he even tricks his own cousin.
Seeing Yu Xiao Gang sit back down, Su Ming calmly looked at him. After all, it was time to talk business.
"Since you've sat back down, you want your Martial Soul to evolve. But what are you offering in return?"
For a long while, Yu Xiao Gang said nothing, only staring at Su Ming.
Damn it, you're not seriously relying on your relationship with Dean Flender and Dean Liu Erlong to get this for free, are you?
"I'm telling you, no way."
"Do you know who my fiancée is? Ning Rongrong, daughter of Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"She's a proper little princess. Why would she marry me? Because I helped them evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"And you just show up expecting a freebie?"
"Then what do I have to do for you to help my Martial Soul evolve?"
"Simple. You're the son of the sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Call him over and have him make a deal with me."
"You have nothing to offer, yet you expect me to evolve your Martial Soul for free? How could that happen?"
Yu Xiao Gang fell into thought. After a long while, he stood up and pulled Tang San along with him.
They had just reached the reception room's doorway when Su Ming called out to them.
"Wait."
Yu Xiao Gang and Tang San stopped. Tang San, one step behind, turned around and asked Su Ming with a cold expression,
"Su Ming, is there something else?"
Su Ming stood up and walked over to Tang San.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you something."
Tang Hao, hidden nearby, thought for a moment. Su Ming might have figured out his identity and be about to tell Tang San. Tang Hao's true identity was that of a member of the Clear Sky Sect, so he prepared to reveal himself and get Tang San out of there.
"With your Innate Full Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass, my research suggests your Blue Silver Grass could be its king, or even its emperor. If you'd cultivated with the correct Soul Ring method, you should've had the potential to become a Super Douluo."
"But as things stand now..."
When Tang San heard Su Ming say his Blue Silver Grass wasn't ordinary, he summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and Soul Rings.
Su Ming looked at Tang San's Martial Soul and Soul Rings, then at Yu Xiao Gang. He let out a sigh and shook his head.
When Su Ming didn't say anything more, Yu Xiao Gang, who was already facing away, simply left.
Tang San really wanted to ask Su Ming what was going on with his Martial Soul. But when he saw Yu Xiao Gang leave, he hesitated, then followed him.
After watching Yu Xiao Gang and Tang San leave, Su Ming was about to go look for Flender and Liu Erlong. But after a moment's thought, he decided, I can't interrupt the moment when Flender and Liu Erlong's relationship is warming up. I'll leave them be and go find Rongrong instead.
Since they'd been competing in team matches in Heaven Dou City for a month straight, and Yu Xiao Gang had come by as well, Dean Flender simply gave them ten days off.
Su Ming easily found Ning Rongrong practicing her punches in the courtyard of her little villa in the residential district.
"Rongrong, we're on break now. Why aren't you getting some rest?"
When Ning Rongrong saw Su Ming approach, she stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked at him.
"I'm level thirty-four now, and the next All Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament starts in a year and ten months. I want to try to reach level forty and become a Soul Ancestor by then."
Su Ming stepped forward and patted Ning Rongrong on the head.
"You don't have to work yourself so hard. You've been competing for a whole month. You should take a break."
"I know, I know!"
Ning Rongrong smiled at Su Ming.
"By the way, Su Ming, can you teach the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect your Eight-Level Fist?"
"Of course. My original plan was to release this fighting style to the whole continent after a while."
"This Eight-Level Fist is only good for fighting. I have an even better set of punches for training and strengthening the body, and I can teach that to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too."
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up when she heard Su Ming.
"Really, Su Ming?"
"Really."
Ning Rongrong kissed Su Ming on the cheek.
"By the way, I have something to take care of at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Go take a shower, and we'll go together. I wonder when my father-in-law will rename the sect the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Look at you, you're covered in sweat. Let's shower together, and I'll scrub your back."
As he spoke, Su Ming took Ning Rongrong's hand and began gently pulling her toward the bathroom. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.
"Brother Ming, we've only known each other for a month. Isn't this too fast?"
"How is that too fast? Your father-in-law already agreed, and in the past month, we've kissed, hugged, and I've even lifted you up high."
"We've only got one last step left. Once we take it, your father-in-law can rest easy too."
With that, Su Ming scooped up the shy Ning Rongrong and carried her into the bathroom.
Five hours later, in the bedroom, Ning Rongrong lay naked on Su Ming's chest, drawing circles on it.
"Brother Ming, you should've been gentler when you pushed just now. It was my first time."
"Listen to you. It was my first time too, and I wasn't very experienced. We can keep practicing together."
As he spoke, Su Ming lowered his head and kissed Ning Rongrong's forehead. Ning Rongrong lightly punched him in the chest.
"Jerk!"
The two cuddled for a while longer.
"All right, get dressed. We still have to go to your home, and it's already afternoon. It wouldn't be right to go at night."
Ning Rongrong sat up in Su Ming's arms.
"This is all your fault."
The two of them started getting dressed. Once they were ready, it was two in the afternoon. After five hours of strenuous exertion, they were both hungry, so they went to the dining hall to eat first.
After their meal, Su Ming took Ning Rongrong and flew toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Before you continue