In Flender's quarters, light-sleeping Flender was woken by the noise of the seven youngsters returning. But he wasn't annoyed; he was only relieved.
His students must have gained quite a lot.
Thinking this, he rolled over and fell asleep again.
Suotuo City, early morning.
A middle-aged man of average height, with short black hair parted into a three-seven split, had finally arrived.
If Tang San had been here, he would have recognized him at once: this was Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
But Yu Xiaogang hadn't come to Suotuo City solely for Tang San. Going to Shrek Academy was merely an additional goal. His true objective was someone who, according to rumors, possessed a method that could make a Martial Soul evolve.
"I've finally found it—the way to break through level 30."
He sighed with feeling.
He had spent decades researching how to break through level 30 without success. Yet within the past few months, a method that could bring about a qualitative change in a Martial Soul had suddenly appeared before him. For Tang San's sake, he had held back for several months. Only after Tang San left had he begun studying the theory. The more he studied it, the more he saw how feasible it was.
A man who prided himself on being unmatched in theoretical knowledge across the continent, he had ultimately confirmed that the method was viable.
After some digging, he had finally tracked it down to Suotuo City.
So he had come.
"Now, how should I go about this? From the information I found, the complete version of this method is in the hands of someone who has the Number Seven Token. But I know nothing about the Number Seven Token. Does it belong to some organization? Why don't I remember hearing of it? How am I supposed to find this person..."
As Yu Xiaogang pondered, a blue figure darted past him.
"Coming through, coming through! I'm in a hurry. Sorry!" The blue figure's voice held a hint of apology, presumably for brushing against him.
What sort of person was he, Yu Xiaogang? Of course he wouldn't stoop to taking offense at the blue figure.
But Yu Xiaogang felt there was something familiar about that person. At last, he remembered.
Wasn't that the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong?
What was Ning Rongrong doing in Suotuo City at a time like this? Had those people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect brought her out to have fun?
Yu Xiaogang didn't know that Ning Rongrong had joined Shrek Academy. He suddenly began to worry that he might not be able to get his hands on the complete method.
Back to Ning Rongrong.
The moment she stepped into Suotuo City, she took the Purple Stone out of her Soul Tool. To her surprise, it began to flicker at once.
"Just as Silver Dragon King said it would be."
The flickering clearly told her that the ritual site was nearby.
But she knew she probably couldn't disrupt this Saintess Ritual on her own. Even after six hours of training, she still didn't think she stood a chance against a Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, or Soul Douluo.
To disrupt this Saintess Ritual, she would most likely need her father and the others' help. So before entering the site where the Saintess Ritual was taking place, she needed to find them first.
As luck would have it, she sensed her father and Bone Grandpa nearby. More precisely, they were at the other end of the street she was on, with only one rather slovenly middle-aged man between them.
There was no time to worry about anything else. Ning Rongrong ran straight toward her father, who had just come out of an inn.
On the way, she caught sight of the Great Soul Arena. The place that had been wrecked beyond recognition was now more than halfway through reconstruction. It looked like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had thrown its weight behind the work.
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really does have some pull," Ning Rongrong remarked. She used her Second Soul Skill Speed Boost on herself, raising her speed a few notches, and quickly dashed up to her father and Gu Rong.
"Rongrong?"
Ning Fengzhi looked at his daughter in surprise.
If this had happened a few days ago, he might have sent Ning Rongrong straight back to Shrek.
But after several days of searching without results, he had gradually begun to doubt Spirit Hall's intelligence.
After all, the idea that the Holy Spirit Cult had a spy was hard to believe. Even he, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, didn't know how to join the Holy Spirit Cult. So how could there possibly be a spy?
So he had instinctively assumed Suotuo City was safe. Even if a Saintess Ritual really had been held here, it was probably already over. He was only here to make one final confirmation. At most, he would leave for the sect tomorrow—in other words, once today was over.
He hadn't expected to wake up and find his daughter here.
Ning Fengzhi thought about it. Perhaps Shrek Academy had given its students a break, and Rongrong had come into the city for fun. He patted Ning Rongrong's head and said, "Did you come to Suotuo City to have fun, Rongrong? That's fine. Dad isn't busy right now."
That left Ning Rongrong at a loss.
Not busy?
But the Third Saintess Ritual was still underway. How could he say he wasn't busy?
Ning Rongrong stared at Ning Fengzhi in bewilderment until he began to feel uneasy.
At the crucial moment, Gu Rong stepped in to explain. "Rongrong, we haven't found any signs of the Third Saintess Ritual here. Maybe it's already over, or maybe they moved it somewhere else. In any case, we think Suotuo City is safe. We didn't have anything to do today besides make one final check. Did you come to Suotuo City because school gave you a break?"
Ning Rongrong shook her head and pulled the Purple Stone from her pocket. After thinking back on how Lu Ma had controlled her, she had come up with a plan—
Instead of telling them what was going to happen, she would lead them to figure it out for themselves.
"Dad, Grandpa Bone, I was going to have some fun, but on the way here I found this strange stone."
The stone wasn't flickering at the moment. Ning Rongrong acted a little strangely, then stepped back a few paces and put on a delighted expression.
"Look, it's glowing!"
The stone had begun to flicker faintly.
"Found it on the road? This stone's pretty interesting. Let me sense it—"
Ning Fengzhi reached out with his right hand. His expression suddenly changed, and he slapped the stone out of Ning Rongrong's hand.
"Why'd you do that, Dad!" Ning Rongrong puffed out her cheeks. Back at the sect, Ning Fengzhi would definitely have indulged her.
But this wasn't the sect. It was a place where an evil cult ritual might take place, so Ning Fengzhi naturally put Ning Rongrong's safety first.
"Fengzhi, wasn't that a bit much..."
Seeing that Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi were about to start arguing again, Gu Rong stepped in to mediate.
Ning Fengzhi remained stern. Pointing at the Purple Stone, he said, "Uncle Bone, you'll understand when you get closer."
The moment Gu Rong approached, his expression changed too. He exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there a concealed, sinister aura on this stone? It's the Holy Spirit Cult! Rongrong, where did you find it?"
Ning Rongrong looked a little stunned by his words.
It made sense that a Soul Elder like her hadn't sensed this strange aura. After all, even Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong had needed to get close before they could detect it.
"Huh? Something from the Holy Spirit Cult?" Ning Rongrong seemed flustered. She stammered, then finally pointed toward the Great Soul Arena. "I was just passing by and wondered how they'd rebuilt this place so quickly. Then I noticed a stone on the ground that looked out of place."
"Hiss—" Ning Fengzhi drew in a long breath. "Uncle Bone, it seems we won't be going back anytime soon. I thought people only said criminals returned to the scene of the crime. I didn't expect the Holy Spirit Cult to actually do something like this!"
In the distance, Yu Xiaogang was drawn by the commotion. For a moment, he thought he heard the words "Holy Spirit Cult."
As a scholar of theory, he knew many things that even Soul Douluo didn't. The Holy Spirit Cult was one of them.
He decided to follow them.
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