At thirty-four, he'd broken through level seventy? Su Yuntao's eyes narrowed, and his expression grew serious. Though he'd always thought well of Ning Fengzhi, the man's talent was astonishingly good, despite his unimpressive strength in the original story. It had caught Su Yuntao completely off guard.
Shui Xinhan and Ye Lingrong noticed the shock on Su Yuntao's face.
Shui Xinhan smiled. "Yuntao, the Douluo Continent is full of hidden talents. Especially among people of the standing of a sect master—not one of them is simple."
"Among our generation, the representatives of the continent's top powers are Bibi Dong of Spirit Hall; the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky Sect; Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; and, of course, Master Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"Cough, cough!" Su Yuntao coughed repeatedly. The gap between Master and those people was simply too great. Still, in terms of status, Master could indeed be considered their equal.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan got stuck with a direct-line heir like him. They must have been cursed for eight generations."
"Strictly speaking, Bibi Dong and Tang Hao are peerless in strength. But when it comes to wisdom and resolve, Ning Fengzhi is undoubtedly second to none."
Su Yuntao nodded in agreement. Bibi Dong had been inexperienced when she first entered the world; Tang Hao was a formidable fighter but had no talent for handling worldly affairs; Tang Xiao was indecisive, while the Clear Sky Sect's elders seized power. And Master... never mind. He'd better not pick on Master.
Though Ning Fengzhi was the weakest in strength, of the continent's top powers, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect under his leadership was the most stable. The sect was united from top to bottom, with clear rewards and punishments. Even after suffering the devastating blow of the Soul Hunting Operation, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hadn't collapsed under Ning Fengzhi's leadership.
Bibi Dong had been ineffective early on. But after she'd turned dark, she took control of the Pope Palace and the Elder Palace, drew in Soul Masters from outside, brought the various kingdoms and duchies to heel, and governed the Spirit Hall diligently. New Titled Douluo emerged one after another under her command. Her accomplishments truly made her an empress of her age.
Unfortunately, Bibi Dong had been too hesitant and cautious. That led to a series of strategic blunders by Spirit Hall, and in the end, she met her death at Jialing Pass!
"Dean, Senior Ye," Su Yuntao said. "There's something I'd like to ask."
"Yuntao, go ahead. What is it?"
"I'd like to know who Ning Rongrong's mother is."
At his question, Shui Bing'er and the others were bewildered, while Shui Xinhan and Ye Lingrong's expressions changed.
"Bing'er, take everyone out to have some fun."
After Shui Bing'er and the others had left, Shui Xinhan spoke. "Yuntao, what have you figured out?"
Su Yuntao spoke slowly. "Actually, from the moment I learned Senior Ye's name, another name came to mind: Ning Rongrong. Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong... If I'm not mistaken, Ning Rongrong is also Senior Ye's daughter, isn't she?"
A look of astonishment surfaced on Ye Lingrong's face, but she shook her head at once. "Yuntao, you're wrong. Rongrong isn't my daughter."
"Huh?" Su Yuntao blushed, but Ye Lingrong's next words spared him the embarrassment.
"Since things have come to this, I won't hide it from you. Fengzhi and I are indeed husband and wife, but our only child is Lingling. Rongrong wasn't born to me."
A few words flashed through Su Yuntao's mind: Xiao San? The first wife? A man who'd toyed with a woman and abandoned her? He felt like there was a huge scoop waiting for him to dig into.
Shui Xinhan didn't say anything. She wouldn't bring up her younger sister's private affairs herself. Whether Ye Lingrong wanted to speak, and how much she wanted to share, was up to her.
A smile appeared on Ye Lingrong's face, one that came straight from the heart. "Yuntao, even Lingling doesn't know the story of Fengzhi and me. But since fate has brought us together today, I'll tell you all about it."
Su Yuntao felt that something wasn't quite right. Ye Lingrong would never reveal something so private to an outsider without a reason. There had to be a reason she was sharing her secret!
Su Yuntao was right. Everything Ye Lingrong did was for Ning Fengzhi. From the moment she'd taken the initiative to treat Su Yuntao to now, when she was laying bare her private affairs, she hoped he'd come to feel warmly toward her and Ning Fengzhi. She hoped that one day, when Su Yuntao had grown stronger, he would become an ally to Ning Fengzhi.
"Fengzhi and I met twenty years ago. I was twenty-six that year, and Fengzhi was three years older than me."
"Fengzhi was gentle and refined, with the bearing of a nobleman. But unlike other nobles, he had a kind heart."
"Our relationship was actually forbidden by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rules. The sect explicitly stipulated that its direct-line disciples had to marry combat Soul Masters."
"Our relationship faced many difficulties from the very beginning. But Fengzhi was a man of great resolve, wisdom, and principles. Faced with the sect's rules, he neither gave up nor turned his back on the sect. When it came to matters of right and wrong, he never disappointed anyone."
"We built a life together and worked hard side by side. Fengzhi told his father that he wouldn't leave the woman he loved, nor would he leave the sect, and he wouldn't break its rules and put his father in a difficult position."
"Fengzhi believed the sect's rules existed to unite everyone, to help the sect flourish, and to benefit every member of the sect."
"He believed that as long as he was strong enough, as long as he could lead the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to greater heights, and as long as the sect became strong enough to fear no challenge, then the rule created for the sake of safety would become outdated. Once the sect reached a new peak, that ancient rule would have fulfilled its historical purpose. Then he could marry me openly and honorably."
"Fengzhi said he loved me dearly and would give me a proper place by his side. He believed that if you worked hard enough, there were always more ways than difficulties. If a man hesitated and made excuses when doing something for the woman he loved, then the problem wasn't that the task was too difficult—it was that the woman didn't matter enough to him. If he wasn't willing, anything could become an excuse."
Hearing that, Su Yuntao immediately felt that Ning Fengzhi was a real man. The two romances had begun at almost the same time: Bibi Dong had met Yu Xiaogang, while Ye Lingrong had met Ning Fengzhi. By comparison, the Pope had really drawn the short straw.
"Six years after we got together, our daughter Lingling was born. At the time, Fengzhi broke through level seventy at the age of thirty-four, becoming the youngest Soul Sage in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's history."
"But soon after, the continent's situation changed dramatically. Spirit Hall began hunting Tang Hao, which made the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's leaders deeply uneasy. Ever since Tang Chen disappeared, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had grown wary, because the balance of power on the continent was beginning to tip."
Su Yuntao nodded. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had indeed shown keen strategic insight. At the time, the Clear Sky Sect still commanded tens of thousands of Soul Masters. Together with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Heaven Dou, and Star Luo, the continent's forces had enough Soul Masters to stand toe-to-toe with Spirit Hall.
But Tang Chen, a level ninety-nine powerhouse, had left in pursuit of godhood. Sword Douluo's father, the level-ninety-seven Sword Saint Chen Xun, had challenged Qian Daoliu, failed, and died with a smile. The old emperor of the Star Luo Empire had passed away, and Clear Sky Sect Master Tang Xiao had died of grief and worry.
Against Spirit Hall's Seven Great Elders, only Sword Douluo and Yu Yuanzhen, the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, could put up a fight—and even then, they could only take on the weakest elder. No one could hold back Qian Daoliu or Golden Crocodile.
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