Allies

"This is Skywater Sect's finest Century Mulberry Tea. Please, have a taste."

Shui Yuerong sat at the head of the hall, her cool aura filling the entire Sect Master's Hall.

Seated along one side of the hall were three figures, all weighty figures who held great influence across the continent.

"Let's not rush to the tea. As guests, we should know our manners."

Ning Fengzhi smiled and summoned something from thin air. "To congratulate Sect Master Shui on reaching the ranks of the Titled Douluo, I've brought a few modest gifts. I hope you'll accept them."

As his words fell, a gilded brocade box appeared.

Ning Fengzhi raised a hand and gently guided it to the space before Shui Yuerong. His tone was warm and modest. "There are two items inside. The first is a Concentration Jade Bed made from deep-sea cold jade. It can help a Titled Douluo calm their mind, regulate their breathing, and stabilize their Soul Core. The second is three Purple Heart Ganoderma, treasured by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for ten thousand years. They can strengthen your foundation and resolve hidden injuries... These are just a small token of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's goodwill."

Shui Yuerong lifted her eyes and gave the box a cursory glance. She neither rose nor showed much emotion. Her tone remained cool and detached, neither servile nor overbearing. "You're too kind, Sect Master Ning. I only broke through to the Titled Douluo realm by luck. There's no need for such a generous gift. Besides, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and my Skywater Sect have never had dealings. I can't accept something so valuable."

Ning Fengzhi's smile did not fade. He lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his tone still gentle. "Sect Master Shui, you're mistaken. Titled Douluo are the continent's foremost fighting strength. Skywater Sect stands in the northern borderlands, guarding its corner of the realm. Now that its sect master has broken through, it's an occasion worthy of congratulations from the entire Soul Master World. How could you say we've never had dealings?"

"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always respected the strong. You've reached the Titled Douluo realm at such a young age. Your talent and temperament are more than enough to make us offer our goodwill. This isn't an attempt to curry favor, nor do we seek anything in return. It's simply a congratulatory gift between fellow cultivators. If you insist on refusing, it would make our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sincerity seem rather paltry."

Chen Xin, sitting beside him with his arms folded, lifted his gaze slightly. His cool voice rang out. "Our sect master speaks the truth. Skywater Sect cultivates the extreme paths of water and ice, and has forged its own lineage. Now that it has produced a Titled Douluo, it deserves to be taken seriously. These few worldly possessions are merely a token of respect. Sect Master Shui, there's no need to dwell on it."

Gu Rong, on the other side, shifted slightly. He said nothing, simply offering a warm smile.

Shui Yuerong lowered her eyes. The chill around her did not lessen in the slightest. After a moment's silence, she finally spoke. "Since the three of you put it that way, refusing again would be discourteous."

She did not touch the brocade box. Instead, she lifted her eyes to Ning Fengzhi, her gaze calm and unreadable. "I'll accept the gift for now. Skywater Sect will remember this kindness."

...As they talked, Chen Xin gradually sensed Shui Yuerong's current cultivation.

A Titled Douluo at level ninety-two or ninety-three.

An unparalleled essence of icy power filled her body. The age of her ninth Soul Ring was likely astonishing.

Even though Shui Yuerong kept her aura restrained, Chen Xin felt that even his "wretched bones" paled beside the depth of her Soul Power.

Truly terrifying.

How had she leapt from Soul Douluo to this level?

After exchanging a few more polite remarks with Shui Yuerong, Ning Fengzhi got to the point. "In recent years, Sect Master, have you noticed that Spirit Hall's influence has grown ever stronger..."

Shui Yuerong lifted her teacup and took a small sip of Century Mulberry Tea. "Spirit Hall has been welcoming Soul Masters, establishing branch halls, and winning over small and mid-sized sects. It's made quite a stir. Of course I've noticed."

"Then you understand the situation, Sect Master Shui."

Ning Fengzhi sighed softly, his expression turning serious. "Spirit Hall's ambition is now gradually coming to light, and its sights are set on the continent. On the surface, the Upper Three Sects stand together, but in truth, we've only banded together under pressure to put on a united front for Spirit Hall..."

"The Clear Sky Sect has gone into hiding and shut itself away from the world. How can we speak of joining forces to resist? And the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has been far too conspicuous, its allegiance uncertain. Yu Luomian in particular—according to what I've heard, he's been getting especially close to Spirit Hall..."

Shui Yuerong's gaze suddenly turned icy as she looked at Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "However, he's already been killed by Sect Master Shui."

Shui Yuerong fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "...So Sect Master Ning came to my Skywater Sect today hoping to form an alliance and share our hardships?"

Ning Fengzhi nodded earnestly. "Though our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has Uncle Gu and Uncle Jian, two Titled Douluo, protecting it, we still can't stand alone. Spirit Hall has many Titled Douluo under its command, and its actions grow more and more brazen. If this continues, the continent will inevitably descend into conflict once more. Every independent sect will either become their vassal, or..."

"Or be suppressed and devoured one by one until they're wiped out."

Shui Yuerong's expression remained impassive. She had reached the same conclusion from the start.

"Exactly!"

This time, Ning Fengzhi nodded firmly.

"Sect Master Ning, I understand your intentions, but I still have to ask: if you don't even trust Yu Yuanzhen, why dare to trust me, an unknown woman who's only just raised a sect's banner?" Shui Yuerong looked him in the eyes.

Ning Fengzhi met her gaze without the slightest hesitation. "Because Skywater Sect accepts disciples without distinction, regardless of their status or wealth. Since founding your own lineage, you've never brought humiliation upon anyone. You've kept to your principles and followed your hearts. Even before you became a Titled Douluo, Sect Master Shui, you dared to protect your disciples and stand against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects!"

"...Because you stand firm, I'm willing to trust you. Because you fear no power, I'm willing to trust you. Because you care for your people as if they were your own children, I'm even more willing to trust you!"

The sun sank in the west.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong walked along a winding path with Chen Xin.

Gu Rong spoke up. "Fengzhi, do you really think Shui Yuerong is an ally you can trust with your back? She's too young, her background and cultivation are both mysteries, and she acts with such ruthless pride. What if, one day..."

Ning Fengzhi slowed to a halt and turned to look back at Skywater Sect's main hall, shrouded in distant clouds and mist.

He gave a soft laugh, his gaze far-reaching and sure. "Uncle Gu, you and Uncle Jian sensed it in the hall just now, didn't you..."

Gu Rong and Chen Xin slowly turned their gazes toward him as well.

"Her Soul Power is deep and restrained, and her extreme water-and-ice essence is utterly pure. Though she's at level ninety-two or ninety-three, her foundation is no weaker than that of a level ninety-five Titled Douluo. Such talent and fortune are rarely seen even once in ten thousand years on this continent..."

Chen Xin immediately grinned and shot Gu Rong a provocative look. "Exactly. Judging by the divine aura within her, I'd say she's even stronger than that wretched-bones fellow..."

"Hey, you old bastard, turning against your own! I bet you've fallen for that young, pretty woman!"

Gu Rong angrily pointed at Chen Xin's chest, ready to pick a fight with him again.

Ning Fengzhi was used to this and shook his head helplessly. Then he spoke, his tone gentle but utterly firm. "I've seen too many people twist their true nature for the sake of bloodlines, power, or their sect's prestige. But Shui Yuerong feels different to me. She has nothing, yet protects a group of the most overlooked disciples from the common folk. She has no support, yet dares to stand alone against the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Her heart is cold as ice, yet she guards the cleanest and most unshakable of principles."

"So I think... someone like her won't betray an alliance, won't compromise, and certainly won't bow to Spirit Hall."

"She may seem cold, but she has more integrity than most sect masters of illustrious houses in this world."

Ning Fengzhi's heartfelt words gradually silenced Gu Rong and Chen Xin. They stopped arguing and looked toward Skywater's main hall with growing agreement.

They nodded almost unconsciously.

That was right...

If even someone like Shui Yuerong could break faith and disregard an alliance, then there would be no one left in the world with an unyielding spirit!

"Whoosh!"

Just then, two extremely faint streaks of light flashed across the distant sky, moving so quickly they were almost invisible. Their auras had also been deliberately suppressed.

But with their profound cultivation, Gu Rong and Chen Xin still detected the fluctuations of Soul Power.

They even recognized the newcomers!

Ning Fengzhi looked toward them, his brows lifting slightly, but he made no move to follow them with his gaze. Instead, he looked toward Skywater Sect, a faint yet confident smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"People from Spirit Hall have finally arrived..."

"But you're too late..."