Ning Rongrong: the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda shines with glassy light; Dragon Blast scorches heaven and earth

A clear, bright voice echoed through the hall, and all three wore the same look of curiosity.

Chen Xin chuckled.

"Hahaha! You've even made it look all proper."

"What new trick has our little Princess Rongrong learned? Let Sword Grandpa have a look."

Looking at the familiar smiling face across from her, Ning Rongrong curled her lips into a mischievous grin.

The next second, a gigantic fireball burst from the palm of her right hand. It moved so fast, burned so hot, and appeared so suddenly that it completely caught everyone present off guard.

In an instant, the fireball seemed to teleport right in front of Chen Xin.

At the critical moment, Gu Rong let out a roar.

"Not good!"

"Old Swordsman, dodge!"

But Chen Xin clearly had no time to react. The fellow was still standing there with his hands behind his back, smiling and narrowing his eyes as he showed off.

Gu Rong merged with his Bone Dragon Martial Soul. After a distortion of space, he appeared in front of Chen Xin.

Rumble!

The fireball slammed into the defensive barrier Gu Rong had raised, exploding through the council hall with a thunderous boom. Even several roof tiles above the hall were shaken loose.

Blocking the fireball itself wasn't difficult. The problem was that it had appeared far too suddenly, in a way that beggared belief.

Who could have imagined that a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master would suddenly launch a fireball attack?

Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi stared at the scene before them, their eyes wide as saucers.

"What...what's going on?"

"Are we under attack?"

Just then, Ning Rongrong's voice rang out, a little annoyed but tinged with a coquettish whine.

"Grandpa Bones, that's cheating! We agreed that Grandpa Sword and I would fight. How can you just jump in?"

At her words, all three old men sucked in a sharp breath.

"Hiss—"

"Rongrong, you launched that attack?"

Ning Rongrong lifted her little face and gave a soft, haughty hum.

It was clearly an affirmative answer.

Ning Fengzhi hurried over to the girl and crouched down, carefully examining her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"Is it an ability of your Martial Soul? No! Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda hasn't changed at all!"

"How did you do it? A Soul Bone Skill?"

"No, that can't be it either. All the Soul Bones used by Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters only provide boosts. They don't have any offensive power."

"Rongrong, what's going on?"

Ning Fengzhi muttered to himself at length. Only after he still couldn't figure it out did he turn his gaze to Ning Rongrong.

She merely smiled sweetly.

"Hehe~ It's a secret!"

"My boyfriend gave me this ability."

"Boyfriend?"

All three let out startled cries, and Chen Xin and Gu Rong even flashed straight to Ning Rongrong's side.

This news shocked them even more than the fireball attack. For a moment, they felt as if a piece of their hearts had suddenly gone missing.

That was their little princess, whom they had spoiled since childhood! Why did she have a boyfriend? What kind of person could possibly be worthy of Ning Rongrong? Had their little princess been tricked?

One was Soul Rank 96, the other Soul Rank 95. The two Douluo guarding the sect felt as if a piece of their hearts had gone missing, and they were also worried that Ning Rongrong might have been deceived.

As for Ning Fengzhi...

He had already suspected as much. Now that he had heard the answer from Ning Rongrong herself, his first reaction was anger.

How could his daughter, Ning Fengzhi's daughter and the next sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, be allowed to date at her age?

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the only support-type sect among the Upper Three Sects. For it to flourish in the future, it would inevitably need the protection of powerful warriors. And as his heir, every decision Ning Rongrong made ought to serve the greatest possible purpose.

How could he let this little girl make such an important decision about her life on her own?

Besides, the mature charm in his daughter's every movement made it clear that someone had already gotten the better of her...

In an instant, an emotion called anger flooded Ning Fengzhi's mind.

Fortunately, a moment before he could explode, Sword Douluo's telepathic message brought him back to his senses.

"Fengzhi, calm down!"

"Gu Rong and I are even more heartbroken than you, but we still don't understand what's going on. Don't let your anger hurt Rongrong."

As a Titled Douluo, Chen Xin naturally missed not a single detail in the room.

After calming Ning Fengzhi, he turned to Ning Rongrong.

"My little Princess Rongrong, you've only been gone for three months. How did you suddenly end up with a boyfriend?"

Gu Rong seized the chance to chime in, unable to keep his composure any longer.

"What faction is he from? How old is he? What's his strength? What's his Martial Soul? Where is he now?"

Ning Fengzhi was the only one there who remained silent.

Ning Rongrong casually waved her hand and said with a smile,

"Come on, why are you all so worked up?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore. What's so strange about having a boyfriend?"

Chen Xin refused to give up. "Where is he? Where is he now?"

"He's at the academy. I wanted to bring him back with me, but I got leave from Flender because I needed to hunt a Soul Ring. He didn't need to come, so Flender didn't approve his leave."

"Hunt a Soul Ring? You're at Level 30?" Chen Xin frowned. "How is that possible? You were only Level 26 when you left the sect, and it's only been three months..."

Then he seemed to suddenly think of something terribly serious. Without caring whether Ning Rongrong might get angry, he grabbed the girl by the shoulders.

"Don't resist. Let me check your meridians."

After all, some evil secret techniques were known to circulate on the continent.

Those with ulterior motives could use such techniques to rapidly increase their strength. Ning Rongrong had just displayed an unusual offensive ability, so Chen Xin instinctively thought of that possibility.

He sent Soul Power into Ning Rongrong's meridians to check whether she had gone astray.

Silence fell. Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi stared fixedly at Chen Xin's face, afraid to miss even the slightest change in his expression.

Before long, Chen Xin looked up and slowly shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong."

"Not only that, Rongrong's Soul Power is far more condensed than before."

At his words, the other two were utterly astonished.

Only three months had passed, yet Ning Rongrong had gone from Level 26 to Level 30 without any side effects.

During that time, she had also gotten a boyfriend—and gained a fireball attack as powerful as a Soul Ancestor's all-out strike.

What was happening to this world? Was this still the Ning Rongrong they had known?

By now, Ning Fengzhi had more or less managed to suppress his emotions. He turned to Ning Rongrong.

"What happened over these past three months? Tell us everything, down to the smallest detail."

"No. I promised my boyfriend I'd keep it secret, so I'm not telling you."

Ning Rongrong raised her chin and turned her head away. Her repeated "My boyfriend! My boyfriend!" made the Sword and Bone Douluo feel as if their hearts were bleeding.

Their eyes reddened. They couldn't believe someone had stolen away the little princess they had raised for twelve years in just three months!

And now she was standing firmly on her "boyfriend's" side!

"Rongrong..."

... ps: Yesterday, one chapter got locked away. Some readers felt the story didn't flow, but I'll sort it out when I reorganize the chapters later.

Also, thanks to all the readers who've supported this book over the past few days. Thanks for your nudges to update, recommendation tickets, and monthly tickets.

If there's anything you'd like to see in the chapters ahead, feel free to discuss it in the comments.