Her crisp voice rang through the great hall, and the three men all wore the same curious expression.
Chen Xin chuckled.
"Hahaha! You're making quite a show of it."
"What new trick has our little Princess Rongrong learned? Let Grandpa Sword 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. Its speed, its heat, and the suddenness of its appearance had completely caught everyone present off guard.
In the blink of an eye, the fireball appeared right in front of Chen Xin as if it had teleported.
At that critical moment, Gu Rong let out a shout.
"Look out!"
"Old Swordsman, move!"
But Chen Xin had clearly run out of time to react. He was still standing there with his hands behind his back, eyes narrowed as he put on airs.
Gu Rong took on the Bone Dragon Martial Soul, and after a distortion of space, appeared in front of Chen Xin.
Rumble!
The fireball slammed into the defensive barrier Gu Rong had raised. A thunderous boom erupted through the great hall, shaking loose even a few tiles from the roof.
Actually, stopping the fireball wasn't difficult. The important thing was how suddenly and inexplicably it had appeared.
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 bulging like a bull's.
"What... is going on?"
"Are we under attack?"
Just then, Ning Rongrong's voice rang out, tinged with annoyance and a hint of childish petulance.
"Grandpa Bone, you're cheating! We agreed that Grandpa Sword and I would fight. How can you just jump in whenever you want?"
The three old men all sucked in a sharp breath.
"Hiss..."
"Rongrong, was that your attack?"
Ning Rongrong lifted her little face and gave a soft, petulant huff.
It was clearly a yes.
Ning Fengzhi hurried over to the girl, crouched down, and began carefully examining her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"Is it an ability of your Martial Soul? No! Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul hasn't changed at all!"
"How did you do it? A Soul Bone Skill?"
"No, that doesn't make sense either. All the Soul Bones used by Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters have only enhancement effects. None of them have offensive power."
"Rongrong, what's going on?"
Ning Fengzhi muttered through a string of questions. Only after failing to figure out what had happened did he turn his gaze to Ning Rongrong.
In response, Ning Rongrong only smiled sweetly.
"Hehe~ It's a secret!"
"My boyfriend gave me this ability."
"Boyfriend?"
The three of them all let out a strange cry, and Chen Xin and Gu Rong even flashed straight to Ning Rongrong's side.
This news shocked them more than the fireball attack had. For a moment, they both felt as if a piece of their hearts had suddenly gone missing.
That was their little princess, the girl they had doted on since she was a child! Why did she have a boyfriend? What kind of person could be good enough for Ning Rongrong? Could the little princess have been deceived...?
One was a level 96 Titled Douluo, the other a level 95 Titled Douluo. The two protectors of the sect felt an empty space in their hearts, and worried at the same time that Ning Rongrong might have been taken advantage of.
As for Ning Fengzhi...
He had already suspected as much. Now that Ning Rongrong had confirmed it, his first reaction was anger.
How could the daughter of Ning Fengzhi, 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 experts. And as Ning Fengzhi's heir, every decision Ning Rongrong made should offer the greatest possible value.
How could such an important matter in life be left to this little girl to decide for herself?
And judging by the mature air her daughter now exuded with every movement, someone had clearly already had his way...
In an instant, an emotion called anger flooded Ning Fengzhi's mind.
Fortunately, just before he lost his temper, Sword Douluo sent him a message and calmed him down.
"Fengzhi, calm down!"
"Gu Rong and I are even more heartbroken than you, but we still don't know what's going on. Don't let your anger hurt Rongrong."
As a Titled Douluo, Chen Xin naturally noticed every little thing that happened in the hall.
After soothing Ning Fengzhi, he turned to Ning Rongrong.
"My little Princess Rongrong, you were only away for three months. How did you suddenly end up with a boyfriend?"
Gu Rong seized the opening, unable to keep his composure any longer, and hurriedly asked:
"What sect is he from? How old is he? How strong is he? What's his Martial Soul? Where is he now?"
Of everyone present, only Ning Fengzhi said nothing.
Ning Rongrong casually waved her hand and said with a smile:
"Come on, why are you all so worked up?"
"I'm not a child anymore. What's so strange about having a boyfriend?"
Chen Xin wasn't ready to give up and pressed her, "Where is he? Where is he now?"
"He's at the academy, of course. I wanted to bring him back with me, but Flender only gave me time off because I needed to hunt for a Soul Ring. He didn't need to, so Flender didn't approve his leave."
"You're hunting for a Soul Ring? You've reached level 30?" Chen Xin frowned. "How is that possible? You were only level 26 when you left the sect. It's only been three months..."
Then he seemed to think of something extremely serious. Not caring whether Ning Rongrong would get angry, he grabbed the girl by the shoulders.
"Don't resist. Let me check your meridians."
There were all kinds of evil secret techniques circulating across the continent.
If these techniques fell into the hands of ill-intentioned people, they could be cultivated to increase one's strength rapidly. Ning Rongrong had just displayed an unusual means of attack, so Chen Xin instinctively thought of this possibility.
He sent Soul Power into Ning Rongrong's meridians to check whether she had gone down the wrong path.
The air fell silent. Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi watched Chen Xin's expression intently, afraid to miss the slightest detail.
Before long, Chen Xin raised his eyes and gave a slight shake of his head.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Not only that, Rongrong's Soul Power is far more condensed than before."
The other two were utterly astonished.
It had only been three months—just three months—and Ning Rongrong had gone from level 26 to level 30 without any side effects.
During that time, she'd even gotten a boyfriend! And learned a fireball attack comparable to the full-strength strike of a Soul Ancestor.
What was happening to the world? Was this still the Ning Rongrong they knew?
By now, Ning Fengzhi had more or less suppressed his emotions. He turned to Ning Rongrong and said:
"What happened during those three months? Tell us everything, down to the smallest detail."
"No. I promised my boyfriend I'd keep it a secret, so I'm not telling you."
Ning Rongrong lifted her chin and turned her head aside. Her repeated "My boyfriend! My boyfriend!" made the hearts of Sword and Bone Douluo bleed.
Their eyes reddened. They couldn't believe the little princess they had raised for twelve years had been swept away in just three months!
And now she was acting as if she and her "boyfriend" were on the same side!
"Rongrong..."
Before you continue