Chen Xin's Probe, the Evil Fire Demon Dragon's Terror

Chen Xin's expression revealed a hint of reluctance.

Compared to the overall strength of the sect, he was even more unwilling to see Ning Rongrong heartbroken.

Moreover, since they were clearly grooming Lin Yan as a future guardian to bolster the sect's power, why did Ning Fengzhi have to be so obstinate?

Would it really end in a permanent separation of life and death? Chen Xin could not understand it, nor did he want to support it...

Fortunately, Ning Fengzhi had not yet reached the point of completely burning bridges with Lin Yan, so he spoke slowly.

"Rest assured, let us keep him around for a while longer."

"Since he was able to use Rongrong to threaten us, we will naturally be able to find him through Rongrong in the future."

A faint smile remained on the corners of Ning Fengzhi's mouth as he spoke, as if nothing in this world could sway his emotions.

But as this scene played out before Sword and Bone Douluo, both men's eyes widened in unison.

What did that last sentence mean? What did he mean by finding Lin Yan through Rongrong? Could it be that this man was even calculating against his own biological daughter?

Chen Xin clenched his fists secretly, and Gu Rong gritted his teeth, while Ning Fengzhi stood in the center of the field like a man without a care, looking up at the void.

It was as if, within that void, there was a chess game he was currently manipulating.

At this moment, Chen Xin and Gu Rong finally realized how Ning Fengzhi had managed to elevate a support-type sect into the ranks of the Upper Three Sects over the years.

After a long while, Gu Rong pulled himself out of his disbelief and asked tentatively.

"Then what do we do now..."

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly. "Give him a warning."

With those four simple words, he said no more, even turning his back to them entirely.

The implication was clear: one of the Sword and Bone Douluo was to teach Lin Yan a lesson—something akin to "the death penalty is avoided, but the living punishment is inescapable."

After all, Lin Yan's attitude toward them earlier had been quite atrocious; a civilian soul master with no background, no matter how talented, had no excuse for such a lack of decorum.

Chen Xin and Gu Rong had no objections to this; as long as they did not harm Ning Rongrong for the time being, they would do whatever was asked.

Gently smoothing his sleeves, Chen Xin walked to the closed door.

"Rongrong, come out."

"We intend to return to the sect; come out and bid us farewell."

Inside the room, Ning Rongrong and Lin Yan both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

It seemed the storm of today's events had temporarily subsided; otherwise, the Sword Douluo outside would likely have charged straight in, and Lin Yan would have been unable to resist regardless.

Thinking of this, the two exchanged a glance before holding hands and opening the door.

As the door was pushed open, Ning Rongrong saw the smiling Sword Douluo and let out a delicate huff.

"Hmph!"

"In the future, you are not allowed to—"

BOOM!

Before she could finish, the wooden door beside her was crushed into fragments by spatial pressure. The deafening sound exploded in the young girl's ears, causing her body to tense in fright.

As for Lin Yan, he made a split-second decision and quickly let go of Ning Rongrong's left hand.

Sure enough, the next second, he was teleported to the center of the training ground by Gu Rong's spatial-type ability.

"Damn it!"

If I hadn't let go quickly, my entire arm would probably have been severed.

Lin Yan cursed inwardly, his purple eyes fixed intently on the expressions of Sword and Bone Douluo, terrified of missing a single detail.

Had he guessed wrong? Was Ning Fengzhi truly cold-blooded enough to put Ning Rongrong in danger?

No! There was no killing intent on their faces... They must just be testing his strength!

Just then, Ning Rongrong also reacted and shouted at Chen Xin.

"What are you doing? Sword Grandpa!"

Chen Xin summoned the Seven Kill Sword and walked toward Lin Yan step by step, explaining to Ning Rongrong behind him as he went.

"Don't worry, as your boyfriend, he must possess the strength to protect you."

"Your Sword Grandpa is merely testing to see exactly what he is worth."

Gu Rong also pressed down on Ning Rongrong's shoulder at this moment to prevent her from interfering.

Ning Rongrong wanted to say more, but Gu Rong had already sealed her voice with soul power.

By now, Chen Xin had reached Lin Yan.

Lin Yan instantly completed his Martial Soul Possession; the Evil Fire Demon Dragon manifested in the air before violently surging into his body.

In an instant, eerie purple flames rippled outward, but just as they were about to reach Chen Xin, they struck an invisible wall and came to a dead stop.

Lin Yan knew that he was bound to suffer today; he might even lose a few limbs, or perhaps even his life.

After all, this was a Title Douluo. Even without killing intent, when facing a "young punk" like himself, the man would not hold back in his moves...

Realizing this, Lin Yan decided to spit out some harsh words before he died.

He pointed at Chen Xin's nose and cursed.

"Old geezer!"

"Every act of violence you've inflicted upon me today, I will pay back a hundredfold!"

Chen Xin gave a disdainful smile, his sword tip pointing directly back at Lin Yan.

"Heh, you've got a big mouth."

"I'd like to see how you intend to pay me back!"

[First Soul Skill: Long Sword Sharpens!]

A flash of dim yellow light erupted from the nine soul rings at his feet. In the next instant, a sharp sword aura seemed to traverse space itself, rapidly expanding within Lin Yan's field of vision.

Oh no!

Seeing the sword aura about to strike his face, in the nick of time, Lin Yan desperately channeled his soul power. The External Soul Bone Dragon Wings burst open from his back, instantly lifting him off the ground.

Boom!

The sword aura landed in the nearby forest, slicing a large swath of trees clean in half.

"Oh? An External Soul Bone?"

"You brat certainly have some fortuitous encounters."

Chen Xin let out a soft sound of surprise, appearing nonchalant.

However, Lin Yan, suspended in the air, was furious.

"You're playing for real?"

"Heh, or did you think any stray cat or dog could provoke the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"Bring out your full strength. If you still try to hold back at this point, don't blame my Seven Kill Sword for being too sharp."

As he finished speaking, Chen Xin swung his sword once more.

Lin Yan had no choice but to dodge continuously in the air.

Honestly, this was exactly what he feared; these old men didn't know how to pull their punches. If they really hacked off one of his limbs, and the other side just claimed it "wasn't intentional," even Ning Rongrong wouldn't be able to do anything about these two old geezers in the end.

But things had reached this point, and he had no energy left to consider anything else. Right now, simply dodging the dense barrage of sword aura attacks was consuming all his focus.

After all, one moment of carelessness, and it would be his life on the line.

Outside the arena.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong watched Lin Yan's pathetic state, and the stifled frustration in their hearts dissipated significantly.

Hmph! You relied on having Ning Rongrong in your hands to be so arrogant toward us earlier; now you've finally been taught a lesson.

That said, where did this brat get that External Soul Bone? How could it burst forth with such terrifying speed? And that agile footwork—even if Chen Xin were to get a bit more serious, he might not have a hundred percent certainty of hitting him.

The two were somewhat surprised by Lin Yan's dodging techniques, and at the same time, they were even more curious about what his true combat power was.

On the clearing, Ning Fengzhi sent a voice transmission to Chen Xin, "Uncle Sword, give him a chance to attack. Let's see what kind of combat power he can unleash."