Resurgence, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect

Yu Tianheng shook his head.

"I never thought about whether it was shameful or not; I only thought about how to break Tang Wei's Clear Sky Nine Arts and Chaotic Cloak next time. Later, in our second bout, I beat him. We've always traded wins and losses, enemies and friends alike. It was only later, for the sake of the sect's stability, that the matches became fewer."

Yu Yuanzhen looked at him squarely, his eyes filled with expectation. "Tianheng, the reputation of a sect isn't built on 'not losing'; it's built on every generation of successors being able to stand tall. If you lose, admit it. If you admit it, change. If you change, win it back!"

"You are trapping yourself in 'shame' right now, afraid to train, afraid to fight—that is the true shame. It is a shame to the calluses on your palms, and a shame to the blood and sweat you've shed in the past!"

"We are dragons! Dragon scales may fall, but dragon bones must never break!"

Yu Tianheng sat quietly on the steps, feeling as if something inside him had shattered, while something new was slowly beginning to grow.

It turned out his grandfather had never demanded that he must win; it was he himself who had tied victory and sect honor so tightly together that he had been choked breathless by the rope.

Dragon scales were his pride, as well as the persistent glory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan he held in his heart.

While magnificent dragon scales were certainly important to a dragon, if they did not continue to grow and change, they would only become shackles, hindering the dragon's body from maturing.

The dragon bone was the foundation; as long as the dragon bone did not break, the dragon could soar through the nine heavens time and time again.

Yu Tianheng's voice was no longer hoarse, but instead carried a hint of resolve: "Grandfather, I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden away just because I lost. I should be thinking about how to fight better, how to win it back!"

Seeing the light reignite in his eyes, Yu Yuanzhen nodded with satisfaction: "Good, as long as you understand. You only have a month of leave; you don't have much time."

Yu Tianheng stood up immediately, speaking with solemnity: "Grandfather, please train me. No matter how grueling the training is, I can take it!"

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, main assembly hall.

Seated in the primary position was a man with a face like polished jade, a straight nose, and a square jaw. His appearance was scholarly and gentle, and he wore a pristine white robe without a speck of dust. He looked to be in his thirties, and his gaze was soft; he looked like an ordinary person in every respect.

This man was none other than the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi.

At this moment, he was looking at a young man in white martial attire kneeling on the floor below.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, that is the gist of what happened. Yu Tianheng was no match for Xing Tian at all," the young man said respectfully.

Ning Fengzhi nodded, his eyes revealing curiosity. "You may step down."

"Yes, Sect Master." The young man retreated quickly.

Ning Fengzhi looked toward the two elders sitting to his left and right, a smile appearing on his face as he said gently: "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, what do you think?"

Sitting to Ning Fengzhi's right was Sword Douluo Chen Xin, dressed in an immaculate snow-white robe. His long silver hair was neatly combed back, and his face was as delicate as an infant's. Just sitting there quietly, he gave off an aura of being the sole master of all things under heaven.

To Ning Fengzhi's left was Bone Douluo Gu Rong. His face was withered, his muscles and skin gaunt, his eye sockets deeply sunken, and his frame was terrifyingly large, his clothes held up entirely by his skeletal structure.

Chen Xin's voice was vigorous and powerful, like a sharp blade: "To be able to easily defeat Yu Tianheng across ranks, he is indeed a peerless genius. I just wonder about his temperament—whether he can live up to that final arrogant remark."

"Although that Yu Tianheng is called one of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, anyone in the Seven Great Sects knows it is an exaggeration. It is merely that old dragon hoping the sect's descendants could produce a pair of Title Douluo, much like the Clear Sky Twin Stars of the past, but that is nothing more than a pipe dream."

Gu Rong's voice was extremely hoarse, like wind blowing through fallen leaves: "But it cannot be denied that Yu Tianheng does have the talent to reach the Title rank. That this Xing Tian could easily defeat him is proof enough that his aptitude is terrifying—perhaps even comparable to Tang Hao back in the day."

Gu Rong's assessment of Xing Tian could be considered quite high, as Tang Hao's record was truly shocking.

At twenty, he obtained a legacy Soul Bone from the Clear Sky Sect; at twenty-five, he broke through to Soul Saint; at twenty-eight, he obtained the Slaughter God's Domain; at thirty, he broke through to Soul Saint; at thirty-five, he broke through to Soul Douluo; and at thirty-eight, he shattered the leg of a Title Douluo elder from Martial Soul Hall. At forty-four, he became the youngest Title Douluo.

In his first battle as a Title Douluo, he hammered a Martial Soul Hall Title Douluo elder to death, crippled another, and even left the Pope so severely wounded that he died.

Now, so many years later, Tang Hao's strength must have reached even greater heights. Gu Rong could even conclude that neither he nor Chen Xin were Tang Hao's match.

If anyone else had received such an evaluation from Gu Rong, they would have accepted it with joy and thanked him humbly, but unfortunately, Xing Tian would not. If he knew Gu Rong evaluated him this way, he would only feel that Gu Rong was insulting him.

Following this, Gu Rong added with a sinister tone: "It is a pity he is not a member of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sect Master, judging by the description, he seems to be from the Nine-Heart Begonia family. Why not let me..."

"No!" Ning Fengzhi decisively rejected Gu Rong's proposal. "Uncle Bone, do not say such things again."

"This Xing Tian is neither from Martial Soul Hall nor the Seven Great Sects; he has no real conflict of interest with us. The Nine-Heart Begonia family's connections span the world; even if their numbers are thin, no one dares to touch them. Once an incident occurs, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will become the enemy of all soul masters. Those with ulterior motives will surely strike, and the loss will outweigh the gain!"

"Furthermore, Xing Tian has already enrolled in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and I have already taken Qinghe as a disciple, publicly supporting the Heaven Dou imperial family. If we move against Xing Tian, we would be openly opposing the royal family, and all our previous efforts would be for nothing!"

Chen Xin took up the thread: "Fengzhi is right. Xing Tian is currently a student at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy; in a sense, he has some connection to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He is a friend, not an enemy. You old bag of bones are thinking about how to kill him and ruin the relationship between the two sides—I really don't know how your brain works. Is it just for show?"

Gu Rong slapped his hand down and roared: "What do you mean, you old sword-wielder? Being snide, are you? Do you want to fight?"

Chen Xin remained unmoved: "It just so happens my body has been feeling a bit stiff lately. Let's loosen up our joints. Come on, let me loosen your bones for you."

"As if I'm afraid of you!"

The two sect-protecting Douluo stood up simultaneously, their gazes like lightning, colliding in the air.

Behind Chen Xin appeared an ancient, massive sword about two meters long and half a foot wide. Its sword intent was sharp, as if it could cleave mountains and part seas.

Gu Rong's body erupted with a low dragon roar, and terrifying black mist surged around him, from which bone spikes faintly protruded.

Ning Fengzhi covered his face in helplessness. These two had met during a soul duel back when they were Soul Saints and had been inseparable ever since, becoming both enemies and friends.

Even after joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they couldn't break the habit of constantly sparring, and the causes were always bizarre—sometimes they would start fighting over a single disagreement.

Ning Fengzhi usually acted as the peacemaker to talk them down, but this time, he decided to drop a bombshell.

"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, I have decided to send Rongrong to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to study."

"What!" X2

Chen Xin and Gu Rong instantly lost all their fighting spirit.