After Ning Huan left the high platform with Ning Hao and the others, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, which had been bustling for days, seemed to suddenly hit fast-forward.
The crowded, noisy throngs dispersed in an instant under the orderly guidance of the sect elders.
Before long, only a few disciples handling the aftermath and a scene of utter disarray remained in the training grounds.
Those who left split into two groups: some were delighted, while others were weighed down with worry.
A small number of lucky ones who had been selected stopped halfway down the mountain, gazing into the distance with excitement.
They seemed to be imagining futures that did not yet exist.
The stewards responsible for them were just as overjoyed, carefully calculating how best to divide the rewards they were about to receive.
By contrast, the disciples who had failed to catch the attention of the higher-ups looked utterly dejected.
They continued their arduous descent toward the foot of the mountain.
They knew all too well that, unless fortune smiled on them, the only thing awaiting them after this parting was a life whose end they could see from the start.
Cultivation...
Taking over the sect's businesses from their seniors...
Once their talent had been completely exhausted and they could make no further progress, they would be given a steward's position...
And finally, they would spend the rest of their lives muddling along under the envious gazes of commoner Soul Masters.
In a daze, someone murmured, breaking the silence of dusk.
"Such a commanding presence... It's truly something to yearn for."
No one had expected the long-anticipated annual competition to end in such a theatrical fashion.
Ning Huan's sudden emergence had knocked everyone else flat.
The disciples who had hoped to return to the sect through years of hard work saw their dreams crumble.
The main-sect disciples, who had long considered themselves geniuses, were left questioning their lives.
Although Wind Douluo had intervened in time, and Chen Xin had been limited by his level and Soul Power, no one had ultimately been injured.
But there was no doubt that those nine enormous Seven Kill swords hanging high in the sky would become a nightmare the disciples could never erase from their minds.
Meanwhile, the instigator of it all was currently feasting to his heart's content, utterly unconcerned with what anyone thought.
"Good heavens, eight jin of meat and three jin of rice. No wonder this kid has so much Soul Power!"
As he spoke, Wind Douluo set down his wine cup, dumbfounded, and nudged Sword Douluo with his elbow.
"Old Sword, are you sure that little nest egg of yours can afford to keep him fed?"
"Don't come crying when you've eaten yourself into not being able to afford a pair of underpants."
"Get lost!"
Sword Douluo shot back irritably, yet a trace of unease slipped into his usually sharp eyes.
If the intelligence was right, Ning Huan's food consumption seemed to increase dramatically every year.
Given enough time, he really might not be able to keep up.
On the other side, as if sensing the change in the atmosphere around him, Ning Huan finally lifted his head. The emptiness inside him felt more or less filled.
After looking around at the amused and astonished gazes, he turned to the seat of honor without changing expression and cupped his hands in salute.
"Uncle Ning, I was so hungry that I forgot my manners. Please forgive me."
"Think nothing of it. I have some idea of your Martial Soul's talent."
"Your total Soul Power is immense, and you recover quickly. I imagine there must be a price to pay for that."
Ning Hao smiled and waved a hand, showing not the slightest trace of displeasure.
"Besides, you managed to wield half a move from Ancestor Chen Xin's eighth Soul Skill while at the Soul Ancestor realm."
"Compared to that, what does eating a lot matter?"
Hearing this, Ning Huan felt a weight lift from his heart. He also held this shrewd, calculating sect master in greater regard.
There had been no probing.
He had deliberately obscured his Martial Soul's talents.
And he had made no mention of Ning Huan's past six years.
At least for now, everything was proceeding according to the optimal plan he had envisioned.
However, Ning Huan had overlooked one thing.
With his mediocre ability to manage his expressions, how could he escape Ning Hao's notice?
As the sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Hao was naturally skilled at calculation and dealing with people.
Trying to handle an inexperienced child like him was like using a cannon to swat a mosquito.
So, the instant Ning Huan's shoulders relaxed, Ning Hao couldn't help thinking,
He's still just a child. Even if he has his own schemes, he can't help but reveal a few cracks once things go his way.
Still, that makes him all the more reassuring.
Only then did Ning Hao let down all his guard and resolve never to ask about the secrets Ning Huan had deliberately hidden.
Where his resources came from.
Where his Soul Rings came from.
Why he had concealed his talents while deliberately revealing others...
None of it mattered anymore.
As long as he was here and his heart was with the sect, that was enough.
Secrets were best kept between the two of them. There was no need to speak them aloud.
After all, Ancestor Chen Xin gave them a convenient and respectable excuse.
If they said, "The ancestor gave it to him, taught him, and passed it on to him," who wouldn't believe them?
If that still didn't work, they could have Ning Huan summon him once more, even if it meant draining his Soul Power, and confront the ancestor face-to-face.
Surely the ancestor wouldn't undermine his own descendant.
At this thought, Ning Hao seemed to remember something, and his brows furrowed slightly.
[Uncle Feng, sorry for the trouble, but please make a trip to Tianluo City and the ruins of Jialing Pass. Erase Ning Huan's records from the past few years, just in case.]
Wind Douluo paused in surprise at the transmitted message, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
He then pretended that nothing had happened and continued drinking with Shield Defense Douluo.
Seeing that Ning Huan was still looking down, lost in thought, Ning Hao had no choice but to speak again, easing the slightly awkward atmosphere.
"Xiao Huan, although I have some idea of your abilities, I still don't fully understand them."
"Would you be willing to tell us the parts that aren't particularly secret?"
"That would make it easier for the sect to help you hunt Soul Beasts for your Soul Rings in the future. What do you think?"
The instant he finished speaking, the noisy dining hall fell silent.
The three worshippers, who had been drinking and chatting, stopped their bickering.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who had been talking about private matters between them, fell silent as well, their eyes full of curiosity.
"Of course."
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Ning Huan carefully selected what to share.
He explained the abilities and limitations he had, as well as the Spirit Bodies he had already contracted, leaving out the Treasure Seeking Mouse.
Everyone was left exclaiming in amazement.
"The Spirit Bodies continuously absorb a Soul Master's Soul Power, which means the Soul Master is always in a special yet relatively stable state of cultivation..."
"No wonder you became a Soul Ancestor ahead of your peers at such a young age."
After hearing this, Wind Douluo nodded, so envious that his teeth nearly ground together.
A talent that let you cultivate while lying still? He wanted one too!
"Still, because of the limits of my spiritual power and Soul Power, as well as the presence of Ancestor Chen Xin, the number of Spirit Bodies I can contract is extremely limited."
"I'm already close to my limit. I'll have to wait until I break through to Soul King before I can make any more contracts."
Ning Huan wasn't making that up.
After all, he genuinely had no strength left to contract another Soul Beast!
Chen Xin had been a Super Douluo in life.
It was only natural that he would consume a great deal of Soul Power as a Spirit Body.
If Ning Huan's total Soul Power hadn't been so high, and his recovery so fast, and if Chen Xin hadn't deliberately reduced how much Soul Power he took, then forget summoning spirits to fight—Ning Huan might not even be alive now.
"That's fair. You can't have every good thing under the sun."
"Come on, us four old-timers will figure out which Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest would suit you."
Meanwhile, as the little one asked questions and the three old-timers answered, Ning Hao was feeling a headache coming on.
Geniuses were great, but this one had an awful lot of problems!
Secrets kept popping up out of nowhere, leaving him feeling as though he couldn't get a handle on the situation.
His ceiling is sky-high, his floor is rock-bottom, his cultivation is advancing at lightning speed, and his strength depends entirely on the quality and quantity of his Spirit Bodies.
What a fine Martial Soul, defying Martial Soul Theory.
If that bunch from Shrek found out about this, they'd drag you back there in chains—and that would be the polite version!
Before you continue