Harmony

Still, Ning Huan was happy to see things turn out this way.

After all, Ning Tian was the most talented disciple of this generation in the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

And she also had the status of its young mistress.

As long as there was no conflict of interest, befriending her could do no harm.

"In that case, let's become friends."

Having grasped the key point, Ning Huan immediately nodded in agreement.

His usually placid expression softened slightly, almost imperceptibly.

But whether the golden-haired girl had misunderstood him or done it on purpose, an utterly unexpected form of address slipped right out.

"Mm! Brother Ning Huan!"

Wu Feng: "!"

Ning Huan: "..."

Noticing the sly smile that flashed across Ning Tian's lips, then glancing at Wu Feng, who was gritting her teeth, Ning Huan felt utterly helpless.

That was because this girl's way of getting closer to someone was exactly the same as her father's!

She hadn't changed a single word of the approach, only the form of address.

Also, couldn't you at least take a moment to look at the young lady beside you?

She looked like she wanted to eat me alive!

Good thing I'm strong enough that she's no match for me.

Otherwise, the moment you finished speaking, this crazy girl would've blasted me in the face with [Dragon Fire].

Every extra second would be a betrayal of your feelings.

There was no doubt that this unexpected turn of events had caught Ning Huan off guard.

If he just let it happen, he'd have to deal with all sorts of trouble down the line, and he hated that.

Like this little fire dragon glaring at him with flames in her eyes.

But if he rejected her on the spot, he'd come across as arrogant.

And he might offend Ning Hao's side, driving a wedge between them.

In the end, he'd be the one who suffered most.

Besides, no matter how clever Ning Tian was, she was still just a nine-year-old girl who'd grown up in a sheltered garden.

She was at the age when she was just beginning to explore the world and imitate her parents' words and deeds.

So the little schemes in her heart had most likely come from her father.

Sadly, she'd copied the form without grasping the meaning, and it just wasn't quite right.

It wasn't worth holding it against her.

And so, having swallowed his complaint, Ning Huan could only turn his aim toward Ning Hao.

He figured he'd find a chance to offer him another suggestion and give him more work.

That would keep him from spending all day teaching his daughter to scheme and plot, and draining every bit of youthful vigor from her.

At that thought, Ning Huan gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Then he looked back at Ning Tian, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

"Back to the point. Why aren't you two sleeping properly? What brings you here so early in the morning?"

This time, however, it wasn't Ning Tian who answered.

"Because my young mistress is kindhearted and beautiful!"

"She saw that your Martial Soul ability was unusual, so she was willing to teach you the sect's secret technique ahead of time!"

Following the voice, he saw Wu Feng standing beside Ning Tian with her arms crossed, glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks.

"Hmph! So what if you're a little stronger and a little better-looking? Why did you have to catch the young mistress's attention the moment you arrived?"

"Feng Mei! What are you saying?"

Watching the two girls bicker, Ning Huan instinctively raised a hand and scratched his cheek.

I'll grant that I'm strong.

But this business about being good-looking...

Was that really how you described a man?

He was six feet tall, with a fairly handsome face.

And his skin was a sun-browned wheat color from years of exercise and never bothering to take care of it.

Honestly, he would've gladly accepted praise for being masculine or making people feel safe.

But "good-looking"...

Either this girl had something wrong with her eyes, or she had unusual tastes and a different sense of beauty.

Suppressing his surprise, he recalled what Wu Feng had said about the sect's secret technique.

Heart Separation Control, huh...

It's definitely useful, but I don't know how far it can take me.

Over the past six years, Ning Huan had often thought about summoning several Spirit Bodies at once.

After all, if he could only summon one at a time, how was that any different from an ordinary Soul Master's turn-based Soul Fighting?

The problem was that he'd started out as a self-taught nobody and had never received any formal Soul Master training.

He'd raised his cultivation by absorbing Spirit Bodies, and built up his physical strength through training based on the experience he'd brought from his previous life.

As for combat skills, he knew nine out of ten openings—and was clueless about the last one!

He'd made it this far through sheer stats, not strategy.

With Soul Power dozens of times greater than anyone else at the same rank, any Spirit Body he summoned could easily overpower an ordinary Soul Master.

As a result, he hadn't been able to figure out how to divide his attention.

He could just barely summon three Spirit Bodies at once now, and that was only because he remembered the practice method from the original story: "draw a circle with your left hand and a square with your right."

Even then, he'd only managed it after painstaking practice.

Remembering how his head had cramped up and his hands and feet had stopped obeying him, Ning Huan shivered and said softly:

"I've heard of the sect's [Heart Separation Control] technique too."

The sudden voice finally reminded Ning Tian where she was.

Realizing she'd been rude, she quickly pushed Wu Feng away and tidied her slightly disheveled short blond hair.

Her young-mistress poise returned.

Then, seeing that the person before her hadn't shown any impatience, she shot her friend a fierce glare.

I'll deal with you when we get back!

Wu Feng: "..."

I should be under the bed. I shouldn't be here...

Meanwhile, seeing that the two girls had separated, Ning Huan didn't wait any longer and voiced his doubts.

"If I understand correctly, the essence of [Heart Separation Control] is to improve a Soul Master's control over their mental power and Soul Power."

"And then use that to improve the ability of Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Masters to enhance multiple Soul Masters at once."

Ning Tian nodded gently and replied in a soft voice:

"That's right. Without [Heart Separation Control], the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda wouldn't be known as the number one support-type Martial Soul."

That was true enough.

Still, compared to those ordinary enhancement Soul Skills, Ning Huan preferred the eighth and ninth Soul Skills of the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

One was a conceptual defensive Soul Skill.

The other was a Soul Skill that granted one second of invincibility ten times a day.

If he could form a Contract with a Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master, then pair that with the Black Tortoise bloodline awakening...

He'd feel safer than ever!

One thought after another crossed his mind, and an immature plan gradually took shape.

If I can't trust outsiders, then I can raise a team of my own to summon. That should work, right?

Use the sect's resources to cultivate people on my side.

Perfectly reasonable!

And these two right in front of me would be ideal!

"Brother Ning Huan? Are you all right?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

Seeing the genuine concern in Ning Tian's eyes, Ning Huan came back to himself, feeling relieved.

For now, he put aside his thoughts of adventuring in the Far North and at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

In the end, he lacked the confidence. He knew there was a mountain of treasure, but didn't dare enter...

"Let's go to the training grounds. Once you've learned [Heart Separation Control], I can get a sense of how strong you two are."

"Okay!"

"Hmph! None of your business!"

Unlike the sweet and sensible Ning Tian, Wu Feng was just a kid going through a rebellious phase.

Her tone was nasty and her little face was full of resentment, but she didn't hesitate for a second to move.

She stuck close behind Ning Tian, not falling even a step behind. Ning Huan and Ning Tian couldn't help laughing at the sight.

"What are you laughing at? I'm only afraid you'll bully the young mistress!"

"Right, right. You're the strongest~"

"Ah! Young mistress, he's picking on someone younger than him!"

Ning Tian only smiled and said nothing.