As soon as the words fell, an eerie silence instantly settled over the scene.
Yun Ming's figure paused slightly. The hand holding the little booklet froze in midair, and a hint of surprise flickered across his usually calm, composed features.
He had expected Leng Yaozhu to refuse, but he had never imagined that Na'er would reject him outright.
Beside him, Ya Li's red lips parted, but she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and said nothing.
What could she say?
Brother Ming had only brought out his insights into the Spear God's path to persuade Leng Yaozhu to relent and allow him to speak with Na'er.
He had even promised that if Na'er agreed to become his disciple, he would give Leng Yaozhu a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone as compensation and thanks.
Yet before Leng Yaozhu could answer, Na'er herself had already refused.
Leng Yaozhu was also taken aback, but then she chuckled softly, looking quite pleased.
After all, no novel would dare write Yun Ming's life story.
In his youth, he had overwhelmed his peers and openly accepted challenges from sixteen rivals in love, sweeping aside all sixteen Titled Douluo under forty by himself. That battle had shaken the world.
At thirty-one, he had broken through to Limit Douluo and entered the demigod realm, then fought Qiangu Dieting, the previous master of the Spirit Pagoda. Though the veteran powerhouse was also a demigod, Yun Ming had crushed him with ease. The battle left Qiangu Dieting with a deep psychological scar, delaying his breakthrough to Quasi-God by a full thirty years beyond what he had expected.
At thirty-five, he had reached the pinnacle of the Quasi-God realm. With a single thrust of his spear above the Ming Capital, he had pierced the heavens, cowed the entire Federation, and claimed Ya Li.
Later, at the Battle of Tianhai, he had fought Chen Xinjie, the hundred-years-older master of the War God Temple, for three days and three nights. After the battle, Chen Xinjie admitted defeat, and Yun Ming's standing as the strongest on the Douluo Continent became unshakable.
Leng Yaozhu had watched Yun Ming forge countless glories and witnessed him climb, step by step, to the summit. Let alone Yun Ming's own confidence, even she had felt that her chances of competing with him for Na'er were slim.
But she had never expected that this peak powerhouse, surrounded by countless accolades, would be rejected before he could even speak by a six-year-old child.
The most amusing part was that the child still wanted to get his insights into the Spear God's path for free.
The frozen atmosphere lingered. Yun Ming gazed at Na'er, who looked as if she had just found money on the ground, and sighed softly. "Na'er, do you know who I am?"
"Of course." Na'er tilted her little head, her silver hair swaying gently, her face full of pride. "The Spear God of this age, Sky-Prop Douluo."
She had only just arrived in the human world, so of course she didn't know who Sky-Prop Douluo and Holy Spirit Douluo were. But she was King Na'er, heir to peerless wisdom, and it was easy enough for her to pick out the key information from their conversation.
Spear God, Sky-Prop, something Ming or Ming something.
Since she didn't know his name, then wasn't he simply "the Spear God of this age, Sky-Prop Douluo"?
Besides, this Spear God had shown up uninvited and immediately asked to take her as his disciple. That held not the slightest appeal for her.
First of all, she had no interest in spear techniques.
In her opinion, during a fight, why not just thrust the Silver Dragon Spear straight at the enemy? If one thrust didn't finish them, then she could thrust again. What was the point of all those twists and turns?
Secondly, she didn't think the Spear God realm was anything remarkable.
With King Na'er's peerless talent and supreme wisdom, she could reach the Spear God realm with ease. She didn't need anyone to teach her.
Most importantly, the Spirit Pagoda was rich and powerful. Staying here meant she could eat well and live in comfort, and there was even a junior disciple by her side who smelled better than chicken cartilage. Just smelling him lifted her spirits.
All things considered, in King Na'er's heart, becoming Yun Ming's disciple < chicken cartilage ≤ An Lan.
So all she wanted was the little booklet that had fallen from the sky. She had no intention whatsoever of changing allegiances.
"Enough, Yun Ming. Since Na'er doesn't want to become your disciple, just hand your insights into the Spear God's path over to me. I'm sure that in a few decades, you'll see a new Spear God emerge under my tutelage." Leng Yaozhu smiled brightly.
Although she was happy to see Yun Ming suffer a setback, she had no wish to waste any more time here with him. She just wanted to take what he had offered and hurry back to the Spirit Pagoda.
"Exactly!" Na'er nodded repeatedly, urging him on. "Give the little booklet to my teacher. When I become the Spear God someday, I'll be sure to thank you properly!"
Yun Ming's eyelid twitched at her words. Given his status, he would never go back on his word or break a promise.
He sighed deeply and said no more. His tone held a touch of resignation. "So be it. It seems we were never meant to be master and disciple. I hope these insights will help you in your cultivation someday!"
As he spoke, he gave his wrist a slight flick. The yellowed booklet in his hand flew toward Leng Yaozhu, carried by a gentle stream of Soul Power.
Leng Yaozhu reached out and caught it steadily, then nodded slightly to Yun Ming and Ya Li in farewell.
Then she took Na'er by the hand and, together with Leng Qingning and the master-disciple pair of Ling Zhao and An Lan, turned toward the Spirit Pagoda.
Watching the three adults and two children slowly recede into the distance, Yun Ming stood with his hands behind his back and said softly, "Na'er and An Lan both possess Innate Full Soul Power. Their talents are astonishing, and the Phoenix Family is truly blessed with good fortune!"
"Indeed." Ya Li nodded gently. "Although Yaozhu broke through a little late, it won't be difficult for her to become a demigod."
"With two Four-Word Battle Armor Master demigods, and Na'er and An Lan still to grow into their strength, the Qiangu Family will have to give up its place as the Federation's foremost family."
Although Na'er hadn't given a second thought to his offer before rejecting him, leaving Yun Ming somewhat dejected, he hadn't planned to return to the academy right away after coming out.
He turned and gently took Ya Li's hand, then headed off in another direction.
They had barely walked a few steps when Ya Li couldn't help turning to look at him with a smile. "Brother Ming, how does it feel to be rejected?"
After knowing each other for so many years, this was the first time she had seen Yun Ming run into a wall. Such a rare occurrence naturally called for some teasing.
Yun Ming smiled faintly. "She's just a child. Her temperament hasn't settled yet, and she probably hasn't even set her mind on cultivation. Right now, she only thinks she's free and comfortable staying at the Spirit Pagoda. Even if I explained how difficult it is to cultivate the spear and become a Spear God, she wouldn't listen."
"There's plenty of time. When she runs into setbacks in her cultivation, she'll understand how rare a chance it is to receive personal guidance from a Spear God."
He was very confident. He believed Na'er would come to her senses one day and eventually join his school after all.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, no spear passed Yun Guan.
Yun Ming was in front, Guan Yue behind.
Ya Li, however, thought Yun Ming was being far too presumptuous. She shook her head slightly and said softly, "I think that child simply isn't interested in the spear. You may just be wishing for something that will never happen."
"No. She's just too young," Yun Ming insisted.
Before you continue