Invitation

Seeing Wu Feng finally rein in her hostility and stop the back-and-forth, Ning Tian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew all too well that Wu Feng had a fiery, impulsive temperament and lacked patience; if the standoff continued, there was no telling what kind of unnecessary trouble might erupt.

After a moment of reflection, Ning Tian made up her mind to take advantage of the quiet surroundings to have a proper, private conversation with Su Ming.

She turned her head and cast a subtle glance at Nanmen Yun'er beside her, signaling for her to keep an eye on the restless Wu Feng and prevent her from rashly speaking out and causing trouble.

With that settled, Ning Tian took a light step forward, quickly catching up to walk side-by-side with Su Ming.

A gentle breeze drifted through the forest, fluttering the maiden's elegant dress and scattering the tense atmosphere of the previous confrontation.

Ning Tian glanced sideways at the composed, upright youth beside her, a look of gentle confusion in her eyes as she spoke softly:

"Senior Su Ming, I wonder if you had a specific reason for asking me to stay behind? If you have encountered any difficulties or require any assistance, I can represent the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and do my utmost to help you."

Su Ming walked at a leisurely pace, his expression calm and collected. Without any forced pleasantries, he stated his purpose directly:

"It's not really a matter of trouble. I simply wanted to ask if you have any interest in joining my Soul Engineer team to systematically learn the knowledge and forging techniques of Soul Tools under my guidance."

As these words reached her ears, Ning Tian's footsteps faltered. A surge of intense surprise welled up in her eyes, and her heart stirred with no small amount of turbulence.

She pondered silently. Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was one of the continent's top support-type sects and had always been inclusive, it was not as rigidly opposed to the existence of Soul Tools as some of the more conservative sects.

However, the core philosophy of the sect had always been the supremacy of the Martial Soul. The foundation of a support-type Soul Master was always their own Martial Soul cultivation and amplification abilities, not external objects.

Because of this, the elders of the sect had never allowed her to dabble in the knowledge of Soul Tools; all her resources and time were poured into the cultivation of her Martial Soul.

It was precisely through this single-minded, arduous training that she had been able to steadily break through to a three-ring Soul Elder in the short time since enrollment, firmly establishing herself in the upper echelon of the freshmen.

In the eyes of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Soul Tools were ultimately unorthodox paths, far less solid and reliable than the strength of one's own Martial Soul.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Ning Tian resumed her pace. Accompanied by the rustling wind in the forest, she looked at Su Ming—who possessed monstrous strength and had already attained legendary status among the senior students of the Outer Court—and asked softly, filled with confusion and curiosity:

"So, Senior is also proficient in the way of Soul Tools? I had always assumed that with your formidable Martial Soul talent, you only needed to focus on cultivating your Martial Soul to crush your peers. Why would you spend your energy learning Soul Tools?"

Su Ming chuckled at this. He reached out to pluck a blade of green grass from the roadside and casually held it between his lips, his posture relaxed and unrestrained. His tone was firm:

"Because the value of Soul Tools far exceeds what anyone imagines. Relying solely on a Martial Soul will always have its limits, but a Martial Soul paired with high-grade Soul Tools can break through shackles, granting one the capital to challenge those of higher ranks and crush powerful enemies."

The conversation between the two reached the ears of the two people following behind.

Nanmen Yun'er remained calm, her expression indifferent as she followed silently.

She was merely Ning Tian's guardian; her duty was to protect her safety, and she had no authority to interfere with Ning Tian's cultivation choices or friendships. Thus, she remained silent throughout, watching quietly.

But Wu Feng, standing to the side, could no longer hold back.

She was short-tempered and stubborn by nature, firmly believing that the Martial Soul was the root of cultivation, and she looked down upon any method that relied on external objects.

Hearing Su Ming urge Ning Tian to study Soul Tools, she frowned in total disapproval, stepped forward, and retorted coldly:

"What nonsense! The path of cultivation values focus. Soul Tools are complex and trivial, wasting a vast amount of time and energy—it is purely putting the cart before the horse!

Instead of wasting time delving into these unorthodox paths, one should focus on honing their Martial Soul and improving their cultivation. That is the true path!"

Wu Feng's thoughts were, in fact, exactly what Ning Tian had originally believed.

However, the scene from the Freshman Grand Competition three months ago remained clearly etched in her mind.

Su Ming had held a self-made Soul Tool and, with absolute, overbearing strength, suppressed the strict and powerful teacher Zhou Yi in public. The power that had shocked the entire arena was something she had never seen before.

Because she had witnessed the terrifying power of Soul Tools with her own eyes, Ning Tian did not reject him outright like Wu Feng. Instead, she wore a troubled expression and said to Su Ming sincerely:

"Senior Su Ming, while Feng'er's words are blunt, they are not without reason. Our sect has always revered the origin of the Martial Soul.

The elders at home have also always taught me to focus on martial cultivation; it is highly unlikely they would support me in splitting my focus to learn Soul Tools. I am afraid I cannot make this decision on my own."

Su Ming heard this and his gaze swept lightly over the stubborn, defiant Wu Feng. A playful smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he teased, unhurriedly:

"Tell me, little red-head, you may be young, but your perspective is truly pitifully narrow. You think Soul Tools are useless only because you have never seen a true high-grade Soul Tool; your experience is far too shallow."

He paused, his tone filled with absolute confidence, and continued: "You pride yourself on your strength and have always protected Ning Tian, but as a support-type Soul Master, she has no offensive or defensive combat power of her own. Does she have to rely on others and depend on your protection for the rest of her life?

If she learns my Soul Tool techniques and holds a high-grade Soul Tool, let alone self-preservation, even turning the tables and defeating you in a direct confrontation is not impossible."

Being teased and mocked by Su Ming in public, Wu Feng's pretty face flushed bright red, and intense anger surged in her brow.

She was hot-tempered and fierce by nature, never one to take a slight, and her fists clenched instantly, her knuckles turning white. She subconsciously took a half-step forward, looking as if she were about to teach Su Ming a lesson right then and there.

But the moment she was about to lash out, the shocking scene from three months ago flashed through her mind, and the fire in her heart was doused by a bucket of cold water.

She was currently only a two-ring Soul Grand Master, and Su Ming had been able to suppress even the six-ring Soul Emperor-level Zhou Yi head-on. This heaven-defying combat power was simply not something she could contend with.

At this thought, Wu Feng froze in place, caught in a dilemma.

Her fists were clenched tight in mid-air; rushing forward to invite humiliation was out of the question, but if she backed down now, she would appear cowardly and lose all face.

For a moment, the proud and unruly Red Dragon Maiden fell into an incredibly awkward position, her cheeks alternating between red and white, her entire body radiating a sense of stifled fury.

Ning Tian, taking in Wu Feng's embarrassment, felt helpless and feared that she might say something even more extreme in her impulsiveness.

Seeing her about to make a rash move, she quickly stepped forward, reached out to gently pull on Wu Feng's sleeve, and forcibly dragged her back.

At the same time, Ning Tian repeatedly cast subtle glances at Wu Feng, her eyes full of warning, signaling her not to be stubborn or continue the argument.

Pulled back by Ning Tian and receiving her warning, Wu Feng, with nowhere to vent her pent-up anger, could only force down the restlessness in her heart.

She stomped her foot heavily in extreme frustration, her red lips pressed into a thin line, her face full of sullenness, though the stubbornness remained in her eyes.

Watching the pouting, "little red-head" who looked like she was about to explode but could do nothing about it, Su Ming did not hold back. Instead, a playful smile flashed in his eyes, and he decided to add fuel to the fire, continuing to tease:

"What? Little red-head, still not convinced?"