The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
One of the Heaven Dou Empire's Upper Three Sects.
The wealthiest sect on the continent, bar none.
The main hall of the sect was roofed with seven-colored glazed tiles.
When moonlight spilled over it, the entire hall shimmered with a dreamy halo of seven colors, so beautiful it hardly seemed like a building from the mortal world.
At this moment, the night was deep and still.
The main hall blazed with lamplight.
Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, sat at his desk, poring over the sect's recent financial records.
He looked to be in his early forties.
His face was lean, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses.
With his refined, mild air, he seemed more like a well-read scholar than the master of one of the continent's top sects.
But anyone who underestimated him because of that refinement would be making a grave mistake.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had held its place among the Upper Three Sects for decades through more than just money.
It also had Ning Fengzhi's cunning, foxlike mind, which left nothing to chance.
The hall doors opened softly.
The person who entered was not the one he was waiting for, but a middle-aged guard dressed in black.
The guard moved without a sound, like a feline in the dead of night.
He knelt on one knee as soon as he entered and bowed his head in greeting.
Ning Fengzhi set down the records and arched a brow almost imperceptibly. "Where's Rongrong? Didn't she go out with you?"
"Reporting to the sect master, the young miss has already returned to her room to rest."
"Returned to her room?"
Ning Fengzhi lightly tapped the desk twice with his fingertips.
No one knew a daughter better than her father.
His daughter, Ning Rongrong, was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Little Demoness.
When had she ever gone out to play without staying out until the middle of the night?
And when had she ever returned without first rushing over to pester him, telling him about the interesting things she'd encountered outside or bragging about how she'd once again "punished evil and upheld justice" by catching a few street thugs?
Yet today she had returned to her room without a sound.
Something was wrong.
"Tell me everything that happened after Rongrong went out today, from beginning to end."
Ning Fengzhi adjusted his glasses, his gaze calm and intent behind the lenses.
"Don't leave out a single detail."
The black-clad guard did not dare delay. He began his report from the moment Ning Rongrong had left.
"The young miss visited a few jewelry shops and had some pastries at a teahouse. She was as lively as usual."
"After nightfall, she suddenly said she wanted to take the back streets and deliberately sought out secluded alleys."
This wasn't the first time she'd done such a thing. The young miss had always liked to "fish" this way.
She deliberately lured in any thugs foolish enough to harass her.
Then she had the guards concealed nearby step in and haul the thugs away.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's lips curled into a helpless, wry smile.
He truly didn't know what to do with that daughter of his.
Other noble young ladies went shopping surrounded by crowds, afraid someone might even look at them for too long.
His daughter, on the other hand,
went straight into dark alleys, just waiting for some villain to come after her.
What kind of thing was that?
"And the three who tried to lay hands on Rongrong?"
Ning Fengzhi asked.
His gaze behind the lenses remained calm, but his voice had turned a shade colder.
They'd dared to set their sights on his daughter.
And Rongrong was still so young.
Those scum deserved to die.
The black-clad guard lowered his head. "Those three thugs... weren't killed by this subordinate."
"At the time, a young man and a young woman stepped in first. The young man killed all three by himself."
Ning Fengzhi's brow shifted slightly. "You didn't kill them?"
"No."
"Did Rongrong see the bodies?"
"She did."
The guard's voice dropped a little.
"After seeing the three corpses, the young miss looked quite shaken. She stood in the alley for a long time without saying a word."
"Afterward, she asked this subordinate to deal with the scene, then said she didn't want to go to Lantern Street and returned straight to the sect."
Ning Fengzhi fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
So that was it.
He understood.
That girl Rongrong had been spoiled beyond measure by everyone in the sect.
She treated catching street thugs like a game.
She watched the guards beat the bad guys black and blue and clapped with delight.
But she had never truly seen anyone die.
She had never witnessed a real scene of bloodshed, let alone seen a corpse burn to a cinder right before her eyes.
She was still just a little girl, after all.
No matter how spoiled and willful she was usually, seeing someone truly dead would still frighten her and make her feel sick.
The brutal shock of it could leave her speechless, too.
That was why she hadn't come chattering away to him as usual tonight.
Instead, she'd shut herself in her room to process those unfamiliar emotions on her own.
"Let her have some time to herself."
Ning Fengzhi spoke as if to himself, a deeper meaning creeping into his gaze.
"Rongrong has grown up in the sect, far too well protected."
"Seeing the world as it really is may not be a bad thing for her."
Anyone who hoped to inherit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have to go through this sort of experience sooner or later.
He paused, then changed the subject. "What about the young man and young woman? Who are they?"
The black-clad guard's expression grew even more serious.
"Reporting to the sect master, both of them seemed to be around Soul Ancestor level."
"The young woman's Martial Soul was some kind of flood dragon, and it seemed to have a poison element as a secondary attribute. This subordinate believes it was likely a Mutated Martial Soul."
"A Mutated Poison Flood Dragon Martial Soul?"
Ning Fengzhi raised his brows slightly. "And the other one?"
"This subordinate couldn't see through the young man."
A trace of hesitation entered the guard's voice, though even he seemed unsure.
"His Martial Soul was a cyan lotus, and a Cyan Flame that blended extreme cold and extreme heat surrounded him."
"When he killed those three, he didn't use a single Soul Ring."
"With nothing but his control over that flame, he killed a Soul Ancestor and two Soul Elders in a single exchange."
Ning Fengzhi's fingers stopped in midair.
"Are you certain he didn't use a Soul Ring or Soul Skill?" Ning Fengzhi's voice grew heavier.
"This subordinate is certain."
"Not one of his Soul Rings lit up from beginning to end."
The hall fell quiet for quite some time.
Ning Fengzhi picked up the teacup beside him and gently brushed aside the foam with its lid, but didn't take a sip. He set the cup back on the desk.
He still appeared perfectly unruffled.
But the rhythm of his fingertips tapping the desk had already betrayed his thoughts.
To kill a Soul Ancestor with nothing but the Martial Soul's innate power—what did that mean?
It meant the young man's control over his Soul Power, the quality of his Martial Soul, and his combat awareness were all far beyond those of Soul Masters at the same level.
There were only a handful of talents like that across the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
Even Yu Tianheng, the so-called prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, couldn't do it.
"Do you know who they are?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
"This subordinate does not."
"After killing the three men, the young man only called out to the young miss from a distance, 'Go home as soon as possible,' then led the young woman away with him. He didn't leave his name."
Ning Fengzhi's gaze flickered. "He didn't approach Rongrong to speak with her?"
"No."
"From beginning to end, he seemed to deliberately keep his distance from the young miss."
"Interesting."
Ning Fengzhi slowly let out a breath, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his lenses.
After a brief silence,
he suddenly asked a question that caught the guard off guard. "Did he notice you?"
The black-clad guard froze.
He stayed silent for several seconds before replying hesitantly, "This subordinate... isn't certain."
"This subordinate's Shadow Leopard concealment can't be detected by Soul Masters of the same level. That young man was only around Soul Ancestor level..."
"But he still didn't approach Rongrong."
Ning Fengzhi interrupted him, his tone certain. "Someone who intervenes to save another, then deliberately keeps his distance from the person he rescued, leaving without even giving his name."
"That doesn't make sense—unless..."
He raised his head, his gaze sharp as a blade behind his lenses.
"He sensed your presence."
"He knew Rongrong had a guard nearby, so there was no need for him to involve himself any further."
Cold sweat beaded on the black-clad guard's forehead.
A Soul Ancestor could sense the concealment of a Soul Sage like him?
His Martial Soul was the Shadow Leopard, renowned for its ability to hide.
Even an ordinary Soul Douluo might not detect him when he was fully concealed.
How old was that young man?
How had he managed it?
But Ning Fengzhi didn't pursue the question.
He looked away from the guard and returned his gaze to the account book in front of him.
His long fingers gently traced the page.
"Lotus Martial Soul, strange dual attributes of ice and fire, the ability to kill a Soul Ancestor in an instant, and the sense to detect a Soul Sage guard's concealment."
Ning Fengzhi seemed to be talking to himself,
or perhaps giving voice to the hard-to-resist curiosity this young man he'd never met had stirred in him.
"A talent like that, and yet I've never heard of him in Heaven Dou City. That's rather interesting."
He paused, a smile full of meaning tugging at his lips.
The black-clad guard didn't dare respond.
"Investigate."
Ning Fengzhi's voice returned to its calm, but carried an unmistakable weight.
"Find out who these two are."
"Especially the young man."
"His background, his Martial Soul, and his reason for coming to Heaven Dou City."
"But remember, don't alert him. Don't let him realize anyone is investigating him."
"Yes." The guard clasped his hands and accepted the order.
The guard rose,
then soundlessly melted into the night beyond the hall.
The main hall fell silent once more.
Ning Fengzhi, however, did not return to the account book.
He pushed the records aside.
He took the gold-rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose and gently rubbed it with his fingertips.
Then he put his glasses back on and stood up.
He decided to go check on Rongrong.