Plotting the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!

Shui Bing'er closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly. After a long while, when she opened them again, all the intense emotions in her gaze had vanished, leaving only a bottomless, icy coldness and resolve.

"I agree." Her voice was as calm as a still pond, as if she were speaking of a matter that had nothing to do with her.

"Bing'er!" Leng Ningshuang was shocked and pained, yet she felt a faint sense of relief, her heart filled with complex, unspeakable emotions.

"But I have conditions." Shui Bing'er interrupted her master, her tone brooking no argument.

"Before I turn eighteen, I will only meet that Ning Xiaochun once a month. The rest of the time, I must remain at the academy to cultivate, or go to a training ground arranged by the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, but my absolute solitude must be guaranteed. No one is to disturb me for any reason. If that Ning Xiaochun is a good-for-nothing waste or lacks moral character, then even if the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is powerful, I, Shui Bing'er, would rather die than submit."

Leng Ningshuang looked at her disciple, who seemed to have shed all her childishness overnight and become cold and unyielding. Her heart ached beyond measure, yet she could only nod.

"Very well, I will speak to them."

When Leng Ningshuang returned to the plaza with Shui Bing'er's reply and conditions, Ning Fengzhi agreed readily.

"Once a month, that is fine. Matters of the heart cannot be forced; it is best to let things take their natural course. As for Xiaochun's character, Dean Leng and Miss Bing'er can observe him in the future. If he is truly beyond saving, I, Ning Fengzhi, would have no face to force this."

He even produced on the spot a contract scroll he had prepared in advance, made of special material and shimmering with a faint fluctuation of soul power.

Written clearly upon it were the conditions and obligations of both parties, as well as the final destination of the betrothal—the names of Ning Xiaochun and Shui Bing'er, standing side by side.

"Miss Bing'er, please." Ning Fengzhi handed the scroll and a soul-guided pen to Shui Bing'er, his attitude gentle yet carrying an invisible pressure.

Shui Bing'er looked at the three characters "Ning Xiaochun" on the scroll, her expression indifferent. Without the slightest hesitation, she took the pen and signed her own name—Shui Bing'er—in the designated space.

The handwriting was elegant yet pierced through the paper, carrying a sense of resolve that cut off the past.

The pen fell; the contract was sealed.

"Since the contract is signed, Miss Bing'er is now the betrothed young mistress of my Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. Starting today, the cultivation resources for you and Miss Yue'er will be arranged and delivered immediately. As for the academy's funding, someone will coordinate with Dean Leng within three days." Ning Fengzhi put away the scroll, his tone solemn.

Shui Bing'er did not look at him, nor did she look at her master, whose expression was complex. She merely nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward her dormitory, her back straight, carrying a sense of isolated, icy coldness.

"I am going to pack my things. Tomorrow, I will follow you to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect."

Not until that water-blue figure disappeared around the corner of the building did Leng Ningshuang stagger, as if her strength had been drained away, her face etched with deep exhaustion and guilt.

Ning Fengzhi watched the direction in which Shui Bing'er had vanished, feeling no great joy in his heart, only an imperceptible sigh.

He knew that he had used gold soul coins and resources to smash open a safe door for his son, but in doing so, he had also built an icy wall within the heart of a proud young girl.

"As for matters of the heart... it will depend on Xiaochun's own fortune."

Ning Fengzhi murmured to himself, suddenly feeling a sense of "a long road ahead" regarding his son, who was capable of leaving even a Titled Douluo speechless.

On the other side, within the "Listening to Waves Cottage," the private courtyard where Ning Xiaochun lived alone in the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Xiaochun was currently wearing a look of deep distress.

"The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is going to be wiped out by Spirit Hall in the future... what do I do?"

As a transmigrator, he naturally knew what would happen in the future. He hadn't thought much about it after awakening his martial soul, but things were different now.

He was a possessor of twin martial souls and the undisputed heir to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

The rise and fall of the sect were inextricably linked to him. More importantly, he was afraid of death—terrified of it.

Once the sect was destroyed, someone like him, possessing the "world's number one support" martial soul, would absolutely be a primary target for Spirit Hall to eliminate. There would be nowhere to hide!

"So, I can't just think about hiding away." Ning Xiaochun used a charcoal pencil to jab fiercely at the circle representing the "Seven Treasures Glazed Sect."

"I must make the sect strong as a whole! Strong enough that Spirit Hall wouldn't dare to act lightly, or if they did, they would have to break their teeth doing it!"

But how could he make the sect's strength skyrocket in a short time? Throw money at it?

The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect lacked nothing in money, but top-tier combat power couldn't be piled up with cash alone. Relying on allies? The Upper Three Sects standing together?

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family had been reduced to ashes, and the Clear Sky Sect was in seclusion... they couldn't be relied upon.

Just as he was racking his brains, almost tearing his hair into a bird's nest, a place name jumped out at him, accompanied by vague legends of "immortal herbs," "fated opportunities," and "greatly increased power"—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!

That's right! That place! It was known as a cornucopia, nurturing countless rare treasures of heaven and earth; a single blade of grass could make a person undergo a complete transformation!

If he could get his hands on the immortal herbs there and use them on Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, his old man, and the promising elders and disciples of the sect...

The overall strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect would definitely rise by one, no, several levels! Perhaps it could even help give birth to a few more Titled Douluo!

Moreover, could his own twin martial souls, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and the Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda, also have their quality further improved by the immortal herbs?

Even if it only made his soul power cultivation faster and his foundation more stable, that would be a tremendous benefit!

Ning Xiaochun's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a lighthouse in the endless darkness. But soon, the light dimmed, shrouded by the clouds of caution.

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was a good place, but it had an owner now—the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

A Titled Douluo with an eccentric personality, both righteous and evil, and whose mastery of poison was divine. Go and rob him directly? What kind of joke was that!

"Robbery" was not in the life creed of Ning Xiaochun. The risk was too high, the success rate too low, and the future consequences endless.

If he couldn't beat Dugu Bo, he could run, but after running, having a Titled Douluo who specialized in poison constantly thinking about how to trip you up, or even targeting your relatives, would be a nightmare-level dungeon. That was absolutely out of the question!

If the hard approach wouldn't work... then he would try the soft one.

After thinking for a long time, he finally decided.

"Buy it!"

Ning Xiaochun slapped his thigh hard, his eyes lighting up once more; after all, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was never short on money.

However, before Ning Xiaochun could continue his train of thought, he heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching from outside the courtyard, accompanied by his father Ning Fengzhi's voice, which carried a hint of... subtle delight amidst its usual gentleness.

"Xiaochun, are you in your room? Look what Father has brought back for you."

The door was pushed open, and Ning Fengzhi walked in with a smile, followed by someone behind him.

Ning Xiaochun turned his head instinctively, his gaze immediately drawn to the slender figure trailing his father.

Her long, water-blue hair was styled into a neat, clean braid that hung down her back.

Her ice-blue eyes were clear and calm, yet they seemed veiled by a layer of frost that would never melt, and as her gaze swept over the luxurious furnishings of the room, it held a faint sense of detachment and scrutiny.

She was exceptionally beautiful, but it was a beauty carved from ice and snow, the kind that made one afraid to approach her easily. She stood there quietly; despite her young age, she possessed an aura of cold, composed maturity.

What a beautiful big sister! That was Ning Xiaochun's first reaction.

His second reaction was: This big sister looks like... she could really fight, doesn't she? With such a cold temperament, is she an ice-attribute martial soul user?

Hmm, she feels like a good candidate for a bodyguard... Wait, why is Dad bringing a strange girl home? A new personal maid? Doesn't look like it; this temperament is even more cold and arrogant than many noble young ladies.

Ning Xiaochun muttered to himself, though his face had already habitually assumed a sweet, obedient smile. Just as he was about to call out for his father, his attention was caught by a scene unfolding further away on the corridor behind the girl.