"Lin Yuan, I take back what I said earlier." Ning Zhiyuan's smile vanished completely. He looked at Lin Yuan with utmost seriousness.
"Our Nine Treasures Glazed Sect is willing to nurture you as a future Sect-Protecting Douluo and devote our resources to you. Are you willing to join the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and protect it for the rest of your life?"
"I am." Lin Yuan nodded firmly.
Ning Zhiyuan smiled, and a strange feeling welled up in Lin Yuan's heart.
Why did that uncle's smile look a little like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law?
"Good. Very good." Ning Zhiyuan turned his gaze toward the Soul Awakening Master standing nearby.
The man immediately understood and nodded at Ning Zhiyuan. He knew that something like this couldn't be allowed to get out.
Fortunately, there was no one else in this huge hall, so keeping the news under wraps would be easy.
Never mind the empire and the other factions—if Shrek found out that Lin Yuan was a genius with twin super Martial Souls, they would come swarming like sharks smelling blood to snatch him up.
"Let's head back to the sect now. As it happens, there's a Titled Douluo with a Sword Martial Soul in our generation."
Lin Yuan nodded. Ning Zhiyuan called Ning Tian and Wu Feng over, then headed for the exit of the awakening room.
"Hello, I'm Ning Tian." Ning Tian walked over and smiled as she held out her hand to Lin Yuan.
"Hello, I'm Lin Yuan..." As they shook hands, Lin Yuan met the heated gaze of the girl behind Ning Tian.
Wu Feng was watching him with open hostility, like a little cat guarding its food.
Lin Yuan's mouth twitched. Could she really have that sort of tendency at such a young age?
"?"
Ning Tian saw Lin Yuan's odd expression and turned around in confusion.
She was met by Wu Feng's utterly innocent smile. There was nothing strange about it at all.
When Ning Tian turned back to look at Lin Yuan, Wu Feng once again put on a terrifying, threatening expression.
Seeing that Lin Yuan still looked confused, Ning Tian turned around again and found Wu Feng smiling innocently.
When Ning Tian turned back once more, Wu Feng was baring her teeth at him again.
Lin Yuan was so awkward he could hardly bear it. Wu Feng's expression changed faster than the pages of a book.
So she bared her teeth at him but smiled at Ning Tian, huh?
They arrived at the main hall of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, a place Lin Yuan could usually only gaze at from afar.
Ning Zhiyuan asked him to wait a little. He had already summoned the sect's three Titled Douluo.
The first to arrive was a white-bearded old man who fit the stereotype of a powerful Douluo on the Douluo Continent to a tee.
He looked exactly like the typical elderly Titled Douluo.
"Little Yuan, why did you summon this old man?" The old man chuckled as he spoke to Ning Zhiyuan.
His gaze fell on Lin Yuan, and he suddenly sensed that the boy's Soul Power had reached level ten.
"Could this be about this kid? Is his Martial Soul similar to ours? Did you bring him here for us to look at and see if we'd take him as a disciple?" The old man pointed at Lin Yuan.
"That's right, Uncle Cao. We'll discuss the details once everyone's here."
Ning Zhiyuan gave Lin Yuan a gentle nudge on the back. Still staring in astonishment, Lin Yuan immediately cupped his hands toward the old man. "This junior is Lin Yuan. Greetings, senior."
"Heh." The old man gave an amused smile.
"This old man's name is Cao Xin. I'm a level ninety-four Titled Douluo, and my Martial Soul is the Affectionate Sword. My title is Amorous Douluo."
"Amorous Douluo?" Lin Yuan stared at him in shock.
Cao Xin, the Affectionate Sword, Amorous Douluo.
Could this man be an ancestor of Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin from the Dragon King Legend era?
If so, then those two who swore to become husband and wife in their next lives might really have been brothers in this one...
"What? A little kid like you has heard of my great reputation?" Cao Xin asked with a chuckle, watching Lin Yuan's expression.
Lin Yuan simply shook his head and said, "Senior Amorous, I was just wondering: since there's an Affectionate Sword, could there also be an Indifferent Sword Martial Soul in this world?"
"There is indeed." Cao Xin didn't deny Lin Yuan's question.
"And it belongs to a branch of our family. They split off from us years ago for certain reasons."
Lin Yuan nodded in understanding, then felt the corner of his mouth twitch helplessly.
So they really were one big family!
"By the way, kid. What's your Martial Soul?"
Lin Yuan glanced at Ning Zhiyuan, who nodded at him.
He stopped hiding it and immediately released his Jade Dragon-Slayer Sword Martial Soul.
"This..." The instant the Martial Soul appeared, Cao Xin's expression was no better than Ning Zhiyuan's had been the first time he saw Lin Yuan's Martial Soul.
Cao Xin could feel that his Affectionate Sword Martial Soul was clearly being suppressed. In other words, the quality of the Jade Dragon-Slayer Martial Soul far surpassed his own.
Ning Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of amusement. Once the other Titled Douluo arrived, the same scene played out on their faces one after another.
In the end, Lin Yuan became Cao Xin's disciple and studied swordsmanship under him.
The other two Titled Douluo also said that whenever he had questions about cultivation, he could come to either of them for advice.
"Wonderful, just wonderful. This old man's struck gold!" Cao Xin laughed as he rubbed Lin Yuan's head.
Lin Yuan really didn't like being treated that way, but he couldn't bring himself to offend the old man.
"Congratulations, Old Cao. Looks like you've got an heir now," said a Titled Douluo with a somewhat gloomy expression.
"Of course. You'd better get a move on too, Old Snake."
"I'm not like you. I have children." The Titled Douluo known as Old Snake teased Cao Xin.
"Your children are nothing special. Who are you planning to pass all your skills on to?"
"Heh, you look like such an upright fellow. Is that any way to rub salt in someone's wounds?" Old Snake was so irritated by Cao Xin's sharp tongue that he laughed.
"...Sect Master, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." The young Titled Douluo in the room, who had said very little, bowed to Ning Zhiyuan.
"It's all right, Uncle Gu. You may go." Ning Zhiyuan nodded knowingly to the black-robed Titled Douluo and let him leave.
The Titled Douluo inclined his head slightly to Ning Zhiyuan, then departed first.
Hearing how Ning Zhiyuan addressed the Titled Douluo, Lin Yuan couldn't help furrowing his brow.
Uncle Gu? The same way Ning Fengzhi addressed Bone Douluo. Could this man be the Bone Dragon Titled Douluo?
"All right, kid." Cao Xin interrupted Lin Yuan's thoughts.
"Since you've become my disciple, I'll give you a welcoming gift."
As he spoke, Cao Xin took a lump of orange-yellow, gelatinous material as big as Lin Yuan's head out of his Storage Soul Tool.
Though he didn't know its age, Lin Yuan recognized it as a piece of Whale Rubber.
"This is a piece of Millennium Whale Glue that I collected during an adventure years ago. One this size is extremely rare on the market. Have someone teach you how to absorb it later."
With that, Cao Xin tossed the Millennium Whale Glue into Lin Yuan's arms.
Lin Yuan stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Master." Lin Yuan held the Whale Glue and wore an utterly troubled expression.