"BOOM!!!
The whole arena erupted!
"Ning Rongrong! It's Rongrong!"
"A level-92 Titled Douluo! Another Titled Douluo!"
"An Immortal Herb! An Immortal Herb that can evolve a Martial Soul! If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolves into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, wouldn't that mean..."
"My god!"
Ma Hongjun's mouth hung open, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
He'd just been mocking Jiang Zhu, and in the blink of an eye, his longtime companion had become a Titled Douluo?
Oscar stood rooted to the spot. His face, covered in a thick beard, now held nothing but profound despair.
Had the moment he'd dreaded... finally arrived?
He looked at the figure in the golden light, at her countenance growing ever more holy in its glow, at her eyes as they gazed into the distance, filled with tenderness and anticipation.
That wasn't the way she looked at him.
It never had been.
Oscar felt as though someone had ruthlessly torn a piece from his heart.
My Rongrong... was gone.
Yu Xiaogang and Flender exchanged glances, their expressions indescribable.
First Zhu Zhuqing, and now Ning Rongrong.
There were seven members of the Shrek Seven Devils, and two of them had already made the list. Both had cultivated the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, and both were going to find Brother Cao!
Could they even still be called the Shrek Seven Devils?
Flender gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "It's over. It's over. We worked so hard to raise those little monsters, only for them to end up dressing someone else's bride."
Ning Rongrong... the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a level-92 Titled Douluo, with an Immortal Herb that could evolve a Martial Soul...
Just who was that Brother Cao?
At that moment, the only one in the crowd who remained calm was Xiao Wu.
She stood there quietly, watching Ning Rongrong bathed in golden light. The corners of her mouth lifted into a faint, meaningful smile.
She wasn't surprised at all.
In the Dream Space, she, Rongrong, Zhuqing, and Xiangxiang had cultivated with Brother Cao together more times than she could count.
Brother Cao never played favorites. He treated every girl with tenderness.
Within the golden light, Ning Rongrong slowly opened her eyes.
She lowered her gaze to the Immortal Herb in her palm, its whole body crystalline and shimmering with rainbow light: the Aromatic Silk Beauty. A smile tugged at her lips.
Although she had taken an Immortal Herb in the Dream Space long ago, and her Martial Soul had already evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, her father still needed one.
And everything she had came from Brother Cao.
Ning Rongrong said nothing more.
She turned to Xiao Wu. Their eyes met, and they both nodded slightly.
Then she flashed into a streak of rainbow light, shot into the sky, and vanished beyond the horizon.
Oscar stood rooted to the spot, as if carved from wood.
For a long, long time.
"Rongrong!!!"
A heart-rending scream rang out across the training grounds!
Oscar's legs gave way. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he bawled like a two-hundred-pound child.
Watching him, Ma Hongjun swallowed and whispered to Jiang Zhu, "Um... you said you wanted to meet Brother Cao, didn't you?"
Jiang Zhu shot him a look but said nothing.
But in her heart, she couldn't help wondering:
Brother Cao... is he still taking people on?
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of clear tea. He appeared calm, but his hands trembled slightly.
"Rongrong... is a Titled Douluo now..." Ning Fengzhi murmured, his voice brimming with excitement and pride.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood to one side, holding the Seven Kill Sword. Even his usually stern face wore a rare smile. "Congratulations, Sect Master. That girl Rongrong has surpassed us old fellows by quite a bit!"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. "Level 92! I've cultivated my whole life and only reached level 95. How old is that girl? Her future is boundless! Boundless!"
The two Titled Douluo took turns praising Ning Rongrong to the skies.
Ning Fengzhi listened, his smile growing wider and wider, until at last he couldn't hold back a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! Wonderful! Wonderful! That's my daughter, Ning Fengzhi's daughter!"
Just then, a streak of multicolored light tore through the sky and landed neatly in front of the main hall.
"Dad! Sword Grandpa! Bone Grandpa!" Ning Rongrong hurried into the hall, her beautiful little face radiant with a brilliant smile.
"Rongrong!" Ning Fengzhi sprang up and rushed to her, pulling his daughter into a tight embrace. "Good girl! Good girl! You've made your father proud! A level-92 Titled Douluo! Hahaha!"
After exchanging greetings, Ning Rongrong took a delicate jade box from her robes and held it out to Ning Fengzhi with both hands.
"Dad, this is for you."
Ning Fengzhi froze. He took the jade box and gently opened it.
A golden light burst from within, instantly illuminating the entire hall!
Inside was an extraordinary flower, crystalline from root to tip!
It was elegant and luxurious, with treasure-light shimmering across it, dazzling to behold.
"This is..." Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted sharply.
"An Immortal Herb, the Aromatic Silk Beauty," Ning Rongrong said softly. "The one the Sky Screen rewarded."
Ning Fengzhi's hands trembled slightly.
The Immortal Herb, the Aromatic Silk Beauty—a treasure capable of evolving a person's Martial Soul!
"Rongrong..." Ning Fengzhi looked up at his daughter, his eyes full of affection. "This... this is your reward. You need it more than your father does. Take it yourself."
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Dad, I've already taken one."
She raised her hand. A flash of light appeared in her palm, and a magnificent Nine-Story Pagoda materialized above it!
The pagoda had nine tiers, its entire body shimmering with multicolored light as it radiated a soul-power fluctuation that made the heart tremble.
"Brother Cao gave me an Aromatic Silk Beauty long ago," Ning Rongrong said softly. "My Martial Soul had already evolved. This one from the Sky Screen was always meant for you."
Ning Fengzhi stared dumbfounded at the Nine-Story Pagoda in his daughter's palm, at its nine brilliant layers of light.
"Just what sort of person is that Brother Cao..."
A tender look flickered in Ning Rongrong's eyes. "Brother Cao is the best person in the world."
She said no more. Instead, she stepped forward and took her father's hand. "Dad, it's your turn now. I'll help you."
Following Ning Rongrong's instructions, Ning Fengzhi took the Aromatic Silk Beauty.
Brilliant light enveloped him in an instant!
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda within him began to tremble violently under the influence of that wondrous power. An eighth tier, then a ninth, slowly took shape!
Ning Fengzhi's aura began to surge wildly!
His Soul Power climbed with it, reaching level 80!
"VMMM!!!"
A dazzling pillar of nine-colored light shot from Ning Fengzhi's body, piercing the hall's ceiling and soaring straight into the clouds!
"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!" Ning Fengzhi threw back his head and laughed. "The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! I, Ning Fengzhi, finally have the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda too!"
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo exchanged glances, tears of excitement glimmering in their eyes.
For generations, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been constrained by its Seven Treasure Martial Soul. Its strongest members could never break through level 79.
But now that Ning Fengzhi's Martial Soul had evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the shackles that had bound the sect for countless generations had finally been shattered!
After a long while, Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, turned to the disciples in the hall, who were just as overcome with excitement, and announced loudly:
"From this day forward, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect shall officially change its name to..."
"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"