Ning Fengzhi

Sword Douluo fell silent.

The words "I don't really cultivate much" pierced through his pride in his own talent like sharp blades.

In this moment, he finally understood how those ordinary people from his own generation must have felt when looking at him.

So, in the face of talent, hard work was truly worthless...

However, while he was wallowing in his own misery, he also confirmed a previous suspicion.

This kid's Martial Soul seemed to genuinely help Soul Beasts grow, and what he hadn't expected was that after helping the Soul Beasts, the kid could also increase his own cultivation level.

"I really am getting old; I can't quite keep up with the evolution of Martial Souls anymore..."

With a sigh in his heart, Sword Douluo kept his expression calm, reached out, and grabbed Xu Bai by the back of his neck.

Xu Bai was stunned. Before he could react, Sword Douluo channeled his Seven Kill Sword, shot straight into the sky, and carried Xu Bai along like he was holding a small cub.

By the time Xu Bai realized what was happening, he was already ten thousand feet in the air.

It was a cloudless, beautiful day. Looking down, the rolling hills appeared like folds, the winding rivers like thin threads, and even the mountains were fully within his view.

He had truly experienced the visual feast of "looking down upon all the mountains," but Xu Bai did not like it at all.

Because he was afraid of heights, and quite severely so...

"Kid, you've lived this long and never experienced the joy of flight? How does it feel?"

Sword Douluo held Xu Bai in one hand while keeping the other behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon and speaking in a loud, resonant voice, playing the part of an expert.

But Xu Bai gave him no face at all, stubbornly refusing to play along with this level 96 Super Douluo.

Sword Douluo was puzzled: "Kid, do you not like flying, or do you perhaps possess a bird-type Martial Soul?"

Xu Bai remained stubborn, not making a sound.

Sword Douluo frowned slightly. No matter how reluctant he was, the fact that he hadn't responded after being asked twice was a bit disrespectful to a Super Douluo like him...

I'll give you one last chance, kid. Don't blame me for being impolite if you don't answer; I'll have to teach you why you need to learn to respect the strong when you have no strength of your own but rely on your background.

Thinking this, he looked down at the boy in his hand: "Kid, uh?"

The words died in his throat before he could even finish.

It turned out that Xu Bai wasn't being stubborn or giving him the cold shoulder; he had been unconscious for a while now.

Yes, he had been scared unconscious.

Sword Douluo: ?????

Seven Treasure City and Tiandou City were far apart, but traveling through the air at the speed of a Super Douluo, they arrived above Seven Treasure City in no time.

As a super-city built around the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Seven Treasure City might not have been as majestic as Tiandou City, but it was even more prosperous, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the wealthiest city on the entire continent.

Looking down, the streets were bustling with carriages and shops, filled with the decadent scent of money. Unfortunately, Xu Bai was still unconscious, missing what might be his only chance to see such a beautiful sight for a long time.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was built against the mountains, located in the north of Seven Treasure City.

As the protector of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo was known by almost everyone in the sect.

Because of this, no one stopped him as he flew across, and he brought Xu Bai directly to the main hall of the sect without any obstruction.

"Uncle Sword, you've returned. How did the matter go?"

A gentle voice rang out, and a young man dressed in light blue silk robes, his hair tied with a jade hairpin, walked over with a scholarly air.

If Xu Bai were awake, he would surely recognize the man from the surroundings as the current Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi.

He would likely have looked at him with envy, as this was the wealthiest man on the entire continent—a true idol.

"It went smoothly, no accidents, and I even found an interesting little fellow."

Sword Douluo lifted the pale-faced Xu Bai in his hand and spoke with a smile.

"Oh?"

Ning Fengzhi looked interested. It wasn't often that a child was considered interesting by Uncle Sword.

But looking at the child's current complexion...

He frowned slightly and looked at Sword Douluo: "Uncle Sword, did you scare this child?"

"It has nothing to do with me. The kid is afraid of heights and scared himself like this."

Sword Douluo glanced at him with disdain.

A proper Soul Master, yet afraid of heights.

If his talent were average, it wouldn't matter; he wouldn't be able to reach the realm of a Title Douluo, and barring any accidents, he would never experience flight in his life.

But not only was his talent good, he was a monster-level genius; his future achievement of becoming a Title Douluo was already a certainty...

A Title Douluo who was afraid to fly would surely be mocked by the whole world.

"Afraid of heights?"

Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a laugh, then asked: "Uncle Sword, what is so special about this child that you couldn't help but bring him to me?"

Speaking of serious matters, Sword Douluo straightened his expression slightly: "Ning Fengzhi, first feel this boy's spirit power level."

Ning Fengzhi raised an eyebrow, sensing carefully before exclaiming in admiration: "Level thirty-two. To reach this level at ten years old, he is truly a monstrous genius."

"Uncle Sword, what is this child's Martial Soul? If it is suitable, he could be cultivated as Rongrong's guardian."

"That is exactly why I brought him directly to you."

Sword Douluo's expression was somewhat complex: "This boy's Martial Soul is very special; he can form contracts with Soul Beasts to fight for him."

"Forming contracts with Soul Beasts... such a Martial Soul actually exists in this world." Ning Fengzhi was astonished: "What is the effect of the contract? If cultivated properly, in time, he will surely become a pillar of support for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"I am not entirely clear on the specific effects, but this boy's Martial Soul seems to have a way to accelerate the growth of Soul Beasts, and the effect is significant."

Sword Douluo looked down at Xu Bai in his arms. He thought of the thousand-year Soul Beast that followed the boy—a tiger-type Soul Beast, no less.

Tiger-type Soul Beasts were incredibly proud; for one to willingly become a beast under another's command, it certainly could not have been a thousand-year-old beast when it first formed the contract with this boy.

To be even bolder, perhaps that tiger-type Soul Beast was only a ten-year Soul Beast when it signed the contract.

To be able to cultivate a ten-year Soul Beast into a thousand-year one in at most four years—the mere thought of this ability was chilling.

"Is it really so..."

Ning Fengzhi was also incomparably shocked. In his original vision, even if the age of the Soul Beasts Xu Bai could contract was equivalent to the age of the Soul Rings other Soul Masters absorbed, he could still help him forcibly contract a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast once Xu Bai reached the Title Douluo level, with the help of Uncle Sword and Uncle Bone.

If that were the case, anyone fighting Xu Bai would be facing one hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and four ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

He just hadn't expected Xu Bai to be so heaven-defying as to actually possess the ability to accelerate Soul Beast growth.

He just didn't know exactly how "significant" this significant effect really was...

Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered, a bold conjecture forming in his mind.

In the future, he might just witness a Title Douluo commanding nine hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts.