In front of the main hall.
Four figures gradually came into view. Apart from the familiar Sect Master and the two elders, a child in an exquisite blue robe walked between them.
"Who is that child? How dare he walk between the Sect Master and two Titled Douluo?"
"Heavens, this is the first time I've seen a scene like this!"
"You don't know? He's the disciple of the two elders, a genius the Sect Master values tremendously!"
The crowd below murmured among themselves. Those who didn't know the story stared in shock, their faces full of disbelief.
When the four of them finally stopped, the thousands of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect members fell silent and dropped to their knees in a dark, sprawling mass.
Ning Fengzhi's brows knit slightly. His voice was solemn and imposing. "Today, we gather for no sect business. We gather for one person."
The crowd below stirred and exchanged bewildered glances.
If this wasn't about sect affairs, why had all the stewards been summoned? Just for one person? Could one person really matter more than the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
Ning Fengzhi shifted half a step to the left, turned, and said slowly, "Come, Han Yu. Stand beside me."
Han Yu nodded and took his place beside Ning Fengzhi, casually sweeping his gaze across the thousands of people below, each with a different expression.
His steady presence made Ning Fengzhi glance at him, a satisfied smile touching his lips. He already considered Han Yu one of their own. The more outstanding Han Yu was, the happier he felt.
Ning Fengzhi's smile faded, and he spoke earnestly. "I imagine this young man beside me is a stranger to many of you. His name is Han Yu.
"Like some of you, he is the orphan of two stewards and an indispensable member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Han Yu is a heaven-gifted genius, with a steadfast nature, neither arrogant nor impatient. He is wholly devoted to the sect, and has earned the favor of the two elders, who took him as their disciple.
"Today, Han Yu will be named the Holy Son of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. His authority will be second only to mine."
As he finished speaking, Ning Fengzhi placed a hand on Han Yu's shoulder, then stepped back several paces, leaving Han Yu alone at the very front.
Han Yu suppressed his quickening heartbeat and gently closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the murderous aura of his Killing Sword Intent surged from within him, sweeping around him with a fierce pressure.
He pointed at the crowd below. His Killing Sword Intent charged toward the plaza like a vast army. Han Yu's eyes flickered, his lips turning pale. He laid a Spirit Gathering Array beneath his feet and forced himself to keep going.
Everyone in the plaza released their Martial Souls. Those with weaker strength struggled under the pressure, while the powerful stewards stood with their mouths agape, eyes filled with disbelief.
They had seen sword intent before, but seeing it in a seven-year-old child was simply impossible. Yet here it was, displayed right before their eyes.
The sect already had Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a man of such immense power. If it gained another powerhouse like him in the future, wouldn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect claim the title of the continent's number-one sect? Then, riding the tide, the stewards' own status would soar.
Seeing that he had made his point, Han Yu's gaze sharpened, and he withdrew his Killing Sword Intent completely. He took a deep breath and forced his unsteady body to hold firm.
Douluo Continent was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Only by showing strength and the potential to grow stronger could one earn the respect and awe one deserved.
Ning Fengzhi watched Han Yu's display with admiration and approval. If he had understood these lessons earlier in life, perhaps the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have prospered even more by now. Still, at least they had already joined forces with the Heaven Dou Empire, standing or falling together.
"Greetings, Holy Son!!!"
A deafening roar erupted across the plaza. Everyone was swept up in the fervor, their faces flushed as they craned their necks and shouted.
It was as if they could already picture the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect becoming the continent's number-one sect, and themselves becoming figures admired by Soul Masters.
Time hurried by. In the blink of an eye, two years passed.
Outside the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
A young man stood looking back at a girl hurrying toward him. They were Han Yu and Ning Rongrong.
After two years of grueling training, Han Yu had changed greatly. His shoulders and back had taken on a firm, defined shape, filling out his white clothes, and a naturally heroic air showed between his brows.
Ning Rongrong stopped in front of Han Yu. Her skirt swayed, her fair skin glowed with a rosy softness, and her long hair fell over her shoulders. Her figure had begun to show the curves unique to a young girl, faintly outlined by her blue dress.
Over the past two years, the two of them had continued training together every day as usual.
Cultivation, studying, sparring.
But unlike before, Ning Rongrong seemed to have changed her temperament. She now trained until she reached her limit, which often left Ning Fengzhi and the two elders deeply concerned.
When Han Yu went to practice swordsmanship with Chen Xin, she would throw herself into cultivating the technique of multitasking. By now, she could easily manage two tasks at once.
Ning Rongrong was now a twenty-third-level Soul Grandmaster, and her Second Soul Ring was nine hundred years old.
Her Soul Skills were the same as in the original story: First: Strength, Second: Speed. But the age of her Soul Ring was much higher.
Aside from the many doses of Whale Rubber that had greatly improved her physical constitution, Han Yu's Spirit Gathering Array had helped as well. But out of concern for her safety, Ning Fengzhi had ultimately rejected her idea of absorbing a thousand-year Second Soul Ring.
"Han Yu, what level are you now?" Ning Rongrong clasped her hands behind her back and asked curiously.
"Thirty, of course. Didn't the teacher tell you?" Han Yu smiled faintly.
"Hmph, I don't believe you. How are you cultivating so fast? You've widened the gap between us again." Ning Rongrong made a face, her voice full of resentment.
She thought she had already been working hard, but she hadn't expected the gap between her and Han Yu to keep growing. After she had mustered the courage to ask Ning Fengzhi about a marriage arrangement with Han Yu, she had been driven by the determination to make herself even better.
They exchanged a glance, then entered the main hall together.
Inside the main hall.
"Your disciple Han Yu greets the Sect Master and his teacher."
"Your disciple Ning Rongrong greets the Sect Master and her teacher."
Ning Rongrong and Han Yu bowed respectfully together, a far cry from her previously carefree self.
Ning Fengzhi smiled with satisfaction, his eyes nearly narrowing shut. He gestured for them to sit, then said with a smile, "Han Yu, Rongrong, you've both worked hard over the past two years. Uncle Bone and Uncle Sword have told me all about it. I'm proud of you.
"But a Soul Master's cultivation isn't just a matter of piling up Soul Power. Excessive training can leave your Soul Power unstable. You can afford to take a short break and let your bodies adjust to your current strength.
"I happen to be going to the Heaven Dou Empire. You two can come with me. You'll get to broaden your horizons and see the world beyond these walls."
Han Yu was taken aback at first, then calculated the timing in his mind.
Only then did he realize that, according to the timeline, Ning Fengzhi was meeting with the Heaven Dou Empire around this time. It must have been after this very meeting that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire formed an alliance.