Ning Rongrong shook her head. She nestled against Ning Fengzhi, turned her head slightly, and looked at Han Yu.
Their eyes met.
As if startled, Ning Rongrong abruptly looked away.
The sorrow that had just eased surged up again. She pouted and lowered her head, her beautiful eyes full of grievance.
Chen Xin sighed and shook his head, his gaze shifting between the two.
Han Yu and Rongrong had grown up together under his watch. Han Yu's talent and temperament were both first-rate; how could Chen Xin not know how Rongrong felt? But in his view, they were still too young to understand what love even was.
He had never expected Rongrong to have already fallen for Han Yu, and to insist on picking the flower that symbolized devoted love—the king of flowers. Instead, the distracting thoughts had unsettled her state of mind. If it came to it, he, as her teacher, would take matters into his own hands and arrange their marriage early, so Rongrong would stop letting her imagination run wild.
"Your Majesty Sword Douluo, what's going on with the young sect master?" Dugu Bo bowed respectfully, raised his brows at Han Yu, and asked in a low voice.
"It's just what you think." Chen Xin nodded.
Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes and glanced at Dugu Yan, who was still unconscious nearby, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.
That brat he couldn't stand seemed to have extraordinary talent. Even the sect master's daughter had fallen for him, and Sword Douluo seemed entirely in favor of it. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had plenty of things going for it, but above all, any Soul Master they took in as a son-in-law would be a rare catch: exceptionally gifted and from a respectable family.
Seeing that his gaze had been avoided, Han Yu gave a bitter smile.
His talent was simply too great. Instead, it had made Ning Rongrong, a second-rate genius, feel inferior and start doubting her own abilities.
Looking at Ning Rongrong, who was as meek as a little cat, he felt a pang of sympathy.
Han Yu carefully dug up the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb and walked over to Ning Rongrong, holding it out to her. "Rongrong, take this Immortal Herb. Your talent will definitely improve.
"The Immortal Herb isn't going anywhere. You can try again once you've recovered. If you don't succeed on the first try, try ten times; if ten times isn't enough, try a hundred. Sooner or later, you'll pick it."
The first part was no lie. As soon as Ning Rongrong took the Immortal Herb, her Martial Soul would evolve, her cultivation talent would improve, and the flaws in her Martial Soul would be remedied. She would become the most promising genius Soul Master among auxiliary-type Soul Masters.
Ning Rongrong turned back in a daze and looked up into those gentle, confident eyes. She reached out without thinking, accepted the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb, and hugged it to her chest, her eyes full of hope.
Han Yu smiled and nodded. "Don't eat the whole plant. Gently inhale the flower's essence, drawing it into your body little by little. Then use Soul Power to spread its medicinal effects through every limb and bone."
Ning Rongrong stood up, her gaze resolute. She reached for the flower's stamen, brought it to her mouth, and swallowed it before sitting cross-legged.
"Han Yu, you two..." Ning Fengzhi said softly, his expression shifting.
"Don't worry, Sect Master. I've been an orphan since I was little, and Rongrong is like a younger sister to me. I'll protect her." Han Yu bowed, his expression serious and his tone solemn.
"Uh... good... good." Ning Fengzhi looked a little awkward, rubbing his thumb back and forth against his palm.
He had meant to take the lead and ask Han Yu how he felt about Rongrong, only to have his words blocked before he could even begin. He could see the ambition in Han Yu's heart: he was focused solely on becoming stronger and had little interest in romantic entanglements.
Rather than forcing the two together, it would be better to wait until they were older and let their feelings grow before making any arrangements.
Time passed, and before they knew it, night had fallen.
Han Yu and the others were chatting around the fire when a powerful wave of Soul Power suddenly erupted in the distance.
A dark golden light flashed over Gu Rong, and he threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! No wonder they call it an Immortal Herb. It actually evolved my Martial Soul!"
With a wave of his hand, a great mass of black grime peeled away from his body. He casually tossed it into a black hole.
After being stuck at level 95 for years, he had finally broken through the bottleneck and reached level 96 in one leap.
Normally, level 95 marked the threshold of the Super Douluo ranks. With each level gained beyond that, the difficulty increased exponentially. Without insights gained in life-or-death battles or heaven-defying comprehension, one might never break through the bottleneck in an entire lifetime.
But after being tempered by the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, Gu Rong had not only broken through in Soul Power—his Martial Soul had evolved into a Dark Gold Bone Dragon as well.
The Bone Dragon Martial Soul's phantom behind him, once a dull, pale white, had turned dark gold from head to tail. Bright golden lines traced the ridges of its spine, scales patterned its body, and its once-ghostly white flames now held a few sparks of life.
"Old fossil, now you're definitely no match for me." Gu Rong's mouth curled into a broad grin. He crossed his arms over his chest, his tone utterly smug.
Chen Xin smiled faintly and studied the changes in Gu Rong.
Besides the increase in Soul Power, his old friend seemed to have gained a powerful, oppressive presence. And his Soul Power looked inexhaustible, as though it were constantly being replenished from somewhere.
That did give Gu Rong the confidence to challenge him. Still, for experts at their level, even a single-level difference was an uncrossable chasm—not something a little outside help could overcome.
"Congratulations, Teacher." Han Yu stepped forward to congratulate him.
Gu Rong beamed. "I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't stepped in, the shock waves from the battle would've destroyed these Immortal Herbs long ago."
He paused, glanced at Chen Xin, then continued, "Someone here even thought Han Yu was in the wrong. Ah, good deeds never go unappreciated."
Chen Xin, the one being called out, wasn't offended. Smiling, he ruffled Han Yu's hair. "Han Yu, your teacher owes you an apology. You did a great job this time."
Considering how much these Immortal Herbs had improved Gu Rong, what Han Yu had done was nothing. Chen Xin disapproved of underhanded tactics, but if the rewards were substantial and no innocent people were killed, he would have done the same as Han Yu.
"Teacher, you're giving me too much credit." Han Yu shook his head with a smile.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes brimmed with longing as he asked slowly, "Uncle Bone, did your Martial Soul really evolve?"
His heart pounded wildly, and he could barely control his emotions. His body trembled despite himself, and two trails of tears slid down his cheeks. After a moment's daze, he turned away to wipe them where no one could see.
Uncle Bone's Martial Soul had evolved. Didn't that mean Rongrong's could evolve too? Could the shackles that had been like a curse finally disappear?
The thought grew larger and larger in Ning Fengzhi's mind. He placed all his hopes on Ning Rongrong, who was absorbing the Immortal Herb, and waited for the outcome he had imagined.
"Don't worry. If an old man like me could have this opportunity, Rongrong will certainly do just as well." Gu Rong patted Ning Fengzhi on the shoulder and comforted him softly.
Han Yu nodded in agreement.
Just as well? She would do far better.
That was the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Given that this Martial Soul increased the effects of Soul Skills by ten percent for every ten levels, a Titled Douluo could directly amplify a target's strength by ninety percent. Their combat power would nearly double across the board. How absurd was that?
And with the Seven-Fold Mind technique as well, she could boost the whole team by herself. She would be the true heart of the team.