What Treasure?

In the courtyard, Li Hanche was knocked down again.

But he had lain on the ground for less than two breaths before he braced his hands against the earth and staggered to his feet.

Fresh beads of blood seeped from his knees again, running down his calves in red lines.

He lowered his head for a glance, then raised both arms once more, assuming that rough but solid stance.

Sword Douluo's gaze lingered for an instant on that streak of blood.

"Fengzhi."

"That child surnamed Zhao will lose."

Ning Fengzhi turned around.

"That wager?"

"That child really can break the limit of four hundred and twenty-three years?"

Sword Douluo picked up his teacup and held it in his hand.

"I don't know whether he can break the limit."

He raised his head and looked toward the courtyard outside the window.

That thin, small figure was still taking hits, still falling, still climbing back up.

"But I know one thing."

Sword Douluo's voice was unhurried.

"Those who say limits are meant to be obeyed, and those who say limits are meant to be broken, are not beings on the same level from the very start. The former have already drawn a circle around themselves before they even begin, while the latter at least dare to glance beyond the circle."

He lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

"Those who dare to look beyond the circle may not necessarily walk out. But those who do not dare to look will never walk out."

Ning Fengzhi was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled.

There was appreciation in that smile, interest, and a calculation so faint it was hard to detect.

"Qinghe, what was this child called again?"

Xue Qinghe turned around by the window, a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

"Li Hanche. Born in the slums of Heaven Dou City, both parents dead, lived alone for six years."

"Li Hanche."

Ning Fengzhi repeated the name, as though savoring something.

"Hanche, Hanche... cold to the bone. This name is quite fitting for his martial soul."

In the courtyard, Li Hanche finally called for a stop.

Not because he could not hold on, but because Qingluo and Baiwei's strength had been exhausted by him.

The two maids supported themselves on their knees and gasped for breath, their foreheads covered in sweat, the collars of their fitted outfits soaked dark with it.

As for Li Hanche, though he was bruised black and purple all over, his forehead was scraped, his knees were bleeding, and he stood there swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.

In the end, he did not fall.

He bent down and began undoing the weighted iron rings around his ankles.

The skin at his ankles had already been rubbed bright red, with sunken grooves pressed into it. Then came the ones on his wrists, and last, the iron vest on his torso.

The instant the iron vest left his body, it was as though an entire mountain had been lifted from him.

He straightened, drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

The breath he exhaled turned into a faint white mist in the air.

That was no ordinary breathing, but the chill brought out as the soul power of the Frost Heaven Record circulated through his body.

He rolled his shoulders, and his joints gave several soft cracking sounds.

Then he crouched down, picked up the scattered weighted iron gear from the ground piece by piece, stacked it neatly, turned, and walked toward the villa.

Before the window of the teahouse's private room, Ning Fengzhi set down his teacup.

"Uncle Sword."

"Tell me, if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were to take in an outer-surname disciple, what would we need to prepare?"

Sword Douluo lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, then lowered them again and continued drinking tea.

"Ask His Highness the Crown Prince first. He is, after all, one of Heaven Dou City's people."

Standing by the window, Xue Qinghe curved his lips at those words.

"Senior Sword Douluo must be joking."

"Being one of Heaven Dou City's people and one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's people do not conflict. Do they?"

The gazes of the three met for an instant.

Ning Fengzhi withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly.

"Qinghe is right. There's no conflict."

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.

By the time Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo returned, the sky was already growing late.

There was a rather long stretch of road between Heaven Dou City and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's residence.

The two had just stepped through the doors of the council hall when they ran headlong into a gray-white figure.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong sat broad and imposing beside the main seat of the council hall, one hand holding a teacup, the other teasing a little girl seated on his knee.

The little girl looked about five or six years old, as delicate as if carved from jade and dusted with powder. Her long black hair was tied behind her head with an emerald-green ribbon, she wore a little green dress, and on her feet was a pair of small embroidered boots stitched with golden thread.

At that moment, she was pouting, unhappily batting away the fingers Bone Douluo had stretched over to pinch her cheek.

It was none other than the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong.

"You're back?"

Seeing the two enter, Bone Douluo lifted Ning Rongrong down from his knee and set her on the floor.

After the little girl landed, she did not greet them. She merely hugged Bone Douluo's leg and sized up her grandfather and Sword Grandpa with her pair of dark, bright eyes.

Ning Fengzhi walked to the main seat and sat down. He accepted the tea a maid handed him, took a sip, and only then spoke.

"We went to see that child."

"Oh?"

Bone Douluo's brows rose. He knew the purpose of Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo's trip to Heaven Dou City this time.

Heaven Dou City had produced a mutated spear martial soul with innate full soul power. As one of the sects on the continent most skilled at discovering geniuses, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect naturally had to go take a look.

"How was he?"

Ning Fengzhi did not answer directly. Instead, he glanced at Sword Douluo.

Sword Douluo sat down on the chair opposite Bone Douluo and reached for the teapot. Finding that the tea inside had already gone cold, he frowned, then withdrew his hand again.

"Sword man, say something already."

Bone Douluo urged him.

He and Sword Douluo had known each other for many years and fought side by side countless times. In private, they had never had many scruples when speaking.

Sword Douluo stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

"A top-grade mutated martial soul, ice attribute, with dragon might contained within the spear shaft. Innate full soul power, confirmed without error."

He paused, as if weighing his words.

"And that child is using a very special body-tempering method to polish his fleshly body. A six-year-old child who can endure that hardship has a temperament of the highest quality as well."

Bone Douluo's eyes lit up.

"A top-grade martial soul, innate full soul power, and a special body-tempering method too? Sword man, you've picked up a treasure!"

His tone carried unconcealed envy.

Good seedlings for assault-type battle soul masters were rare to begin with, let alone the combination of a top-grade mutated martial soul and innate full soul power.

Talent like this would make any sect fight until their heads split open to snatch him up.

"What treasure did you pick up?"

A crisp little voice rang out from beside Bone Douluo's leg.

Ning Rongrong poked half her little head out from behind Bone Douluo, her big eyes blinking as she looked at Sword Douluo.

She had only half-understood what she heard just now, but she understood the three words "picked up a treasure."

Every time Grandpa Bone said something was a "treasure," it meant it was something very, very good.

Sword Douluo lowered his head to look at Ning Rongrong, and the solemn expression that had not changed in ten thousand years visibly melted a little.

"Rongrong, come here."

He reached a hand toward Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong ran out from beside Bone Douluo's leg and threw herself into Sword Douluo's arms, lifting her little face to look at him.

"Grandpa Sword, what are you talking about? What treasure?"