Half a year later.
Ning Rongrong successfully broke through to level 20.
Although she was much slower than Su Li, this speed was still astonishing.
"Dad! I'm going to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring too!"
"You have no idea, I've eaten so much Whale Rubber lately that I'm practically sick of it!"
Ning Fengzhi looked at his precious daughter with great satisfaction in his eyes.
Especially when he thought about it.
Her second Soul Ring could also be a thousand-year one.
He could not help imagining it—what if Rongrong could break through the limitations of their inherited martial soul someday?
If the Seven Treasures became Nine Treasures, he would have no regrets even in death...
"The Soul Beast was prepared for you long ago... When the time comes, just like Little Li, your second Soul Ring will have a thousand-year cultivation."
Ning Fengzhi smiled at the boy seated some distance away.
By now, much of the childishness had faded from Su Li's face, leaving him somewhat less youthful and green.
That handsome face of his was becoming more and more striking as well.
"Hmph! I won't lose to him!"
Ning Rongrong looked at Su Li, raising her voice considerably.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head and said helplessly, "You, honestly. He's already five levels ahead of you."
"All you know is how to talk. You never seem to put in any effort."
"Dad!" Ning Rongrong stamped her little foot, the tips of her ears flushing red.
It was not entirely her fault, either.
Whenever she cultivated beside Su Li for one or two hours, she would become sleepy and feel as though her mental energy was being drained incredibly quickly.
When she cultivated alone, she did not feel that way, but she could not get into it at all. Her progress was as slow as a crawling turtle.
And it was uncomfortable, too.
If she could cultivate five or six hours a day, she would have surpassed Su Li long ago!
Hmph!
"Um... correction. It's six levels."
A moment later.
Su Li's aura suddenly grew a little stronger, and pure Soul Power spread outward, leaving both father and daughter in the room stunned.
Seriously...
Why did breaking through seem as easy for you as eating and drinking?
Was this a joke?!
Ning Rongrong's face reddened as she stamped her feet in anger.
She hurried over and viciously pinched his cheeks.
"Ahhh!"
"Su Li! Did you do that on purpose?!"
"You've gotten so far ahead of me. Are you proud of yourself?!"
Su Li rolled his eyes.
Who knew why he had broken through at this exact moment?
"Rongrong! Let go of Little Li. What kind of behavior is this?"
"When I'm not around, do you bully him all the time?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. Pointing at Su Li, she said, "I bully him?"
"Dad! You have no idea how badly Su Li bullies me!"
"Waaah~"
Ning Fengzhi immediately changed his expression and said seriously, "If Little Li bullies you, then he must have a reason."
"Rongrong, put away that little temper of yours."
Ning Rongrong: "???"
Seriously!
Who was the biological child here?!
Why was everyone taking Su Li's side?!
Waaah~
Was it too late to run away from home now?
Dugu Yan: "There's something that good?"
Ye Lingling: "Hm?"
Very soon.
Under everyone's watchful eyes.
Ning Rongrong successfully absorbed the thousand-year Soul Beast's Soul Ring.
"Woohoo! I did it!"
"Dad! Sword Grandpa, Bone Grandpa! And Su Li! I did it!"
Ning Rongrong excitedly rose from the ground. Looking at the seven-colored little pagoda in her hand, now adorned with a purple Soul Ring, she could not contain her excitement.
"How much is the amplification?"
Ning Fengzhi could not help asking.
As owners of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, the soul skills passed down through their line were basically fixed, even their amplification effects.
"Twenty-five percent! That's five percent more than you had as a Soul Grandmaster, Dad!"
"What?!"
Ning Fengzhi stared in shock at the little pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand. He had not expected it to truly increase.
If this continued.
Even if it remained the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in the future, perhaps its amplification effect could reach one hundred percent?
One had to know.
His current maximum amplification was only seventy percent!
Yet among support-type martial souls, that was already an exceedingly terrifying level.
"Wonderful! Every time our family's martial soul gains a Soul Ring, its amplification increases by ten percent. By the time you become a Soul Sage, perhaps you really can achieve one hundred percent amplification..."
At that thought.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Su Li, his eyes filled with gratitude and delight.
This time.
He seemed to have truly seen the possibility of Seven Treasures becoming Nine Treasures...
"Of course! This young lady is determined to become the strongest support-type Soul Master in the world!"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes suddenly became much redder. He smiled, feeling exceptionally happy today.
Not long after.
Su Li and Ning Rongrong headed back.
Along the way.
The two walked shoulder to shoulder. Seemingly preoccupied, the girl lowered her head and fidgeted with her hands, not knowing what she was thinking.
A moment later.
Ning Rongrong lightly brushed Su Li's hand. As though shocked by electricity, both instinctively pulled their hands back.
"Ahem... um... I want... I want to tell you something."
"Hm?"
Su Li looked at her, all ears.
Ning Rongrong did not know how to begin. Her gaze darted about, and an adorable cherry-pink blush appeared on her fair cheeks. Her bashful appearance was utterly lovely.
"I... my father said he wants to arrange an engagement for us..."
"Of course! It's not like I wanted that!"
"I'm just passing the message along! I'm asking what you think..."
Ning Rongrong turned her head away, preventing Su Li from seeing her expression.
Still.
Who could possibly believe that guilty look on her face?
Holding back a laugh, Su Li asked in return.
"Oh? Then what do you think, Young Sect Master?"
"I... I..."
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, her momentum weakening considerably.
Too nervous to look into his eyes, she said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "I... I'll listen to my father..."
"You know how it is, parents' orders and matchmakers' words... I can't refuse either..."
Su Li wore an enlightened expression, then deliberately shook his head in disappointment. "I prefer falling in love freely."
"Sorry, I don't want to accept for now."
Ning Rongrong: "???"
Seriously!
This young lady had already taken the initiative to this extent!
And you were still refusing me?!
Su Li thought to himself, Without an engagement, you already guard your food like this.
If we had one, would any girl who came near me get planted in the ground to cosplay as ginseng?
Sigh...
As a seasoned galgame expert, he had feelings for every character he pursued.
Was that scummy?
No, he simply wanted to give every girl a home.
A wife was a wife, a girlfriend was a girlfriend, and a baby was a baby...
Over the years, he had deliberately kept some distance from Ning Rongrong.
First, his body did not allow it; he had no such thoughts.
Second, he did not want this girl to get too carried away.
If her love-struck brain kicked in, who knew what kind of trouble she might cause.
Besides.
He could not forget those unforgettable CG scenes.
When a real girl stood before him, the genuine sensations and experiences would still make him lose himself for a moment.
It was as though those experiences were still vividly etched in his mind.
Sometimes, he even wondered.
Was the VR galgame he had played really just a game?
"Su Li! Don't be so ungrateful!"
"Hm, so you like me?"
"Ah?! I... I don't!"
"Oh~"
Ning Rongrong stared at Su Li's retreating back, her mind practically turning to mush.
"Damn it! You're teasing me again!"
"Just keep bullying me! When I grow up, I'll bully you too!"
Before you continue