Winning Over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Zhao Qiang desperately tugged at his arm, veins bulging, but that hand did not budge in the slightest.

Then Zhang Fei clenched his right hand into a fist. Without any unnecessary movement, he threw a direct punch at Zhao Qiang's chest and abdomen.

Zhao Qiang tried to dodge, but his wrist was held in an iron grip, leaving him no way to evade.

"Bang!"

The force of the punch landed squarely between Zhao Qiang's chest and abdomen.

That punch carried the doubled strength of the Golden Armor Body. Zhao Qiang was blasted straight off the ground, sent flying two or three zhang backward before crashing heavily onto the stone ground outside the arena. He rolled twice more before barely coming to a stop.

Zhao Qiang lay prone on the ground, coughing dryly several times. A dull pain churned through his chest and abdomen. He tried to prop himself up with his arms, but had no strength left and collapsed again.

The Iron-Spined Mad Lion martial soul possession state automatically dissipated, and he lay on the stone ground, gulping down breaths.

The area below the stage fell silent for a moment.

Then, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples watching nearby exchanged glances.

Zhao Qiang was one of the best among their batch of disciples, yet he had been defeated head-on by a kid whose soul power was four ranks lower than his?

Zhang Fei stood where he was and slowly withdrew from his martial soul possession state. The soul rings beneath his feet vanished as well.

Then he leaped off the arena, bent down, and extended a hand toward Zhao Qiang, who was still lying on the ground. "Brother Zhao, are you all right?"

Zhao Qiang raised his head and looked at the hand Zhang Fei had offered. The resentment and jealousy he had felt earlier had completely faded away.

If he could not win, then he could not win. Before true strength, any amount of sour words would only bring humiliation upon himself.

He grabbed Zhang Fei's hand and pulled himself up, brushing the dust from his knees. He was straightforward enough. "I lost. I'm inferior to you."

"You let me win." Zhang Fei smiled.

He secretly let out a sigh of relief. Good, good. At least I didn't embarrass Xue Qinghe.

Though their soul power differed by four ranks, the Golden Dragon's sheer power, combined with the doubled enhancement of the Golden Armor Body, had made the victory even easier than he had expected.

Not far below the stage, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi had somehow already finished their conversation and come over at the sound. They were quietly watching this side.

Clearly, they had witnessed everything that had happened on the arena.

Seeing that the match had ended, Ning Fengzhi slowly walked over. The emerald-green scepter in his hand lightly tapped against the ground as he moved with calm composure.

He stopped before Zhang Fei, his smile as warm as ever. "Young friend Zhang, your martial soul and talent are truly exceptional. Qinghe has found herself quite a treasure."

Xue Qinghe also stepped forward and stood at Zhang Fei's side. A faint smile rested at the corner of her lips, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at him grew gentler.

"Thank you for the praise, Sect Master Ning. Brother Zhao's talent is also exceptional. This junior merely won by luck, with a single move."

Zhang Fei bowed slightly in return, without the arrogance of someone drunk on a small victory. After all, this was someone else's territory.

The more Ning Fengzhi looked at him, the more satisfied he became. He turned to Xue Qinghe with a smile. "It's getting late, Qinghe. Why don't you and young friend Zhang stay for a simple meal?"

Xue Qinghe nodded slightly and did not refuse. "Then we'll impose on you, Teacher."

Zhang Fei secretly rejoiced.

Ning Fengzhi called it a "simple meal," but with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's grandeur and wealth, there was no way this meal could truly be anything simple.

Naturally, he was not disappointed. The dishes on the table displayed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's extravagance to the fullest.

Even the side dishes were exquisitely prepared, arranged like paintings and perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.

Zhang Fei naturally did not hold back. He had always believed that good food was the one thing in life that must never be let down, and his chopsticks never stopped moving.

Ning Rongrong sat beside him, chattering away at Zhang Fei and asking him all sorts of questions.

Zhang Fei had no time to pay attention to her and could only respond with vague murmurs. She really has no sense of timing at all. Can't she see I'm fully occupied dealing with this food?

After lunch, it was time to say goodbye, and Ning Fengzhi personally escorted them to the entrance of the main hall.

He patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder, smiling warmly. "Young friend Zhang, come by often when you have time. Rongrong is the same age as you. You two should spend more time together and learn from each other."

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up. "Really? I can?"

He quickly added in his heart, Does that mean I can finally get away from those two demons at home?

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Of course. The doors of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will always be open to you."

Zhang Fei immediately beamed and bowed. "Thank you for your kindness, Sect Master Ning. This junior will remember it! I'll definitely come by often when I have time."

Standing to the side, Xue Qinghe naturally knew what Zhang Fei was thinking. This kid simply wanted to escape training.

She reached out and took Zhang Fei's hand, her fingertips tightening slightly as though silently saying, Don't even think about it.

The two turned and boarded the carriage, which set off along the way they had come.

Watching them leave, Bone Douluo Gu Rong frowned. "Fengzhi, Zhang Fei's talent..."

"Uncle Bone, I know what you want to say." Ning Fengzhi interrupted him and shook his head. "He belongs to Qinghe. As her teacher and ally, it would not be right for us to snatch him away."

"But... among our younger generation, aside from Rongrong, there is no one capable of shouldering great responsibility!" Gu Rong's tone was somewhat urgent.

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Don't we have Rongrong? Perhaps..."

"Fengzhi, you mean..."

"I don't mean anything. When it comes to young people, we can only do our best. The rest depends on their fate!"

After saying that, Ning Fengzhi walked back into the main hall. Gu Rong shook his head as well and followed after him.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Xue Qinghe leaned against the window, relaxed and elegant.

Her gaze fell upon Zhang Fei, who sat beside her, and she asked, "Xiaofei, what do you think of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Zhang Fei was leaning against a soft cushion, digesting his meal. Hearing this, he thought briefly before answering, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is different from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect. Because it is an auxiliary sect, it is not exclusionary."

"Also, Ning Fengzhi is extremely good at reading the situation and navigating all sides. He's crafty as can be. He understands the limitations of auxiliary martial souls, so he presents himself as highly approachable in order to attract more talented soul masters into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Xue Qinghe softly hummed, a trace of approval flashing through her eyes. "Xiaofei is right. Then do you think we can win over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

She did not say whether "we" referred to Spirit Hall or the Heaven Dou Empire.

Although Xue Qinghe had never revealed her identity, She Long privately addressed her as "Young Master" all the time. Even an idiot could guess that she was from Spirit Hall.

Besides, Xue Qinghe had never intended to hide it from him in the first place.

So Zhang Fei understood that she was asking about Spirit Hall.

He thought about it seriously before saying, "It'll be difficult, but not completely impossible."

"Ning Fengzhi is a smart man. Survival and benefits will always come first for him. Faced with enormous benefits and absolute strength, so long as there isn't some deep-seated grudge, he'll most likely compromise."

Xue Qinghe nodded and gently rubbed Zhang Fei's head. "Xiaofei is so clever. You're so young, yet you can already think of so much."

Zhang Fei took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Xue Qinghe's arm, grinning. "Of course. I grew up following Your Highness. After being influenced by you all this time, I had to learn a few things, didn't I?"

That flattery was delivered as naturally as could be.

"Cut it out."

At his words, the corner of Xue Qinghe's lips involuntarily curved upward.

Zhang Fei rubbed his face against her shoulder again.

The carriage continued onward. The two leaned against each other, and the carriage fell quiet for a time.