God-Given Soul Ring, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong Meet

The morning after Ning Rongrong consumed the Aromatic Silk Beauty, she climbed out of bed early.

She had not slept all night, yet she did not feel tired in the slightest.

Sitting at the edge of her bed, she summoned her martial soul again and watched the nine-tiered pagoda slowly spin in her palm. The faint golden halo around its tip glimmered softly in the morning light.

She had stared at it for an entire night, yet she still could not get enough of it.

The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had become the Nine Treasure Glazed Divine Pagoda. To her, the change felt as unreal as a dream.

She put away her martial soul, washed up, changed clothes, and then hurried off impatiently to find Lin Chen.

Lin Chen had only recently gotten up as well and was making tea in his dormitory.

Hearing a knock, he opened the door and found Ning Rongrong standing outside. Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed lit up from within, radiating irrepressible excitement.

"Morning." Lin Chen stepped aside to let her in. "You didn't sleep last night?"

"I couldn't." Ning Rongrong entered the room, sat in a chair, and propped her chin up with both hands as she watched him.

"I kept sensing my martial soul. The more I felt it, the more incredible it seemed. Lin Chen, do you think I count as the only support-type Soul Master of my kind on the continent now?"

"You do." Lin Chen poured her a cup of tea. "At least in the field of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, you've already surpassed everyone before you."

Ning Rongrong picked up the teacup, blew on it, and took a small sip. Then she put it down and said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... there's one more thing I want to ask you to help me with."

"Go ahead."

"My Soul Power broke through to level thirty-three last night, but since I hadn't obtained my third Soul Ring before this, I'm still stuck at level thirty."

Ning Rongrong looked at him expectantly. "I heard about how you helped Zhu Zhuqing condense a Soul Ring last time. Could you help me too...?"

At this point, she lowered her head shyly. "I know this request might be a little too much, but I..."

"Sure."

Before Ning Rongrong could finish, Lin Chen agreed without hesitation. She looked up, stunned. "Really?"

"Really." Lin Chen set down his teacup. "But you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it? Tell me! As long as I can do it, I'll agree to anything!"

"If you need anything in the future, just tell me directly. Don't beat around the bush."

Lin Chen looked at her and said seriously, "Since you said you were going to stick with me, you're one of my people now. You don't need to be so polite with your own people."

Ning Rongrong's cheeks reddened slightly, but the corners of her lips could not help curving upward. "All right, I'll remember that."

Lin Chen stood up, walked to the open space in the middle of the room, and gestured for Ning Rongrong to come over.

Ning Rongrong hurriedly put down her teacup and walked up to him, watching him with some nervousness.

"Relax. Don't be nervous." Lin Chen raised his right hand, and a gray mark appeared in his palm. His fourth Soul Ring lit up—the Life Law.

A gentle green glow surged from his palm, slowly condensing into a sphere of light that hovered above it.

The sphere emitted a rich aura of life. Like a beating heart, it brimmed with vitality.

With his previous experience condensing a Soul Ring for Zhu Zhuqing, Lin Chen was far more practiced this time.

He controlled the power of the Life Law, compressing, shaping, and solidifying the life energy into the stable form of a Soul Ring.

The entire process took less than half an incense stick's time. A gleaming black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring floated in his palm.

Ning Rongrong stared at the Soul Ring, her eyes filled with amazement.

She had heard that Lin Chen could condense Soul Rings, but seeing it with her own eyes still felt unbelievable.

Creating a Soul Ring out of thin air was an ability she had never even heard of before.

"Come on, absorb it." Lin Chen pushed the Soul Ring toward Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong nodded, closed her eyes, and guided the Soul Ring into her body.

Black light slowly enveloped her. She felt a warm yet powerful force pour into her body and merge with her martial soul.

Her Soul Power began to rise—level thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five.

She opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, sensing the surging power within her. The smile on her lips could not be hidden.

Level thirty-five.

In just two days, she had risen from level twenty-six to level thirty-five, and her martial soul had evolved from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Divine Pagoda. All of it was because of the person standing before her.

"How does it feel?" Lin Chen asked.

"It feels... like I'm dreaming." Ning Rongrong looked up at him. "Lin Chen, you really are... amazing."

"All right, enough flattery." Lin Chen waved with a smile. "Come on, I'll take you to meet two people."

"Who?"

"Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing," Lin Chen said. "They were classmates from Heaven Dou Royal Academy too. You'll be in the same class from now on, so you should get acquainted first."

Ning Rongrong nodded and followed Lin Chen out of the dormitory.

A thin mist filled the campus in the early morning, and the distant school buildings appeared and vanished through the haze.

Lin Chen brought Ning Rongrong to the cafeteria, where they found Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing at a window-side table.

Xiao Wu was gulping down a bowl of soy milk. When she saw Lin Chen approaching, she was about to greet him, but then she noticed the girl in white behind him and froze for a moment.

"Lin Chen, this is..." Xiao Wu set down her bowl and studied Ning Rongrong curiously.

"Ning Rongrong, the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's leader. She's a new transfer student," Lin Chen introduced simply. "She'll be in our class from now on."

Xiao Wu blinked, then flashed a warm smile. "Hello! I'm Xiao Wu! Welcome, welcome!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded faintly as well. Though she said nothing, there was a trace of friendliness in her gaze.

Ning Rongrong looked at the two girls before her.

One was lively and spirited, her brilliant smile as bright as sunlight.

The other was cool and composed, with a temperament as pure as frost and snow.

She quietly compared herself to them, then revealed an obedient smile. "Hello, I'm Ning Rongrong. Please take care of me from now on."

"Don't be so polite!" Xiao Wu patted the chair beside her. "Come sit! Have you eaten breakfast? If not, I'll get some for you!"

"Thank you, but I can get it myself."

Ning Rongrong went to the serving window herself to get breakfast, then returned with her tray and sat beside Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was naturally outgoing, and after only a few exchanges, she had already started chatting easily with Ning Rongrong.

She asked where Ning Rongrong was from, where she had studied before, what she liked to eat, and whether she had any hobbies.

Ning Rongrong was somewhat reserved at first, but Xiao Wu's enthusiasm was like a flame. It quickly melted away her defenses, and the two began talking more and more happily.

Zhu Zhuqing sat across from them. Though she did not speak much, she occasionally added a sentence or two, or curled her lips slightly when Xiao Wu said something amusing.

The three girls had entirely different personalities, yet the sight of them sitting together was unexpectedly harmonious.

Lin Chen sat to one side, watching the three of them chat animatedly, and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He had originally worried that Ning Rongrong would have trouble adjusting. After all, she had just arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy and did not know anyone.

But now, it seemed his worries had been unnecessary. With Xiao Wu's absurdly strong social skills, it would not take long for her to pull Ning Rongrong completely into their circle.

"By the way, Rongrong, what's your martial soul?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Ning Rongrong put down her chopsticks and summoned her martial soul.

A nine-tiered pagoda slowly spun in her palm. Nine colors flowed across its body in turn, while a faint golden halo shrouded its tip, shining brilliantly in the morning sunlight.

Both Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing froze.

"This is... the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "No, isn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda supposed to have only seven tiers? Why does yours have nine?"

"It originally had seven." Ning Rongrong glanced at Lin Chen, a hint of a smile on her lips. "But Lin Chen helped me break through the limit, and now it has become the Nine Treasure Glazed Divine Pagoda."

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing turned to look at Lin Chen at the same time.

With two pairs of eyes fixed on him, Lin Chen shrugged. "Don't look at me. I only gave her an immortal herb."

"An immortal herb?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "What kind of immortal herb? Do you have any more? I want one too!"

"You already have the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. Don't be greedy."

"That's different! Who would ever complain about having too many treasures?"