Something Bad Happened, Time to Run!

After coaxing Ning Rongrong away, the three old men gathered again to discuss who should take the pill and test its effects.

Ning Fengzhi was naturally ruled out first. Due to the special nature of his martial soul, his soul power had already reached its limit and could not break through any further.

However, this allowed him to serve as the judge and decide whether Chen Xin or Gu Rong would take the pill.

"Fengzhi! Tell me, shouldn't I be the one taking this pill? Not only is my soul power level higher than Old Bones's, but I'm just one step away from breaking through to Rank 97. I've waited hopelessly for so many years. Maybe this is the opportunity I need to break through!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi nodded. He felt that Chen Xin had a point. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could produce a Rank 97 Super Douluo, it would gain a greater voice across the continent in the future.

Gu Rong had originally wanted to argue for himself, but from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's perspective, Chen Xin taking it did seem more beneficial.

"Fine, fine, you take it first. Jiang Xuan didn't refine just one, anyway. If it really works, I'll just swallow my pride and ask him for another one later."

Jiang Xuan's room.

Not long after Ning Rongrong ran out, Jiang Xuan received a notification that Merit Points had been credited to his account.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully gifted one Soul-Gathering Pill.]

[Reward obtained: 100 Merit Points.]

[First successful gift triggered a critical amplification ×10. 100 Merit Points have been increased to 1000.]

[Merit Points may be used to increase the age of soul rings or soul bones at a 1:1 ratio. They may also be used to directly increase soul power level, with the current conversion ratio being 200:1.]

[Host, please slowly explore and discover more ways to use Merit Points.]

Seeing the reward notification on the system panel, Jiang Xuan was naturally thrilled. However, after reading it, he found something strange.

He had clearly given Ning Rongrong two pills, so why did the system notification say that only one had been successfully gifted?

Could it be that the gift only counted after the recipient finished taking the pill?

If that was the case, then the next time he saw Ning Rongrong, he only needed to have her take the second one as well.

After figuring out the issue, Jiang Xuan began considering how to use the 1,000 Merit Points.

First, he did not have any soul bones, so that option was immediately ruled out.

As for soul rings, while the 1:1 ratio could raise his first soul ring to the thousand-year level, no matter how he thought about it, directly increasing his soul power level offered greater benefits.

Even at a 200:1 ratio, it would be enough to raise his soul power from Rank 22 to Rank 27, saving him nearly two years of arduous cultivation!

Therefore, Jiang Xuan barely hesitated before decisively converting the 1,000 Merit Points into soul power levels.

In an instant, a warm current appeared out of nowhere within Jiang Xuan's body and spread through every limb and bone.

"Feels great!"

After sincerely voicing his delight, the room door was suddenly pushed open from outside, startling Jiang Xuan.

Once he saw who it was, he finally relaxed and complained,

"Rongrong, why didn't you knock before coming in?"

Having been reprimanded by Jiang Xuan, Ning Rongrong immediately lowered her head in embarrassment and apologized. However, she soon remembered why she had come.

"Brother Jiang Xuan, can you seriously answer a question for me?"

"What question?"

"Did you prefer my body from before, or the one I have now?"

Huh???

What kind of devilish question was that?!

How was he supposed to answer that?

Little Ning Rongrong was indeed adorable, enough to make him want to hold her tightly in his arms.

But if he revealed such thoughts, wouldn't heavenly tribulation lightning strike him down?

After thinking it over carefully, Jiang Xuan decided it was best to play it safe.

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? Whether before or now, in my eyes, you will always be my beloved little sister Rongrong. Nothing more."

A girl with a more extreme personality would definitely keep pressing after hearing that answer, refusing to let the matter go until she got a clear result.

For example, Ning Rongrong from the original setting, whose young-lady temper had been in full force when she first appeared, would probably have done exactly that.

But in this timeline, Jiang Xuan had long since adjusted Ning Rongrong's personality. Even if traces of her young-lady temper remained deep inside, she would never bare her teeth at Jiang Xuan.

"Mm! Brother Jiang Xuan is the best!"

Seeing that the little girl was no longer dwelling on it, Jiang Xuan could not help patting her head. Just as he considered whether to take the chance to pick her up, another notification suddenly popped up on the system panel in his mental sea.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully gifted one Soul-Gathering Pill.]

[Reward obtained: 10,000 Merit Points.]

How much?

Ten thousand Merit Points! Was that for real?

Jiang Xuan was completely dumbfounded when he saw the notification.

He had just given Ning Rongrong a pill, and even after the reward had increased tenfold, the system had only given him 1,000 Merit Points. Yet now it had directly given him 10,000! And this was without even triggering a reward multiplier!

Wait. According to his earlier deduction, the system only judged a gift successful and issued a reward after the recipient consumed and refined the gifted pill.

And Ning Rongrong was standing right beside him. She clearly had not taken the pill...

Jiang Xuan swallowed hard, his voice beginning to tremble.

"Rongrong, of the two pills I gave you earlier, you took one. Is the other one... still with you?"

Ning Rongrong did not think much of the question and answered instinctively.

"Grandpa Sword said he needed to study it before he could find a way to restore me to normal, so I gave that pill to him... Brother Jiang Xuan, what's wrong? Why are your legs shaking? Did refining the pills just now use up too much of your strength? If so, you should get some proper rest."

Jiang Xuan could no longer hear what Ning Rongrong was saying.

At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

Maybe I should run away as soon as possible.

Based on the information he had, either Chen Xin or Gu Rong had taken that pill. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why the system had returned so many Merit Points.

Damn it! Why had he not thought to tell Ning Rongrong that the pill could not be given to just anyone?!

Now things had gone terribly wrong!

Either Grandpa Sword or Grandpa Bone had turned into a grandmother. Given those two's personalities, if one of them lost their temper and came to beat him half to death, he would not even have anyone to complain to.

After considering it back and forth, leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to lay low was clearly the best choice!

Once he made up his mind, Jiang Xuan could not even be bothered to pack. After casually telling Ning Rongrong that he needed to go out for a few days, he headed straight out of the room.

Where should he run to?

As he pondered that question, he quickened his pace. But just as Jiang Xuan neared the main gate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and was about to leave, an incomparably cold voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

"Xuan'er, why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?"

At the same time, a terrifying soul power pressure descended upon Jiang Xuan, instantly preventing him from moving forward even an inch.

He looked toward the voice and saw a tall, breathtakingly beautiful woman with waterfall-like long hair. Holding a long sword, she stared at him coldly.