Targeting Ning Rongrong, Entering the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

Following the steward through several corridors, Lin Ming arrived at a spacious courtyard. Quite a few people were already standing there—roughly a hundred or so, all servants recruited this time.

"All newcomers, gather here!" The steward clapped his hands.

"You'll be assigned dormitories and work areas shortly. Remember this: once you enter the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you follow the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rules. Don't go where you shouldn't go, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Do well, and you'll be rewarded. Do poorly, and pack your things and get out!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lin Ming swept his gaze over the people around him and secretly sighed. Most of them wore plain clothes and had sallow complexions. At a glance, they were clearly from impoverished backgrounds.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Hey, brother, are you new too?"

Lin Ming turned and saw a rather handsome youth grinning at him.

The youth looked around fifteen or sixteen. His features were regular, his skin fair, and his clever-looking eyes were full of spirit. No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like the child of a poor family.

"My name's Zhang San. I'm from Heaven Dou City. What about you?"

"Lin Ming."

"Lin Ming? Good name!" Zhang San casually draped an arm over Lin Ming's shoulder.

"I noticed your soul power fluctuations during the test just now. Level sixteen, right? Not bad..."

Without showing it, Lin Ming sized him up. This man spoke smoothly and carried himself generously. Though he was also dressed in coarse cloth, the material was clearly much better than what the others wore. More importantly, Lin Ming could vaguely sense that the other man's soul power fluctuations were far stronger than his own.

"You flatter me, Brother Zhang. I'd say you're the one hiding your true strength, aren't you?"

Zhang San chuckled and did not deny it. "Level twenty-seven. I only broke through recently."

Lin Ming was startled. A sixteen-year-old level twenty-seven Soul Master would be considered a genius in any elementary Soul Master academy. Why would someone like that come here to be a servant?

"With your talent, Brother Zhang, you'd have more than enough ability to become an academy teacher. Why did you decide to come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as a servant?"

Zhang San looked around and lowered his voice. "To be honest, I didn't come here to be a servant for the rest of my life."

He leaned closer, his eyes gleaming. "I heard that Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, has a precious daughter named Ning Rongrong. She's only twelve this year, and she's absolutely gorgeous! Sect Master Ning dotes on her so much that he's afraid she'll break if he holds her in his hands and afraid she'll melt if he keeps her in his mouth. If anyone can win the favor of that young miss, they'll soar to the heavens in a single leap!"

Lin Ming raised an eyebrow. "So you..."

"That's right!" Zhang San slapped his thigh. "I came for Miss Ning! Think about it—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is wealthier than a nation, and Sect Master Ning has only this one daughter. Whoever marries her would become the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's prized son-in-law! By then, I'd have all the money and resources I could want, and my path of cultivation would be smooth sailing!"

He spoke with animated excitement, as if he could already see himself marrying a beautiful rich woman and reaching the pinnacle of life.

"Once I win Miss Ning's heart, I definitely won't forget you, brother!" Zhang San patted his chest in assurance.

"After all, we entered together. When the time comes, I'll arrange a good job for you. You'll be eating the finest food and drinking the strongest wine!"

"But I heard Miss Ning has quite the temper, and her standards are extremely high. I wonder what kind of man she likes."

He rubbed his chin and pondered for a long time. "Probably a refined and gentle type? She's from a noble family, so she must like scholarly men. Or someone strong? Girls all like strong men. Or maybe someone especially good at sweet-talking..."

The more Zhang San thought about it, the more conflicted he became. Scratching his head, he muttered to himself, "What kind would suit her tastes?"

At that moment, a leisurely voice came from beside him.

"Probably someone like me."

Zhang San froze.

He slowly turned his head and looked Lin Ming's faintly smiling face up and down several times.

"You?"

Zhang San's expression was hard to describe. "Brother, can't you be a little realistic? Look at yourself. Your looks... are barely all right, but you're still just an ordinary person. Level sixteen soul power is decent among our batch, but compared to those geniuses, you're far behind. Most importantly, you're only a servant, while she's the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Do you really think she'd take a fancy to you?"

Lin Ming shrugged. "What if she does?"

"There is no what if!" Zhang San shook his head in distress. "Brother, you need to know your place. Leave this kind of good fortune to someone experienced like me!"

Lin Ming merely smiled without speaking.

Meanwhile, within the inner sect of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Bang—

An exquisite glazed cup smashed onto the floor, shattering into seven or eight pieces.

"I don't want to! Why won't you let me go out?!"

A little girl in a pink dress stomped her feet angrily. She looked around eleven or twelve, with snow-white skin and delicate features like a porcelain doll. Her large, watery eyes were now brimming with aggrieved tears.

She was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong.

"Rongrong, stop making trouble." Sword Douluo Chen Xin sighed helplessly from the side. "Things outside aren't peaceful. It isn't safe for you to go out alone."

"How am I alone? Doesn't Grandpa Sword come with me?" Ning Rongrong pouted. "Besides, I'm practically bored to death in the sect! Every day it's cultivation, cultivation, cultivation. There isn't even anywhere fun to go!"

"Cultivating is for your own good..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Ning Rongrong covered her ears. "I don't care. I have to go out today! I had another dream last night!"

Sword Douluo's brow twitched. "Another dream?"

"Yes!" Ning Rongrong looked utterly serious. "I dreamed that a hero riding seven-colored auspicious clouds came to take me away! He stood on the clouds, held out his hand to me, and said he would take me with him! Grandpa Sword, do you think that was a sign from heaven? My destined husband must be waiting for me outside!"

Sword Douluo rubbed his temples.

Over the years, Ning Rongrong had always had all sorts of strange dreams, and after waking up, she would clamor about finding her destined husband.

At first, he had thought it was merely a child's wild imagination. Yet the girl's claims became more and more outrageous, and every time she spoke of them, she sounded completely convinced, as if they were real.

"Rongrong, that was only a dream..."

"It wasn't a dream!" Ning Rongrong stubbornly shook her head. "I can feel it. He really exists! He's waiting for me somewhere! I have to find him!"

She grabbed Sword Douluo's sleeve and shook it vigorously. "Grandpa Sword, just let me go out! Just for a little while! I promise I won't run around. I'll stay right by your side, okay?"

Sword Douluo was shaken so hard that his head spun, and in the end, he could only surrender.

"All right, all right, I'll take you out. But you have to promise me that you won't run around."

"Yay!" Ning Rongrong jumped up happily. "Grandpa Sword is the best!"

She eagerly ran outside, and Sword Douluo hurried after her, still reminding her, "Slow down, slow down! Don't fall!"

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was divided into the inner sect and the outer sect. The inner sect was where core disciples lived, while the outer sect was where ordinary disciples and servants carried out their activities. The moment Ning Rongrong left the inner sect, disciples she encountered along the way bowed and saluted her.

"Greetings, Young Miss!"

"Greetings, Young Miss!"

Ning Rongrong was in high spirits, hopping and skipping all the way. Every now and then, she even made faces at the flowers and grass by the roadside.

After turning a corner, a group of people suddenly appeared ahead. There were roughly a hundred of them, all dressed in identical coarse cloth. They appeared to be newly recruited servants.

Ning Rongrong had not paid them any attention and was about to walk around them when the corner of her eye inadvertently caught sight of someone.

Her footsteps abruptly stopped.

He was a youth who looked twelve or thirteen, with black hair like ink hanging loosely over his shoulders.

His features were exceptionally striking—sharp brows, starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and a faint smile at the corner of his lips that gave him a slightly roguish charm.

He stood there casually, yet it was as if his entire body was glowing. Ning Rongrong's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The blurry figure from her dream became incomparably clear at that moment.

It was him!

It was definitely him!

Meanwhile, Lin Ming and Zhang San were still arguing endlessly.

"I'm telling you, the most important thing in pursuing girls is catering to what they like!" Zhang San spoke so animatedly that spittle flew everywhere. "First, you have to find out what she likes and dislikes, then prescribe the right remedy! A romantic expert like me can catch a little girl like that with ease, can't I?"

Lin Ming leaned lazily against the wall. "Oh? Then what are you planning to do?"

"First, I need to find a way to get close to her..." As Zhang San spoke, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a glimpse of a pink figure walking toward them.

He snapped his head around, his eyes widening round.

That was... Ning Rongrong?!

Heavens! Why was she out here?! And why was she walking this way?!

Zhang San's heartbeat instantly quickened, and he was so excited he nearly jumped up. Could his luck really be that good? He had just finished talking about her, and she had appeared? He quickly straightened his collar, put on what he thought was his most handsome smile, and prepared to welcome fate's favor.

Then he saw Ning Rongrong walk straight up to Lin Ming.

"Y-you... what's your name?"

Zhang San's smile froze on his face.

Lin Ming looked down at the exquisitely adorable little girl before him, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"Lin Ming."