Two Years; A Marriage?

Two years later—

In the training grounds, a bare-chested figure wielded a heavy black iron rod, swinging it with all his strength.

Though drenched in sweat, his gaze remained resolute and focused, without the slightest hint of weariness or surrender.

Judging by his appearance, he was none other than Lin Yan!

Two years had passed, and Lin Yan's appearance had changed considerably.

From six to eight was the age when children shot up in height. He was now nearly one and a half meters tall, and the muscles across his bare upper body formed clear, solid yet aesthetically pleasing lines.

A moment later, Lin Yan set down the iron rod and let out a heavy breath. Then he picked up the Soul Beast meat the old steward had brought and began eating.

The two dragon-type Soul Beasts from two years ago, the Razorclaw Thunder Dragon and Horned Thunder Dragon, had long since been devoured by Lin Yan. To replenish his strength during training, Lin Yuhuan had also purchased plenty of energy-rich Soul Beast meat.

Soul Beast meat was known as the gold among meats, a luxury that ordinary families could only admire from afar.

Yet to Lin Yuhuan, a guardian elder of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect, it was hardly worth mentioning.

The Nine Treasure Glazed Sect's wealth was famous across the continent. As a highly esteemed guardian elder, Lin Yuhuan naturally did not care about such a small expense.

She did not even need to purchase the Soul Beast meat herself. The moment she asked for it, someone would immediately deliver it to the residence.

After consuming two jin of Soul Beast meat, Lin Yan was instantly back at full strength.

A flash of black light passed before his eyes, and the pitch-black Spiked Club appeared in his hand.

After two years of training, Lin Yan could now barely use the Black Demon Mace normally. Though it still took some effort, it was no longer like before, when even lifting it with both hands had been difficult.

Moreover, after two years of grueling cultivation, his Soul Power had reached level twenty.

Level-twenty Soul Power at eight years old!

Even for a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, this was an astonishing rate of improvement.

The reason Lin Yan stood out so much was related to his exceptional spiritual power.

Because his spiritual power was far beyond that of ordinary people, he could meditate longer each day than ordinary geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power. With more time spent cultivating through meditation, his cultivation naturally advanced further.

Holding his Martial Soul, the Black Demon Mace, Lin Yan turned his gaze toward the old steward.

The old steward took a staff from the weapon rack nearby, then began sparring with Lin Yan.

Over the past two years, Lin Yan had not spent all his time simply cultivating and tempering his body.

To increase his combat experience, he made time every day to spar with the old steward.

Though the old steward looked thin and frail, with graying temples, he was in fact a genuine Soul Sage!

When they had first begun exchanging blows, Lin Yan had possessed no ability to resist at all, ending up battered and bruised every time.

But as time passed, setting Soul Power aside and speaking only of the variations in his techniques, he could now barely keep up with the old steward's attacking rhythm. This made the old steward repeatedly praise him as a combat genius.

The sound of metal clashing rang through the training grounds.

Lin Yan was completely immersed in his sparring match with the old steward, carefully sensing the changes in his techniques, memorizing their essence, and absorbing them into his own abilities.

Lin Yan did not notice at all that, while he was sparring with the old steward, two figures were watching him from the second floor of a distant pavilion.

One of them was the Black Demon Douluo, Lin Yuhuan, Lin Yan's grandmother.

The other was a handsome man around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in luxurious brocade robes.

"Aunt Lin, is this child Yue Yao's son?" the handsome man asked in a complicated tone.

"Yes." Lin Yuhuan nodded slightly. Seeing the rapid changes in his expression, she immediately sighed apologetically. "Xingzong, Yue Yao wronged you in this matter. I apologize to you on her behalf."

Ning Xingzong, the current Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect.

A Soul Sage with the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul, he was known as the world's foremost Support-Type Soul Master. The sheer terror of his amplification abilities could even double the strength of Titled Douluo-level experts, making him one of the giants of the Douluo Continent's sect world!

He was also the man Lin Yueyao had abandoned when she fled from their marriage.

Ning Xingzong swiftly concealed the complicated expression on his face and shook his head. "Aunt Lin, please do not say that. This matter is already in the past. Love between a man and a woman should be mutual. If it is forced, there will be no happiness."

Hearing this, Lin Yuhuan shook her head helplessly.

Ning Xingzong looked toward the training grounds and asked with slight surprise, "Aunt Lin, according to what you said, this child is only eight years old, right? But it seems his Soul Power has already reached level twenty."

Lin Yuhuan nodded. "Yes. This child has good talent, and he is extremely disciplined and hardworking. After two years of arduous cultivation, he broke through a few days ago. I was planning to take him to obtain a Spirit Ring in the next few days."

Ning Xingzong nodded. "Level twenty at eight years old. He truly is an outstanding child."

A thought stirred in Lin Yuhuan's eyes, and she smiled. "Xingzong, if you think highly of this child, our two families could form a marriage alliance once more. I think your Tian is quite good. She is talented, obedient, and sensible. She is two years younger than Lin Yan, and both their talents and ages are very suitable!"

Hearing Lin Yuhuan's suggestion, Ning Xingzong was somewhat tempted.

The Ning family was at the core of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect. Though the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul was hailed as the world's foremost support-type tool Martial Soul, the weakness of support-type Soul Masters was their lack of combat ability.

To make up for this shortcoming, whenever Soul Masters with the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul sought a partner, regardless of gender, they would always choose a combat-type Soul Master with formidable fighting ability.

This rule had remained unchanged for ten thousand years!

As the young sect master Ning Xingzong had chosen and the heir to the position of Sect Master, Ning Tian needed an exceptionally powerful partner to protect her and safeguard the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Sect.

Judging from the talent Lin Yan had displayed so far, he undoubtedly met this requirement very well.

Though Lin Yan's identity was somewhat awkward, compared to the sect's future, what did such awkwardness amount to?

"What do you think?"

Lin Yuhuan looked at Ning Xingzong.

Ning Xingzong considered it, then said, "If it is possible, that would naturally be for the best. But this is a major matter in life. It would be best for both sides to be willing, so as to avoid any unexpected problems."

"That is true!" Lin Yuhuan nodded.

If both parties had been willing, Lin Yueyao would not have chosen to flee from her marriage for love back then, leaving Ning Xingzong, who had been the young sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Sect at the time, deeply embarrassed and humiliated.

Having experienced such a thing himself, he naturally had certain concerns when faced with the same choice again.

As a father, he clearly did not want his daughter to experience the same predicament he had.

Ning Xingzong said, "Aunt Lin, how about this? Let us not mention an engagement for now. We can create more opportunities for these two children to interact and let them spend some time together. If they truly get along well, it will not be too late to discuss marriage then."

"That will do. We shall arrange it as you said." Lin Yuhuan nodded slightly.

Ning Xingzong smiled. "There is an opportunity right before us. Lin Yan needs to obtain his second Spirit Ring, while Tian also needs to obtain her first Spirit Ring. I will have to trouble you to take Tian along this time, so the two of them can get to know each other."

"Alright!" Lin Yuhuan agreed with a smile.