A Grandfather's Discontent

Outside the towering Heaven Dou City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood amid verdant mountains and misty clouds. Its halls were capped in gilded splendor, glazed tiles reflecting the light, every corner exuding the luxurious grandeur of a top-tier sect.

Outside the magnificent main hall, a streak of cold sword light suddenly swept through the sky.

An elderly man dressed in white, with white hair, rode his sword through the air. He landed lightly and silently entered the grand hall.

The newcomer was Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Though he was already of an advanced age, his features remained refined and gentle, without the slightest wrinkle of age. Only his eyes were indifferent and cold, as though he had seen through the rise and fall of the world and regarded all things beneath heaven as insignificant.

His snow-white robe was spotless, and his silver hair was meticulously combed. His back stood straight as an unparalleled sword sheathed in its scabbard. Decades spent immersed in the way of the sword had given him an aloof, chilling aura that kept strangers at a distance.

"Fengzhi, you said Rongrong was coming back?" Chen Xin asked, with a rare hint of emotion in his cold voice.

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly with a faint smile and handed over the letter in his hand.

This letter had been sent ahead to the sect by the Soul Sage guardian who had remained at Ning Rongrong's side. Everything that had happened before this had also been reported back.

"Rest assured, Uncle Sword. Rongrong is already on her way back and will reach the sect in a few days."

"That's good. What about that boy Rongrong mentioned before, the one named Chen Ling?" At the mention of this, Chen Xin could not help sounding displeased, which was rather out of place for someone with his usual temperament.

Naturally, Ning Rongrong's letter had mentioned Chen Ling's age and cultivation.

Just a few short sentences had stirred monstrous waves in the hearts of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two Titled Douluos. The shock was comparable to a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appearing within the sect out of thin air.

He was an eighteen-year-old Soul Douluo. Forget becoming a Soul Douluo at eighteen—even the two so-called geniuses of the neighboring Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, were already in their twenties and had yet to break through to Soul Ancestor. The two men had even begun wondering whether Chen Ling was pretending to be young.

However, that guess was quickly rejected. While Soul Power could preserve one's youthful appearance, it required reaching a certain level of Soul Power. A Soul Douluo was clearly not enough.

That was why this matter was so shocking. Ning Fengzhi was undoubtedly thrilled that Ning Rongrong had managed to win over such a genius.

However, just because Ning Rongrong had not mentioned it in her letter did not mean they were unaware.

The guardian's report had been extremely detailed. Though he did not know every detail of Ning Rongrong's interactions with Chen Ling, he had truthfully relayed the key point: Ning Rongrong had long since developed feelings for the young man.

Ning Fengzhi was delighted. This was a good thing.

A marriage alliance was already the most reliable way to maintain a relationship. What was more, his own daughter had fallen for him willingly, so there was no need to force anything. It was simply perfect.

However, the Sword and Bone Douluos were not very pleased.

"Uncle Sword, Rongrong has found such an extraordinarily talented young man as a partner. We should support her."

Ning Fengzhi smiled as he patiently tried to persuade Chen Xin.

At that moment, faint spatial ripples suddenly spread through the hall. A spatial rift slowly opened, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, thin and with an eerie bearing, stepped out.

"Fengzhi is not wrong, but this boy must be thoroughly examined." Gu Rong's expression darkened slightly as he snorted coldly. "How can Rongrong's future husband go around flirting with other women?"

Gu Rong snorted. He had kept the matter mentioned in the letter—that Chen Ling had taken Xiao Wu away—firmly in mind.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had naturally investigated the backgrounds of the Shrek group and knew what kind of people they were.

With Chen Ling taking Xiao Wu away, and without knowing that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, what else could his intentions possibly have been?

Gu Rong felt that if Chen Ling wanted to be with Rongrong, he naturally had to be devoted to her alone. That girl named Xiao Wu could at most be a concubine.

Ning Fengzhi merely smiled awkwardly. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's situation was rather different from what Chen Ling had imagined.

Ning Fengzhi, who usually had the most schemes, was instead the only one who simply wanted to recruit Chen Ling as quickly as possible and did not care about anything else.

That was how the Douluo Continent worked. Before absolute strength, nothing was a problem anymore. Forget marrying Ning Rongrong off—even if he had to cast aside his old pride, he would not hesitate.

The other two doting grandfathers, however, were in anything but a good mood.

Just thinking of their little princess, whom they cherished in the palms of their hands, being wholeheartedly determined to let some other family's pig root around her, made their hearts feel stifled.

No matter how Ning Fengzhi tried to persuade them, the two had made up their minds. Once Chen Ling came calling, they would definitely put him through a thorough test. They absolutely could not let Rongrong suffer even the slightest grievance.

Although what the three of them were thinking now was merely wishful speculation, Chen Ling's goal had more or less been achieved. He had been worried that the two of them would not come looking for trouble.

Meanwhile, on the road to Heaven Dou City, Chen Ling traveled leisurely with Xiao Wu, stopping and going as they pleased without the slightest rush.

Through both his previous and current lives, he had always hurried along for cultivation and strength. With no time to spare for anything else, the only goal in his eyes had been becoming stronger. He had never truly taken a good look at this world.

Now that he had everything, Chen Ling was no longer in a hurry. He began to slow down and properly appreciate the world he had lived in for more than a decade.

In truth, he was simply wandering around like a tourist. With Xiao Wu accompanying him, the experience was even better. It was just that, much like in his previous life, they often stayed in the inn for an entire day, leaving them with less time to actually explore outside.

The Douluo Continent was much like the ancient world of his previous life. Entertainment was pitifully scarce. After they finished sightseeing, they would basically study the various ways to use the sword sheath.

During this period, Xiao Wu continuously gained new insights, and her movements became increasingly skilled. She simply lacked endurance and often fainted outright.

After wandering along at an unhurried pace for several days, the two finally entered the territory of the prosperous Heaven Dou City.

At that moment, two other groups happened to meet at Heaven Dou City's gates.

The group opposite them consisted of young men and women around nineteen years old. They wore exquisite uniforms in white and gold tones, luxurious in design but not ostentatious, with clean and upright demeanors.

The young teacher leading them looked at the travel-worn group before him, his eyes filled with incredulous excitement as he tentatively asked, "Are you... Headmaster Flender?"

This group was none other than the Shrek members, who had traveled a thousand miles and hurried day and night to get here.

Despite rushing as hard as they could, there were quite a few of them, and one useless burden was already fifty years old yet had not even broken through level thirty, slowing everyone down. Even so, the Shrek group had finally arrived at Heaven Dou City.

Flender narrowed his eyes, adjusted the glasses on his nose, and carefully studied the young man before him for a long while. His tone held a trace of uncertainty. "You're Qin Ming?! You've changed far too much!"

The joy of reuniting with an old acquaintance instantly washed away the exhaustion of the journey.

Qin Ming immediately set aside what he had been preparing to do and stepped forward to chat warmly with Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others. The bond between teacher and student was plain to see.

The remaining students on both sides could only stare at one another.