"Chen Ling, if you're willing, why not take a post as a guest elder at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? You wouldn't need to formally join or be bound by sect rules. You could come and go as you pleased, and you'd still receive your full stipend."
Ning Fengzhi had been chatting with Chen Ling. Once he felt he had laid enough groundwork, he extended the invitation.
Chen Ling was a genuine Titled Douluo. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the offer was hardly a weighty bargaining chip. At most, it was icing on the cake.
Ning Fengzhi had mentioned it almost in passing. As long as Chen Ling had a connection to Ning Rongrong, he needn't worry about him running off.
"All right."
Chen Ling lifted his teacup and took a small sip, his gaze drifting to Ning Rongrong, who was clinging tightly to his side.
The pink-haired girl blinked her clear eyes and rubbed her head affectionately against his arm. Her soft hair brushed his sleeve, carrying a hint of barely concealed temptation.
Guest elder sounded impressive, but put bluntly, it meant getting paid for doing nothing. Chen Ling had no intention of joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Still, Ning Fengzhi had been so cordial that he didn't mind becoming a son-in-law with limited obligations.
Their conversation had made Ning Fengzhi's attitude abundantly clear. Every word seemed to say: Whatever my son-in-law wants, he only has to ask. No need to be shy.
He was so enthusiastic, he looked ready to wrap up both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Ning Rongrong and hand them over.
The reason was simple: Chen Ling was far too young.
At first, Ning Fengzhi had privately wondered whether Chen Ling was an old monster who had lived in seclusion for years and deliberately disguised himself as a youth.
But a powerful person's vitality could not be concealed. The vibrant life force brimming from Chen Ling, together with his face still touched by youthful innocence, settled it beyond doubt: he was astonishingly young.
And yet, at such a young age, he was already a Titled Douluo.
Talent like that overturned everything Ning Fengzhi thought he knew.
More importantly, after several exchanges, Ning Fengzhi had gained an initial understanding of Chen Ling's character.
He possessed heaven-shaking strength and heaven-defying talent, yet showed none of a top genius's arrogance. He treated others with such gentle warmth that he felt remarkably approachable.
"Excellent." Ning Fengzhi smiled and handed him an exquisite token carved with the pattern of a seven-story pagoda. "This is an Elder Token. With it, you can seek help at any Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect outpost."
It was not, however, an Elder Token. It was a secondary token of the sect master's own.
"Thank you, Uncle Ning." Chen Ling accepted it with the same modest smile on his face.
Watching from the side, Xue Qinghe was almost ready to cry.
How could she be any less pleased than Ning Fengzhi? Her cultivation was too low for Qian Renxue to gauge Chen Ling's strength, but there was no mistaking his age.
In fact, when she worked it out, she was quite a bit older than the young man before her.
Disguised as Xue Qinghe, Qian Renxue brooded in secret. Suddenly, she felt that perhaps, maybe, quite possibly, she really was a good-for-nothing.
She had started with Innate Soul Power at rank twenty. Now she was twenty-two and had only recently broken through to rank fifty-nine. Calling that pace slow would be an understatement.
Compared with the young man before her, whose face looked even younger than her true appearance, she wanted to sink into the ground.
Fine. Maybe she really was a good-for-nothing.
Xue Qinghe hid every trace of emotion and sat in silence.
Ning Fengzhi took her forlorn expression to mean she had given up on winning Chen Ling over.
He could not read her intentions, either. According to the rumors, Heaven Dou's fourth prince had tried to humiliate a Title Douluo with money and ended up crippled.
Could Qinghe have come today to apologize on Xue Beng's behalf?
As for recruiting Chen Ling, Ning Fengzhi thought she had no chance at all.
The Heaven Dou Crown Prince lacked the bargaining chips to recruit a Titled Douluo who stood above worldly concerns.
Besides, Chen Ling's indifference throughout the visit made it plain that he had no interest in attaching himself to the empire.
Ning Fengzhi had even put effort into the beauty trap. He had offered up his own daughter.
Sword Douluo stood to one side, his eyes flickering, but in the end he said nothing.
He had watched Ning Rongrong grow up. When he first learned that the girl had fallen for Chen Ling, he could hardly help feeling reluctant, as though someone had come to dig up the cabbage he had raised.
But from what he had seen now, his impression of Chen Ling was quite good. The sharp aura unique to a master of the sword also stirred his fighting spirit.
No clash of auras or locked gazes was needed. Instinct alone was enough for Chen Xin to be certain.
The man before him was a genuine master of the sword. His strength was unfathomable, and in all likelihood no less than Chen Xin's own.
When Ning Fengzhi finished speaking with Chen Ling, Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up.
Was it finally her turn?
Things had gone a little differently from what she had imagined, but that was no great problem.
If Chen Ling could hold a nominal post at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she might succeed as well.
Ning Fengzhi could offer Ning Rongrong; she could offer Xue Ke. If that failed, she could even offer herself.
She did not know why, but perhaps it was because the two of them had spent so long chattering about Ning Rongrong and Chen Ling. The thought had sprung into her mind unbidden and lingered there, refusing to fade.
A moment later, she hurriedly pushed it away.
Granted, the idea was a little tempting. But she, Qian Renxue, would never share a husband with other women.
"Your Excellency..."
She had just composed herself and was about to speak when Sword Douluo Chen Xin beat her to it.
The words stuck in Xue Qinghe's throat. She could only close her mouth in frustration.
She looked for all the world like someone made to swallow every grievance. No one noticed her.
"The aura surrounding you—is that Sword Intent?"
Chen Xin's gaze was as sharp as a blade and went straight to the heart of the matter, but his tone was unusually gentle, without a hint of pressure.
A genius and an established powerhouse were different. Backing a genius who had yet to mature was an investment. Chen Ling was already a Titled Douluo; winning him over required a different approach. Chen Xin could hardly put on airs.
Besides, Chen Ling's strength seemed no less than his own. The gap in Soul Power remained unclear; even a direct probe could not reveal much between Titled Douluo. Chen Xin could only tell from Chen Ling's Martial Soul that its quality was exceptionally high.
As his words fell, Chen Xin's gaze shifted to Xiao Wu.
The girl held a longsword tightly in her arms. It appeared to be Chen Ling's Martial Soul.
Chen Xin could not help feeling puzzled, but he did not press the matter.
It was hardly unusual for a top-tier powerhouse to have a few peculiar habits.
Noticing Chen Xin's strange look, Chen Ling coughed twice in embarrassment. Could he say Xiao Wu had asked for this?
The girl had become far too eager about it. Sometimes, if the sword was not in its sheath, she could not even fall asleep. What was he supposed to do with her?