Rewards

Ning Fengzhi's expression turned serious upon hearing Yang Xiong's words. "Little Xiong, rest assured. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is your home. As long as you do not betray the sect, you may use any of its resources as you wish. Even if you need spirit rings or soul bones in the future, the sect will do everything in its power to obtain them for you."

Yang Xiong hurriedly replied, "Thank you for the sect's support. I will always be a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Yang Xiong finally witnessed the true wealth of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. At Ning Fengzhi's invitation, he had lunch with several of the sect's most influential figures.

The entire table was piled with all kinds of delicacies. Every dish possessed perfect color, aroma, and flavor, and quite a few contained Spirit Herbs and High-Level Soul Beast Meat. A single plate was probably enough to support an ordinary person for a lifetime.

However, it was Yang Xiong's first time dining with so many important figures, and he could not relax at all. Ning Rongrong was lively, while Ning Fengzhi wore a smile throughout, but Sword Douluo remained expressionless from beginning to end, and Bone Douluo appeared somewhat stern. Yang Xiong felt so awkward that he quickly left after finishing his meal.

After everyone else had left, only Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo remained. Ning Fengzhi, who had been smiling moments ago, became extremely serious as well.

"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, what do you think of Yang Xiong?"

Sword Douluo slowly said, "Fengzhi, aren't you placing too much importance on Yang Xiong? Although this boy has made great contributions to the sect, his Innate Soul Power is only rank six, and his martial soul is ultimately somewhat lacking. I fear he may not meet your expectations in the future."

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Uncle Sword, this is not a matter of a soul master's cultivation aptitude. At such a young age, Yang Xiong has already read extensively. He cannot possibly be unaware that this is the golden period for meditating and cultivating soul power. Perhaps this is his own understanding of martial souls."

"Besides, he has made contributions to the sect time and again. The Rasengan alone is worth the sect's full support, not to mention that he has grown up in the sect since childhood and is utterly loyal to it. The sect has long since become his home."

Sword Douluo's expression changed. "Even so, you should not have allowed Rongrong to teach him Heart Separation Control. Rongrong is still young and should not be interacting with others so early."

"I understand your intentions as well. You likely want Rongrong to win him over and pave the way for her to become the Sect Master in the future."

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Uncle Sword, you are overthinking things. They are still only children, and it may not necessarily be as you imagine."

"Besides, a child under twelve who could consecutively discover Whale Rubber and develop a Self-Created Soul Skill like the Rasengan may provide our sect with even more surprises in the future. Perhaps he will become the true hope for the rise of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Sword Douluo merely sighed and said nothing more.

"Uncle Bone, haven't you been keeping an eye on Yang Xiong? What do you think of him? Has he met your expectations?" Ning Fengzhi continued.

Bone Douluo snorted. "Yang Xiong has always been mysterious. Though he is young, I feel that I cannot see through him. This was such a good opportunity—you let him name his conditions, yet his request was so simple. Why didn't he ask for any cultivation treasures? Does he really think so little of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Uncle Bone, I also feel that I cannot quite see through Yang Xiong. He is far more mature than I imagined. Perhaps it is precisely because of that mature mindset that he was able to develop a Self-Created Soul Skill like the Rasengan and make such great contributions to the sect."

Bone Douluo looked somewhat displeased. "The Self-Created Soul Skill he developed is indeed impressive, but his path as a soul master has only just begun. He cannot even properly grasp his own direction of cultivation. His future prospects may be limited. I understand his cultivation methods less and less."

Ning Fengzhi said, "Uncle Bone, you are unhappy because such a promising seedling for cultivating The Way of Defense seems to be going astray, aren't you? Perhaps you should find some time to guide this child personally."

Bone Douluo: ...

Over the next few days, Ning Rongrong taught Yang Xiong the cultivation methods for the final two levels of Heart Separation Control by word of mouth. At the same time, she gave him a Soul Tool capable of storing living creatures.

Yang Xiong had actually searched throughout Seven Treasure City many times, even asking around through various channels, but Soul Tools capable of storing living creatures were extremely rare. Even the shops in Seven Treasure City that specialized in selling Soul Tools did not have them. That was why he had thought of asking Ning Fengzhi for one.

When Yang Xiong received the Soul Tool, he was overjoyed. With a Soul Tool capable of storing living creatures, everything he did would become much more convenient.

The Soul Tool was a gray pouch roughly ten centimeters in diameter, making it very convenient to carry.

Its internal space was especially impressive, reaching twenty cubic meters. It even contained a large number of Gold Soul Coin cards and all kinds of cultivation resources, including several thousand-year Spirit Grasses. Even the materials Yang Xiong would need for Body Forging and Medicinal Baths had been fully prepared. These things had clearly been carefully arranged.

Ning Rongrong still looked a little proud. "Little Xiongzi, Sister Rongrong has treated you well, hasn't she? This Soul Tool is called the Hundred Herb Pouch. It is specially used to store all kinds of Medicinal Herbs. I carefully selected it from the sect's Treasure Vault. Outside, it would be worth at least five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Yang Xiong smiled. "Classmate Rongrong, did you prepare everything inside this Hundred Herb Pouch? I saw quite a few Poisonous Herbs in there."

Ning Rongrong's expression froze, and she immediately explained, "Although I did not personally prepare those Poisonous Herbs, I arranged for people to carefully select them from within the sect. Don't mistake kindness for ill intent."

Seeing Ning Rongrong's little-girl appearance, Yang Xiong could not help shaking his head. "Then thank you, Miss Rongrong, for your support."

Only then did Ning Rongrong proudly nod her little head. "That's more like it. But next time, could you develop something that can increase my strength at my current stage? Your Rasengan is too difficult to cultivate. I still can't even burst the first water balloon."

Yang Xiong smiled. "The Rasengan is not that simple. Every step may seem easy, but it can only be mastered through long-term training, and it must be done step by step. Classmate Rongrong, you should only begin cultivating it after reaching Soul Elder at the very least—perhaps even later."

A hint of indignation appeared on Ning Rongrong's face. "Didn't you develop it when you were only a Soul Grandmaster? With my talent, I'll definitely learn it quickly."

After basically mastering the incantations and cultivation methods for Heart Separation Control, Yang Xiong spent several consecutive days purchasing supplies in Seven Treasure City. Ning Fengzhi had given him a full one million Gold Soul Coins this time, enough for him to buy a large quantity of materials.

Yang Xiong had lived in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ever since he was born. The few times he had gone to Heaven Dou City had been with his parents. Recently, he had planned to visit Heaven Dou City alone, both to have some fun and to carry out the next stage of his cultivation plan.