Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Li Bai!

Some were delighted; others were miserable.

Qian Daoliu was grinning from ear to ear. Bibi Dong, in Pope Hall, was in a far less pleasant mood.

"You mean a genius with Innate Full Soul Power and another with innate level-eight Soul Power... were snatched away by the Second Worship?" Bibi Dong sat high on the throne in Pope Hall, wearing a black robe embroidered with gold, the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown on her head. In her hand was a jewel-studded scepter nearly two meters long.

"Yes, Your Holiness. I wanted to stop him, but..." The Red Cardinal tried to explain in a dry voice, only to be cut off by a sound from Bibi Dong.

"I understand. You may leave."

The Red Cardinal breathed a quiet sigh of relief, bowed respectfully, and left Pope Hall with care.

Alone in Pope Hall, Bibi Dong's expression gradually shifted from calm to icy cold.

"The Qian Family... Since you've chosen to be their dog, you'd better be ready."

Bibi Dong murmured softly. If those two boys dared enter Spirit Hall Academy, Nana and the others had hundreds of ways to deal with them.

Bai Ranmo had no plans to enter Spirit Hall Academy just yet. He still needed to absorb his First Soul Ring.

Of course, he had no need to go out and hunt for it himself. After roughly assessing Bai Ranmo's physical capabilities, Qian Daoliu sent people to Soul Hunting Forest to capture a Soul Beast with an Attraction Soul Skill. Ideally, it would be around five hundred years old—the upper limit Qian Daoliu judged Bai Ranmo could absorb.

Meanwhile, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—

Sword Douluo Chen Xin strode into the council hall, his back as straight as a sword.

Behind him trailed a six-year-old boy in fitted white clothes, his short brown hair slightly tousled. A blade of grass hung from his mouth, and he carried himself with lazy ease.

"What took you so long, you old swordsman?" A tall man in black armor spoke from inside the hall, displeasure in his voice. His head was completely bald.

He was Bone Douluo Gu Rong, one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian Douluo.

"Hmph. Old Bone, it's not as though I meant to be late. My disciple gives me no end of trouble. I taught him the Seven Kill Sword Technique an entire time before he learned it, and it took him a full three tries to master it. Honestly..."

Sword Douluo turned to the disciple behind him, putting on a stern teacher's voice. "Taibai, you may have Innate Full Soul Power, swordsmanship talent beyond mine, and an unexpected External Soul Bone from absorbing your First Soul Ring, but you mustn't grow arrogant!"

Li Bai's mouth twitched. Still, he cupped his hands and took the lesson in stride. "This disciple understands."

Those four words alone nearly pushed Bone Douluo over the edge.

[Gu Rong experienced an intense emotional fluctuation. Emotion Points +200]

Ah, people really did get short-tempered with age. A couple of words were all it took.

Bone Douluo truly was close to losing it. He had spent half his life competing with that old swordsman. Each had won his share, and trading barbs had always been routine.

But then the old bastard took in a gifted disciple. Every day, he would "accidentally" wander near Gu Rong's courtyard, then "accidentally" announce at the top of his lungs how hopeless his disciple was. The boy spent all day inventing some sword technique instead of learning properly from him.

Since Martial Souls could be awakened at age six, every sect and faction had its own awakening date. Li Bai's awakening had come earlier than Bai Ranmo's.

At the awakening ceremony, Li Bai awakened a Martial Soul called the Green Lotus Sword. He also had Innate Full Soul Power. After testing Li Bai's character, Chen Xin accepted him as a disciple.

When he absorbed his First Soul Ring, the boy unexpectedly gained an External Soul Bone in his palm. His talent for swordsmanship was extraordinary: not only had he mastered the Seven Kill Sword Technique, he had even begun creating something called the Green Lotus Sword Technique.

The thought made Bone Douluo grind his teeth. He shot an angry glare at the boy of about ten standing behind him.

You're a Titled Douluo's disciple too. Why can't you measure up to Li Bai?

Long Wushuang's face fell. Master, you weren't like this when you first took me in!

"Heh, Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, must you two always act like children?" The middle-aged man in the hall's seat of honor gave a soft laugh. He had a refined face, wore a spotless white robe, and looked about forty. "What we need to discuss is Rongrong, Taibai, and Wushuang's future, along with His Holiness Lightning's visit to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect next month."

He was Ning Fengzhi, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master.

The adorable little girl seated beside Ning Fengzhi giggled, hopped off her chair, and threw herself toward Sword Douluo.

"Grandpa Jian!"

"My dear Rongrong!" Sword Douluo laughed and swept Ning Rongrong into his arms. He might not know how to raise children, but that did not stop him from being a good grandfather.

"Brother Taibai!" Ning Rongrong flashed Li Bai a sweet smile and waved. "Brother Taibai, will you make up another line of poetry for me?"

That piqued Li Bai's interest. He smiled softly. "Your eyes outshine the moon; one smile brings spring to the whole city."

Ning Rongrong grew a little shy at the praise. "Wow, that's beautiful! Brother Taibai, you always know how to make me happy. I'm not that pretty!"

"Says who? Your brother Taibai is only telling the truth. Our Rongrong is the loveliest!" Sword Douluo laughed and set Ning Rongrong down.

Ning Fengzhi and the Sword and Bone Douluo watched how close Ning Rongrong and Li Bai were, each with a different expression.

Ning Fengzhi looked helpless at the sight of his daughter willingly inviting a wolf to her door.

Sword Douluo looked hopeful. What a fine match it would be if Rongrong married his disciple!

Bone Douluo was another matter. He seemed almost to radiate gloom. He liked Li Bai well enough, but every time he saw Sword Douluo, he remembered how Sword Douluo's disciple consistently outshone his own. It was easy to imagine his mood.

Now everything about Li Bai rubbed him the wrong way.

How is that boy good enough for Rongrong? Bone Douluo grumbled inwardly.

After playing with Ning Rongrong for a while, Li Bai stood quietly behind his elder and listened as they discussed what came next for the three youngsters.

"Qinghe spoke to me earlier about enrolling Rongrong and the others at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. What do you think, Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu?" Ning Fengzhi looked toward the sect's two guardian Douluo.

"There's no need for them to stay at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Fengzhi, you needn't go so far to oblige His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is more than capable of teaching all three of them." Sword Douluo's answer was clear.

Bone Douluo shook his head emphatically.

Long Wushuang was already less talented than Li Bai. If Bone Douluo did not teach him personally, the gap would only keep growing.