The Nine-Story Pagoda in a Battered Wooden Box

Inside the Black Bear Cave in the desolate mountains, the stench of moldy bat guano was so strong that it made it hard to open one's eyes.

With a muffled thud, Tang San was thrown headfirst onto the hard, rocky ground. He rolled twice in the mud, his face covered in scabs of blood, his bones almost crumbling, but he didn't dare utter a sound. He scrambled to his feet and knelt down with his head bowed.

Tang Hao ripped off his tattered cloak, revealing a livid face covered in stubble, and he was panting heavily.

"Raise your head!"

Tang Hao roared, his thick finger pointing at Tang San's nose, trembling with rage. "I passed on the world's number one Clear Sky Hammer to you so you could smash the Spirit Hall's plaque in a righteous manner! And what you did, instead of carrying me around, went and tinkered with those shady Poison Sting and drugs!"

"You used Hidden Weapons in the Arena, and they injured two juniors! Today, you've humiliated our Clear Sky Sect by leaving your face on the streets of Spirit City, where people will rub it clean with shoe soles!"

This scolding was even more hurtful than Bibi Dong's murderous aura earlier.

Tang San knelt on the cold, damp earth, listening to his father's righteous and awe-inspiring reprimand, but there was not a trace of shame in the depths of his eyes.

There was only a pool of black water that wouldn't dissolve.

Upright and honorable?

Tang San sneered inwardly, his teeth clenched tightly. Could he really win against that madman who didn't even respect the rules, fair and square? If you were truly so capable, how come my mother was forced to her death by the Spirit Hall? And how come you spent your entire life like a stray dog, hiding in Holy Soul Village, forging scrap metal?

Rules, the right path, and face.

These empty words were nothing but a fart in the face of Ling Yun's overwhelming Divine Sense and water blades!

"Dad."

Tang San didn't speak in defense, but slowly raised his head. His once clear eyes were now bloodshot, revealing a ferocious light like a hungry wolf devouring human flesh.

I can't beat him.

Tang San's voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded on sandpaper, and every word exuded a deathly aura. "He obtained the Head Soul Bone, and his spiritual power is a whole realm higher than mine. Without Hidden Weapons, I can't even withstand a single move from him. If you think I've disgraced the Clear Sky Sect, just smash me to death with a hammer right now."

"If you won't kill me... then teach me. Teach me how to twist that kid's head off, teach me how to kill!"

Tang Hao was stunned.

Looking into his own son's eyes, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. That was not the look of a teenager; it was the look of a wild beast cornered in a dead end, driven only by its cannibalistic instincts.

Tang Hao slowly lowered his large hands, let out a long sigh, and looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Good."

Tang Hao turned around, looking at the dark, dense forest outside the cave entrance, his voice as deep as iron:

"You want to learn how to kill? I'll take you to a hellish place where all you do is kill and there are no rules. Whether you live or die is up to fate."

Heaven Dou City, a dilapidated old alley inside Xizhimen.

Old Huang's mutton restaurant was completely booked out today.

The restaurant was small, with several greasy square tables pushed together. In the center stood three large purple copper pots, with silver charcoal burning red-hot underneath. The milky white broth in the pots was boiling, with mutton rolls inside, mingling with the strong aroma of chive blossoms and sesame paste, which wafted out of the alley through the cracks in the broken door.

"Fatty! You fucking shovel less! I just put that plate of cucumber strips in!"

Dai Mubai up, used long chopsticks to desperately snatch meat from Ma Hongjun in the boiling water.

Ma Hongjun's cheeks were stuffed full, and he was so hot he was hissing and couldn't even speak, just shoveling food into his bowl with a slotted spoon. Tai Long picked up a plate of raw mutton slices, put the plate and all into the pot, and shouted, "Boss! Cut ten more plates! Pick the fatty parts!"

These troublemakers, who had just returned unscathed from the Spirit City, were now completely unleashed.

Outside on the main road, the Carriages of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family ran back and forth several times, and the commander of the Imperial Guards was sweating profusely, asking around anxiously. Xue Qinghe had set up a full 180 tables of Manchu Han Imperial Feast in the main hall of the palace, and all the civil and military officials were standing and waiting for this "newly promoted Earl" who had obtained three Soul Bones to attend the banquet.

But who would have thought that these old men didn't even go back to the post station to change into their official robes? As soon as they entered through the city gate, they headed straight for this hole-in-the-wall restaurant to eat hot pot.

Ling Yun sat in the main seat in the center.

He hadn't even changed out of his faded blue shorts; one leg was propped on a bench, and he was slowly sipping sorghum liquor from a rough porcelain bowl.

Xiao Wu sat next to him, holding a small strainer, carefully picking out the tender mutton from the pot and putting it into Ling Yun's condiment bowl, all the while watching Ma Hongjun and the others scramble for the food with a smile.

The curtain was lifted, and a gust of cold wind rushed in.

The people inside who were grabbing for meat immediately stopped eating.

The two men who entered were an old man and a young man, both of respectable appearances. Ning Fengzhi was dressed in a dark blue casual robe and had no attendants. Beside him was Chen Xin, who was dressed in a coarse cloth jacket. These two important figures, whose every Stomping Tantrum the entire continent, looked completely out of place standing in this fly restaurant filled with the smell of mutton.

"Brother Yun, Sect Master Ning is here." Dai Mubai quickly wiped the sesame paste off his mouth and stood up straight.

Looking at the steamy scene in the room, Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a wry smile and walked up to Ling Yun: "Captain Ling, the imperial food at the palace is almost cold. His Highness Xue Qinghe sent people to look for you three times. Why did you hide in this back alley?"

"The food in the palace is too elaborate and hard to digest."

Ling Yun gestured with his chin toward an empty bench in front of him, tapping his porcelain bowl with his chopsticks. "Old Ning, stop putting on that arrogant sect leader act. Sit down and ask the owner for two more pairs of chopsticks. The lamb hind leg here is thinly sliced; it only needs a couple of quick dips in the broth. It's much better than that stale, rotten meat from the palace."

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin exchanged a glance, neither of them declining.

These two seasoned veterans had figured it out: when dealing with someone like Ling Yun who didn't play by the rules, the more aloof you were, the less he'd take you seriously. So, they simply lifted their robes and sat down on the bench.

Ning Rongrong quickly stood up and poured a bowl of hot tea for her father and Sword Grandfather.

Ling Yun picked up a piece of cooked mutton, put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, swallowed it, and then put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He reached into his pocket.

The eyes of those around who knew him well lit up. Of the three Soul Bones they had snatched back from the steps of the Papal Hall, the two belonging to Fatty and Zhu Zhuqing had already been divided up, leaving only the Spirit Skull in Ling Yun's pocket. Ning Fengzhi's breathing tightened even more.

To everyone's surprise.

What Ling Yun pulled out was not the white jade box containing the Soul Bone.

He pulled out a crumpled, tattered wooden box that smelled slightly earthy, as if he had just rummaged through it from under some woodpile.

"Clatter."

Ling Yun tossed the wooden box into the middle of the oil-splattered table, as if it were a worthless White Radish.

"Rongrong."

Ling Yun leaned back in his chair, picked a sliver of meat from between his teeth, and glanced at Ning Rongrong with droopy eyelids. "Open it, eat what's inside."

Ning Rongrong was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out and pulled the broken wooden box over.

The lid was lifted.

A strong, exotic floral fragrance, enough to intoxicate half the street, suddenly burst out of the box! Even the strong smells of chive blossoms and mutton were instantly overwhelmed by this aroma.

It was a strange flower that radiated dazzling golden light. Its roots looked like they were carved from old jade. The petals were divided into several layers, with a cluster of bright golden stamens inside. The precious light flowed around it, and it didn't look like something that grew in the mortal world.

"This... this is?" Ning Fengzhi suddenly jumped up from the bench, his knee hitting the table leg without even feeling the pain, his eyes fixed on the golden flower.

Chen Xin unleashed a burst of Sword Qi, slicing through all the soot and smoke within a half-zhang radius around him, his eyes filled with horror.

"Aromatic Silk Beauty."

Ling Yun picked up his wine bowl and smashed it, speaking casually as if he were reciting a menu:

"I picked it casually from the Old Poison's vegetable garden. This flower is delicate, growing by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. It's perfect for your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's leaky, dilapidated tower."

He pointed at Ning Rongrong: "Don't just stand there, chew the petals and swallow them, and suck out the sweet juice from the pistil."

Ning Rongrong didn't even dare to look at her father. Since Ling Yun had spoken, she didn't hesitate at all. She stretched out two fair fingers, picked up the big, golden flower, and put it all into her mouth in a few bites, just as Ling Yun had instructed.

The petal had just been swallowed.

Ning Rongrong's face instantly turned bright red, as if she had drunk strong liquor.

"Buzz--!"

Without being summoned, her Martial Soul spontaneously emerged.

The crystal-clear Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spun around in mid-air, its dazzling nine-colored light illuminating the entire hole-in-the-wall restaurant as bright as day!

"Rongrong, sit cross-legged and close your eyes to neutralize the medicine's effects!" Ning Fengzhi's voice was hoarse with anxiety.

Ning Rongrong quickly sat cross-legged on the greasy floor tiles, her hands forming a mudra.

Right before everyone's eyes, the base of the seven-story pagoda suddenly emitted a crisp sound like jade cracking. Immediately afterward, a ring of new light spread upward from the base, forcefully lifting up another ethereal pagoda image atop the seventh-floor spire!

The eighth floor!

Before Ning Fengzhi could even relax, the potent medicinal power emanating from the Aromatic Silk Beauty surged up again.

A burst of golden light!

The Nine-Story Pagoda, firmly and solidly, Sturdy in the air!

Nine-Story Pagoda, shimmering with nine colors!

"Nine... Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda..."

Ning Fengzhi's lips trembled, his legs went weak, and he couldn't even sit properly on the bench, falling to the ground with a thud. This sect leader, who usually wouldn't flinch even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, now had two streams of hot tears flowing down his cheeks, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

A death curse that's been around for hundreds of years!

The insurmountable hurdle that generations of sect leaders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had struggled to overcome was now being casually broken by a fourteen-year-old boy in this run-down restaurant filled with the smell of mutton, with just a wildflower he casually pulled from his pocket!

Chen Xin, sword in hand, eyes red-rimmed, stood silently behind Ning Fengzhi, but her straight spine bowed Sturdy towards Ling Yun.

This kindness is truly immense.

Let alone a single Soul Bone, even if you offered the entire treasury of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in exchange, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't even bat an eye.

"Alright, alright."

Ling Yun was somewhat blinded by the nine-colored light and shielded his eyes with the back of his hand.

He picked up a piece of freshly cooked mutton, popped it into his mouth, and chewed with relish. He then tapped his chopsticks on the rim of the porcelain bowl, making a loud banging sound, and rolled his eyes at Ning Fengzhi, who was sprawled on the ground.

"Old Ning, stop sitting on the floor wiping cat pee."

Ling Yun pointed to the steaming bronze cauldron outside and laughed, scolding:

"Let's settle the bill for today's Lamb Soup. Once you pay for the meal, our business is considered even."