An Astonishing Leap Forward, Growing Closer

At lunch, Ning Rongrong found Ning Fengzhi. She threw herself into her father's arms, tugged at his sleeve, and pleaded:

"Dad, can I stop following Mo An around? All he does is sit there reading. It's so boring."

At six years old, Ning Rongrong wanted to play whenever she could. She couldn't imagine anyone her age sitting in a library for so long.

"All right, all right. You can find someone to play with this afternoon."

"But remember, you must spend time with Mo An at least once a week. He's the Soul Master who'll protect you and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect one day, just like Dad and your Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone. Don't forget."

Ning Fengzhi knew his daughter's temperament. Getting her to sit there all morning had already been remarkable. Forcing her to stay in the library would probably backfire.

So he let her play that afternoon.

"You're the best, Dad! I'm going to ask Grandpa Bone to take me out."

Delighted by her father's permission, Ning Rongrong ran off, planning to explore Heaven Dou City that afternoon. She had heard his reminder too; she simply hadn't answered it.

Watching her skip away, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo couldn't help smiling.

Life at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was peaceful and orderly for Mo An. Each day, he read, cultivated, consumed Whale Rubber, and chatted with Ning Fengzhi and the others as they got to know one another.

The benefits of joining the sect gradually became clear. Thanks to its staggering wealth, the medicinal baths he wanted were brewed from the finest herbs, while every portion of Whale Rubber he consumed came from a thousand-year-old beast or older, with no limit on how much he could have.

Together, they made his physical strength grow at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Four months after arriving at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, his raw physical strength matched that of a level-twenty-three Power Attack System Soul Master, and he could trade blows with one. With Soul Power, he could fight a level-sixteen Power Attack System Soul Master to a draw.

As for Soul Power, about a month after his arrival, he had stopped sensing any progress at all. No matter how he cultivated, he felt no improvement.

After that, he devoted more time to strengthening his body.

Seeing Mo An achieve such terrifying physical strength at only seven years old made Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo draw in sharp breaths. More than once, they privately praised him as a future Titled Douluo.

Sword Douluo even told Ning Fengzhi outright, "His future achievements will certainly be no less than mine. He may even reach the heights of Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen."

Bone Douluo did not say so outright, but he took that possibility into account.

"Heeey, Little An, how did you ever discover that Whale Rubber could strengthen the body? That stuff tastes awful."

In Mo An's private room in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's library, Ning Rongrong lay in a comfortable rocking chair she had brought in specially and complained to him.

With Whale Rubber offering such a heaven-defying boost to physical strength, Ning Fengzhi naturally would not let Ning Rongrong miss the opportunity. But it tasted far from delicious, and after eating it, she had to endure its aphrodisiac effects.

Since Ning Rongrong lacked a strong will, she had to hold a small piece of processed Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow whenever she ate Whale Rubber, relying on the chill it gave off to keep her clearheaded.

That was why Ning Rongrong hated Whale Rubber so much. She had ranked it first among the things she despised most.

What surprised Mo An was that, despite hating Whale Rubber and complaining about its taste to him many times, Ning Rongrong had never made excuses to avoid eating it.

"I found out from an ancient text. I barely had any cultivation resources back then, so I took a chance and tried it. Turned out it really worked."

Mo An answered without looking up from the book he was reading.

After spending so much time together, he and Ning Rongrong had grown close and were relaxed around each other. Like Ning Fengzhi and the others, she called him Little An; he, in turn, called her Rongrong.

"You should've torn that ancient text up. Then I wouldn't have to eat that horrible Whale Rubber."

"If I could do it again, I'd come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sooner. Then I wouldn't have had to go to so much trouble collecting Whale Rubber myself."

"No! Then I'd have had to start eating it sooner." After grumbling under her breath, Ning Rongrong changed the subject. "Anyway, when are you going to get your First Soul Ring? They've already found the Wishful Vine. Dad said I should wait for you so we can get our Soul Rings together."

This was the fourth time Ning Rongrong had asked him. She had wanted to become a full-fledged Soul Master for ages, but unfortunately, she had to wait for Mo An.

"As soon as that Ten-Thousand-Year Evil Spirit Orca Whale Rubber arrives, we'll go get our First Soul Rings."

A few days earlier, Ning Fengzhi had brought good news: a team of Soul Masters near Vast Sea City had hunted a Ten-Thousand-Year Evil Spirit Orca. As one of the ocean's three most powerful Soul Beasts, an Evil Spirit Orca produced truly valuable Whale Rubber.

As soon as Ning Fengzhi heard, he sent Ning Haitian to buy it.

Mo An's physical strength had already reached its limit. On hearing the news, he decided to consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber and push past that limit. Then he would tell Ning Fengzhi about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Once he had consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he would immediately go obtain his thousand-year First Soul Ring.

If everything went smoothly, Tang San, a fellow transmigrator, would not even be fit to carry his shoes. Paying Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect a "visit" in the future would be as easy as turning his hand.

Ning Fengzhi and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had treated him well, and Ning Rongrong would be an important ally in the future. Helping her Martial Soul evolve was a bargain no matter how he calculated it.

Right now, Ning Rongrong believed she could only reach level seventy-nine at best, so cultivation was the last thing on her mind.

Once her Martial Soul evolved from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, giving her the potential to become a Titled Douluo, Ning Fengzhi would make sure she took cultivation seriously even if she didn't want to. Not even Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo would be able to help her then.

"Yes! I can finally become a proper Soul Master!"

At the thought of soon obtaining a Soul Ring, becoming a full-fledged Soul Master, and gaining a Soul Skill, Ning Rongrong beamed.

Seeing her smile and thinking of the "pressure" she might face in the future, Mo An smiled just as brightly.

For a while, cheerful laughter filled the reading room set aside for Mo An.