Nothing special

Xu Xiaonian came out of the Papal Palace in excellent spirits. After all, he had dealt with Bibi Dong, the most volatile danger of all, so he should be quite safe in Spirit Hall now.

"Oh, everyone's still here!"

The moment Xu Xiaonian stepped outside and saw so many people still waiting, he was surprised.

In his excellent mood, he even went over to greet them:

"You're His Highness Xue Qinghe, right? What a fine-looking man! If you hadn't told me, I'd have thought you were a woman. You're really pretty!"

"And this old grandpa is..."

The Star Luo Prince's face turned livid.

"If there's something wrong with your eyes, get them treated! Who are you calling grandpa? I'm only forty-eight!"

"Oh, oh, sorry, old man." Xu Xiaonian looked apologetic.

"You might be short and look very old, but you're pretty fat!"

"From a distance, you look like a ball. Anyone can tell you're not to be messed with! Nobody would dare bully you, so rest easy, old man."

Veins bulged on the Star Luo Prince's forehead, and his face went as black as the bottom of a pot.

"You've gone too far!"

"The Star Luo Empire will remember Spirit Hall's hospitality!"

"First the Clear Sky Sect, and now this. The Star Luo Empire will make you pay for your arrogance!"

"Hehe!" Chrysanthemum Guan giggled. "You're welcome to try."

"Hmph!" The Star Luo Prince flicked his sleeves and left with Dai Weisi. "Then we'll see!"

Xu Xiaonian watched them leave, unconcerned about their retaliation.

Spirit City was Spirit Hall's home base. He did not have to worry about being attacked there.

Besides, he had no plans to leave Spirit City anytime soon. Once he did leave, he would head to Sunset Forest and enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

By his estimate, six or seven years of secluded cultivation should be enough.

"You're Xu Xiaonian? I finally got to meet you!"

Ning Rongrong skipped over and linked her arm through his, saying affectionately, "I really like you. Will you be my friend?"

Xu Xiaonian raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but why should I be your friend? You like me, but I don't like you."

"Because you'll become a mighty hero even stronger than Grandpa Sword!" Nearly six years old, Ning Rongrong gazed at him with wide blue eyes, innocent and carefree.

"If you can protect me, I can marry you! Daddy even said he could give me the sect as my dowry!"

Ning Fengzhi and Jian Chenxin looked embarrassed at her words.

With his mature mind, Xu Xiaonian could not help laughing at her. He joked:

"That sounds pretty good. All right, I agree."

"Really?" Ning Rongrong's big eyes lit up. "Then come home with me! I can support you!"

"No, I have a home." Xu Xiaonian casually dangled an empty promise before her to send her on her way.

"How about this? Wait ten years for me. In ten years at most, I'll come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and marry you, then take you home. All right?"

"Okay, it's a promise! Pinky swear!"

"Fine, fine. Pinky swear."

Ning Rongrong looked at their linked little fingers, overjoyed.

As they parted, Ning Rongrong shouted to Xu Xiaonian:

"Don't forget! I'll keep waiting for you!"

By the time he returned home, Xu Xiaonian had completely forgotten about Ning Rongrong. He then explained what had happened to the anxious Xu Xiaotang.

"What did you say?" Xu Xiaotang's lovely eyes widened. "You're saying His Holiness the Pope's soul has been tainted by your Retainer Mark?"

"Shh!" Xu Xiaonian motioned for silence and said irritably, "Why are you being so loud? Do you think I'm not dying fast enough?"

"That's a good thing!" Xu Xiaotang looked excited.

"Now you don't have to worry about the Pope hurting you, and years from now, you'll even have one of the continent's strongest people as your retainer! It couldn't get any better!"

"When you face a powerful enemy, all you'll have to say is, 'Come forth, Bibi Dong!'"

"Your opponent will be completely dumbstruck! Hahaha!"

"Just thinking about it gets me excited... Hey! Why aren't you excited at all?"

Xu Xiaonian rolled his eyes at her, speechless. "Years from now? Years from now, Bibi Dong might not even be a match for me. Why should I be happy?"

This was no idle boast. From what he had experienced over the past few days, his cultivation speed was simply terrifying.

Barely ten days had passed since he absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and reached rank sixteen soul power, yet his soul power was already approaching the threshold of rank seventeen.

Although soul power increased more slowly at higher ranks, with such a terrifying cultivation speed as his foundation, he was confident he could reach the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent's mortal realm within ten years.

By then, if Bibi Dong could become a god ahead of time, she would still be of some use to him.

Otherwise, she would be no more than a chicken rib—hardly worth keeping, yet a pity to discard.

"Xu Xiaonian, feeling pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

"Have you even started daring to bully your big sister?!"

Xu Xiaotang was deeply annoyed by his smug look. She planted both hands on her slender waist, pursed her lips, and looked down at him with disdain.

Now that he had grown powerful, Xu Xiaonian could stand tall too. He immediately raised an eyebrow and said scornfully:

"So what if I bully you? Can you beat me?"

"You!" Xu Xiaotang was furious and began playing dirty. "I'm telling Mom and Dad! I'll tell them you're bullying me!"

"Hey!" Xu Xiaonian was stunned by her shamelessness. "How old are you? Why are you still tattling to Mom and Dad?"

"Bleh, bleh, bleh! Don't care, don't care!"

In the end, Xu Xiaotang was only an innocent teenage girl. Even if her family circumstances had made her mature a little early, she still retained a young girl's carefree innocence.

Time quietly slipped away amid the siblings' laughter and playful squabbling.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Xu Xiaonian returned home with the graded papers from his first monthly exams and handed them to his mother.

No matter how impressive and powerful he was outside, at home, Heavenly Emperor Qian Peijiu could still suppress him with a single hand.

"Hehe!" Xu Xiaotang gloated from the sidelines. "Mom, I always placed in the top five in my class back then. If Xu Xiaonian didn't do well, you'll have to give him some proper encouragement!"

She placed particular emphasis on "proper." A sly expression covered her delicate face, making her look like she was really asking for a smack.

Xu Xiaonian gave her a sidelong glance and said disdainfully, "How could a mortal understand the realm of a god? Mere exams—I could crush them with one hand!"

"Hehehe!"

Before Xu Xiaotang could fly into a rage, Qian Peijiu, who had read the exam papers, let out a silvery laugh. She looked at Xu Xiaonian with satisfaction and said gently:

"What a good boy! You actually got full marks, and your total score across all subjects was the highest in your year. That's my son!"

"Back then, your sister Xiaotang only came fifth. You're so much better than her... Ahem! A little better."

Under Xu Xiaotang's resentful gaze, Qian Peijiu finally swallowed the words about to leave her mouth, sparing the older sister too much embarrassment.

Xu Xiaonian mouthed at Xu Xiaotang:

"Nothing special!"