An Immortal Touched My Crown, an Inch-Punch Split My Skull

That afternoon, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's square.

All the disciples currently at the sect stood in orderly rows in the square, their chatter filling the air.

"Hey, have you heard? The sect master called us all here because of one person."

"I heard too. Apparently, the sect master's daughter brought him back."

"Yeah, they say he's been staying here for half a month, training under the two Douluo."

"No way. Seriously?"

Amid the chatter, Ning Fengzhi slowly ascended the platform with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

Ning Rongrong followed them in a pink gauze dress, her little face brimming with unconcealed delight.

"Silence."

Ning Fengzhi's gentle yet powerful voice carried across the square, quieting every disciple.

"I have gathered you here today to announce an important matter."

His gaze swept over the disciples below before turning toward the entrance to the square.

"Let Lin Ye enter."

At the far end of the square, a figure approached at an unhurried pace.

Lin Ye wore the blue-green robes of a Core Disciple, his brown eyes bright beneath his black hair.

He calmly walked up to the platform, placed his right hand over his chest, and knelt on one knee.

"Disciple Lin Ye pays his respects to the sect master."

The moment they saw Lin Ye, the crowd erupted.

"He's so young! He looks about the same age as the young miss!"

"Those clothes... is he a Core Disciple?"

Ning Fengzhi raised a hand for silence. After allowing Lin Ye to rise, he announced, "From this day forward, Lin Ye is officially a core disciple of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He will also become the disciple of both Elder Sword and Elder Bone."

His words struck like a boulder crashing into a still lake.

"What?! Both Titled Douluo are taking him as their disciple?"

"Who exactly is he?"

Bone Douluo gave a cold snort, and his oppressive aura instantly enveloped the square. The chatter stopped dead.

Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and said, "To ensure fairness, Lin Ye must accept challenges from disciples above rank ten and below rank twenty-five. If he wins, the apprenticeship ceremony will proceed. If he loses, the challenger may take his place."

At Ning Fengzhi's words, the crowd immediately stirred.

"I'll do it!"

A burly youth strode forward. His soul power had already reached rank nineteen.

"Outer disciple Zhao Hu. Please show me what you can do."

Lin Ye nodded in greeting. "Please."

The crowd voluntarily cleared a circular arena and watched intently.

Ning Rongrong leaned over the railing, waving her little hands as she cheered Lin Ye on. "Go, Lin Ye! Knock him flat!"

Seeing this, Zhao Hu grinned. "Junior brother, don't start crying later."

He abruptly activated Martial Soul Possession. His arms transformed into tiger claws, and a yellow soul ring appeared beneath his feet.

"A Tiger Martial Soul! Senior Brother Zhao is one of the outer sect's top twenty fighters!"

"This kid's done for."

Lin Ye calmly raised his right hand, a sheet of White Paper slowly rotating above his palm.

The moment his martial soul appeared, the entire crowd froze.

"A... White Paper Martial Soul?"

Zhao Hu's expression stiffened.

The two Titled Douluo elders actually wanted to take someone with a trash martial soul as their disciple?

Then a flicker of contempt crossed his eyes, and he raised his tiger claws.

"First Soul Skill, Earth-Splitting Claw!"

As his opponent attacked, Lin Ye neither dodged nor retreated. Golden light flashed across his White Paper, and a shield materialized out of thin air.

"Steady as a Rock."

Bang!

The tiger claws slammed viciously into the shield, but it did not budge.

"What?!"

Zhao Hu's eyes widened. He could not believe his full-strength strike had been blocked so easily.

The corners of Lin Ye's mouth lifted slightly. "Didn't get enough to eat at lunch, senior brother?"

An uproar swept through the crowd.

"What an arrogant kid!"

Zhao Hu's face flushed crimson. "You're asking for death!"

He lashed out with both claws, driving his soul power to its limit, yet the shield remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Lin Ye chuckled. "Finished attacking? Then it's my turn."

With that, Lin Ye settled into a stance, swiftly clenched his right hand, and drove a punch down at the top of his opponent's head.

"Inch-Punch!"

Struck by that single blow, Zhao Hu looked as though he had met an immortal. He instantly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Everyone stared at the sight, dumbstruck.

Ning Rongrong was the first to jump up and cheer. "Yay! Lin Ye won!"

Appreciation flashed in Sword Douluo's eyes. "What an exquisite technique for exerting force."

Concentrating power within a mere inch—this fist technique was truly marvelous beyond words.

Although Sword Douluo wielded a sword, as a Titled Douluo, he knew at least something about other combat techniques.

"Old Bones, did you teach him that?"

Bone Douluo shook his head and answered honestly, "I didn't teach him that. I only taught him a few defensive techniques and Space Skills."

"You didn't teach him? Could it be..."

Both men looked at Lin Ye, the same possibility occurring to them.

Through his powerful Manifestation ability, Lin Ye had created yet another new fist technique.

Another disciple leaped into the arena.

"Outer disciple Zhou Yan, rank twenty-one Soul Grandmaster. Please show me what you can do!"

Lin Ye's expression remained unchanged. "Please."

The fight began quickly, but ended even faster.

Before Zhou Yan could fully unleash his second soul skill, Lin Ye darted behind him and struck his neck with a knife-hand blow, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

The challengers entered one after another, yet none lasted more than a few exchanges before being defeated.

By the time the last Soul Grandmaster fell, the way every disciple looked at Lin Ye had completely changed.

Wasn't he far too invincible? No wonder both Titled Douluo wanted him as their disciple.

Ning Fengzhi spoke at the right moment. "Does anyone else wish to challenge him?"

No one answered.

"Then let the apprenticeship ceremony begin."

Lin Ye knelt on one knee before the two Titled Douluo and respectfully presented them with apprenticeship tea.

Sword Douluo accepted the cup and smiled. "From today onward, you are the final disciple of me, Chen Xin."

Bone Douluo drained his cup in one hearty gulp. "Boy, don't disgrace this old man!"

At some point, Ning Rongrong had slipped over to Lin Ye's side. She tugged his sleeve with a bright grin and said, "Congratulations, Lin Ye."

Time flashed past like a white steed glimpsed through a crack, and six years passed in the blink of an eye.

Beneath a large tree on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rear mountain, the now twelve-year-old Ning Rongrong stood on tiptoe, looking around.

She had grown into a graceful young girl, her long pink hair cascading like a waterfall, her emerald eyes lively and mischievous.

"Brother Lin Ye, no one's here. Come out, quick!"

A black-haired youth emerged from behind the tree, dressed in white, with a sheathed longsword hanging at his waist. It was Lin Ye.

"Rongrong, leaving the sect without permission is against the rules, you know."

Ning Rongrong pouted. "Dad makes me train all day. I'm dying of boredom!"

"Then where do you want to go?"

Ning Rongrong patted her chest and said, "I decided ages ago. Suotuo City! I heard it's really fun there."

Lin Ye shook his head helplessly. "Sneaking away like this, Uncle Ning will..."

"Don't worry! I left a letter for Dad and the others."

"All right." Lin Ye nodded in agreement, but began to ponder.

Suotuo City?

Sure enough, even with him here, Ning Rongrong would still end up heading toward the main storyline.

But that worked out perfectly. One of his tasks was to participate in the plot and plunder fortune.

"Heh, Tang San. I'm really looking forward to this."