The Freshman Tournament came to an end. According to the tradition of the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Academy, the entire academy had a three-day holiday.
Outside Heaven Dou City, the mountain gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood tall.
Inside the main hall, sandalwood incense curled upward.
Ning Fengzhi was sitting upright on a jade chair, leisurely sipping fragrant tea. Two figures sat on his left and right respectively.
They were none other than Chen Xin and Gu Rong.
"Daddy! Grandpa Sword! Grandpa Bone! I'm back!"
Ning Rongrong, dressed in a goose-yellow pleated skirt, made a bee-line for Ning Fengzhi on the jade chair.
"Oh dear, my little ancestor, run slower! What would you do if you tripped!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong return, a smile instantly bloomed on Gu Rong's face as he flicked his figure and strode forward to meet her.
Chen Xin also smiled faintly. "Rongrong, did you have a pleasant time playing at the academy? Were there any clueless young pups from the imperial family or nobility who dared to upset our little princess? If anyone bullies you, tell Grandpa Sword, and Grandpa will go break his legs!"
Ning Fengzhi put down his teacup, smiled helplessly, and shook his head.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Bone, stop spoiling her. With Rongrong's personality, it's already a blessing if she doesn't bully others at the academy; nobody would dare bully her."
"Daddy! How can you say that about me!"
Ning Rongrong puffed out her cheeks, stamped her small foot angrily, and squeezed her way onto the soft chair next to Chen Xin, hugging the old man's arm and acting spoiled.
"Look, Grandpa Sword, Daddy is picking on me again. I was very well-behaved at the academy, attending classes on time, and this time in the Freshman Tournament I even secured a spot for a Special-Class Seat!"
"Oh? A Special-Class Seat?"
A trace of surprise flashed in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
Although Ning Rongrong's talent was considered exceptional for her age group.
Yet as a support-type Soul Master undergoing individual assessments without teammates to protect her, it was normally very difficult to break into the front ranks of the battle Soul Masters.
"Rongrong, tell Daddy about the specifics of this tournament."
The moment the tournament was mentioned, Ning Rongrong's aggrieved expression vanished instantly.
"Daddy, you have no idea how terrifying the Soul Douguang arena was today!"
Ning Rongrong gestured animatedly with her small hands, spilling the details of what happened on the stage like beans falling from a broken bag.
Inside the grand hall, as Ning Rongrong narrated the events.
The expressions of the three heavyweights, originally relaxed, gradually grew solemn.
Seeing the grave looks on the faces of her three elders and thinking of Meng Chen's abnormality, Ning Rongrong bit her lip and couldn't help adding,
"Daddy, there's one more thing. When Meng Chen erupted with his Soul Power on stage, I saw the Soul Ring under his feet was purple."
"What?"
Even Ning Fengzhi, who had always remained calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, could no longer sit still at this moment.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong were no different.
Gu Rong drew a sharp breath and exclaimed, "His first Soul Ring broke the limit to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? How could he possibly withstand it? Wasn't his physical body blown apart on the spot?"
Ning Rongrong whispered, "Meng Chen said himself that it was pure luck, coupled with the Crown Prince's Residence finding body-tempering medicinal soups for him, and that's how he survived a brush with death."
Pure luck... There was no such luck in this world.
Ning Fengzhi slowly exhaled a breath, leaning back in his chair with his eyes full of emotion.
"Even with imperial secret medicines, the physical toughness and sheer willpower required to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring above one's rank are one in ten million."
"Qinghe has truly picked up a peerless uncarved jade."
Ning Fengzhi turned his head to gaze at Heaven Dou City outside the window, speaking in a low voice, "To be conferred an imperial viscount and rewarded with ten thousand gold coins at such a young age-with a talent like this by his side, Qinghe will have one more card that can change the tides when competing for the succession of the throne in the future."
Chen Xin nodded slightly, pondering, "Fengzhi, Rongrong is on extremely close terms with this kid. Do you think the sect should-?"
"No need to deliberately interfere."
Ning Fengzhi waved his hand. "Affection among the younger generation is the purest kind. Rongrong protects him, and he hasn't treated Rongrong poorly either."
"Now Qinghe is the crown prince supported by my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Meng Chen is Qinghe's sworn younger brother, so naturally he is on the same boat as our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Pass down the order: among all the medicinal halls and commercial firms belonging to the sect in Heaven Dou City, any cultivation herbs Meng Chen requires are to be supplied with the sect's highest authority, without needing to ask the reason."
"Understood, Sect Master."
Ning Rongrong sat to the side, listening to her father and Grandpa Sword heap unsparing praise upon Meng Chen. Her peach-blossom eyes curved into crescent moons, and her heart felt happier than if she had won first place herself.
Beside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace stood the Crown Prince's Residence.
As the moonlight rose and lanterns were first lit, within the luxurious and solemn auxiliary courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence.
Upon returning, Meng Chen immediately stripped off his sweat-stained training uniform, washed up, and changed into a loose, comfortable robe.
Looking at the items placed on the table, Meng Chen wore a look of delight.
Ten thousand gold coins plus the viscount's decree of conferral-the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's generosity this time was truly top-tier.
At that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a familiar, cool fragrance drifted in with the sound of footsteps.
"Xiaochen, how did the match go? I heard you won first place?"
Meng Chen raised his head to see Qian Renxue wearing a plain Confucian robe of white with gold borders, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders, walking in slowly.
Hearing those words, however, brought an indescribable sense of helplessness to Meng Chen's heart.
To claim she had no idea what happened today was something he would never believe, even if beaten to death.
That viscount seat-without her pulling strings behind the scenes, the reward probably would have been dropped a tier or lower.
"Just luck. That guy Bai Yu was arrogant and careless, not taking me seriously. As for Gu Yuena, it was purely a matter of opposing styles where she left an opening in her state of mind, and I exploited the void."
Qian Renxue walked over to the couch, sat down naturally, and reached out to gently stroke the soft, golden rabbit ears atop Meng Chen's head.
"Just luck?"
Qian Renxue gave a low chuckle. As the successor of Spirit Hall, her vision was by no means comparable to ordinary mortals.
"You, you never say a single honest word."
Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly, not intending to press the matter further.
As long as Meng Chen stood on her side, she didn't mind covering up all the minor details for him completely.
With a flip of her hand, Qian Renxue retrieved a Black Iron Token branded with the Crown Prince's Residence's special-class golden seal from her wide sleeves and handed it to Meng Chen.
"Keep this token safe. With it, you may freely take any body-tempering spirit herbs from the imperial private treasury, save for the supreme treasures of the imperial bloodline."
"In this Heaven Dou City, as long as I am here for a day, no one can touch you."
Meng Chen gripped that Black Iron Token. Human hearts were made of flesh; even having lived through two lifetimes, he couldn't help a ripple of emotion stirring in his chest.
"Understood, Big Brother Qinghe."
After putting the token away, Meng Chen patted his chest and said, "Once I grow strong, if anyone dares to oppose Big Brother Qinghe, I'll definitely beat them to death!"
Hearing this, Qian Renxue couldn't help laughing aloud, reaching out to pinch Meng Chen's cheek.
"Such a glib tongue."
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