Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect

"Next, Wu Feng."

As the words fell, a girl with fiery red hair stepped out of the line.

Ning Tian turned around and gave her a small smile, saying brightly, "Feng, you can do it."

Wu Feng nodded emphatically and strode into the awakening array, her chest held high. Looking at Ning Tian, she declared in a ringing voice, with the earnestness unique to children:

"Young Mistress, I'll definitely awaken with innate full soul power too. I'll protect you in the future!"

At these words, several sect disciples nearby exchanged glances, and someone shook their head with an involuntary chuckle.

How could innate full soul power come so easily? Ning Tian was already a once-in-a-century talent, yet this little girl dared to boast so outrageously.

The Soul Saint overseeing the awakening began feeding soul power into the array, and the Awakening Stones hummed once more.

Wu Feng closed her eyes, her little face taut.

Light rose and enveloped her entire body. At first, it was scarlet, then it grew brighter and fiercer until it became a dazzling blaze of golden red. Like a mass of roaring flames, it bathed the hall in red. The temperature surged, and several children standing nearby instinctively stepped back.

A deep, far-reaching dragon's roar sounded from within the light.

Then an enormous scarlet dragon phantom soared into the air behind Wu Feng.

Martial soul-Red Dragon.

"Excellent!"

Ning Zhiyuan gripped the railing with both hands, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. The Red Dragon was a top-tier beast martial soul, ranked among the finest on the entire Douluo Continent. Her innate soul power certainly would not be poor.

Beside him, Wu Yun nodded in satisfaction as well, a trace of a smile appearing on his heavily bearded face beneath his long scarlet hair.

On the awakening platform, Wu Feng pressed her hand against the crystal ball.

Brilliant light burst forth, filling the entire crystal ball and leaving only the thinnest sliver of empty space at the top.

"Innate soul power-rank eight!"

The Soul Saint announced the result loudly.

A low chorus of amazement rippled through the hall. Rank eight would count as exceptional talent in any sect. Paired with a top-tier martial soul like the Red Dragon, her future achievements would be boundless.

Yet on the dais, the gleam in Ning Zhiyuan's eyes slowly dimmed. He released his grip on the railing and clasped his hands behind his back. After a moment of silence, he let out a soft breath.

"What a pity."

His voice was quiet enough that only Wu Yun beside him could hear.

"With innate rank eight, she has a chance of becoming a Titled Douluo, but a Super Douluo... there's no hope of that at all."

He spoke calmly, yet the heavy regret in his words weighed so deeply that it was hard to breathe.

Innate soul power determined a Soul Master's starting point and, in a subtle way, set the ceiling of their future. Rank eight and rank nine seemed only one rank apart, but that single rank spanned the vast chasm between a Titled Douluo and a Super Douluo. What the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect needed had never been merely an ordinary Titled Douluo.

Wu Yun's smile faded a little too. He looked at the tiny, fiery red figure below the dais and fell silent for a moment. Then he reached out and patted Ning Zhiyuan's shoulder, his voice rough, as though offering comfort-or trying to console himself:

"Zhiyuan, at least little Tian will have someone to protect her in the future. She won't be left with no one to rely on."

He paused, then added, "Besides, the Soul Masters who went out to awaken the martial souls of the children nearby haven't returned yet. What if they find a promising seedling?"

At those words, Ning Zhiyuan's lips twitched into a bitter smile.

"Let's hope so."

He shook his head, looking past the hall doors into the distance, his voice so soft that he almost seemed to be talking to himself.

"How could a Battle Soul Master with the potential to become a Titled Douluo be so easy to find? At least among the younger generation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect over these past few decades, I haven't seen a single one."

The hall fell quiet for a time.

Below the dais, Ning Tian and Wu Feng still stood hand in hand. The two six-year-old girls had no idea that the elders above them were worrying over the sect's future.

Ning Tian tilted her head and smiled at Wu Feng, who lifted her chin with a thoroughly smug expression.

Ning Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the two children. The bitterness in his heart eased somewhat after all.

At least they had an heir.

"Report!" Suddenly, a figure rushed inside. It was Su Yuntian from earlier. "Sect Master, Elder, I have an important matter to report."

Ning Zhiyuan and Wu Yun exchanged a glance. Could they really have found a promising seedling?

"Speak!"

Ning Zhiyuan spoke in a deep voice, though it held a trace of tension even he did not notice.

Su Yuntian raised his head, drew a deep breath, and spoke each word distinctly:

"Sect Master, Elder, a child with innate full soul power has appeared in Nine Treasures City this year. His martial soul-the Fire-Tipped Spear."

As his words fell, a deathly silence descended over the hall.

The expression on Ning Zhiyuan's face froze.

Wu Yun abruptly uncrossed his arms, his long scarlet hair stirring without any wind.

The next instant-

"What did you say?!"

Two roars exploded almost simultaneously. One came from Ning Zhiyuan. The sect master, always refined and composed, never letting joy or anger show on his face, now stared with his eyes wide and his voice sharply raised. Not a trace of his scholarly air remained.

The other came from Wu Yun. Soul power surged around the Red Dragon Douluo, and faint dragon roars echoed from within his body. Even the green jade floor beneath his feet developed several hairline cracks.

Struck by their combined presence, Su Yuntian was completely stunned. His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed from his kneeling position.

He raised his head blankly and stared at the two pillars of the sect on the dais, both of whom had utterly lost their composure. His lips trembled twice before he mechanically repeated:

"A spear... a spear martial soul. Innate full soul power."

Ning Zhiyuan flashed forward and appeared before Su Yuntian, gripping his shoulders with enough force to nearly lift him off the ground. He stared straight into Su Yuntian's eyes, speaking with an urgency that bordered on a complete loss of composure:

"Where is he? Did you bring him back to the sect?"

"I brought him back. He's at the sect entrance. I came ahead to report-"

Before Su Yuntian could finish, the two figures before him had already vanished.

All they left behind was the thunderous crash of the hall doors being thrown open and two afterimages disappearing in their wake.

The hall was utterly silent.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng exchanged bewildered looks, neither little girl understanding what had happened. The elders around them also looked at one another, their mouths hanging open. They had followed the sect master for so many years, yet had never seen Ning Zhiyuan and Wu Yun behave like this.

At the sect entrance, two figures arrived with the speed of thunder striking before one could cover one's ears. The fierce wind they stirred sent the glazed lantern pillars on either side swaying wildly.

Ning Zhiyuan landed first, his moon-white robe snapping in the wind as his gaze swept like lightning across the area before the entrance.

Then he saw him.

A boy of about six, his hair tied into two round buns, stood at the foot of the sect's towering stone steps. His little head was tilted back as he curiously examined the majestic mountain gate of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Several sect disciples who had guided him there stood beside him. The boy neither fussed nor made a sound, simply waiting quietly. His childish face showed little nervousness; instead, he possessed a steadiness utterly at odds with his age.

As though sensing something, the boy turned his head, and his clear, star-bright eyes met Ning Zhiyuan's gaze.

Ning Zhiyuan's heart gave a sudden leap.

The look in this child's eyes was too tranquil for a six-year-old, yet it still held the clarity unique to children. Contradictory, but not at all jarring.

At the same time, Wu Yun arrived as well. He strode forward, his long scarlet hair billowing like flames behind him, his gaze fixed on that tiny figure and his breathing heavy.

"Is it him?" Ning Zhiyuan's voice was slightly hoarse.

Su Yuntian arrived close behind them and bowed, panting. "Yes, Sect Master, Elder."

Ning Zhiyuan did not look back. He simply descended the stone steps slowly, approaching the boy one step at a time. Crouching down, he met the child's eyes with a deep, gentle gaze.

"Child, what is your name?"

The boy straightened, his voice clear, neither servile nor arrogant:

"Li Nezha."