Kept by Ning Rongrong

At that moment.

In Ning Rongrong's little secret room.

"Ji Hongchen, both parents deceased, innate Soul Power at half a level. His Martial Soul Second Awakening transformed it into a sword. Soul Power uncertain; suspected to be a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster."

Ning Rongrong sat on the sofa.

She held a dossier on Ji Hongchen in her hands.

"What an inspiring story, Ji Hongchen."

Ning Rongrong murmured to herself as she stroked the dossier, her gaze tender and a smile on her lips.

He truly lived up to being her idol.

He was so rational, so outstanding!

At that thought, Ning Rongrong's gaze grew firmer. She turned to the hidden guard beside her. "Shadow One, keep a close eye on everything Brother Ji Hongchen does. If he goes to the Soul Fighting Arena, you must tell me!"

A month later.

Ji Hongchen walked out of the hotel. His aura had grown more solid, and he looked much more composed.

"Level thirty."

He could now consider absorbing his third Soul Ring. However, since he had yet to get his hands on any ten-thousand-year whale glue, he could probably only attempt a Soul Ring around five thousand years old.

"I'll wait another month before hunting for a Soul Ring."

Ji Hongchen decided to play it safe first.

He planned to earn enough money to buy a few pieces of ten-thousand-year whale glue, improve his physique, and then hunt for a Soul Ring. His third Soul Ring had to be at least six thousand years old.

After all, he intended to attempt a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring.

His ultimate goal was to become a god. If he missed his chance at godhood because his talent wasn't dazzling enough, that would be a tremendous loss.

He arrived at the Soul Fighting Arena.

Ji Hongchen had already signed up for three Soul Fighting matches. The results went without saying: he won them all, even defeating a level-thirty-six Soul Elder and bringing his winning streak to thirty-one.

Afterward.

Ji Hongchen had over five thousand Gold Soul Coins, enough to buy one piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue to improve his physique.

"One piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue should strengthen my physique by a fair amount. That should be enough for me to absorb a six-thousand-year Soul Ring."

With Gold Soul Coins in hand.

Ji Hongchen was in high spirits.

He walked out of the Soul Fighting Arena.

He was just about to head to the largest nearby pharmacy to buy whale rubber when he suddenly stopped.

The Jinghong Sword inside Ji Hongchen suddenly trembled.

Something's up!

Ji Hongchen's heart tightened.

His gaze swept back and forth before finally landing on a petite, delicate figure.

The girl seemed to be approaching him, whether deliberately or otherwise.

Who's that? From the looks of her, she should be from some prominent family. Ji Hongchen observed her discreetly and soon recognized her.

Isn't that Ning Rongrong? What's she doing here?

Before the words had fully left his mouth, the figure had reached Ji Hongchen. Her eyes smiled, and a hint of mischief filled her exquisite, adorable face.

"Hello, Sword Lord. Could we get to know each other?"

Ning Rongrong's pretty face flushed faintly as she looked at Ji Hongchen with shy, timid eyes.

Ji Hongchen froze briefly.

His gaze fell on the little sword at Ning Rongrong's waist. Its design looked familiar. Wasn't that his Jinghong Sword?

Holy shit?

Could this girl be a fan of mine?

"Hello."

Ji Hongchen's tone was calm. He intended to see what Ning Rongrong wanted first.

Ning Rongrong was thrilled beyond measure. The person before her was the idol she had yearned for day and night. She drew a deep breath and spoke softly.

"Brother Sword Lord, could I see your face?"

Ji Hongchen pretended to hesitate, then looked at Ning Rongrong's sword as though confirming something. "Well... are you a fan of mine?"

"Yes, Brother Sword Lord! I've been your fan for ages."

Looking every bit the little fangirl, Ning Rongrong excitedly took the sword from her waist. Judging by its design, it had been made entirely in imitation of the Jinghong Sword.

Ji Hongchen looked at Ning Rongrong and finally removed his Faceless Man mask under her expectant gaze.

When Ning Rongrong saw Ji Hongchen's breathtakingly beautiful face, her breath caught. Then her heartbeat began to race, her little face flushed, and she swallowed hungrily.

My heavens!

He's far too handsome-and even more handsome than I imagined.

Ning Rongrong was utterly stunned.

The hand holding her sword trembled slightly. Her gaze kept admiring Ji Hongchen's face, and a little deer bounded wildly in her heart, leaving her somewhat dazed.

"Little sister, was there anything else?"

Ji Hongchen smiled with gentle refinement.

Inwardly, he considered that making Ning Rongrong fall for him might be a good choice. At least he would no longer count as some worthless nobody without any backing.

Although Ning Rongrong's behavior in the original story had been poor-she could even be called an ungrateful wolf, showing little grief after her two Titled Douluo grandfathers died-what did that have to do with him?

If he latched onto Ning Rongrong's powerful support.

Wouldn't he be stepping into Oscar's shoes? In the later story, Ning Rongrong had shown little concern for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but she had treated Oscar extremely well.

So this is a good thing!

Viewing things from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's perspective was undoubtedly despair-inducing. But from Oscar's perspective, he was a true winner in life, the envy of everyone around him.

Ning Rongrong came to her senses, a trace of panic appearing on her little face. She hurriedly said, "I'd like to hire you as my guard, Brother Sword Lord, to protect me. Could you?"

Ji Hongchen feigned difficulty. "But I'm very busy."

Having investigated him, Ning Rongrong naturally knew that Ji Hongchen was desperately short of money. She immediately said, "Brother Sword Lord, I can pay you. How about a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins a month?"

How much?

Ji Hongchen's eyes widened. A hundred thousand a month? Even adding up every last coin he had earned since he was six, his total earnings still fell short of a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Seeing Ji Hongchen remain silent.

Ning Rongrong lifted her chin and folded her arms across her chest with a little pride. "What do you think, Brother Sword Lord? As long as you're willing to stay with me, I'll support you."

As long as she could win Sword Lord over.

Even emptying her little private treasury would be worth it!

Ji Hongchen first put on an indecisive expression, making Ning Rongrong frantic.

She tugged at Ji Hongchen's sleeve.

"Brother Sword Lord, stop hesitating!"

"As long as you're willing to stay with me, I'll not only have the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect take care of all your future Soul Rings, I'll also give you more money than you can spend!"

Ji Hongchen drew a deep breath.

"All right."

Hearing Ji Hongchen agree, Ning Rongrong beamed, a gleam of triumph appearing in her eyes. With impish delight, she caught hold of his sleeve.

"Hehe, then let's hurry and go."

As she spoke, Ning Rongrong discreetly slipped Ji Hongchen ten gold cards, each worth ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.

All right, I'm going to fall into decadence.

Although Ji Hongchen only wanted to be a free and unfettered sword cultivator.

A wealthy woman could spare him ten years of struggle!

He could buy the finest materials to nurture his sword.

And eat the finest Soul Beast meat to increase his strength!

Ji Hongchen followed Ning Rongrong. Through the Jinghong Sword's senses within him, he detected the Soul Power fluctuations of at least four Soul Saints hidden nearby.

Barring any surprises, his dossier would probably be on Ning Fengzhi's desk that very night. If his talent was too poor, he could only wait for death.

So he also needed to reveal an appropriate amount of his talent.

Although Ning Fengzhi had been far too much of a businessman in the original story, he still cared deeply about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's future. And now, the sect faced a gap in succession, with no one in the next generation ready to take over.

Once he and Sword and Bone Douluo died, the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have no one capable left to rely on. It would be no different from fish on a chopping block, waiting to be butchered at someone else's whim.

This problem was already giving Ning Fengzhi a headache.

For now, he could tell Ning Rongrong that he was about to obtain his third Soul Ring, further strengthening Ning Fengzhi's approval of him in the process.