Tang Hao's appearance saved Sword Douluo a great deal of trouble.
Sword Douluo had been a little worried that suddenly asking about twin martial souls would make Yu Xiaogang suspect that a soul master with twin martial souls had appeared in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Now, he had no such concerns.
"Senior, what insights do you have regarding twin martial souls?" Tang Hao asked.
Sword Douluo shook his head. "My understanding of twin martial souls goes no further than the records in ancient books, but I very much agree with the conclusions you reached after discussing them with Grandmaster."
Sword Douluo had actually thought of this approach himself. But as Tang Hao had said, without any tracks left by those who had gone before, no one could guarantee that the method would work.
Now that Sword Douluo knew Tang San also possessed twin martial souls, he felt a little secret delight.
He knew that simply keeping an eye on Tang San in secret would allow him to chart the safest path of development for Ning Chuan. It was a little underhanded, but for Ning Chuan's sake, Sword Douluo could no longer worry about that.
Tang Hao had told Sword Douluo so much for no other reason than to win over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. What he did not know, however, was that after learning of Ning Chuan's limitless potential, Sword Douluo had no desire whatsoever to get involved in Tang Hao's feud with Spirit Hall.
Sword Douluo admired Tang Hao's courage in daring to stand against Spirit Hall, but the most he could do now was ensure that no information about Tang Hao and his son escaped his lips.
"Clear Sky Douluo, does Tang San know who he really is?" Sword Douluo asked.
"No!" Tang Hao shook his head.
Hearing this, Sword Douluo sighed. "How poignant the hearts of parents everywhere are!"
"Please keep this matter a secret, Senior!" Tang Hao said.
"Of course!" Sword Douluo nodded.
The two continued chatting in the woods for a while before returning to Suotuo City together.
Upon discovering that Ning Chuan and Ning Rongrong had already arrived in Suotuo City, Tang Hao took his leave of Sword Douluo with his mind at ease.
Meanwhile, everyone at Shrek Academy except Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu was feeling dejected.
Seeing this, Flender immediately offered some consolation. "No one is perfect. There are indeed things we haven't handled well, and having Ning Chuan point them out today isn't necessarily a bad thing! Wouldn't you agree?"
"Exactly!" Zhao Wuji chimed in. "Don't be so downhearted. Ning Chuan's path of cultivation has already been completely cut off. It's only natural for him to feel bitter when he sees little monsters like you!"
"In a little while, you'll discover that Ning Chuan can no longer cross paths with you at all. Your future lies in becoming Titled Douluo. Don't get worked up over someone whose path as a soul master has long since been cut off!"
After speaking, Zhao Wuji suddenly remembered that Grandmaster's path as a soul master had also been cut off, so he added, "Grandmaster, you shouldn't stoop to arguing with a child either. All Ning Chuan has done is earn a little money for his sect, while your martial soul theory can benefit the entire soul master world!"
Tang San also spoke up. "That's right, Teacher. I know you must have your reasons. I promise that one day, I'll make sure you return to your clan in glory!"
Yu Xiaogang smiled at this. "Ning Chuan's remarks were nothing compared to the malicious gossip I endured before. Teacher Zhao Wuji is right. Your futures will no longer intersect with Ning Chuan's. I'll give you all the afternoon off today. By tomorrow, I hope you'll have forgotten what happened today. We cannot let an insignificant person interfere with the training I've arranged for you!"
"Yes, Teacher!"
"Yes, Grandmaster!"
Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others answered in unison.
Afterward, everyone from Shrek dispersed. They seemed to have put it behind them, but in truth, what had happened today had already become a thorn in their hearts.
Elsewhere, in a hotel room in Suotuo City, Ning Rongrong had already used her talent for wheedling to persuade Sword Douluo to abandon his plan to take her back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Sword Douluo did not insist, since he knew nothing of what had happened at Shrek Academy earlier.
Besides, there was another advantage to Ning Rongrong remaining at Shrek Academy: she could observe Tang San's cultivation up close.
"Rongrong, Sword Grandpa won't object if you want to stay at Shrek Academy, but there's one thing you must remember! Your identity is no longer a secret. From now on, keep an extra eye open when making friends. Never lay your whole heart bare to everyone. Understand?" Sword Douluo cautioned.
He did not object to Ning Rongrong befriending Tang San and the others, but he did not want her to become too deeply entangled with Tang San.
"I understand, Sword Grandpa!" Ning Rongrong said with a nod.
After what had happened earlier, Ning Rongrong had matured considerably. Moreover, she had already seen the true dispositions of everyone at Shrek, and she knew perfectly well whom she should befriend.
"Sword Grandpa, did you and Fifth Brother come all this way just to see me?" Ning Rongrong asked, holding Sword Douluo's arm.
"Don't flatter yourself. Sword Grandpa mainly came to hunt Little Chuan's first soul ring!" Sword Douluo teased, though he was indeed telling the truth.
Only then did Ning Rongrong learn that Ning Chuan had broken through to rank ten.
"So you met Meng Yiran in the Star Dou Great Forest?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"Yes!" Ning Chuan nodded. "It was quite a coincidence. You took two soul beasts from Meng Yiran, and Sword Grandpa helped them stop a Purple-Eyed Swift Shadow Snake that was around nineteen hundred years old. We got acquainted with them along the way."
Ning Rongrong smiled at this. "Fifth Brother, I think Sister Yiran is quite friendly toward you. You're not exactly a little boy anymore. Isn't it time you thought about marriage?"
Ning Chuan immediately gave Ning Rongrong a light tap on the forehead. "So you've learned to tease your Fifth Brother, have you, little girl!"
Ning Rongrong pretended it hurt and wheedled as she complained to Sword Douluo. "Sword Grandpa, look at Fifth Brother!"
Sword Douluo lovingly stroked her forehead, then said, "Rongrong, stop fooling around. Sword Grandpa brought you a gift this time!"
On the way to Suotuo City, he and Ning Chuan had already agreed to pass the Cultivation Manual on to Ning Rongrong.
Both knew very well that although Ning Rongrong was willful, she still knew where to draw the line when it came to matters of right and wrong.
Moreover, what had happened earlier had helped Ning Rongrong mature considerably, so Ning Chuan had little reason to worry about passing the cultivation method on to her.
The moment Ning Rongrong heard there was a gift, she brightened up.
"What gift is it, Sword Grandpa?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously.
Sword Douluo's expression turned solemn. "This gift concerns the very foundations of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Remember, without the sect's permission, you must never share it with outsiders!"
Seeing Sword Douluo so serious, Ning Rongrong immediately stopped joking. She had only been a little curious before, but his solemn expression instantly sent her curiosity soaring.
After all, she had never heard of anything so important within the sect before.
Once Sword Douluo saw that Ning Rongrong was ready, he used his spiritual power to materialize the Cultivation Manual before her.
"Rongrong, calm your mind and focus. Follow the soul power circulation routes in this manual to connect the acupoints in your body!" Sword Douluo instructed.
Ning Rongrong's cultivation was too low for him to imprint the manual directly into her spiritual sea of consciousness, so she could only commit it to memory.
Under Sword Douluo's guidance, Ning Rongrong soon connected her first acupoint. Then, to her astonishment, she discovered that her soul power was gathering faster.
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