Xiao Yun had no reason to refuse Ning Chuan's proposal.
When her mother learned that Ning Chuan and Sword Douluo were willing to take her away, and might even cure the backlash from her martial soul for good, she was naturally overjoyed.
To parents, what did a temporary separation matter, as long as their child could be cured?
Xiao Yun was very filial. Before leaving, she asked Sword Douluo and Ning Chuan to wait, because her father would not return until evening.
Thus, Ning Chuan and Sword Douluo stayed in the village overnight. Early the next morning, they left some money for the village and departed with Xiao Yun.
Nothing else unexpected happened on the return journey. After they reached the sect, Sword Douluo settled Xiao Yun in, then went with Ning Chuan to Ning Fengzhi's study.
Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were already waiting in the study. Both were quite anxious, because as soon as Sword Douluo returned to the sect, he had sent them a mental message saying he had three surprises for them.
The moment Ning Chuan and Sword Douluo entered the study, Bone Douluo asked impatiently, "Old Sword, how old was the soul ring you hunted for Xiao Chuan? It reached the age limit for a first soul ring, didn't it?"
Sword Douluo smiled at that. "Of course it did. It even exceeded it!"
"Oh?" Bone Douluo brightened, then asked, "Five hundred years, or six hundred?"
Sword Douluo gave a mysterious smile. "How could five or six hundred years count as a surprise?"
"Then how old was it? Surely it couldn't have been a thousand years!" Bone Douluo said offhandedly.
Sword Douluo chuckled. "It wasn't actually that old. Just three thousand two hundred years!"
"Mm, that really isn't..." Bone Douluo nodded instinctively, only to suddenly realize something was wrong. His eyes sharpened as he stared straight at Sword Douluo. "How many did you say? Say that again!"
"Old Bones, has your hearing gone bad with age?" Sword Douluo teased.
Bone Douluo, however, was utterly serious. He asked again, "Old Sword, stop keeping us in suspense. How old was it, exactly?"
"Three thousand two hundred years, three thousand two hundred years! Did you hear me clearly this time?" Sword Douluo deliberately raised his voice.
How could Bone Douluo believe something so outrageous? He immediately turned to Ning Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, don't tell me Old Sword only managed to hunt you a three-hundred-and-twenty-year soul ring?"
Without waiting for Ning Chuan's answer, he continued muttering, "I said all along that I should have taken Xiao Chuan to hunt his first soul ring. Old Sword, you've really squandered Xiao Chuan's talent!"
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi immediately came to Sword Douluo's defense. "Uncle Gu, a three-hundred-and-twenty-year soul ring is already excellent! A soul ring at the age limit that also suits one's martial soul isn't so easy to find!"
Sword Douluo put on a solemn expression. "Fengzhi, what's this? You don't believe me either?"
Ning Fengzhi froze. He knew Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo loved bickering, but they never dragged him into it.
Now, seeing Sword Douluo looking so serious, without the slightest hint of a joke, Ning Fengzhi truly had no idea what he meant.
He simply did not believe Ning Chuan's first soul ring was over three thousand years old.
Seeing that he had stirred up Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo's emotions, Sword Douluo immediately turned to Ning Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, tell them how old your soul ring is!"
Ning Chuan nodded, then addressed Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo. "Father, Bone Grandpa, Sword Grandpa wasn't lying to you. My first soul ring really is three thousand two hundred years old."
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo froze on the spot.
They knew Sword Douluo might joke, but Ning Chuan never played this sort of joke on his elders.
"Xiao Chuan, show them!" Sword Douluo beamed. He had deliberately kept Ning Chuan from revealing the truth beforehand precisely because he wanted to see Bone Douluo's shocked expression.
Ning Chuan nodded and immediately released the Creation Exquisite Pagoda. His first soul ring rose along with the pagoda.
The instant they saw the purple soul ring rise around the Creation Exquisite Pagoda, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo could scarcely believe their eyes.
Only after a long while did the two recover from their shock, yet they still found it hard to believe.
Ning Fengzhi pinched his thigh hard. The instant the pain hit, he was overcome with delight.
"It's real! It's actually real! Xiao Chuan's first soul ring really is over a thousand years old!" Ning Fengzhi was wild with joy, and Bone Douluo beside him was no less excited.
"Old Sword, what exactly happened? Hurry up and tell us!" Bone Douluo urged. He truly wanted to know how it had all unfolded.
Sword Douluo stopped keeping them in suspense and immediately told them how the Earth Rock Bear had voluntarily sacrificed himself.
At first, the two still harbored doubts. Only when they saw Ning Chuan release the Earth Rock Bear's soul spirit did they finally believe it completely.
"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! His very first soul ring is at the three-thousand-year level! This has never happened in the history of the continent. Heaven truly favors our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Bone Douluo exclaimed excitedly.
"Xiao Chuan, has your cultivation speed changed compared to before?" Ning Fengzhi asked. He knew very well that although a three-thousand-year soul ring was a miracle, Ning Chuan's cultivation talent was still what mattered most.
Ning Chuan nodded. "It's fast, very fast. I actually went up a level on the way back!" As he spoke, he released his soul power aura.
"This is... level fourteen? Didn't you say you went up one level? Why are you at level fourteen?" Bone Douluo asked in confusion.
Sword Douluo immediately explained, "After Xiao Chuan absorbed his first soul ring, his soul power level reached thirteen!"
"Even so, isn't this cultivation speed far too fast?" Ning Fengzhi marveled.
Sword Douluo smiled at that. "This is nothing. Xiao Chuan barely cultivated over these past few days. Once he settles down to it, he'll definitely reach level twenty in two or three months at most!"
Sword Douluo was very confident of this, because he knew Ning Chuan had already thoroughly mastered the Cultivation Manual, bringing his cultivation speed to ten times its former rate. Reaching level twenty in two or three months was only Sword Douluo's conservative estimate.
"Old Sword, from level fourteen to level twenty in two or three months? Are you really not joking?" Bone Douluo asked.
Sword Douluo smiled. "If I were joking, how could it count as a surprise?"
"Good, good, good!" Bone Douluo said "good" three times in succession. "A three-thousand-year soul ring, a soul beast voluntarily sacrificing himself while preserving his soul spirit, and such an outrageous cultivation speed. Those really are three surprises... what a damn wonderful surprise!"
As Bone Douluo exclaimed, he noticed Sword Douluo shaking his head at him.
"Old Bones, we've barely gotten started. The soul beast's sacrifice and the three-thousand-year soul ring only count as one surprise. As for his cultivation speed, that counts as half a surprise at most!" Sword Douluo said with an air of profound mystery.
Hearing this, Bone Douluo's eyes widened again.
Ning Fengzhi immediately said, "Uncle Jian, stop keeping us in suspense. My poor heart is about to leap out of my chest!"
Sword Douluo smiled and nodded to Ning Chuan.
Ning Chuan withdrew the Creation Exquisite Pagoda, then extended his right hand and released the Chaos Sacred Sword.
"Twin martial souls?"
At the sight of the Chaos Sacred Sword, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo cried out in shock.
Sword Douluo, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm as he showed off to Bone Douluo. "Old Bones, Xiao Chuan has already taken me as his master and become my direct disciple!"
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo were both rather dazed, completely failing to notice that the generational hierarchy had become somewhat tangled.
"What exactly is the third surprise? Hurry up and tell us everything at once. This old heart of mine really can't take being tossed around like this!" Bone Douluo said, sounding somewhat numb.
Before you continue