The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Comes Calling

Inside the Game Pod, beneath the Heavenly Evolution Tower.

Only when the grandfather, grandmother, and granddaughter truly approached did they see the place in full.

The Heavenly Evolution Tower soared into the clouds, encircled by an enormous ring-shaped wall. Within the walls stood the magnificent Tianyan Academy, the sacred ground of every researcher in Heavenly Evolution City.

People like Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran, who possessed decent-even powerful-martial souls yet did not cultivate, were exceedingly rare in this world.

When the academy's scholars, who devoted themselves to researching martial soul theory and related technologies, learned of this, they all rushed to offer various high-grade pills that could improve physique, spiritual power, and soul power, simply to use the three visitors' unusual physical conditions to verify the results of their years of research.

These included the feasibility of artificial soul rings, martial soul mutation induced through soul ring adaptation, evolution through extreme amplification, the reconstruction of trash martial souls, and so on...

In the end, unable to refuse such warm hospitality.

The three received considerable benefits and, under the arrangements of a Tianyan Academy elder, moved into a luxurious private residence with the finest surroundings in Heavenly Evolution City, enjoying the treatment afforded to distinguished guests.

Later, the thought of leaving arose in their minds. Pale blue screens appeared and detected that all three had obtained Tianyan Academy's cultivation methods.

They activated idle mode and left that world.

Inside the little shop, more than an hour had passed since Bibi Dong's departure. Three Game Pods lit up simultaneously with a gentle white glow, and their doors slowly opened.

After Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang rose one after another, they immediately examined themselves internally. Sensing the second martial souls lying quietly dormant deep within their bodies, their eyes instantly filled with irrepressible delight.

Meanwhile, Meng Yiran had already reached the counter and asked Lin Yue:

"Boss, since we can bring martial souls back from that world, can I bring the cultivation resources I obtained there into this world too?"

Lin Yue nodded. "Of course. Please wait a moment, Miss Meng."

With that, he summoned a retrieval box, just as he had summoned the lottery machine.

Meng Yiran approached the retrieval box, and Lin Yue gestured for her to press her finger against the green fingerprint sensor.

She did as instructed. The screen displayed a successful reading, with her name appearing at the top center. Of the rows of slots below, fewer than one in twenty contained items.

Following the instructions, Meng Yiran selected the items she needed and clicked to confirm their retrieval.

The next instant, all the items fell into the compartment below. She took every last one out and put them into her Storage Soul Tool.

Then, after thanking Lin Yue, she hurried over to her grandparents, who were waiting for her at the shop entrance.

"Young friend Lin, we've imposed on you quite enough today. We'll take our leave."

Hearing this, Lin Yue returned the courtesy. "Take care, all three of you. If you need anything, come find me anytime."

After leaving the little shop, they walked along the path leading out of the city, the setting sun stretching their shadows long and thin.

As Meng Yiran walked, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she tugged at Meng Shu's sleeve.

"Grandpa, why don't we buy a house in that town up ahead? That way, it'll be much easier if we want to come back tomorrow."

Meng Shu had already had the same thought; he simply had not voiced it.

He immediately stroked his beard and laughed.

"Oh? Our little Yiran knows how to plan ahead now."

Chao Tianxiang also held her granddaughter's hand, her eyes full of fond approval. "That's a good idea. It'll save us all that traveling back and forth."

Meng Yiran chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Of course! Just look at who I take after."

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang exchanged a glance, unable to hide the smiles in their eyes, and walked hand in hand toward the town in the dusk.

The night breeze swept past the town's tiled eaves, stirring up a few dead leaves.

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang bought a quiet little courtyard in the western part of town. Two old osmanthus trees stood inside, and whenever the night breeze passed, tiny blossoms fluttered down onto the bluestone steps.

It was around the third watch of the night.

Though it was merely a wisp of aura that had leaked out inadvertently, it was enough to shake the hearts of the two Soul Douluos.

That supremely domineering pressure belonged exclusively to a Titled Douluo. There was no mistaking it!

They opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Without a word, a single exchanged glance was enough for them to rise in unison and swiftly track the aura to its source.

But the person flew far too quickly. Even with Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang pursuing at full speed, they could only catch a distant glimpse of a figure clad in dark green robes.

Only after another three li of pursuit did the figure ahead finally stop beneath an old, dead locust tree.

In truth, he had long since noticed the two figures following him; he simply could not be bothered with them at first.

Yet the two stubbornly refused to give up, following behind him the entire time, which truly annoyed him.

Only then did he stop, turn around, and ask:

"You two Soul Douluos, why have you been chasing this old man all this way?"

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang hurried forward. By the bright moonlight, they finally saw the other man's features clearly.

It was a gaunt, austere face with high cheekbones and an unhealthy greenish pallor, as though he had spent years steeped in medicinal substances and poisonous miasma.

But most intimidating were his eyes, green as deep pools, with a faint venomousness churning within.

It was none other than Poison Douluo.

Dugu Bo.

The two had already vaguely guessed his identity. Now that it was confirmed, they hurriedly reined in their auras and bowed respectfully.

"Our respects to Your Eminence Poison Douluo Dugu Bo."

Dugu Bo paused slightly. His gaze swept over the Peerless Dragon Snake couple, his brows lifting a little as he spoke with a measure of indifference.

"Oh? So it's you two, Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang. They say your Martial Soul Fusion Skill can rival a Titled Douluo."

He paused, a faint, amused curve rising at the corner of his mouth, though beneath that smile lay nothing but vigilance.

"So, why have you two pursued this old man so relentlessly in the dead of night? What exactly is your purpose?"

Meng Shu hurriedly said, "Your Eminence, you misunderstand."

"When you passed through that town earlier, a wisp of your aura inadvertently escaped. We sensed it, which was why we came out to investigate."

"As for why we followed, it was simply because of what we saw and heard during the day in a little shop outside town, closer to the Star Dou Great Forest."

"A little shop?"

Dugu Bo's brows stirred slightly. Thinking back, he had indeed glimpsed an inconspicuous little shop before passing through the town. He had merely taken it for some rural general store and paid it no mind.

But since they were mentioning it now, there was presumably something special about that shop.

Thus, he clasped his hands behind his back, tapping his wrist bone leisurely with his fingertips, and said indifferently:

"And what does that have to do with you chasing this old man?"

Chao Tianxiang stepped half a pace forward and asked respectfully:

"Your Eminence Dugu Bo, have you ever heard the name Dugu Yuan?"

Dugu Bo's pupils abruptly contracted.

His emerald eyes narrowed slightly in the moonlight, and his gaze upon Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang immediately gained a measure of scrutiny.

The night breeze passed through the dead locust tree's branches with a faint, fragmented whimper. Silence lingered for several breaths.

A moment later, he slowly spoke, his voice somewhat deeper than before:

"Dugu Yuan was an ancestor of my Dugu clan. Where did you two hear that name?"

Meng Shu took a deep breath and hesitated no longer, recounting everything they had experienced in that mysterious shop that day.

The strange experience of entering another world simply by lying inside a device called a Game Pod, their visit to Tianyan Academy, and all they had seen and heard concerning Dugu Yuan.

"When I heard the surname 'Du,' I thought of Your Eminence Dugu Bo and privately felt that this person must have some connection to you."

"I never imagined that the Titled Douluo we encountered tonight would actually be you, and my guess was thus confirmed."

After hearing Duke Meng's account, Dugu Bo stood beneath the dead locust tree in silence for a long time. Shock and uncertainty flickered in his emerald eyes, and his heart was filled with upheaval.

Such methods had already transcended the understanding of every Soul Master on the continent. Even the gods of legend probably could not accomplish such things.

After a long while, he merely decided that these two had lost their minds. Unwilling to argue with them, he said:

"If it truly is as you say, then that little shop is remarkable indeed. Unfortunately, I have important business on this journey. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will certainly take a look."

As his words fell, his dark green robes fluttered, and he had already shot into the night sky.

Watching his departing figure, Chao Tianxiang turned toward Meng Shu and asked softly:

"Old man, the heaven-defying opportunity in that little shop is so precious. Why did you tell Dugu Bo everything?"

Meng Shu smiled faintly and began walking leisurely back toward the town.

"That little shop is open to everyone in the first place, regardless of faction or strength. With its wonders, it's only a matter of time before word spreads throughout the continent and draws the attention of all the major powers."

"And though Dugu Bo is the weakest of the Titled Douluos, he is still a Titled Douluo. Tonight, we've merely borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha, telling him about this opportunity."

"When he visits the shop himself someday, benefits from it, and grows stronger, he'll naturally remember today's favor. Then we, the Peerless Dragon Snake couple, will have forged a friendly connection with a Titled Douluo."

Understanding dawned on Chao Tianxiang when she heard this. She nodded repeatedly and slowly returned alongside Meng Shu to their quiet courtyard in town.

Time flowed on, and two days quietly passed in the blink of an eye.

During those two days, the only customer to visit was a free-spending young noble who happened to pass by.

But he only tried it for less than half an hour before hurriedly departing, without lingering.

When evening arrived once again, Lin Yue leaned against the counter, watching Zhu Zhuqing, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei cultivate intently in the corner.

Just as he thought there would be no more visitors that day, two Titled Douluos flew in carrying two others and landed outside the little shop.

The man at their head was refined and cultured, with an air that rose above the ordinary. He was none other than Ning Fengzhi, master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood imposing in white, his supreme sword intent contained within him, steady and intimidating. Bone Douluo Gu Rong's aura was deep and weighty, faint spatial fluctuations lingering around him as he silently guarded their flanks.

The final, petite figure was Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

She wore an exquisite silk dress, her features lovely and charming, her skin fair and translucent. Yet her almond-shaped eyes, usually lively and mischievous, had now lost all their vivacity.

After all, the experience of hitting a wall and suffering humiliation alongside the Shrek group in this mysterious shop five days earlier, then leaving in disgrace, remained vivid in her mind, leaving a deep fear lingering in her heart.

Now, she could not help staying close behind Ning Fengzhi, her little hand secretly clutching the hem of her clothes, her head slightly lowered. She dared not look around freely, obedient and reserved, without a trace of her usual willfulness and spoiled pride.

Ning Fengzhi took in all his daughter's little movements, then gathered his thoughts and stepped forward. With a gentle, respectful expression, he cupped his hands slightly toward Lin Yue behind the counter.

"Boss Lin, I've long heard of your great name. I am Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

His bearing was modest, without the slightest air of a great sect's master. His gaze swept calmly over the Game Pods in the shop as he stated his purpose directly.

"Forgive this unannounced visit. I heard that your shop offers a heaven-defying opportunity, young friend-that lying inside those special devices can help someone awaken twin martial souls. May I ask if this is truly the case?"

Hearing this, Lin Yue nodded slightly.

"That's right. As long as you lie inside a Game Pod and complete the martial soul selection process, you'll obtain a second martial soul after coming out, regardless of whether you experience the other world."

Though he had prepared himself mentally before coming, hearing such a definite answer in person still sent waves rippling through Ning Fengzhi's heart.

Surely only a god could artificially create twin martial souls.

The next instant, he collected himself, turned slightly, and gently drew Ning Rongrong from behind him to his side.

"Boss Lin, this is my daughter, Ning Rongrong. I hope you can forgive her conduct a few days ago."

Having said this, he quietly instructed the reserved girl beside him:

"Rongrong, hurry and apologize to Boss Lin."

Ning Rongrong stiffened slightly. Raising her moist eyes, she cautiously looked at Lin Yue behind the counter.

Though she still felt deeply uneasy, at her father's prompting glance, she obediently bent at the waist and spoke in a faint, sincere voice:

"I'm... sorry."

Lin Yue glanced at her, his face showing little expression.

"It's fine. Nothing gets a third chance; what happened is already past. As long as you're not here to cause trouble, you're naturally welcome here."

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her taut shoulders easing slightly. Yet she still dared not act out of line and stood obediently beside her father.

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, his expression relaxing a little, then returned to the matter at hand:

"Boss Lin, what is the price for trying this Game Pod?"

Lin Yue raised one finger. "The starting price is one Gold Soul Coin."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi actually took one Gold Soul Coin from his sleeve and placed it on the counter.

As he accepted the Gold Soul Coin, Lin Yue gave Ning Fengzhi a discreet glance, his gaze carrying a measure of surprised appraisal.

The esteemed master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the wealthiest sect on the continent, could casually toss out a fortune of tens of millions. Now, to experience a heaven-defying opportunity capable of rewriting a Soul Master's destiny.

He had actually paid precisely one Gold Soul Coin, not a fraction more or less.

Did he still not believe it, or was he deliberately testing me?

Ning Fengzhi naturally caught that glance from Lin Yue.

However, his expression remained unchanged. He merely smiled faintly, his smile carrying a measure of composure and understanding, without offering any further explanation.

He led Ning Rongrong, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong over to the Game Pods, and just as he was preparing to enter.

"Fengzhi, wait!"

Bone Douluo Gu Rong suddenly spoke up to stop him, then said with solemn gravity:

"This opportunity is far too strange and heaven-defying. We still know nothing of its hidden risks. You are the foundation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. You absolutely cannot take such a risk."

"Let me try it first! Once I've established all the rules within the Game Pod and determined whether it is safe, you and Rongrong can enter and experience it. That would be the safest course."

Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin also nodded in agreement, his gaze stern:

"Gu Rong is right. Leave the exploration of the unknown to us sect-guardian Douluos. The sect master's safety comes before everything."

[Thank you to reader Tako for the seven recommendation votes, and to reader 20230512452_DA for the monthly vote. May you live forever, enjoy one stroke of good fortune after another, and make a great fortune!]