The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.
Ning Fengzhi sat at the head of the table, tapping his fingers against it intermittently.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong sat on either side. The three of them had remained here ever since returning from the Nine Dragon Tower.
Ning Fengzhi broke the silence.
He looked at Chen Xin and Gu Rong and asked,
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Bone, how much of what that Tower Master said do you think we can believe?"
"He wasn't just pulling the wool over our eyes, was he?"
Gu Rong spoke first, a trace of excitement in his voice.
"Fengzhi, how could that possibly be a deception?"
"He could even put a divine item like a God-bestowed Soul Ring up for auction. How could it be fake?"
"And when that tower descended from the sky, even that old sword bastard and I couldn't stop it together!"
The more Gu Rong spoke, the more excited he became, and he slapped the table.
"That kind of power is absolutely beyond any mortal!"
Chen Xin nodded in agreement beside him.
"Old Bones is right."
"That Tower Master's strength is far above ours."
He paused, his voice growing somewhat graver.
"But creating a Divine Realm isn't something you can accomplish just by talking about it."
"Throughout history, how many monstrous geniuses have ultimately fallen on the road to godhood?"
"Let alone a feat as grand as creating a Divine Realm. I think we can wait and see about that."
"But as for his offer to help you evolve your martial soul, Fengzhi..."
A sharp gleam flashed through Chen Xin's eyes.
"I think that is very likely to be true."
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly at his words.
He thought so too.
Creating a Divine Realm was too distant, but evolving his martial soul was a benefit within reach.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could never break past rank seventy-nine in its entire lifetime. That shackle had weighed on their sect for a lifetime.
If it really could evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda...
Then their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would absolutely have the number one support martial soul on the entire continent!
Just as their discussion reached a crucial point,
a flurry of light footsteps came from outside the hall.
A graceful young woman walked in.
She wore a dress, and a hint of anxiety showed on her face.
The newcomer was none other than Ning Rongrong.
The moment she entered, she heard Chen Xin mention "Martial Soul Evolution."
Ning Rongrong walked farther inside as she asked curiously,
"What Martial Soul Evolution, Grandpa Jian?"
At the sight of Ning Rongrong, the solemn expressions on Chen Xin's and Gu Rong's faces vanished instantly.
Both replaced them with kindly smiles.
"Rongrong, you're here."
Gu Rong beckoned with a chuckle.
"Come here. Let Grandpa Bone see if you've grown any taller."
Ning Rongrong obediently walked over and greeted Gu Rong first.
"Hello, Grandpa Bone."
"Ah, hello."
Then she nodded to Chen Xin.
"Hello, Grandpa Jian."
Finally, she turned to her father, Ning Fengzhi, and pouted.
"Dad, why did you call me back in such a hurry?"
"We're rushing around everywhere looking for Tang San. Nobody knows where he went!"
Seeing his daughter's anxious expression, Ning Fengzhi comforted her gently.
"Don't worry. He should be all right. He might even come back today."
Ning Rongrong pursed her lips.
"I hope so. But Dad, what exactly did you call me back for?"
Rather than answer directly, Ning Fengzhi gave Ning Rongrong a rough account of what had happened in the Nine Dragon Tower.
Of course, he left out the part about creating a Divine Realm for now.
After listening, curiosity flashed in Ning Rongrong's eyes.
"A God-bestowed Soul Ring?"
"Dad, what's a God-bestowed Soul Ring?"
Chen Xin explained from beside them.
"A God-bestowed Soul Ring is a soul ring granted by a deity. It allows you to obtain a soul ring without hunting a soul beast."
"And it has no attribute restrictions. It suits anyone who absorbs it, and its age matches the utmost limit of what the absorber can withstand."
"It can reach up to a million years!"
"Such a thing has only ever appeared in legends."
Ning Rongrong listened in shock.
"It's that amazing?!"
"Then didn't whoever won that God-bestowed Soul Ring at auction make an absolute killing?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled and did not pursue the subject.
He looked at Ning Rongrong, his expression gradually turning serious.
"Rongrong, I called you back because I have something important to tell you."
Seeing that her father's expression was unusual, Ning Rongrong also put away her playful smile.
"What is it, Dad?"
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath.
"I've found a way for you to break past the rank seventy-nine limit. You could even become a Titled Douluo in the future."
Ning Rongrong clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.
"Really, Dad?!"
"I can really break through to become a Titled Douluo?!"
She had known since childhood that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could never break past rank seventy-nine.
It was also a regret passed down through generations of the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi nodded.
"It's true."
"But there's one condition."
Ning Rongrong immediately said, "What condition? Tell me, Dad!"
"You have to leave Shrek Academy and transfer to Skywater Academy."
Ning Rongrong froze.
Leave Shrek?
Go to Skywater Academy?
The excitement on her face instantly turned to hesitation.
Shrek might have been run-down, but Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others were there.
They trained together and competed together. They had already become friends.
And now she was being asked to leave...
Ning Rongrong bit her lip and did not answer immediately.
Ning Fengzhi did not rush her, merely watching her quietly.
He knew this decision would not be easy for Rongrong.
But for the sake of her future, she had to take this step.
Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
In a small grove on the hill behind the academy.
Dugu Yan sat on a rock, her face somewhat pale.
She coughed from time to time, her brows tightly furrowed.
The poison in her body had begun acting up again.
Every attack felt like countless little snakes crawling through her blood vessels.
It hurt and itched, tormenting her unbearably.
Just then, a figure descended from the sky.
Dugu Bo landed in front of her.
"Grandpa!"
At the sight of Dugu Bo, a hint of delighted surprise appeared on Dugu Yan's face.
"What brings you here?"
Dugu Bo's heart ached as he looked at his granddaughter's pale face.
But he wore a smile.
"Yanyan, I've found a way to cure your poison."
Dugu Yan sprang to her feet, astonishment written all over her face.
"Really, Grandpa?"
"You found a way?"
She had waited far too long for this day.
Tormented by poison since childhood, she longed more than anyone to live like a normal person.
Without having her heart in her throat every time she cultivated, without fearing that the poison might turn on her one day and kill her.
Dugu Bo nodded.
"It's true."
After a moment of excitement, Dugu Yan suddenly remembered something.
She looked at Dugu Bo and asked cautiously,
"Then... what about you, Grandpa?"
"Is there a way to cure your poison too?"
Warmth filled Dugu Bo's heart.
This girl was already worrying about him before her own poison had even been cured.
Smiling, he stroked Dugu Yan's head.
"I've found a way to cure my poison too."
"It will just take a little time."
Dugu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes reddening slightly.
"That's good. That's good..."
She knew her grandfather's poisoning was worse than hers.
Every time she saw him suffering during an attack, it distressed her more than suffering an attack herself.
Dugu Bo turned around and raised a hand to point into the distance.
At the center of Heaven Dou City, a pitch-black Mysterious Tower stood silently.
Nine dragon-shaped statues loomed indistinctly on its body.
Dugu Bo's gaze settled on the tower, his eyes filled with reverence.
"Yanyan, the way to help us comes from there."
Dugu Yan looked in the direction her grandfather was pointing.
At the sight of that pitch-black Mysterious Tower, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Before you continue