At those words, a flash of deep blue light swept over Zhu Zhuqing as she summoned her martial soul, and the phantom of a Hell Spirit Cat appeared behind her.
It still had the same sleek, graceful feline form, but a closer look revealed several pale purple markings on its jet-black fur, stretching from its spine all the way to the tip of its tail.
Ning Rongrong summoned her martial soul as well.
An exquisite, translucent glazed tile pagoda slowly rose from her palm.
At first glance, she saw no difference. It was still just as beautiful, just as delicate.
But she soon noticed something different.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... seven, eight, nine?"
"The Nine... Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
Ning Rongrong's voice suddenly rose. She stared wide-eyed at the pagoda in her palm, counting it twice more before confirming that she had not miscounted.
Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda... had become the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support abilities were unrivaled under heaven, but its heaven-defying power had also drawn heaven's jealousy.
Even the highest-grade glazed tile pagoda had only seven floors, which meant that this martial soul could only ever cultivate to seven rings and could never reach perfection.
She thought of her father, Ning Fengzhi. His greatest wish throughout a lifetime of effort had been to advance the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to the nine-floor realm, yet he had never found so much as a glimpse of the path.
She had never imagined that today, that wish would come true through her.
Ning Rongrong stared blankly at the nine-floor pagoda in her palm as an indescribable emotion suddenly welled up in her heart.
This transformation might well rewrite the fate of the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect...
She abruptly raised her head to look at Yu Xiaogang. "Teacher, did you... foresee this?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "If we were to ask which of these many immortal herbs could have the greatest effect on you, it would undoubtedly be this Aromatic Silk Beauty, because it is almost certain to make the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul evolve."
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a moment, then slowly lifted her gaze from the nine-floor pagoda in her palm, her expression turning serious. "Teacher, this matter is far too important. I think... I may need to take a few days off to return to my sect."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "All right."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolving into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was no small matter. It was a major event that could shake the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
She stepped back and bowed deeply and earnestly to Yu Xiaogang. "Teacher, thank you."
With that, she straightened up and, without further delay, turned and strode toward the academy gates.
Watching her retreating figure, Xiao Wu called out, "Rongrong, come back soon!"
Ning Rongrong turned her head and waved, soon disappearing around a bend in the path.
Yu Xiaogang understood how she felt at that moment. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolving into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda carried far too much weight for the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had already been hailed as the greatest support martial soul under heaven, even though its upper limit was only Soul Saint!
Now that the upgraded Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could reach Titled Douluo, no one dared imagine just how powerful its support abilities would become!
In the original story, Ning Rongrong had even considered marrying Tang San when she first evolved her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which showed just how profoundly it had affected her.
Withdrawing his gaze, Yu Xiaogang put those thoughts aside.
Just as the two of them had finished absorbing their immortal herbs, the system notification had arrived right on cue.
Yu Xiaogang had glanced at the rewards, though, and they were all fairly ordinary, aside from a soul bone.
The next few days proceeded according to plan.
Yu Xiaogang taught Zhu Zhuqing all of the Six Styles, and the techniques proved to be practically tailor-made for her.
Finger Pistol, Moonwalk, Shave, Paper Arts, Storm Leg-apart from Iron Block, which did not quite suit her fighting style, she grasped the basics of the other five within just a few days.
Her Nether Civet Martial Soul already excelled in speed and agility, and with Shave and Moonwalk, it was like giving wings to a tiger.
During that time, Dai Mubai and Oscar also came to Yu Xiaogang one after another, asking to become his disciples.
Flender came in person and talked to Yu Xiaogang at length, essentially telling him that he might as well take all these Shrek children as his disciples. After all, Yu Xiaogang's teaching ability was plain for all to see, and Flender also hoped his former students could receive better training.
Yu Xiaogang had already intended to do so, so naturally, he did not refuse.
The Six Styles remained the foundational course.
This time, however, Yu Xiaogang also assigned each of them additional work beyond practicing the Six Styles.
Apart from practicing the Six Styles every day, Zhu Zhuqing also had to catch fish in Blue Tyrant Academy's lake. She was forbidden from using soul skills and had to rely purely on her body's reactions and speed in the water.
This was an entirely new challenge for her. The resistance of the water and the obstruction to her vision greatly diminished her advantage in speed.
Dai Mubai's task was kneading dough.
Yu Xiaogang gave him an extremely thin porcelain basin and required him to knead flour into smooth dough. Too much force would shatter the basin, while too little would fail to bring the dough together.
During the first few days, Dai Mubai broke more than thirty basins and scattered flour all over the floor, infuriating the cafeteria ladies so much that they wanted to eat him alive.
Oscar's task was to practice "Distraction." While activating his food-type soul skill to make tofu, he had to recite an entry from a soul beast encyclopedia chosen by Yu Xiaogang.
That was only the most basic stage. Later, he would have to draw a circle and a square with his left and right hands simultaneously while using his soul skill, and even draw and write with his left hand.
As for Ma Hongjun, although he had not yet become Yu Xiaogang's disciple, he was Flender's personal disciple, after all. At Flender's request, Yu Xiaogang made an exception and taught him the Six Styles as well, giving him a Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.
In addition, Yu Xiaogang assigned him a separate task: go to the cafeteria and help Shao Xin tend the fire.
It was to train his control over flames.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had already undergone similar training several years earlier, so Yu Xiaogang set them more advanced cultivation goals.
Their training continued at this tightly orchestrated pace.
Leaning against a tree trunk at the edge of the training grounds, Flender watched the students looking more bedraggled than the last and could not resist teasing him. "You certainly have it easy as a teacher. You throw a pile of difficult problems at your students, then wash your hands of everything."
Yu Xiaogang was tinkering with medicinal herbs nearby and did not even turn his head. "What do you think of the students?"
"They're geniuses among geniuses, of course."
Flender answered without hesitation.
"Heh, good, as long as you know that. Learning isn't something rigid. There is no fixed teacher in learning, and there is nowhere one cannot learn. That is something they must understand."
"As their teacher, I only need to guide them."
His gaze swept over the young people busy with their respective tasks on the training grounds. "Talent, background, and character are a person's foundations. Every one of them has the finest foundations, but no one can stand still in the same place for their entire life."
"What I want them to learn is how to go farther and do better in their future!"
Flender paused, then smiled and shook his head, muttering, "That tongue of yours... you've almost made me want to become a student again."
Before you continue