"Grandpa Gu, it looks so lively over there. Can I go take a look?" Outside Vast Sea City, Ning Rongrong gazed at the enormous reef cordoned off by Spirit Hall ahead. Unable to contain her curiosity, she wanted to get closer and see what was happening.
Beside her, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, and Snake Lance Douluo She Long, posing as a lance-wielding Soul Douluo, kept their eyes lowered in studied composure, pretending not to see Ning Rongrong wheedling Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
As outsiders, they naturally could not stop a granddaughter from acting spoiled with her grandfather. Besides, Ning Rongrong's willfulness was a good thing for Qian Renxue.
She had been worrying over how to approach Tang Mo naturally. Ning Rongrong's request to join the excitement gave her the perfect reason to get close to him.
"All right, all right... Little princess, Grandpa will take you over right now." Gu Rong chuckled and patted Ning Rongrong on the head. Smiling broadly, he lifted her onto his shoulders, then strode toward the gathering with a swagger.
His Martial Soul was the Bone Dragon. Aside from its formidable defensive power, it also possessed some spatial abilities.
With both abilities at his disposal, he remained utterly fearless even after spotting Yue Guan and Gui Mei guarding Tang Mo ahead and knowing that approaching Tang Mo now could easily spark a battle between Titled Douluos. If he could not beat them, he could always run.
But a battle between Titled Douluos had too many unpredictable factors. To prevent Yue Guan and Gui Mei from taking Ning Rongrong hostage, he could only keep her on his shoulders, ensuring he could flee with her at a moment's notice.
As for the safety of Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe? How could an elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sincerely protect the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince?
Besides, Spirit Hall could not casually kill the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince. At most, they would tie him up and demand some benefits from the Heaven Dou Empire.
After all, before Spirit Hall became the Spirit Hall Empire, it could not openly break with the two great empires. It still had to leave them some face.
"Old Bone, this way is closed." Just before Gu Rong could force his way through the defensive perimeter formed by Vast Sea City's Spirit Hall deacons, Yue Guan appeared before him and blocked his path.
At the same time, Gui Mei appeared soundlessly behind Yue Guan. Facing the pair, who possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Gu Rong showed a trace of wariness.
"Does Spirit Hall stick its nose into everything now? You even have to interfere when someone wants to take a swim in the sea?" Gu Rong asked Yue Guan and Gui Mei sarcastically.
"This isn't the only way to the sea. You can go around." Pretending not to understand the mockery in Gu Rong's words, Yue Guan took a step toward him, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
At this, the gravity in Gu Rong's eyes deepened. He patted Ning Rongrong, who had been frightened speechless by Yue Guan and Gui Mei's pressure, and his aura surged. Not only did he shield her from the oncoming pressure, he even showed signs of actively suppressing the pressure emanating from Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
The next moment, the three men's pressures abruptly collided, whipping up a considerable blast of air.
Before the blast reached them, Qian Renxue, She Long, and the Spirit Hall deacons around the three men all backed away repeatedly in unison.
Whoosh, whoosh...
Sand and grit rose high from the ground in the blast, forming rings of miniature sandstorms.
In mere moments, the sandy ground around the three men developed jagged heaps of compacted sand, interlocking like a dog's fangs.
The three were close in strength, all level ninety-five Titled Douluos. However, Bone Douluo had reached level ninety-five longer ago and specialized in defense, allowing him to handle two Titled Douluos of the same level with ease.
But unlike Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who had little to encumber them, Gu Rong had Ning Rongrong as a burden. In the end, he could only be the first to take a step back.
Seeing Gu Rong yield, Yue Guan and Gui Mei gradually withdrew their pressure.
Gu Rong had come off worse in the clash of pressure, but that did not mean he feared Yue Guan and Gui Mei in an actual fight. He therefore did not leave, and even gazed at Tang Mo nearby with a chuckle.
"Little Chrysanthemum, Little Ghost, if my information is correct, that boy should be Tang Mo, the genius Spirit Hall recently found."
"Old Bone, you can spare us any talk of poaching." Yue Guan glanced at Gu Rong. Believing he had already guessed his intentions, he immediately cut him off.
"No, no, no..." Gu Rong raised a hand and waved it. "I have no intention of poaching him. I know our limits. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect couldn't protect a genius who can acquire his Second Soul Ring just after awakening his Martial Soul. But even if Spirit Hall governs heaven and earth, can it govern young people making friends?"
As he spoke, Gu Rong rolled his eyes upward rather proudly, indicating that there was a little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect above his head.
Everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect doted on their little princess, Ning Rongrong. But enjoying the privileges the sect provided meant she also had to consider the sect and fulfill the corresponding duties.
Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rules stipulated that its future sect master's partner had to be a Battle Soul Master who belonged to neither the support system nor the food system.
Thus, however much Ning Fengzhi doted on Ning Rongrong, he still had to think ahead about her future partner.
And in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Tang Mo was a fine candidate to become the partner of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's future master.
After recovering her senses from the pressure that had frightened her witless, Ning Rongrong heard Gu Rong's words. With her mildly rebellious streak, she had wanted to reject this inexplicable arrangement to make friends.
But when she saw Tang Mo's profile atop the reef, she swallowed her words. Everyone loved beauty, and Tang Mo was quite handsome, so she did not mind befriending him.
As for anything else, that could wait.
Noticing that Ning Rongrong did not seem opposed to getting to know Tang Mo, Gu Rong's expression froze. Ning Fengzhi wanted Tang Mo to become the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's prized son-in-law someday, but Gu Rong did not share that view. He placed more importance on Ning Rongrong's own wishes.
His earlier remarks had merely been a verbal ploy to mock Yue Guan. He had not taken his own words to heart at all. Yet now, something seemed to be slipping out of his control; his snug little padded jacket was showing signs of letting in a draft.
Seeing the change in Ning Rongrong, Qian Renxue could not help turning toward She Long beside her, asking with her eyes: Why had Ning Rongrong's attitude changed so much?
The corner of She Long's mouth twitched. He quietly raised a hand and pointed at his aged face, indicating that this was an age that judged people by their looks. Then he pointed at his other hand, indicating that strength mattered too.
At this, the blockage in Qian Renxue's mind suddenly cleared. She abruptly felt that the saying about an elder in the family being a treasure truly made sense.
Meanwhile, the process of establishing a contract between Tang Mo and the Azure Sea Killer Whale was nearing completion. A minute wisp of energy, which Tang Mo named Contract Power, entered his body and took root in his right lung.
Metallic patterns then surfaced on his left lung, while the two characters for "contract" gradually appeared on his right lung, faint and indistinct.
The earliest contracts recorded in history could be traced back to Western Zhou inscriptions-the writing on bronze vessels.
Contracts were often connected to interests, and interests in turn had a certain connection to the currency represented by metal. Thus, metal and contracts often shared a certain link.
At that moment, the metal-attribute power in Tang Mo's lungs mingled with the Contract Power, actually beginning to form an extremely unusual power within his lungs.
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