On the mountain of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Wang Qiye seemed to sense something, then rapped Ning Rongrong on the head with his knuckles again.
"She learned it in two days and even found time to practice the cultivation method. And you? You haven't even finished learning it, let alone practicing it."
Ning Rongrong turned around, brimming with resentment. "Master, why did you hit me again? Who are you talking about?"
"Your second junior sister."
"But isn't my second junior sister Shui Bing'er?"
Wang Qiye rolled his eyes. "They only count as nominal disciples. Only after they finish cultivating both stages of Copper Skin and Iron Bones might I consider taking them as personal disciples."
Ning Rongrong immediately grew excited. "What about me? What about me? What rank of disciple am I?"
At those words, Wang Qiye's face darkened.
He beckoned, and a slender willow branch nearby flew into his hand. With a crack, he whipped Ning Rongrong across the backside.
"What kind of disciple are you? You're my fucking final disciple! I must have had eight lifetimes of rotten luck to take in a lazy disciple like you! When your master dies, there won't even be anyone to burn newspapers at my grave!"
The willow switch was thin, but it made Ning Rongrong shriek and squeal.
She could also tell that something had provoked her master and that he was genuinely angry this time. She no longer dared to banter and could only scramble and tumble all the way back to practice.
The Pride of Heaven Ranking had finished announcing its entries, and the rewards were distributed immediately.
Points of light descended from the sky into the hands of the various young prodigies. This time, however, no one dared to snatch their rewards.
After all, these prodigies either had major powers behind them or were disciples of Titled Douluos, while one even possessed the cultivation of a rank-ninety-nine Titled Douluo himself. Who had swallowed a bear's heart and a leopard's gall and dared to rob them?
Once the Pride of Heaven Ranking had finished distributing its rewards, the canopy of sky shifted.
"Looks like this Heaven Ranking is about to end."
Looking back, only seven short days had passed since the Heaven Ranking first appeared, yet it had allowed countless ordinary people in the Douluo World, people without even a trace of soul power, to witness the brilliance of the foremost prodigies among Soul Masters.
Over that week, even the villagers of Holy Soul Village, who had no connection whatsoever to the world of Soul Masters, gathered in their spare time to discuss the prodigies on the ranking.
"Old Jack, do you think our village is going to produce a Titled Douluo? Last time I went to town, I heard people say that the highest title for a Soul Master is Titled Douluo."
Old Jack smiled bitterly inwardly. "I'd like to know too. You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask?"
But then he remembered something.
"I could tell ages ago that Tang Hao was no good. I only let him stay because he had a letter of recommendation from the Blacksmiths' Guild. Little San was such a promising seedling, but he insisted on raising him into a failure. If he hadn't been such a bastard, Little San could at least have climbed a few more places, couldn't he?"
"Exactly, exactly." The other villagers echoed him. "Such an unfortunate child."
Just then, another line of text appeared on the Heaven Ranking:
[Rewards have been distributed. The Dragon-Tiger Ranking will be announced in one week. Everyone ranked will receive a reward.] [This ranking is based entirely on individual strength. The victor reigns supreme!]
For a moment, the villagers of Holy Soul Village all had shining eyes.
"A new ranking? That's wonderful!"
Old Jack nodded in agreement beside them, and the village immediately became as lively as if some festival were being held.
"I wonder how Little San is doing now. Do you think he can make it onto this new ranking?"
"Of course he can! Little San is the pride of our village!"
At Spirit Hall, everything had settled, and there was still some time before the new ranking appeared.
Bibi Dong ordered the disciples to go cultivate and the elders to attend to their respective duties, but kept Ma Hongjun behind alone.
"Master, what is it that I can't hear, that you have to tell this little fatty alone?" Hu Liena wheedled, and Bibi Dong stroked her hair dotingly.
"Enough. What, do I need your permission to speak to someone?"
Hu Liena had no choice but to stare at Ma Hongjun. "I'm warning you, don't even think about bullying my master. Otherwise, even if my master is generous enough to forgive you, I certainly won't let you off."
Ma Hongjun was new here, and she was the Supreme Pontiff's disciple. How could he dare say anything? He could only lower his head and stare at the floor.
"All right, go on out, Little Na," Bibi Dong said.
Only then did Hu Liena relent. She gave a cold snort and walked out.
She had completely forgotten that Ma Hongjun had lost control earlier because of his martial soul. But she had always looked down on ugly people, and even though Ma Hongjun had made the Pride of Heaven Ranking, she still instinctively felt that this little fatty was merely an empty show.
After everyone left, Bibi Dong slowly walked up to Ma Hongjun.
Deep down, she also looked down on this little fatty. Although it had later been proven that she had wrongly blamed him, Bibi Dong instinctively believed that this Ma Hongjun was prone to crooked dealings.
Still, she had wrongly blamed him, after all, and had even had him whipped. At the very least, she had to make some gesture.
Fourth place on the Pride of Heaven Ranking was no longer some nobody and was worth her goodwill.
Bibi Dong approached him. "Little fatty, does it still hurt?"
Ma Hongjun caught an enchanting fragrance. Bibi Dong's voice seemed imbued with magic, plucking at his heartstrings every time she spoke.
With the two of them now alone together, Ma Hongjun felt as though half his body were in heaven and the other half in hell.
Bibi Dong walked around behind Ma Hongjun, her slender, jade-white fingers lightly touching his wounds.
His clothing here was already torn, and the wounds had scabbed over. Even left untreated, they would heal on their own in two or three days.
Bibi Dong touched him lightly with her fingers. Ma Hongjun felt a cool sensation behind him, but it was not cold. Rather, it was a delightful, soothing feeling that traveled down his spine and burrowed straight into the crevices of his bones.
"Little fatty, those twenty lashes were indeed unfair to you. But setting aside the flaw in your martial soul, were you really blameless?"
Ma Hongjun could no longer take in a word. His mind was utterly blank.
He was now alone in a room with the most exalted woman on the entire continent, and her hand was even gently stroking his back.
It already took all his strength to restrain his natural reactions. He dared not make any movement.
"Since these wounds came from the punishment I gave you, I'll heal them for you."
Bibi Dong took out a tube of specially formulated ointment, medicine she always kept in her Soul Tool for emergencies.
To other people, however, it already qualified as a miraculous remedy.
Bibi Dong unscrewed the ointment, squeezed a little onto her hand, and gently and carefully spread it over the wounds on Ma Hongjun's back with her whole palm.
Ma Hongjun felt as though the icy-cool ointment were pouring into the crevices of his bones. Applying it should have hurt somewhat, but with those soft, jade-white fingers touching him, there was no pain at all.
Ma Hongjun could even feel that Bibi Dong was extremely close to him. Her breath even blew against his back.
He immediately felt light and floating, as though he were among the clouds.
Could this be heaven?
From Bibi Dong's perspective, however, the specially formulated ointment simply worked fast. She had only just applied it, and the wounds on Ma Hongjun's back were already healing at tremendous speed.
In less than a minute, all twenty wounds had healed, leaving a completely unblemished back before Bibi Dong.
"All done, little fatty. The treatment is finished."
When her palm left him, Ma Hongjun felt a wave of emptiness. An unaccountable evil fire surged up, utterly beyond his control.
Cold sweat broke out on Ma Hongjun's forehead. This is bad. Today must be the day to purge my evil fire.
I just took twenty lashes. If I disgrace myself again, I'll probably lose my life here today!
"Don't move, you little fatty."
In Bibi Dong's eyes, although his wounds had healed, Ma Hongjun had broken out in a heavy sweat in just a few seconds. Even his back was slick with it.
"Could something be wrong with the healing ointment? No, impossible!"
She reached out and pressed her hand against Ma Hongjun's back, intending to see whether something had gone wrong inside his body.
Ma Hongjun nearly lost control. He felt his consciousness split into two.
One was the reason and composure in his mind, desperately warning him to stay calm and not make a single move.
The other consciousness was the wicked thoughts in his heart. This consciousness was very simple, with only one voice echoing within it.
Charge!
Charge!
Charge!
Charge!
Charge toward the sun in the sky!!!!!!!!
Ma Hongjun suddenly felt like a slowly rising sun, impatient to melt the delicate little hand resting against his back.
A fiery afterimage flashed across Bibi Dong's left hand and vanished.
Before you continue