The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Council Hall.
The refined and easygoing middle-aged man in white was smiling as he spoke with the other two.
From time to time, he looked up with a smile.
"That won't do. When our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect takes a bride, we must make it a grand affair. We absolutely can't let outsiders laugh at us."
Who else could it be but Ning Fengzhi?
"Exactly, Sect Master. We've already bought a large number of gifts for the guests. Once they arrive, we'll start wrapping them right away, making sure every guest leaves satisfied."
The other white-haired elder nodded in agreement.
"Haha, then I have nothing to worry about."
The third person in the hall was a thin old man with a broad frame.
"After all these years, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is finally holding a wedding."
The old man couldn't help sighing again.
Listening to their conversation, Ning Xuan slowed his steps as he approached the hall, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.
The three elders were wholeheartedly arranging his wedding.
He didn't know how saddened they would be when they learned that he wanted to call off the engagement.
But when something must be cut off, hesitating will only invite trouble.
Rather than live a miserable, stifling life after marriage, it was better to end things sooner.
"Father, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, I'm back."
Ning Xuan took a deep breath and walked into the Council Hall.
"Xiao Xuan's back?"
The three turned their heads at the same time.
Then, as if in perfect unison, they all smiled warmly.
"Xiao Xuan, you came back in such a hurry? Didn't the family say you could stay away for a couple more days?"
"What, don't you trust Grandpa Sword?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin couldn't help teasing him.
"Even if you don't trust Grandpa Sword, your father's here too. Would he really let your wedding be shabby?"
"Haha."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong also beamed.
He had a broad frame but was very thin, and he had little hair left on his head or face. He was truly getting on in years.
"Xiao Xuan can't wait to take a bride!"
Only Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted slightly.
"Xiao Xuan, did something happen?"
No one knew a child better than his father. Almost the instant he saw Ning Xuan, he sensed that something had happened.
Looking at the three elders before him,
whether they were teasing him with smiles or asking after him with concern, their words sent a warm current through Ning Xuan's heart.
They were the ones
who, when his cultivation had taken off and he'd risen to prominence, had hailed him as the pride of the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
When he'd reached the bottleneck at Rank 79,
and people outside had already started calling him a good-for-nothing,
they had still supported him in silence, telling him not to lose heart and that, at worst, he could come back and inherit the family business.
The three old men had devoted nearly their whole lives to taking care of him.
"Why didn't Rongrong come back with you?"
Ning Fengzhi exclaimed.
"Xiao Xuan, didn't I tell you to bring Rongrong along every time you came back?"
"Did that girl refuse to come back with you again?"
At that, Ning Fengzhi shook his head slightly.
"We really spoiled her. I'm beginning to wonder whether sending her to Shrek Academy to temper her temperament was the right choice."
"Sect Master, what's the point of bringing that up now?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin reassured him.
"If the little princess doesn't want to come back, then let her be. As long as she's safe, that's all that matters."
Then he turned to Ning Xuan with a smile.
"Xiao Xuan, don't just stand there now that you're back. Come sit down and see what your grandpas have prepared for your wedding."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong was rubbing his hands together too, looking as if he'd had a part in it and wanted someone to praise him.
Only Ning Xuan remained standing where he was.
He pressed his lips together, his heart aching even more.
When the three of them looked his way again, Ning Xuan finally spoke.
"Father."
"Grandpa Sword."
"Grandpa Bone."
"I... I broke through..."
Ning Xuan decided to share the good news first.
Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluo, Sword and Bone, froze for a moment.
Then their eyes widened in unison.
"Xiao Xuan, what did you say?"
Ning Fengzhi was the first to react, asking in ecstatic delight,
"You really broke through?"
The two Titled Douluo, Sword and Bone, also clapped their hands and laughed.
"Good, good, good. Double joy!"
"Double joy indeed!"
What could be more worth celebrating than breaking through a level that had held him back for ten years?
Especially since this level was the bottleneck imposed by the family's Martial Soul.
Rank 79!
Ning Xuan's breakthrough was tantamount to breaking that curse.
"Really!"
Ning Xuan confirmed.
Then he released all his Soul Power without holding anything back.
In an instant, a hurricane seemed to sweep through the entire Council Hall. Decorations and furnishings on the walls were sent flying to the ground, clattering noisily.
But none of the three elders cared.
They held their breath, carefully sensing the level fluctuations coming from Ning Xuan.
"Good, you can stop now."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin was the first to speak.
He burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter.
"Sure enough, Rank 80! His Soul Power is even stronger than that of most veteran Soul Douluo. Haha!"
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo Gu Rong also smiled.
Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and clapped Ning Xuan hard on the shoulder. His eyes were red, and all he could say was, "Good, good, good."
"Now no one will dare call the Young Sect Master of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect a good-for-nothing."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong was also beaming with joy, though his eyes brimmed with coldness.
"If this old man hears anyone daring to gossip about Xiao Xuan behind his back again, I'll tear their mouth apart."
For the past ten years,
Ning Xuan's Soul Power Level hadn't advanced at all, and people across the continent had mocked him, mocking the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for being unable to break free of its curse.
They mocked Ning Xuan as a good-for-nothing too.
No matter how quickly he'd advanced at first, how monstrous his talent had seemed, this one thing alone was enough for people to sneer and call him useless.
Especially since the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had promoted him so heavily in the beginning.
The higher they'd raised him,
the harder he'd fallen over the past ten years.
So much so that Ning Xuan's biological younger sister, Ning Rongrong, had shown him no respect at all and often called him a good-for-nothing behind his back.
But when had Ning Rongrong's attitude toward him grown even worse?
It must have been after he'd taken the Immortal Herb, Aromatic Silk Beauty,
and still failed to break through.
Ning Xuan had once overheard people discussing it behind his back. Ning Rongrong also thought he was wasting a precious treasure. If that Immortal Herb had been given to her, she was certain she could have evolved the sect's Martial Soul.
Ning Xuan knew that too.
If Ning Rongrong had taken the Aromatic Silk Beauty, her Martial Soul would definitely have evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile.
But Ning Rongrong had forgotten.
He had picked all these Immortal Herbs with Sword Douluo Chen Xin from the mountain hollow where Dugu Bo lived.
What did they have to do with her?
"This is a double celebration. It's truly a joyous occasion for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I must announce it to the whole continent at once."
Laughing heartily, Ning Fengzhi was about to call someone in to announce the news to the entire continent.
His son, Ning Fengzhi's son, wasn't a good-for-nothing. He was a true genius!
He was destined to lead the sect to the peak!!!
"Dad, wait a moment."
Ning Xuan hurriedly stopped him.
Ten years of cold looks had taught him long ago to endure in silence.
"Actually, I came back this time because there's something else I need to tell you three elders."
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