Ning Fengzhi looked at Chen Ci and asked:
"Little Chen Ci, isn't my Rongrong pretty?"
Hearing this, Chen Ci looked at Ning Rongrong and nodded.
(Although Ning Rongrong was still young, one could already see that she was a budding beauty.)
"Rongrong really is very pretty."
"Then would you be willing to marry Rongrong in the future?"
Chen Ci thought he had no reason to refuse, so he said:
"Yes."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, looked at Ning Rongrong, and asked:
"Rongrong, would you be willing to marry Chen Ci?"
Ning Rongrong nodded and said:
"Yes, but I have one condition!"
Ning Fengzhi was somewhat curious. She was willing, yet she had a condition-what did she mean?
"What condition?"
Ning Rongrong said proudly:
"I'm the first Soul Master in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to have innate rank-nine Soul Power. If I'm going to marry anyone, it has to be the world's number one Power Attack System Soul Master!
"Chen Ci must become the world's number one Power Attack System Soul Master before I'll marry him!"
"Hahaha."
Ning Fengzhi and the other two laughed, but none of them took it seriously.
Since Ning Rongrong was willing, that meant she certainly liked Chen Ci; otherwise, she would not have agreed.
As for becoming the world's number one Power Attack System Soul Master, they did not think it would be difficult for Chen Ci.
Hearing their laughter, Ning Rongrong looked at Chen Ci and blinked her blue-green, glazed-tile-colored eyes.
(I wonder if they believed me.)
(Actually, he doesn't have to become the strongest Power Attack System Soul Master in the world, but he must at least be able to protect me.)
Chen Xin teased:
"Little Chen Ci, if you want to marry Rongrong, you'll have to become the strongest Power Attack System Soul Master in the world!"
And so, Chen Ci and Ning Rongrong's engagement was settled in this easy, cheerful fashion.
Once the engagement was settled, Ning Fengzhi made the arrangements:
"Rongrong has innate rank-nine Soul Power, while Chen Ci has innate full Soul Power.
"There isn't much difference. Once Rongrong has cultivated for a few days and reached rank-ten Soul Power, Uncle Jian can take you both to hunt for your first Soul Rings."
Chen Xin nodded and accepted the task.
"Chen Ci's Martial Souls are swords. If he's going to study the way of the sword with me, there's no hurry to hunt for Soul Rings.
"While Rongrong cultivates, Chen Ci can practice his swordsmanship first."
As a supreme elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he ordinarily had no need to take juniors Soul Hunting.
But Chen Ci was his disciple, and Ning Rongrong was his favorite junior, so it was perfectly reasonable.
Afterward, they left one after another, while Ning Rongrong stayed to cultivate her Soul Power.
Ning Fengzhi attended to official business. Seeing Chen Xin take in such a fine disciple as Chen Ci, Gu Rong felt somewhat envious and went out to find a suitable disciple.
Chen Xin took Chen Ci back to Sword Peak.
Sword Peak was a mountain standing apart from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, not far from it.
The furnishings here were simple, with only a modest little courtyard; though the sparrow was small, it had all its vital organs.
The two landed in the courtyard. Using Soul Power, Chen Xin extracted a fine piece of wood from a nearby peach tree, carved it into the shape of the Passionate Sword, and placed it in Chen Ci's hands.
"Chen Ci, you originally didn't want to reveal the Ruthless Sword today.
"But you were worried that because the Passionate Sword lacked killing power, I wouldn't teach you my true skills, so you revealed the Ruthless Sword.
"Am I right?"
Chen Ci scratched his head. He had not expected to be found out, so he could only admit it.
Chen Xin continued:
"Both your swords are of extremely high quality, surpassing my Seven Kill Sword. Although the Passionate Sword doesn't specialize in killing power,
"as a sword, it certainly won't lack killing power. It is more than sufficient to inherit my way of the sword.
"Although you've taken me as your master, I can only guide your cultivation of the sword. You're the first person with twin Martial Souls I've encountered.
"I don't know how you should cultivate them either. You'll have to explore that yourself."
Chen Ci nodded in agreement.
As for cultivating his Martial Souls, as a transmigrator, he naturally knew how to cultivate twin Martial Souls. He did not even need to think up which Soul Skills to add.
He could simply copy the Soul Skills of Amorous Douluo and Ruthless Douluo from Legend of the Dragon King.
As for the Ruthless Sword and the Passionate Sword, Chen Ci had already decided which sword to focus on cultivating.
The Ruthless Sword specialized in offense, while the Passionate Sword specialized in control. The former was an absolute stat monster, and a stat monster naturally needed to stack stats.
Once he became a Titled Douluo, he would add Soul Rings to the Ruthless Sword, making it the ultimate stat monster.
The Passionate Sword, meanwhile, primarily relied on control, so suitability mattered more than a Soul Ring's age.
Moreover, the Passionate Sword leaned toward the spiritual type. There might not even be ten spiritual-type Soul Beasts aged a hundred thousand years or above on the entire continent.
Thus, focusing on the Passionate Sword would be better.
Chen Ci told Chen Xin his plan to cultivate one Martial Soul normally first.
Chen Xin approved of Chen Ci's idea. It was indeed a very sound approach, and he was only responsible for teaching swordsmanship anyway.
"Come, we'll begin practicing the sword now.
"Hold on to the sword in your hands. Don't let it fly away!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ci felt powerful sword intent erupt from Chen Xin.
The little wooden sword in his hands seemed to stop obeying him, ready to fly toward Chen Xin at any moment.
"According to my explorations, the way of the sword has two realms.
"The first realm-unity of man and sword. You must become familiar with your sword, and your sword must become familiar with you.
"The person is the sword, and the sword is the person. You must reach the point where the sword follows your heart.
"Rather than the sword being the sword, and the person being the person.
"To ordinary people, a weapon is only a weapon. But to us sword cultivators, person and sword are one. The sword is an extension of our bodies."
(Person and sword as one?)
(The sword is an extension of the body?)
Chen Ci closed his eyes, carefully sensing the wooden sword in his hands.
(The sword is born of the heart; the sword moves with the heart.)
(The sword is an extension of the body...)
Gradually, the wooden sword, which had been trembling constantly under Chen Xin's influence, began to steady.
Its struggles grew smaller and smaller...
Finally, the wooden sword stopped struggling and rested firmly in Chen Ci's grasp.
At this sight, a rare trace of shock flashed through Chen Xin's eyes, usually as still as an ancient well.
Having only just encountered the way of the sword, Chen Ci had already touched the threshold of its first realm-unity of man and sword.
He truly was a promising seedling.
No wonder his awakening had produced the phenomenon of Sword Qi sweeping across the eight wildernesses.
Chen Xin continued:
"The second realm of the sword is sword intent.
"It requires us sword cultivators to infuse our essence, Qi, spirit, and will into the sword. The sword can extend our will and amplify it.
"With a sword in hand, heaven and earth know my will and follow it.
"For example..."
At this thought, Chen Xin wanted to give a demonstration. Looking around, he settled on the sword in Chen Ci's hands.
With a thought, he tried to summon the wooden sword over.
Yet the wooden sword was utterly stubborn, remaining in Chen Ci's grasp and refusing his summons.
A look of astonishment appeared in Chen Xin's eyes. Chen Ci's attainment was no longer that of someone who had merely entered unity of man and sword; he seemed like a swordsman who had cultivated for years.
At the same time, Chen Ci frowned. He felt as though something was trying to snatch the sword from his hands, but it seemed unable to wrest it away.
Chen Ci looked around and locked onto his target.
This person seemed to be Chen Xin.
Seeing that Chen Ci had discovered him, Chen Xin could no longer keep his old face from losing composure.