"Reporting to the sect master, the young miss is currently staying at the Crystal Orchid Grand Hotel in Suotuo City. The guards secretly protecting her have also, in accordance with your instructions, carried out..."
At that moment, a young disciple had arrived in the council hall.
He bowed his head respectfully and reported to Ning Fengzhi, who sat in the seat of honor, his voice clear and steady.
Ning Fengzhi's expression remained impassive as he listened. He merely nodded, though a hint of complicated emotion appeared in his eyes.
On the surface, Ning Rongrong's departure from the sect looked like a rebellious young girl running away from home to study alone in an unfamiliar place.
But in truth, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, with influence throughout the continent. How could it possibly let its precious jewel wander outside alone?
Who knew how many powerful members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were secretly following her, protecting her along the way?
Every one of those guards hidden in the shadows was a skilled expert with profound Soul Power. They kept watch over their surroundings at all times, ensuring that no one could threaten the young miss's safety.
Not only that, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect operated banks, shops, auction houses, and all manner of other businesses in nearly every city on the continent.
On the surface, these businesses existed to turn a profit, but they also formed a vast and tightly knit intelligence network and channels for information.
Wherever Ning Rongrong went, as soon as she entered any town or city, someone would secretly arrange everything for her.
Comfortable lodgings, delicious food, thorough protection-she had nothing to worry about.
Thus, throughout her journey, Ning Rongrong had never encountered any real danger or unexpected incidents. Her quality of life had not even declined in the slightest.
Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all of the highest quality, hardly any different from when she was in the sect.
At the thought, Ning Fengzhi could not help sighing softly, a helpless smile appearing on his face.
"That little ancestor... It's better for her to go out and temper herself."
As he spoke, his tone carried both the authority of a sect master and a father's indulgence and helplessness toward his daughter.
Ning Rongrong was his only daughter, the precious jewel held in the palms of everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
From the moment she was born, the entire sect had rejoiced.
The sect's two Titled Douluo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, treated the little girl as their own granddaughter and spoiled her terribly.
On top of that, Ning Rongrong was exceptionally gifted. When she awakened her Martial Soul, she displayed the astonishing aptitude of level-nine Innate Soul Power, something exceedingly rare even among all the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's disciples through the generations.
For that very reason, some within the sect even believed that Ning Rongrong was the only peerless genius in hundreds of years with a chance of leading the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to evolve into the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Such a status, such talent, and such boundless affection had naturally shaped Ning Rongrong into a Little Demoness who feared neither heaven nor earth.
Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she was a little ancestor who defied all law and order, and no one dared provoke her.
Her noble birth and the finest of circumstances had also given her a self-centered temperament from childhood, and she expected her word to be law.
Whatever she wanted, there was nothing she could not obtain;
Whatever she did not want to do, no one could hope to force her.
But then again, given her birth, she truly was a noble young lady from a prestigious family, a pampered heiress.
With a status like hers, what was wrong with being a little proud and headstrong?
If anyone else had her family background and talent, they would probably be ten or even a hundred times more flamboyant than she was.
I hope that child can grow a great deal while she's away.
Ever since the Heavenly Screen appeared, I can no longer see the course of the world clearly.
Though Ning Fengzhi doted on his daughter, he also knew that with a temperament like hers, she would likely suffer for it if she were to inherit the position of sect master someday.
After all, being the head of a sect was no easy task. There were countless relationships and sect affairs to handle.
If she acted too willfully and recklessly, she would inevitably offend people and take the long way around.
So Ning Fengzhi also hoped that Ning Rongrong could take this opportunity to study away from home.
To temper herself properly out there, see how people and the world worked, suffer a few small hardships, and truly grow up.
Only then could she better inherit the position of sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and shoulder that heavy burden in the future.
Besides his daughter's growth, Ning Fengzhi had another plan in mind.
According to the rules passed down through generations of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, direct-line disciples with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul could not marry Soul Masters who were also of the support type.
That was because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul itself had no combat ability whatsoever.
If two support-type Soul Masters joined together, they would have tremendous shortcomings in both survival and self-defense.
Thus, the partners direct-line disciples sought were often powerful Battle Soul Masters, who could protect the family in battle and ensure that their descendants possessed greater combat strength.
Ning Rongrong was a genius with level-nine Innate Soul Power, so her future husband naturally had to be her equal.
Otherwise, how could he be worthy of their precious jewel?
That was why Ning Fengzhi had begun paying attention to the matter when Ning Rongrong was still very young.
He had searched secretly for a long time before receiving a piece of news from Bone Douluo Gu Rong that pleased him greatly.
An outstanding genius had appeared among the younger generation of Gu Rong's family, a boy named Gu He.
Not only had the boy awakened the same Bone Dragon Martial Soul as Gu Rong,
but his Martial Soul had also undergone an exceptionally rare beneficial mutation, granting him a special combat ability: the ability to control shadows.
This ability was exceedingly strange and uncommon, and in actual combat it could often catch opponents off guard.
Rarer still, Gu He also possessed the top-tier aptitude of Innate Full Soul Power.
That was an aptitude exceedingly rare across the entire continent.
In Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Gu He was simply a match made in heaven for Ning Rongrong.
First of all, Gu He was a descendant of Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
His background was clean, and his loyalty to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was absolute. There was no doubt about that.
Second, Gu He had already been taken in as Bone Douluo's personal disciple and received instruction from a Titled Douluo himself. His future was boundless.
If he could also become Ning Fengzhi's son-in-law, it would be even more perfect.
Unfortunately, Ning Fengzhi's little plan had ultimately come to nothing.
Not only had the two children, Gu He and Ning Rongrong, failed to develop feelings for each other, they had taken a dislike to each other instead.
Later, Sword Douluo also took on a disciple, so Ning Fengzhi set his sights on Ji Juechen.
Unfortunately, the progress on that front was even more hopeless than with Gu He.
The reason was simple: Gu He at least had his own joys and sorrows like a normal person.
Ji Juechen, by contrast, had only the sword in his heart.
And so Ning Fengzhi gave up and could only let nature take its course.