" Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! My god, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in shock. "Even Grandpa Bone and Grandpa Jian don't have Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! Qi Ling, your Fifth Soul Ring is actually 100,000 years old! This is simply cheating!"
As for Xue Ke, she was filled with admiration, her little hands flailing helplessly as she exclaimed, "Teacher, teacher, you're amazing! I, I admire you so much!"
"Calm down, calm down! Look at you two, getting so excited! What kind of behavior is this! Girls should be ladylike!" Qi Ling said rather smugly. "This is nothing. Sooner or later, I'll surprise you even more."
"Oh, right, Rongrong, there's something else I'd like to ask you for a favor," Qi Ling said. "I'd like to ask Senior Chen Xin for a help."
"Huh? What kind of help? Does it really have to be Grandpa Jian?" Ning Rongrong asked in surprise.
"I'll explain the details when I meet Senior Chen Xin."
Led by Ning Rongrong, Qi Ling arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. As soon as she reached the school gate, Qi Ling saw Ning Fengzhi personally appear there. He had obviously received prior notice and was coming out to greet Qi Ling.
As the head of a sect and the Crown Prince's personal tutor, Ning Fengzhi's actions were undoubtedly a great show of courtesy, making Qi Ling feel flattered. She hurriedly said, "Uncle Ning, why did you come out in person? I'm so embarrassed."
Ning Fengzhi then smiled and said, " Qi Ling, you are now an Imperial Marquis, a lord of your own domain, and Princess Xue Ke's personal tutor. Perhaps you don't realize it yourself, but your status and position are completely different from before! Of course you deserve such courtesy from me."
"Really? I'm that powerful now?" Qi Ling exclaimed in surprise. "Does that mean I won't have to pay for meals anymore?"
"Uh... then I guess I still have to pay." Ning Fengzhi suddenly felt a cold sweat break out. Was this something a marquis should say?
Ning Fengzhi then turned around and led Qi Ling into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, heading towards the main hall. Qi Ling's target, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, also followed Ning Fengzhi in.
Afterwards Ning Fengzhi and Qi Ling took their seats as host and guest, and after some polite conversation, Qi Ling said, "Uncle Ning, besides visiting you, I also have something I'd like to ask Senior Chen Xin for help with."
"Oh? You need my help?" Chen Xin was slightly surprised. Qi Ling's status was no longer what it used to be, and he knew more than just Titled Douluo. What kind of favor required Chen Xin's intervention?
So Qi Ling told them about her trial, but at that time Qi Ling knew very little about the content of the trial, only that it was related to swords.
Upon hearing Qi Ling's words, Chen Xin frowned and narrowed his eyes, clearly deep in thought.
Seeing Chen Xin's expression, Ning Rongrong assumed he was unwilling to help and hurriedly said, " Grandpa Jian, please help Qi Ling! He's helped me so much lately, and he's entrusted so many of my father's business dealings to me. He trusts me completely! Please, Grandpa Jian?"
Upon hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Chen Xin did not immediately agree to Qi Ling's request. Instead, he slowly rose, approached Qi Ling, and said, " Qi Ling, actually, I also have a request, which is related to your trial."
"This matter concerns Jian Lan."
" Jian Lan?" Qi Ling instantly recalled that beautiful figure with sword-like eyebrows and snow-white clothes. Although he had never fought her back then, her powerful strength had left a deep impression on him. Even now, in Qi Ling's mind, she was still the strongest person in the Soul Ancestor realm.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Jian Lan?" Qi Ling asked.
Then Chen Xin sighed heavily, clearly this matter had troubled her for a long time. He then slowly said, " Lan'er is my only disciple. In terms of talent, she is far more outstanding than me. If she can grow up smoothly, her future achievements will definitely surpass mine."
"Unfortunately, it is precisely because she is too outstanding that she encounters unnecessary troubles. These troubles have caused her Soul Power to stagnate at level 49, unable to make any further progress."
Qi Ling was taken aback. Back when they first met, Jian Lan was already a level 49 Soul Ancestor. With her talent, even if she had broken through to the Soul King realm, Qi Ling wouldn't have been more surprised than she is now. But she never expected that her Soul Power would not have increased in such a long time.
"Senior Chen Xin, why is this? Could it be that Jian Lan's Martial Soul has a defect?" Qi Ling asked in confusion.
"No, Jian Lan's Martial Soul is fine. Her Martial Soul, Immortal Slayer, is even superior to my Seven Kill in terms of quality alone. There's no way it could be problematic," Chen Xin said. "Her problem lies within herself, or more precisely, in her heart!"
"Heart?" This time, not only Qi Ling was puzzled, but Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi were also confused, because this was the first time Chen Xin had told them about this.
"That's right. For anyone who wields a sword, besides cultivating their Martial Soul, the most important thing is to cultivate their own Sword Heart!" Chen Xin said. "If a soul master cannot cultivate their own Sword Heart, then that Soul Master is destined to live a mediocre life, even worse than someone with Trash Martial Soul."
"Once a swordsman cultivates their own Sword Heart, their cultivation will progress rapidly and naturally, far surpassing that of other Soul Master of the same kind."
" Sword Heart, Sword Heart..." Qi Ling murmured, "Senior Chen Xin, what exactly is this Sword Heart? Is it a cultivation technique? Or a Soul Skill?"
"The so-called Sword Heart refers to a kind of enlightenment. The swordsman needs to think clearly about why he takes up the sword and what the reason is when he swings it, in order to walk his own path of the sword," Chen Xin said.
"In this world, everyone has their own obsessions. Some are driven by justice, some by protecting what is important, some by reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, and some simply by enjoying the thrill of battle," Chen Xin continued. "But no matter what, as long as you find your inner obsession, you can confirm your own path of the sword and ultimately cultivate your own Sword Heart."
"But Jian Lan, despite her extraordinary talent, has always been confused. She doesn't know why she wields the sword, nor does she know what she truly wants."
"As a result, this became an obstacle to her growth, even a mental demon, causing her cultivation to stagnate at level 49 for three years!"
"Three years?" Qi Ling was slightly surprised. If she calculated carefully, Qi Ling was now sixteen years old, and Jian Lan was three years older than her, which meant she was nineteen. So three years ago, when she was sixteen, her cultivation level had already reached level 49! Truly a prodigy.
"But, Senior Chen Xin, what do you mean by helping Jian Lan? I know absolutely nothing about swords," Qi Ling asked, puzzled.
Chen Xin said with absolute certainty, "For some time now, I've had a premonition that Lan'er's destined destiny will appear today. If she misses it, she may regret it for the rest of her life, or even be unable to break through to the next level."
"Now that I think about it, Qi Ling, you were Lan'er's destiny!"