Ning Tian
Star Dou Great Forest.
Located on the edge of the core area.
This is the dividing line between life and death, a line that countless Soul Master can never cross. The terrifying 100,000-year-old Soul Beast that may appear at any time in the core area are enough to easily crush and tear apart all humans below the Soul Douluo. Those who dare to enter this place are at least accompanied and protected by Soul Saint level expert.
Inside the tent, a delicate young woman, dressed in a light blue outfit, with short blonde hair and exquisite emerald green eyes, sat gracefully. She wore snow-white leather boots and white gloves, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, frequently glancing outside the tent.
"Elder Ling, those guys didn't catch up, did they?"
"Young Master, please rest assured. After leaving the core area of Star Dou Great Forest, they completely disappeared..." Outside the tent, an old man in a white robe with white hair and beard nodded slightly.
"That's good..." Ning Tian sat in the makeshift tent, withdrew his gaze, and gently exhaled a breath of stale air.
Her purpose in this trip was naturally to absorb her third Soul Ring. As the most direct descendant of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect School and the most talented person of her generation, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would not be stingy with its resources and would send a Soul Saint to help her go deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain the Soul Ring. (Soul Saint is already considered a high-level combatant. In the original work, Princess Vina of the Heavenly Soul Empire and Mu Xue only had a Soul Saint as their leader.)
However, she didn't expect to encounter a three-thousand-year-old "Holy Spirit Salamander" along the way. This kind of Soul Beast is extremely precious in the entire Star Dou Great Forest. Naturally, she was unwilling to let it go. However, the other party was also reckless and fled towards the core area of Star Dou Great Forest.
They gritted their teeth, determined to track down and capture it, planning to absorb the Soul Ring after leaving the core area. But a sudden change occurred: hundreds of Burrowing Spirit Armor burst forth from the ground. These creatures were extremely fast and all earth-attribute, making them masters of tunneling. Not to mention, each one was covered in extremely thick armor. Even Level 3 Soul Guidance Ray would have difficulty Armor Piercing ordinary hundred-year-old Burrowing Spirit Armor, let alone the fact that its leader was a ten-thousand-year-old being.
Even with Elder Ling's help, they fought and retreated, paying a heavy price before safely withdrawing from the core area.
It was getting late.
A campfire lit up nearby, emitting the aroma of food.
This place is quite a distance from the core area, and can be considered the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. Although there is a chance of encountering ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beast here, most of them are alone. As long as they are not extremely troublesome Soul Beast groups like the Burrowing Spirit Armor, and with Soul Saint guarding this place, there should be no problem.
"Miss, barbecue is served..."
The curtain of the makeshift tent was lifted, and a pretty girl with long, fiery red hair, fair skin, and a pretty face poked her head in. There were some oil stains on the corners of her lips, and she handed Ning Tian a skewer of sizzling, oily grilled meat with her other hand.
"Alright." Ning Tian smiled upon seeing this.
The two grew up together in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and were already as close as sisters. When she looked at this girl, she always had a strange sense of doting affection for her.
"Miss, what are you thinking about again?" Seeing that Ning Tian was not in a good mood, Wu Feng crawled into the tent and squeezed next to her, blinking her red eyes curiously.
"I'm thinking about... him." Ning Tian said wistfully.
Since her cousin sent a message to the family a year ago, her father was overjoyed and wished he could send her to the Shrek Academy as well. However, after hesitating for a moment, he decided to go ahead with it and let her cousin get to know the character of that commoner boy better.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect suffered a devastating loss once. Ten thousand years ago, the sect's entire investment resulted in the deaths of its only two titled leaders, severely damaging the sect's vitality. Even today, ten thousand years later, it has yet to recover. It is precisely because of that investment that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has gradually declined to this day...
Therefore, her father, as the sect leader of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, was extremely cautious about this investment, always prioritizing character above all else.
Throughout the year, numerous messages were sent back to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, reaching her ears as well.
A young girl naturally harbors a vague expectation and longing for a man who is very likely to become her future husband and with whom she will spend her life.
No girl doesn't hope that her sweetheart, her future husband, is a peerless hero, a man who will come to rescue her from danger riding on a colorful cloud.
But reality is often cruel.
Arranged marriages are essentially exchanges of interests. She's not a child; she knows that all of this is too fantastical and unrealistic.
She offered him the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as a substantial investment, while he offered her terrifyingly extraordinary talent and potential. Under such a marriage alliance... love is probably a very luxurious thing.
With the letter sent back by his cousin, it was revealed that the person's talent was unparalleled, the kind that had never been seen before or since. As long as he could survive, he would reach the pinnacle of his abilities and might even have a chance to challenge for the divine position that had caused countless geniuses to fall...
Ning Tian admired the strong and hoped that her husband would also be a strong and upright person, and she was willing to follow him. Therefore, she had already secretly fallen in love with him.
"Miss!" Wu Feng pouted, crossed her arms, and started whining.
"You're thinking about him again? You've never even met him, you don't know what he looks like, or what kind of person he is, and you're already in love?"
"He has exceptional talent and a strong sense of responsibility. Once he matures, he will undoubtedly become a top-tier expert capable of standing on his own. This is the most scarce resource in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect right now..." Ning Tian said softly, "As the young master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, I naturally have to shoulder this responsibility. I don't expect him to marry into the school, have a child or two after the marriage, or have one of his children inherit the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect..."
What would you name a son?
"Ning... Chen, please."
"You've even thought of what to name your child?!" Wu Feng said resentfully.
Ning Tian's red lips parted slightly, a blush rising on her pretty face. She glared at Wu Feng and said, "Don't talk nonsense. We haven't even met yet. If people find out, won't they think I'm frivolous?"
"You know that too..." Wu Feng's lips were practically pouting to the sky, looking sullen.
"You..." Ning Tian affectionately patted the girl's head and lifted the tent flap. "Elder Ling, how far is it from the nearest city?"
"We're still about 200 kilometers from White Embankment City, roughly a day's journey..." Elder Ling said in a steady voice.
"There are about half a month left until Shrek Academy starts. Let's not return to the sect headquarters, let's go straight to the academy." Ning Tian hesitated for a moment, then gave the instructions.
"I will obey Miss's instructions," Elder Ling said with a slight bow.
Just when things were calm and all the waiters were sitting around the campfire, chatting and laughing about everyday things, the scene was peaceful and harmonious.
A dark figure suddenly surged out of the ground, tearing at a waiter's ankle and pulling him downwards. The waiter's body instantly fell into the ground, his eyes filled with terror. Before he could even struggle, he was completely dragged underground.
Terrified screams echoed from the cave.
"All personnel on high alert!!!"