Gift! (1)

Ning Liu held a thick stack of blueprints in his palm, the edges of the paper slightly curled from being flipped through.

"Sect Master, two elders, have you ever heard of the Zhuge Crossbow?"

"The Zhuge Crossbow?"

Ning Fengzhi repeated the name.

After coming to Suotuo City, he had naturally learned about what Ning Liu had been doing here.

"Isn't the Zhuge Crossbow what appeared at the last auction?"

"Could it be that the thing in your hands is related to the kind of powerful crossbow mentioned last time?"

Ning Liu smiled faintly.

"Sect Master is wise."

"The Hidden Arrow wins in being small and exquisite, but using it against Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders is already its limit."

"But this Zhuge Crossbow is forged from Profound Iron, with sixteen Profound Iron and Iron Essence crossbow bolts hidden inside, and they can be tempered with deadly poison."

He paused, then made his tone heavier.

"Sixteen crossbow bolts, fired all at once in an instant."

"Within fifty meters, it's enough to pose a tremendous threat to the defensive soul skills of a four-ring assault-type Soul Ancestor."

"If within ten meters, and the opponent is completely unprepared, even a Soul King expert might not be able to retreat unscathed, even with Soul Power protecting their body."

"The most crucial point is that triggering it doesn't consume any Soul Power."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's breathing quickened slightly.

"This is the first gift this disciple offers to the sect."

Ning Liu presented the blueprints with both hands.

"This is the complete set of manufacturing blueprints for the Zhuge Crossbow."

Ning Fengzhi took the blueprints. They felt heavy in his hands.

He unfolded the top sheet, and complex lines and precise diagrams of components entered his view.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong also leaned in, each picking up a blueprint.

A trace of surprise flashed through Ning Liu's heart.

These two Titled Douluo also understood mechanisms like this?

Bone Douluo Gu Rong seemed to sense Ning Liu's thoughts and blew at his beard.

"What, this old man can't take a look?"

"Kid, don't look down on people."

Sword Douluo Chen Xin carefully examined the blueprint, then gave Ning Fengzhi a slight nod a moment later.

"Sect Master, the blueprints are drawn with precision and clearly annotated. They do not seem to be fake."

"The ingenuity of the structure is simply unimaginable."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's face bloomed with a hearty smile he had not shown in a long time.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word three times in a row.

"With these blueprints, the sect's disciples will have another layer of protection."

"No, what need is there for the Hidden Arrow anymore!"

"This Zhuge Crossbow is what my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect truly needs!"

Ning Liu spoke again.

"Sect Master, with only the blueprints and without skilled craftsmen, figuring it out would probably take a great deal of time and effort."

With another turn of his wrist, a slightly thinner booklet appeared in his palm.

On the cover of the booklet were the same four words: Zhuge Crossbow.

"This is the detailed manual for the Zhuge Crossbow's manufacturing process."

"It records in detail the forging method for every component, the assembly procedure, as well as the ratios and processing techniques for the various materials."

Ning Fengzhi took the booklet and felt the heavy stone in his heart finally fall away completely.

Excited, he flipped through several pages. The text and illustrations were all there, and they were indeed incredibly clear.

"Ning Liu, this gift of yours is far too valuable!"

"On behalf of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I thank you!"

Ning Fengzhi looked at Ning Liu, his eyes filled with admiration.

Then he said solemnly.

"I will return to the sect at once afterward and organize the sect's finest blacksmiths and mechanism masters to establish a specialized department to secretly manufacture this crossbow."

"One year... no, one month!"

Ning Fengzhi's tone was decisive.

"Within one month, I want every Inner Sect Disciple and elder of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to have a Zhuge Crossbow in hand!"

Ning Rongrong listened from the side, her little mouth slightly open.

Although she did not really understand the value of these blueprints, seeing her father and her two grandfathers so excited, she understood that this had to be something extraordinary.

When she looked at Ning Liu, a few more traces of curiosity could not help appearing in her eyes.

Senior Brother seemed to be getting more and more impressive.

Ning Liu bowed.

"Sect Master, you praise me too highly."

"As a disciple and a member of the sect, I naturally should share the sect's burdens."

"This first gift is to establish the foundation for my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's self-protection."

His tone shifted, and he looked toward Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

"As for this second gift, it was prepared for the two elders."

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were both startled when they heard this.

Prepared for them?

The two exchanged a glance, and both saw a trace of doubt in the other's eyes.

They were already Titled Douluo, standing at the pinnacle of the Soul Master World.

Ordinary heavenly treasures were no longer of much help to them.

Could this boy still bring out something useful to them?

Ning Liu said no more and took out a completely translucent crystal bottle from the Spirit Charm Star Luo Ring.

The bottle contained a pale golden liquid, emitting a hazy glow.

Ning Liu opened the stopper, and an indescribably vast aura of life instantly spread out.

Just inhaling a wisp of the drifting energy made one feel refreshed and clear-headed, a comfortable sensation spreading through every limb and bone.

"This is..."

Sword Douluo Chen Xin was the first to be moved.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong's eyes also widened as he stared fixedly at the liquid in the bottle.

The Jade Spring the Sect Master had given the two of them earlier had already been almost negligible in effect for them.

But this pale golden liquid before them—just the aura drifting from it alone made their bodies instinctively stir with faint restlessness!

Ning Liu smiled faintly and took out another identical crystal bottle.

He carefully divided the pale golden liquid in the bottle into two portions and placed them into the two bottles separately.

Even so, the life aura drifting out was still so dense it seemed impossible to disperse.

"This item is called the Spring of Life."

Ning Liu handed the two bottles of Spring of Life to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo respectively.

"Within it is the purest Life Energy."

"After taking it, it can greatly enhance one's life origin, cleanse the body, make up for hidden injuries, and even has a refining effect on Soul Power."

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo accepted the crystal bottles, feeling the warmth from the bottle and that astonishing pulse of life.

"Good lad!"

Bone Douluo Gu Rong was the first to speak, a trace of excitement in his voice.

"I never expected you to be hiding such a fine thing, and to be so thoughtful!"

"In truth, Jian Ren and I have always thought highly of you! If one of this old man or Jian Ren had been present at your coming-of-age ceremony back then, we definitely would not have let those stubborn old fogeys in the sect assign you to Suotuo City!"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin also slowly nodded.

"Ning Liu, you were thoughtful."

"This item is indeed timely help in the snow for the two of us."

A Titled Douluo's lifespan far surpassed that of ordinary people, but it was not infinite.

The depletion of life origin, the decline in physical condition, and the accumulation of old injuries would all affect their chances of breaking through to an even higher realm!

This Spring of Life was undoubtedly an opportunity for them!

Ning Liu smiled.

"You are too courteous, elders."

"Hurry and take it. Feel its effects."

Afterward, a mysterious light flashed through his eyes.

"The second gift I want to give you is not merely that."

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo exchanged a glance and hesitated no longer.

They pulled out the stoppers at the same time and drained that small half-bottle of Spring of Life in one gulp.

The pale golden liquid was warm and smooth as it entered their mouths, instantly turning into a vast yet gentle current of heat that surged through their limbs and bones, their internal organs.

Boom!

From Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a sharp sword intent shot uncontrollably into the sky, then quickly withdrew.

He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation carefully.

A moment later, he opened them, and a brilliant light shone in his gaze, as if countless sword shadows were being born and extinguished within.

"What a Spring of Life!"

Sword Douluo's voice carried a hint of irrepressible delight.

"It not only replenished my depleted life essence, making me feel at least twenty years younger."

"More importantly, it cleansed my meridians and refined my Soul Power!"

"I feel as though the level ninety-six bottleneck that has troubled me for years has loosened a little!"

On the other side, a strange change was also taking place in Bone Douluo Gu Rong.

A faint layer of black qi appeared on the surface of his body, then vanished.

It was formed from the hidden injuries he had accumulated over years of battle.

He suddenly opened his eyes and burst into hearty laughter, his voice shaking the roof tiles.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

"Several old injuries in this old man's body have actually all healed!"

Bone Douluo flexed his limbs, producing a series of crackling pops.

"Not only that, this old man feels his Soul Power has improved quite a bit as well!"

He looked at Sword Douluo, fighting spirit rising in his eyes.

"Jian Ren, this old man is confident that within five years, I will definitely break through to level ninety-six!"

"When the time comes, let's see how you still stay one step ahead of me!"

Hearing this, Sword Douluo merely smiled faintly and did not refute him.

Clearly, he was also happy for his old friend's progress.

Ning Fengzhi watched the changes in the sect's two guardian deities from the side, and even greater waves surged through his heart.

The Spring of Life actually had such miraculous effects!

How many secrets was this Ning Liu still hiding?

Ning Liu cupped his hands toward the two elders.

"Then allow me to congratulate the two elders in advance on your breakthroughs in cultivation."

As his words fell, light flashed in his hand once more, and another item appeared in his palm.

"Elders, please take another look at this."