When Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo stepped down from the carriage beneath the city wall, the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School delegation in the distant tavern immediately set down their wine cups and slowly rose to their feet, ready to follow their sect master's lead and return to the sect at any moment.
"Sect Master Ning, until we meet again," Ye Tian lifted the carriage curtain and offered a polite smile to Ning Fengzhi.
"Your Excellency Holy Son, I take my leave," Ning Fengzhi replied, his face once again wearing that gentle, spring-like smile.
The promise Ye Tian had made to him had reignited his motivation for cultivation. After all, with a cap of level seventy-nine, the path ahead seemed all too clear. Coupled with the burdens of sect affairs, he had truly lost some of his drive for training.
But now, things were different.
Even if only to evolve his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul into an Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda, Ning Fengzhi was determined to push himself to reach level seventy-nine as quickly as possible. Once his Martial Soul evolved, he would be able to break through to the Soul Douluo realm!
The difficulty of cultivating to level eighty-nine was several times greater than reaching level seventy-nine.
During this time, he would have ample opportunity to wait for Ye Tian to grow and for Ye Tian to evolve his Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul once more.
"We bid farewell to Sect Master Ning and Your Excellency Chen Xin!" Xiao Dading and the masked Yang Wushuang, standing on either side of the carriage, chorused their farewells.
Sword Douluo glanced at Xiao Dading, then shifted his gaze to the masked Yang Wushuang. When he had boarded the carriage earlier, he had sensed that the aura of this masked individual seemed somewhat similar to that of the Seven Kill Sword. Now, with a closer look, he easily saw through the person before him.
Meeting Sword Douluo's gaze, Yang Wushuang immediately lowered his eyes slightly, not daring to meet them for too long.
He still harbored the hope of bringing the entire Po Clan into Ye Tian's camp. If his identity were exposed now, letting his elder brother Yang Wudi learn of his defection, it would be extremely detrimental to his plans.
"Uncle Sword, let us go," Ning Fengzhi reminded him.
At Ning Fengzhi's prompting, Sword Douluo remained silent, gave a slight nod, and followed beside Ning Fengzhi as they turned back toward the city gate.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School delegation members in the distant tavern promptly left enough money for the wine, filed out, and followed their sect master. One of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples was the first to approach the city gate commander from the side, exchanged a greeting, and then stood waiting to merge into the procession.
"Haha! Senior Brother, Nana loves you so much!"
As soon as Ning Fengzhi and the others had left, Hu Liena inside the carriage couldn't wait any longer. She threw her arms around Ye Tian's neck and pressed her soft lips to his.
"Mwah!"
"Heh~ alright, you can celebrate once you've successfully cultivated Split Mind Control," Ye Tian said with a hint of exasperation, holding her fragrant and soft body and gently stroking Hu Liena's back. As for Hu Liena's kiss, he didn't feel much else about it—after all, they were already very familiar with each other.
"Haha~" Hu Liena affectionately rubbed her tender cheek against Ye Tian's face, vowing confidently, "Senior Brother, you can rest completely assured. Nana will definitely succeed in her cultivation. There are even many of Sect Master Ning's personal notes inside."
"It's good if you can succeed."
Ye Tian held Hu Liena in his arms, leaning back in the carriage. His right hand unconsciously drifted downward, settling on her fluffy fox tail, where he began to gently knead and stroke it. Lost in thought, he murmured:
"I wonder if that woman is dead or what happened to her? If that's really the case, I hope the pill I gave can be of some help."
"Senior Brother, what are you talking about?"
Hu Liena's upturned face had already flushed a deep red, her voice soft and sweet. Though nestled in Ye Tian's embrace, she made an effort to arch her back slightly, allowing her two limp fox tails to be easily handled by him.
"Nothing much, just showing some concern for Sect Master Ning's wife."
Ye Tian gazed at the delicate and charming fox girl before him. As he spoke, the hand stroking her tail suddenly released its grip and patted Hu Liena's tender bottom instead.
Pat! Pat!
Two crisp sounds echoed.
"Mmmph!"
Hu Liena let out a muffled groan, immediately breaking free from Ye Tian's embrace and standing up. Her face was flushed crimson, burning with embarrassment as she covered her bottom and glared at him.
"Senior Brother, you're getting more and more outrageous."
"Am I? Haha."
Ye Tian couldn't help but chuckle. He had only meant to tease his clingy junior sister.
"Alright, I apologize."
"The matters here are almost settled. Nana, you should head back to Wisteria Residence now. I still have some business to attend to at the Spirit Awakening Hall."
With these words,
Ye Tian stood up and gently ruffled Hu Liena's silky hair.
"Mhm, Nana understands."
Hu Liena lowered her eyes and nodded, pouting her pink lips as she whispered shyly, "Next time... if Senior Brother is gentler when teasing me, Nana won't run away."
"Oh?!"
Hearing this, Ye Tian raised an eyebrow curiously, unable to hold back a laugh. "Alright, I'll try to be gentler from now on. Let me carry you out of the carriage."
Before he even finished speaking,
Ye Tian scooped Hu Liena up into his arms.
"Ah!"
Startled like a small animal, Hu Liena quickly wrapped her arms around Ye Tian's neck.
As the carriage curtain was lifted and sunlight spilled onto her face, she hurriedly closed her mouth, curling up and burying her head against Ye Tian's chest.
Her earlier scream had left her too embarrassed to face anyone.
It was all Senior Brother's fault—suddenly spanking her and then picking her up so abruptly.
But...
if Senior Brother could hold her like this more often, it would still be a happy thing.
Hu Liena's fox ears atop her head trembled slightly, and her small hands unconsciously tightened their grip on Ye Tian's collar. Breathing in the familiar scent of pill fragrance, she gradually calmed down.
A hoarse voice reached her ears.
"Your Excellency, I'm afraid Chen Xin has already discerned this subordinate's identity."
Yang Wushuang reported with his head bowed low.
Still holding his junior sister in his arms, Ye Tian smiled casually. "If he knows, then he knows. They won't speak out of turn anyway."
"Understood."
Yang Wushuang nodded respectfully.
Ye Tian had long been aware of Yang Wushuang's desire to recruit the Po Clan. For something so beneficial and without any drawbacks, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
With keen interest, Ye Tian looked at Yang Wushuang. He wasn't without plans for the Po Clan's future direction. With the two great empires at odds and the Longevity Pavilion located in Heaven Dou City, it would undoubtedly hinder forces from the Star Luo Empire from coming to trade.
"If you can persuade the Po Clan to join us, I'd like to entrust the development of Star Luo City to you."
"!!!"
Upon hearing this, a gleam of delight flashed in Yang Wushuang's eyes. He hurriedly bowed and assured:
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. This subordinate will return to the clan as soon as possible to persuade my elder brother to surrender. I believe that even if he is stubborn, after seeing the Body Tempering Pill Your Highness has produced, he will gladly step onto this broad and smooth path!"
"I hope so."
Ye Tian smiled, his feet touching the ground as he finally set Hu Liena down.
"..."
Hu Liena stood on the ground, looking up at Ye Tian with a somewhat infatuated gaze.
The calmness with which Ye Tian held the power of life and death was enough to make any woman take notice.
"Nana, why are you still staring at me like that? Hurry back to Wisteria Residence and explain my whereabouts to the teacher while you're at it."
Ye Tian poked Hu Liena's forehead in annoyance.
"Ouch~"
Hu Liena covered her head in pain, giggling as she nodded repeatedly.
"Yes!"
"Your Highness, Nana will act immediately."
With a bright smile, Hu Liena quickly turned and ran back the way she had come.
"Hah~"
Ye Tian shook his head helplessly and began walking toward the Spirit Awakening Hall, with Xiao Dading and Yang Wushuang following closely behind.
Outside the city gates, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's procession naturally did not travel back to the sect on foot.
Inside the luxurious carriage, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo exchanged glances, their eyes filled with an overwhelming sense of astonishment. Before them lay Ye Tian's First Soul Skill, the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and his Second Soul Skill, the Bright Soul Nourishing Pill.
Undoubtedly, they had already sampled these two pills, which was why they wore such expressions.
"The medicinal effects of these two pills have truly opened my eyes. Perhaps they could even allow commoners without Innate Soul Power to embark on the path of cultivation."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes held deep apprehension.
Given his research into Martial Souls, he easily deduced the impact of the Marrow Cleansing Pill combined with the Bright Soul Nourishing Pill on a Soul Master's Innate Soul Power.
Sword Douluo did not refute him, his eyes filled with concern.
"If that young man grows to his full potential, perhaps by then, the Spirit Hall could usher in an era where thousands pay homage. All commoners and professions under the Spirit Hall's jurisdiction would become Soul Masters, and Spirit Hall City would truly become a sacred land for Soul Masters!"
"Alas, the heavens of the Soul Master Realm are about to change, and perhaps even the Soul Master system itself will be affected. Perhaps I should feel fortunate that the Holy Son sought me out and fortunate for the future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes were filled with a sense of powerlessness.
If Ye Tian could now concoct pills that help Soul Masters absorb Spirit Rings of higher age limits, who was to say he couldn't create enhancement-type pills tomorrow?
If that day truly arrived, not only Healing-type Soul Masters but also his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, along with all Support-type Soul Masters in the world, would lose their reason for existence.
A single pill could satiate a person for months, a single pill could revive the dead and regenerate flesh and bone, a single pill could double a person's strength...
Just thinking about it sent a chill down Ning Fengzhi's spine.
"Indeed, who could have imagined that a mere youth could stir up such a storm in the Soul Master Realm with the pills in his hands?"
Sword Douluo was equally resigned.
Aside from killing Ye Tian or cooperating with him, Sword Douluo could think of no other options.
But the cost of killing Ye Tian was not something their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School could bear.
"We must never let the sect decline!"
Ning Fengzhi tightened his grip on the walking stick in his hand, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes.
The impact of Ye Tian's pills on support-type Soul Masters was inevitable. Yet undoubtedly, Ye Tian's Longevity Pavilion would rise to prominence, even possessing the potential to surpass the Spirit Hall. Perhaps, to preserve the status of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the only way was to deeply align with the Longevity Pavilion.
He hoped it would be a daughter.
Ning Fengzhi's expression grew distant, and he quickly suppressed the thought of trading his daughter for glory.
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