Chapter 108

Ning Fengzhi said no more, immediately sat down on his knees where he was, his eyes blazing as they fixed on the Starry Spiral Spirit Pearl in the box; then, he carefully plucked the plump golden fruit, placed it in his mouth, chewed it finely and swallowed.

In an instant, a scorching warm current rose from his abdomen, rushing along the meridians to flow through his whole body; not long after, he felt an unbearable heat all over, a sign that the medicine's power was taking effect, its speed far exceeding his expectation.

He hurriedly steadied his mind and qi, circulated soul power, and fully refined this massive medicinal force; he could clearly perceive his body being repeatedly washed by a warm and powerful force, as if cleansing sutras, cutting marrow, rebirthing his bones—this made him ecstatic beyond control.

The Sword Title Douluo and the Bone Title Douluo saw that Ning Fengzhi had already entered the proper track after absorbing the celestial herb, and no longer hesitated, redirecting their attention to the celestial herb in their hands.

Chen Xin picked up the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, tentatively took a bite, but almost knocked his teeth out, and thought to himself, "Indeed, this celestial herb can make the martial soul stronger; even its own body is as hard as iron!"

Then, he circulated soul power onto his teeth, laboriously gnawed the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, hearing continuous "crack, crack" sounds, and with great effort he managed to swallow it all.

Unlike Chen Xin's situation, Gu Rong found it much easier; he ate the whole flower in one big bite, like an old ox grazing tender grass, and swallowed it directly. Soon, the Ghost Bone Spirit Lotus dissolved in his stomach; unlike the warm flow Ning Fengzhi felt, a bone‑chilling cold current coursed through his blood, slowly merging into all his bones.

After eating the celestial herb, Chen Xin and Gu Rong each sat down on their knees and circulated soul power to refine the medicinal force.

After eating the celestial herb, Chen Xin and Gu Rong each sat down on their knees and began circulating soul power to refine the medicinal force. As Title Douluo, their spiritual power was extremely dense, and their perception of their own bodies was unusually keen; they could precisely feel that billions of cells in their bodies were excitedly cheering, yearning intensely, which undeniably indicated that the herb's properties matched their martial souls at a very high degree.

Chen Xin's whole body radiated sword qi, his long hair flew wildly, and the razor‑sharp aura seemed able to tear apart all things, making anyone dare not approach within three meters of his body.

Gu Rong's body surface was surrounded by black currents, as if countless resentful spirits were coiling around him, and his bones constantly emitted bursts of Explosion sounds.

The Ice‑Fire Dual‑Eye was formed from the energy radiated by the corpses of two great Dragon Kings, naturally capable of birthing a celestial herb that contains both death‑spirit and true‑dragon qi; these two essences matched Gu Rong's Bone Dragon martial soul extremely well, so the compatibility between the Ghost Bone Spirit Lotus and Gu Rong far exceeds the ordinary.

Ning Rongrong looked at her father and the Sword Grandfather and Bone Grandfather, all of whom had entered cultivation mode, felt a sudden boredom, and therefore she also sat on her knees on the ground and began meditative cultivation.

Yu Tianyun had once told her that even without having obtained a Soul Ring yet, she could continue cultivating; when she finally absorbs a Soul Ring, the accumulated energy will erupt together.

The three's cultivation levels were far higher than Ning Rongrong's, so their speed of absorbing the celestial herb was naturally much faster; about three hours later, the three gradually woke from cultivation.

The first to awaken was Chen Xin; at that moment, he was like a blade of unparalleled sharpness, and he sighed leisurely, "I originally thought I would never break past level 97 in this life, but now it seems my bottleneck has loosened considerably; with a period of focused cultivation and enough soul power accumulated, I can break through smoothly."

"Moreover, I can clearly feel that my Seven‑Kill Sword's quality is better than before, sharper, and its attack power stronger. Hmm?"

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he turned his head to look at Gu Rong, his gaze filled with disbelief.

Only then did the Bone Title Douluo's aura surge, emitting an extremely strong chilling aura that seemed to freeze a person's soul instantly.

Chen Xin swiftly flashed his form, moved in front of Ning Rongrong, activated a soul power shield, and protected her behind him. He couldn't help shouting, "You ugly freak, restrain your aura quickly, don't hurt Rongrong!"

Gu Rong, just having woken and intending to laugh loudly, heard Chen Xin's words, hurriedly restrained his aura to the extreme, instantly becoming like an ordinary person, and hurriedly said, "Rongrong, don't be afraid; Bone Grandfather was careless this time, Bone Grandfather will make it up to you."

Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly and said, "Bone Grandfather, I'm fine, congratulations on Bone Grandfather's breakthrough."

Gu Rong then turned his head to Chen Xin and said, "Old Sword Man, I have now reached level 96, no longer fear you."

Chen Xin glared at him, snorted coldly, "Hmph, so what? I'm still just a punching bag, perfect for sharpening my sword. Besides, I'm also about to break through level 97."

"You… you dead Sword Man, let's go, let's go, let's have a three‑hundred‑round battle." Gu Rong, angry, flared his beard and widened his eyes, rolled up his sleeves, assuming a stance ready for a big fight.

Ning Rongrong giggled beside them, seeing both grandfathers achieve great advancement, felt joyous, and her love for Yu Tianyun grew even deeper and more intense.

At that moment, they all sensed another Soul Power Fluctuation continuously strengthening; the three turned their heads, and it was Ning Fengzhi's powerful aura that was radiating.

Ning Fengzhi slowly opened his eyes, a smile of uncontrollable joy spreading across his face, even moving him to shed two clear tears. He had successfully broken through, jumping from level 79 straight to level 80; with just one more Soul Ring, he will become a genuine Soul Douluo.

Ning Fengzhi couldn't wait and summoned his martial soul; he eagerly wanted to see what his martial soul had become. Brilliant nine‑colored light instantly illuminated the entire hall, and a nine‑colored glazed treasure tower appeared in his hand.

Ning Fengzhi, like a child, counted layer by layer: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Nine! It's nine layers, the Nine‑Treasure Glazed Tower!"

Ning Fengzhi sincerely thanked Yu Tianyun, knowing he owed Yu Tianyun a huge favor; he thought that if he could have a few more daughters, he would gladly betroth them all to Yu Tianyun, hoping his heart might feel a bit better, but for now he felt he could not repay enough.

Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Ning Rongrong each in turn congratulated Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi now wore a full smile, as if he already saw the future sect becoming even stronger.

However, the only thing that slightly depressed him was that the future Qi Bao Liu Li Sect, or rather the Nine‑Treasure Glazed Sect, might still only rank second among the world's sects! After all, Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect would surely have more people using the celestial herb, and will likely become the number one sect.

Shaking off the lingering distractions, Ning Fengzhi solemnly said, "Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, these three celestial herbs have given us a further opportunity; from now on our sect must deliberately keep a low profile for a while. I need time to absorb the eighth Soul Ring and ascend to the Soul Douluo realm as soon as possible."

"You also need time to cultivate deeply for greater breakthroughs. But Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, the sect must also have one person to guard it, so normally, one of you can close off for cultivation while the other stays awake to guard the sect."

"After a few years, when we all reach peak condition, that will be the time our Qi Bao Liu Li Sect officially renames to Nine‑Treasure Glazed Sect; then, together with Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect, we will be able to counter the Spirit Hall and calmly face future changes."

Chen Xin and Gu Rong both nodded in agreement.

The original Ning Fengzhi's focus was, on the surface, to actively participate in the the Heaven Dou Empire internal affairs, using the empire's power to elevate Qi Bao Liu Li Sect. At the same time, secretly allying with Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect, waiting for Yu Tianyun and Ning Rongrong to grow, then also promote the sect's development.

On the surface, his scheme seemed effective, and the situation progressed as he expected; but he did not know that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had already been replaced by Qian Renxue, and all his overt efforts were in vain, serving only as a wedding dress for the Spirit Hall.

However at this moment, Ning Fengzhi accidentally stopped his losses in time!

Whether himself, Chen Xin, or Gu Rong, all gained huge progress and future potential, so he decisively chose to change the sect's strategy.

Supporting Xue Qinghe and helping him become emperor of the the the Heaven Dou Empire remained largely unchanged, after all, he had already invested a lot and could not simply abandon it.

But from now on, their sect must keep a low profile for a period, no longer deeply involved in royal affairs, using all saved time for cultivation.

At the same time, they plan to fully turn toward Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect; now, in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect is hidden yet limitless in potential.

Yu Yuanzhen's current strength is unimaginable to Ning Fengzhi, and his son‑in‑law's future is also predictably brilliant.

Moreover, the favor he owes is so great that if he does not show some gesture, it would instead cause the relationship to stall; Ning Fengzhi certainly would not do such a foolish thing.

Previously, Ning Fengzhi truly had no other way; he and the Sword and Bone Title Douluo were hopeless on the road ahead, with plenty of time, only able to maneuver among various forces to calculate benefits. After all, as long as there is a chance to improve, who would waste all time on scheming?

Now, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong can each advance another step, no longer needing the Tian Dou royal family's aid, thus no longer entangled with the imperial court. In short, Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect's food is tastier.

In the coming period, this will likely make Qian Renxue extremely depressed, doubting herself, suspecting she hasn't been diligent enough in disguise, letting her guard down, allowing Ning Fengzhi to detect clues, wondering why the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect no longer wholeheartedly paves the way for her.

Putting aside other matters, back to the present.

The obedient little witch could no longer hold back, her face turning serious: "Father, Sword Grandfather, Bone Grandfather, I now have another matter to speak, also concerning the sect's rise and fall!"

These words instantly captured all three's attention; now they could no longer underestimate this girl. Not seeing her return this time, she had brought them such huge advancement, truly the greatest contributor to their Qi Bao Liu Li Sect. If it weren't for Ning Rongrong's connection, how would Yu Tianyun have given them such a precious gift?

Now they take Ning Rongrong's every word very seriously, listening with solemn faces and focused expressions to her subsequent words.

(End of chapter)