Chapter 153: Research

After confirming that the soul power in Xiaowu's body had stabilized, Gu Rong immediately flashed before her, reached out to grip her pulse, and began to sense it.

Upon feeling that the previously unstable martial soul within Xiaowu had completely steadied, and that her soul power had also risen from the innate level nine to the quasi-Spirit Master level ten, Gu Rong's withered, old face immediately broke into a smile.

Xiaowu had been prepared to muster her spirits to ask what had happened, but seeing Gu Rong smiling like a zombie before her, she couldn't help it and fainted on the spot, leaving Gu Rong, who had intended to take her as a disciple, stuck in an awkward position.

Even Ning Rongrong, upon seeing this look on Gu Rong's face, couldn't help but slightly furrow her brows; although she said nothing, it still dealt a blow to Gu Rong's heart.

Gu Rong endured the pain of being shunned, returned to the front of Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo, and stated his judgment.

"The martial soul within Xiaowu has stabilized; it appears she has recovered her ability to cultivate.

Her soul power has also broken through from the original level nine to level ten; it seems she is ready to absorb her First Soul Ring."

"Ah?" Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with a hint of greed as he looked at Zhou Heng.

In just these few minutes, he had fixed a Spirit Master's innate defect?

A dragon-human girl was merely a precious commodity on the continent, but a girl with a Red Dragon martial soul and innate level nine soul power was a seed for a Title Douluo.

The value of the two could not be compared at all.

Even though Ning Fengzhi had reminded himself over and over that Zhou Heng could not be touched.

Yet, seeing this feat displayed, Ning Fengzhi still had the urge to forcibly detain Zhou Heng and have him marry into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with Ning Rongrong.

If Zhou Heng could remain in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the sect might produce more than one or two Title Douluos in every generation from now on.

It might even double that number.

Seeing the burning look in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Dugu Bo stepped out to block the front of Zhou Heng; although he said nothing, the light in his eyes made Ning Fengzhi abandon his impulse.

He patted the shoulders of Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, flashed a smile at Dugu Bo, and then took a green Left Arm Bone out from his Storage Soul Guidance Device.

"This soul bone comes from a forty-thousand-year-old Green Scale Snake King; it is a Left Arm Bone possessing a poison-attribute offensive soul skill, and it has yet to be absorbed by any Spirit Master within our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

We, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, will keep the help Little Friend Zhou Heng has provided us in our hearts.

Being able to repair Xiaowu's innate problem is of great significance to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; please accept this Green Scale Snake King Left Arm Bone as a token of our gratitude."

Ning Fengzhi had hidden this soul bone in his Storage Soul Guidance Device since early this morning, but had Zhou Heng not stepped in to fix the problem with Xiaowu, Ning Fengzhi would not have revealed that he was carrying this soul bone, even if Dugu Bo and Chen Ming had left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Looking at this soul bone, Dugu Bo's eyes flickered slightly, a kind smile appeared on his face, and he reached out to take the soul bone, then tucked it directly into his own Storage Soul Guidance Device.

He then shifted slightly from in front of Zhou Heng, revealing Zhou Heng's body.

Dugu Bo was already accustomed to Zhou Heng's high standards and could tell with his eyes closed that Chen Ming would absolutely never be able to absorb this soul bone.

Thus, he thought he would keep it to absorb himself when the time came, to see if he could use this soul bone, which was of the same origin as his own martial soul, to go a step further and break through to the level of 96.

Dugu Bo was not a greedy person, and ordinary wealth could not move his heart, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had simply given too much.

If nothing else, had Ning Fengzhi sent this soul bone to Dugu Bo a few years ago, Dugu Bo might have felt he could join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and serve as a Protector Douluo.

Dugu Bo knew his own situation; he, the Poison Douluo, looked imposing, but in reality, he was dirt poor.

Before Zhou Heng arrived, he sat guarding a treasure mountain unable to mine a single bit of it.

A forty-thousand-year-old top-grade soul bone was already enough for him to do many things.

If Ning Fengzhi wanted to win over his granddaughter's husband, then let him.

In any case, ever since the time Zhou Heng brought him to meet Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others, Dugu Bo had already understood that Zhou Heng was someone who valued family and affection deeply.

Although his personality was not as prickly as his own, it was extremely similar, and he was absolutely not the type of ungrateful wretch who had no regard for family or elders.

Although it seemed he had grown the most since coming into contact with him.

Dugu Bo was also clear about how he had reached his level 95 soul power.

And so, with Dugu Bo's tacit approval, Zhou Heng was enthusiastically taken by Ning Fengzhi to stay at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for two days.

During this period, Zhou Heng not only studied the Baoyu Beast Martial Soul but also researched other special martial souls within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

On the third day, Ning Fengzhi sent someone to bring Ning Tie a century-level Gale Hunting Falcon to serve as his First Soul Ring.

After observing the changes in the Baoyu Beast Martial Soul before and after absorbing the soul ring, Zhou Heng and Dugu Bo prepared to leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

When Zhou Heng left, Ning Fengzhi first gifted some of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's specialties (Gold Soul Coins), then personally escorted Zhou Heng and Dugu Bo ten miles outside the mountain gate with the two Douluos, Sword and Bone, only returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect after watching Dugu Bo and Zhou Heng depart.

The news that Zhou Heng and Dugu Bo were on close terms with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was quickly spread by spies from major factions; from then on, when Zhou Heng walked the continent, in addition to his backgrounds with Dugu Bo, the Spirit Hall, and the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Academy, he gained another background: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Although this would inevitably cause Zhou Heng some trouble in the future, it was completely insignificant compared to the help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could provide him.

Zhou Heng first returned to the largest blacksmith shop in Heaven Dou City, where Lou Gao had already been waiting for him for three or four days.

Seeing Zhou Heng, Lou Gao immediately surrounded him in excitement.

Zhou Heng spent a day explaining the concept of Spirit to Lou Gao.

Then he had Lou Gao hammer metal while he observed from the side and informed him of the changes in the metal's Spirit.

Lou Gao had been stuck before Spirit Forging because the system of this era had not developed to that point; after receiving Zhou Heng's pointers, he naturally crossed the stage of Spirit Forging and was already able to initially stimulate the Spirit of the vast majority of metals.

Next, Zhou Heng did not continue to urge Lou Gao, but instead had him return to the Blacksmith Association and continue his research with suitable trusted aides.

At the same time, he wrote a letter to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in his own name, so that the Blacksmith Association could obtain metal from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at a more stable and lower price in the future.

Before leaving, Zhou Heng returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and patiently used his own origin to irrigate and assimilate the metal bracers in his hands.