Since Tianlin and Gu Ran could only stay for one day and had to return to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy tomorrow, the two of them decided to take a rare break from their cultivation. Taking the opportunity to visit home and spend time with family wasn't a bad idea. Moreover, Tianlin planned to return to Seven Treasure Village in the evening to spend time with his parents.
Although Tianlin had always wanted to bring his parents to live with him, they didn't adapt well to life here. After a few days, they returned to Seven Treasure Village. Seeing this, Tianlin let them do as they pleased, as long as they were happy.
However, during lunch, Tianlin noticed that someone was missing from the table.
"Ning Uncle, where's Rongrong?" Tianlin asked curiously. The little chatterbox who would always buzz around him whenever he came home wasn't there.
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and said, "Her? Because the last time she visited you at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and saw you surrounded by other women, she got angry and ran away from home!"
Hearing this, Tianlin's expression turned anxious. "I don't have other women; they're the ones who approach me…"
With Tianlin's strength, looks, and status, it was natural for him to attract women who wanted to climb the social ladder. When Ning Rongrong visited him one day, she happened to see a senior sister with an inappropriate demeanor delivering food to Tianlin. Enraged, she stormed off on the spot.
Tianlin was hurriedly explaining himself, but when he noticed Ning Fengzhi sipping tea leisurely, his eyes narrowed.
This guy seemed completely indifferent while mentioning his daughter's disappearance. Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Tianlin realized that Ning Rongrong's whereabouts must be under his control. He had just been overly worried, losing his composure for a moment.
With the current level of security in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong couldn't sneak out unnoticed.
Scanning the room, Tianlin noticed that besides Rongrong, someone else was also missing. "Ning Uncle, where's Grandpa Ying? Did you send him to protect Rongrong?"
"I didn't send him. He went on his own. Ever since advancing to Title Douluo, he's said that his life goals are fulfilled, and he's bored with nothing to do. So, he secretly followed Rongrong," Ning Fengzhi replied calmly, putting down his teacup.
Yin Yang's original potential was capped at the peak of level 89 Soul Douluo. Without Tianlin's medicinal pills, he might have been stuck at this bottleneck for life. Even though he broke through with the help of the Purple Gold Pill, its effects had been exhausted. Now, no matter how hard Yin Yang cultivated, his spirit power growth was extremely slow. At most, he could reach levels 92 or 93 in his lifetime, but becoming a Super Douluo was almost impossible.
As a result, he focused most of his energy on nurturing the younger generation. Ning Rongrong, whom he treated like a granddaughter, was the apple of his eye. His indulgence toward her was no less than that of the Sword and Bone Douluos.
"Hmph! Fengzhi, how could you let Rongrong go out alone? If it weren't for Old Eagle following her, I'd have to give you a proper talking-to!" Sword Douluo scolded, his face stern.
Initially, Ning Fengzhi had planned to send just two Soul Kings for protection. However, considering the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had Soul Sages, Soul Douluos, and even four Title Douluos, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo found this arrangement insufficient.
"Rongrong won't be in danger. With the reputation of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, most spirit masters wouldn't dare cause trouble. Besides, based on Rongrong's direction, she's likely headed to join Shrek Academy," Ning Fengzhi explained.
Just like in the original story, Ning Rongrong was still headed to the place she was destined for. However, this time, there were two reasons: first, she was angry about Tianlin's popularity with women. She wanted to join a team, defeat the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and prove her excellence.
The second reason was for the sake of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Tianlin had mentioned before that he would eventually visit Shrek Academy because some people there needed to be recruited, others needed to be suppressed, and some couldn't be allowed to grow too powerful and uncontrollable in the future.
The most important target was Tang San. Although Tianlin no longer needed Tang San's help with immortal herbs and had no intention of returning the herbs, he recognized Tang San's expertise in hidden weapons. Hidden weapons could enhance the combat effectiveness of the sect's direct disciples, who lacked offensive abilities.
In the original story, it was thanks to Tang San's hidden weapons that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect avoided total annihilation during the Spirit Hall's hunting operation.
Although the Shu Mountain Sect specialized in talismans, swordsmanship, and alchemy, they did not know hidden weapons. To quickly enhance the sect's combat power, they still needed Tang San for the time being.
To help her dear Sword Brother, Ning Rongrong decided to scout out Shrek Academy. She planned to establish good relationships with the people Tianlin intended to recruit, giving them enough face with a personal invitation from the future sect master.
"Hmph! Shrek Academy? How could it possibly teach better than we do?" Bone Douluo slammed the table angrily, still dissatisfied with Ning Fengzhi's decision.
Shrek Academy wasn't entirely unknown. In Spirit Hall, there were rumors of a young elder who had graduated from there. Although the truth of this was unclear, Qin Ming, a talented teacher at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, had indeed come from Shrek Academy.
Currently, Qin Ming's soul power has reached level 65, three levels higher than in the original story. With his potential, the Purple Gold Pill was merely icing on the cake. Becoming a Title Douluo was only a matter of time.
Hearing Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo's continuous complaints, Ning Fengzhi felt a headache coming on. These two doting grandfathers were impossible to reason with, especially since they were both Super Douluos.
"Master, Grandpa Bone, don't worry. Teacher Qin Ming is also from Shrek Academy. When I have time, I'll ask Teacher Qin to take me to see Rongrong," Tianlin reassured the two old men.
Seizing the opportunity, Ning Fengzhi added, "Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, you should feel reassured now. With Old Eagle and Tianlin around, nothing will happen to Rongrong. Besides, she needs to see the world. Staying in the sect and cultivating behind closed doors isn't good for her growth."
Bone Douluo nodded slightly, finding some sense in Ning Fengzhi's words.
"Hmph! If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hold you accountable!" Chen Xin said before flying off on his sword.
Behind him, Ning Fengzhi broke into a cold sweat. Dealing with doting grandfathers was no easy task.
Meanwhile, Tianlin arrived at the sect's alchemy hall. Over the past few years, the sect had established a new branch called the Medicine Hall. Unlike the other three branches responsible for combat or reconnaissance, this hall focused on supporting the disciples' cultivation. Though Dugu Bo was its nominal leader, Tianlin was the one truly in charge.
After all, Tianlin had promised Dugu Bo a carefree life, and he intended to keep his word.
At this moment, Dugu Bo was lounging on a recliner under the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool breeze. Snakes indeed preferred cooler environments.
"You're back, little monster?" Dugu Bo said without even opening his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching.
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