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Ning Rongrong was a little nervous. "Big Brother Tianchen, were we too rash?"
Ning Tianchen shook his head and confidently replied, "People who say such things either have exhausted all their resources and still couldn't get the job done, so they're desperate enough to try anything—or they're screening their customers."
"Either way, only by showing a strong attitude can we earn their attention."
"So, we'll just find a random place in the city to sit and wait for them to come to us."
Hearing his explanation, Ning Rongrong relaxed and joined him at a roadside snack stall for a hearty breakfast.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted inside the Cang Manor.
Upon learning that there was a Soul Sage among Ning Tianchen's group, Cang Tianyou even personally went out to greet them.
But it turned out that Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong had already left.
Furious, Cang Tianyou lashed out at the servant. "Such important guests! Why didn't you make them stay?"
It was too late for regrets now. Cang Tianyou quickly arranged for an artist to draw portraits of Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong based on the servant's description and ordered all the servants to search the city for their whereabouts.
An hour later, several guards from the Cang Manor found the two at the snack stall.
The Cang family was a well-known and influential clan in Coastal City, and these servants were used to throwing their weight around. They showed no restraint.
One burly man stepped onto the table where the two were eating and arrogantly said, "So it's you two who visited the Cang Manor earlier? Be smart and come with me quietly—don't force us to use violence."
As he spoke, he didn't forget to leer at Ning Rongrong. "Oh, what a beautiful young lady. Which family are you fro—"
Before he could finish, Ning Tianchen flicked his finger, and a burst of sword energy shot out, piercing through the man's throat.
Blood gushed out but was blocked by an invisible soul power barrier, not spilling onto the two of them.
"Do you even know who we are? Offending the Cang family means you won't even know how you'll die!" one of the man's companions threatened.
Ning Tianchen turned his gaze toward them, his eyes radiating a chilling killing intent. "Do you think I've been too polite with you?"
As he spoke, the Killing God Domain spread outward from his body, enveloping the entire street in an instant. This group of men was utterly terrified, with some even fainting on the spot.
"Y-you two honored guests," the shopkeeper stammered, terrified of saying the wrong thing and getting killed on the spot.
Ning Tianchen wasn't a bloodthirsty person. His gaze softened as he looked at the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, prepare another set of bowls and chopsticks. I believe we'll soon have visitors."
With that, he flicked his finger, and a gold coin landed in the shopkeeper's hand.
The trembling shopkeeper clutched the coin tightly and hurried to do as instructed.
---
The soul power fluctuations Ning Tianchen unleashed were extraordinarily powerful, and almost everyone in Coastal City could sense them.
"Did Boss run into trouble?"
Chen Huayu, who was gathering intelligence, couldn't help but want to rush over to support him.
Feng Xiaotian stopped him. "No need. The burst of soul power was only momentary—it was likely meant to intimidate, not engage in battle. Let's continue gathering intelligence and leave them be."
With Ning Tianchen's strength, there were probably only a handful of people on this continent who could match him.
Moreover, Coastal City wasn't the empire's center, so there wouldn't be any Title Douluo-level experts here.
At the same time, Cang Tianyou felt the powerful presence and hurried over.
Similarly, the city lord's residence sent out many elite soldiers, surrounding the street where Ning Tianchen was located.
Upon hearing the news, the city lord also rushed to the scene.
The appearance of an unknown powerful individual in Coastal City—and in such a high-profile manner—was something the city lord had to take seriously.
---
"Big Brother Tianchen, it seems the city lord's people arrived first." Ning Rongrong smiled as she noticed the official robes on the newcomers.
Ning Tianchen calmly ate his side dishes. "This person's strength is decent—a high-level Soul Emperor."
"Shopkeeper, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks."
The city lord didn't approach rashly. When Cang Tianyou arrived, he quickly went up to inquire.
"Old Cang, do we have a chance of subduing him together?"
The strength Ning Tianchen displayed earlier had exceeded their expectations, making them hesitant to approach.
A servant behind Cang Tianyou recognized Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong. "Master, they were the ones who visited you this morning."
The city lord gave Cang Tianyou a surprised look, thinking: You failed to properly entertain them, and your servants even caused trouble for them. Isn't this asking for trouble—and dragging me into it too?
At this point, as the city lord of Coastal City, he couldn't back down.
Cang Tianyou frowned. "They're clearly just two young people. Are they really that strong? Or is the Soul Sage hiding somewhere nearby?"
Not giving him time to think further, the city lord urged, "Old Cang, stop dawdling and go greet the senior."
The two walked forward simultaneously. Ning Rongrong sat next to Ning Tianchen, leaving an empty seat.
Seeing that Ning Tianchen didn't invite them to sit, the two froze in place.
After a pause, the city lord spoke first. "Junior Zhang Chenghuan, city lord of Coastal City, greets Senior."
Cang Tianyou followed, "Greetings, esteemed sir!"
Ning Tianchen didn't look up. "You came so early—you must not have had breakfast yet. Sit down and eat something. And don't call me Senior."
Cang Tianyou saw the servant's corpse nearby and frowned deeply.
Zhang Chenghuan gleefully sat down and picked up the bowls and chopsticks on the table.
Cang Tianyou gritted his teeth and reluctantly sat down as well, though he didn't pick up his utensils. Instead, he said, "Esteemed sir, failing to discipline my servants was my mistake. However, since you've vented your anger, shouldn't we discuss matters properly?"
"Eat!"
Ning Rongrong snorted coldly, then picked up a side dish with her chopsticks and placed it in Ning Tianchen's bowl.
"Big Brother Tianchen, this small dish tastes good. Try it."
Ning Tianchen gave her a gentle look and softly said, "Thank you, Rongrong."
And so, Cang Tianyou and Zhang Chenghuan were forced to watch the two display affection for half an hour straight.
They couldn't leave, nor could they eat. They sat there awkwardly, their faces filled with embarrassment.
---
After finishing breakfast, Ning Tianchen wiped Ning Rongrong's mouth and reminded the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, clean up."
The shopkeeper scurried over nervously and tidied up the table.
To the shopkeeper, the master of the Cang family and the city lord of Coastal City were figures he wouldn't dare think about in his wildest dreams.
Yet today, these two sat here like children who had made a mistake, sitting upright and stiff.
"Esteemed sir, can we talk now?" Cang Tianyou asked again.
Ning Tianchen nodded. "Elder Cang, to show sincerity, you need to know whether we have the capital to negotiate."
With that, he gave Ning Rongrong a subtle glance.
Ning Rongrong chuckled softly, and seven soul rings appeared under her feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
This was clearly not her original soul ring configuration.
After completing multiple divine trials, Ning Rongrong had accumulated a significant amount of affinity with the God of Light. Changing the colors of her soul rings through light manipulation was child's play for her.
"The best soul ring configuration—and such a young Soul Sage!" Cang Tianyou was shocked.
The Sun Moon Continent was different from the Douluo Continent.
Here, the status of soul mentors far surpassed that of soul masters, so most talented individuals chose the path of soul mentoring, neglecting their soul power cultivation.
As a result, the overall strength of soul masters on the Sun Moon Continent was far inferior to that of the Douluo Continent.
A Soul Sage might only be considered a mid-to-high-tier expert on the Douluo Continent, but in Coastal City, they were undoubtedly top-tier experts.
Zhang Chenghuan quickly stood up. "Please forgive my poor judgment for offending you earlier, Senior."
"Esteemed seniors, if you would be so kind as to grace us with your presence at the city lord's residence, I would be honored to fulfill my duties as host."
Cang Tianyou said, "Old Zhang, I have important matters to discuss with these two seniors. Please excuse yourself for now."
Zhang Chenghuan didn't leave immediately but instead glanced at Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong.
Seeing that they intended to converse with Cang Tianyou, he tactfully retreated a considerable distance.
Ning Tianchen carefully observed Cang Tianyou and discerned his strength. "You possess seventy-three levels of soul power and don't require soul rings. Tell me, what do you need?"
Cang Tianyou understood that if Ning Tianchen could see through his strength, his own abilities must far surpass those of Ning Rongrong.
Without sufficient strength, he knew he couldn't seize the initiative in negotiations. Resigned, he responded straightforwardly, "To be honest, my eldest son has recently broken through to level seventy. However, due to my advanced age, I can no longer fully utilize the strength of a Soul Sage. Thus, I humbly request your assistance in hunting a suitable seventh soul ring for my son. In exchange, I am willing to craft any soul-guiding tool you desire."
"But I hope you understand the rules of this continent—crafting soul-guiding tools requires the provision of materials by the requester."
The Cang family's influence clearly surpassed that of the city lord's residence, which explained Cang Tianyou's boldness in speaking.
Ning Tianchen shook his head. "I don't need your help crafting soul-guiding tools. My request is simple: I want a copy of the introductory manual for soul mentors, as well as manuals for crafting first- to third-tier soul-guiding tools."
"Additionally, for high-tier soul-guiding tool blueprints, I won't take the originals—I'll only make copies and take those."
Cang Tianyou's expression darkened. "You're asking for far too much! With a single sentence, you expect to walk away with nearly a century's worth of my family's accumulated knowledge? Absolutely impossible!"
Ning Tianchen shrugged indifferently. "If there's nothing to discuss, then please leave."
"However, it might be wise for your family to station more guards around your storage tonight. If someone were to raid your vaults, it wouldn't bode well for you."
"You!" Cang Tianyou was furious.
This statement was clearly a threat.
But Ning Tianchen clearly had the strength to back it up. Could the Cang family truly stop him if he decided to act?
Ning Tianchen added, "These manuals cost nothing to produce. How many copies you make is entirely up to you."
"Of course, you should be able to tell that we are not from around here. Even if we take these techniques, they won't pose any threat to your family's status."
"I'm staying at a hotel in the city. With your family's resources, it shouldn't be hard to find out where."
"My patience is limited. Don't keep me waiting too long."
With that, Ning Tianchen stood up, preparing to leave.
"Wait," Cang Tianyou made his decision. "Simply helping my son hunt a soul ring isn't enough collateral. However, if you're willing to provide a millennium-level soul bone, we'll consider this deal done."
On the Sun Moon Continent, the overall strength of soul masters was relatively weak, making it extremely difficult to hunt high-level spirit beasts. As a result, soul bones were exceedingly rare.
Relatively speaking, the value of a millennium-level soul bone here was roughly equivalent to that of a ten-thousand-year soul bone on the Douluo Continent.
Ning Tianchen asked, "What level soul mentor are you?"
Cang Tianyou proudly declared, "Chief Great Soul Mentor—equivalent to a sixth-tier soul mentor."
Ning Tianchen glanced at him and said, "Later, I will visit your residence to further discuss our cooperation."
Cang Tianyou nodded. "Then I shall await your esteemed arrival at home."
---
After leaving the breakfast stall, Zhang Chenghuan escorted Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong to the city lord's residence.
Through him, Ning Tianchen learned quite a bit about the situation on this continent.
Like the Douluo Continent, this land also had two major empires: the Radiant Sun Empire and the Crescent Moon Empire.
Coastal City belonged to the Crescent Moon Empire, and currently, its borders were under invasion by the Radiant Sun Empire.
The scale of the conflict wasn't large, and Zhang Chenghuan believed it wouldn't last long before a ceasefire was reached.
His son had recently broken through to level sixty and also needed help hunting a soul ring.
Upon hearing that they planned to visit the Evil Demon Forest, Zhang Chenghuan earnestly begged them to assist his son in hunting a soul ring.
Ning Tianchen asked, puzzled, "With your strength, hunting a twenty-thousand-year soul ring should be no problem. Why do you need our help?"
Zhang Chenghuan explained with a bitter smile, "The Evil Demon Forest may not seem dangerous to you, but for me, the areas inhabited by twenty-thousand-year spirit beasts are perilous. Without two or three individuals of similar strength accompanying me, I cannot enter lightly."
His words clearly revealed just how afraid of death he was.
A high-ranking city official, yet such a coward?
Of course, Zhang Chenghuan's fear of death stemmed largely from his concern that his family would lose their wealth and status after his passing.
Moreover, Coastal City was a coastal settlement, and few soul masters above the Soul King level ever came here.
Zhang Chenghuan's son had broken through to level sixty some time ago, but they had been unable to find a strong enough helper, so they had delayed his breakthrough.
Ning Rongrong was curious: Wasn't there a less dangerous spirit beast forest on this continent?
While the soul tool was indeed perilous, there were also places like the Hunting Spirit Forest or the Sunset Forest. It wasn't absolutely necessary to go to the soul tool to hunt for souls.
Ning Tianchen signaled her to remain silent.
They could claim to have been secluded in cultivation for a long time to inquire about the continent's situation. But if they appeared ignorant about even the spirit beast forests, it might raise suspicions about their identities.
Such matters could only be investigated by Feng Xiaotian and the others on the streets.
"Helping your son hunt a soul is a minor matter, but what do we gain?" Ning Tianchen asked.
Seeing that Ning Tianchen hadn't outright refused, Zhang Chenghuan was overjoyed and quickly pulled a pre-prepared map from his pocket.
He explained, "When I was younger, I accidentally ventured deep into the Evil Demon Forest. I've always had the habit of drawing maps, so I recorded both my entry and exit routes in detail."
Ning Tianchen frowned suspiciously. "Given your strength back then, how did you survive entering the depths of the Evil Demon Forest?"
Zhang Chenghuan gave an awkward laugh. "To be honest, I thought I was doomed. But by chance, I stumbled into a valley. Strangely, the valley was inhabited only by butterfly-type spirit beasts. Other types of spirit beasts seemed to regard it as forbidden territory and dared not enter."
"Later, it seems I was affected by some kind of phosphorescent powder and fell into paralysis. A giant butterfly carried me out of the forest."
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