After returning to his residence, Xu Yang took some time to adjust his thoughts and continued his cultivation.
Having learned from his previous experience, he decided not to focus on theories from other worlds, such as firearms or grenades. Instead, he dedicated himself to studying knowledge related to soul masters.
From then on, Xu Yang's daily life became more routine. He would rise early to absorb the Eastern Purple Qi, eat, meditate to cultivate his soul power, eat again, train his physical strength, eat again, and then practice swordsmanship and combat skills with Ning Haiyan. On rainy days, he would rest and read books.
This routine continued for nearly nine months until Madam Ning went into labor.
Inside the room, Sect Leader Ning Fengzhi no longer had his usual composed demeanor. He paced back and forth anxiously at the door, while Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stood nearby, their tightly clenched fists revealing their unease.
By the time the embryo had fully developed, Sect Leader Ning had already used his soul power to detect the child's gender and had named him Ning Rongrong, symbolizing the continued prosperity of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Thus, both he and the two titled Douluo were highly anticipating the arrival of this new life, which is why they were so nervous.
Xu Yang stood to the side, silently watching them. In a normal village like Holy Soul Village, there could indeed be complications with childbirth. But in a place like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, that was practically impossible. Not only were there healing soul masters in the sect, but Madam Ning herself was a Soul Sage. Giving birth shouldn't be a cause for such anxiety.
Over the past nine months, Xu Yang had made great progress. His soul power had reached level 16, his swordsmanship had become more refined, and while his archery wasn't perfect, he could at least hit the target. His height had increased by 20 centimeters, reaching 1.6 meters, though his face still looked very youthful.
Through Sect Leader Ning's help, Bone Douluo had assisted Xu Yang in developing a technique to temper his body with soul power. Ning Haiyan, who had no particular talent in this area, had tried for two months but made no progress. Therefore, Xu Yang turned to Sect Leader Ning, who asked Bone Douluo to help.
Bone Douluo, a titled Douluo, had unparalleled understanding of soul power. It took less than a month to create a preliminary method to temper the body with soul power.
However, this method was only useful for soul masters below the rank of Soul Emperor, and its effects were only slightly better than regular physical training. Yet, both Sect Leader Ning and the two titled Douluo felt that although this technique couldn't replace regular cultivation methods, it had significant potential.
This technique helped Xu Yang immensely. With his sun-like, domineering soul power, the effects of tempering were outstanding. After practicing, he used his "Morning Light" soul skill and the recovery effects from Eastern Purple Qi to heal any injuries. This allowed him to cultivate freely without concern for physical strain.
Combined with the mental control techniques from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, although Xu Yang had only reached the Three-Hearted Heart (level 3), he could already multitask effectively. He was able to temper his body while continuing his cultivation and training.
This was why, after only nine months, he had grown to 1.6 meters and made incredible progress, with his soul power advancing four levels to reach level 16.
Suddenly, in the room, a loud cry of a baby rang out.
"Wah! Wah! Wah!"
"They've been born!" Sect Leader Ning shouted, and both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo relaxed, their tightly clenched fists now at ease.
"Congratulations, Sect Leader. Both mother and daughter are safe," said the midwife, as she walked out of the room and bowed to Sect Leader Ning.
"Good. You'll receive a thousand gold soul coins as a reward later," Sect Leader Ning responded.
"Thank you, Sect Leader!"
Ignoring the midwife, Sect Leader Ning rushed into the room, followed by Xu Yang and the two titled Douluo.
Inside, Sect Leader Ning was concerned about his wife, while Xu Yang's eyes were drawn to the tightly swaddled baby. The baby wasn't particularly beautiful, with wrinkled skin, a typical sight for newborns. After a week or two, the baby would look more normal.
"Ning Rongrong is born. That means Tang San must have been born as well. The news about Tang Hao killing Qian Xunji will likely spread soon," Xu Yang thought.
The Shrek Seven Devils, aside from Dai Mubai and Oscar, were all roughly the same age, with only a few months' difference. Since Ning Rongrong had already been born, it meant Tang San had been born too. The event where Tang Hao severely injured Qian Xunji had likely already occurred.
However, why hadn't there been any news about it yet? Xu Yang found it strange. According to the timeline, news should have already spread by now.
A few days later, the news broke that Qian Xunji had been severely injured by Tang Hao and died from his wounds after returning to the Spirit Hall. The new Pope, Bibi Dong, had assumed office, and this news quickly spread throughout the entire Douluo Continent.
At that point, Spirit Hall began pressuring the Haotian Sect to hand over Tang Hao. Seven Titled Douluo stood at the entrance of the Haotian Sect's mountain gates. In order to avoid conflict, Haotian Sect sealed its gates and expelled Tang Hao. Even the sect's affiliated branches ceased to be under Haotian Sect's control.
Within a few weeks, the weaker sects under Spirit Hall's influence were eradicated, while the stronger single-attribute sects, like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, began to falter under Spirit Hall's pressure, losing their previous standing in the world of soul masters.
"Looks like Extreme Douluo Tang Chen really has disappeared. Otherwise, how could the Haotian Sect, known for its dominance, have chosen to submit in this way?" After reviewing the gathered information, Sect Leader Ning's expression became grave.
Spirit Hall's strength was undeniable. The three major sects on the continent had long maintained a unified front, relying on Tang Chen's strength to counterbalance Spirit Hall. But now, it seemed that Tang Chen had truly gone missing.
With the Haotian Sect sealing its gates and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect being too proud to cooperate sincerely, Ning Fengzhi's thoughts grew more troubled.
"The Haotian Sect sealing its gates puts the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in a difficult position," Sect Leader Ning thought. "Our sect is built on the continent's number one auxiliary spirit, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. As an auxiliary sect, we can't act independently like the Haotian Sect. We need to gather talented individuals and forge alliances with other powerful forces to ensure the survival of our sect."
"Fengzhi, you don't have to worry too much. There are still two forces in the Douluo Continent that can stand against Spirit Hall. As long as we strengthen our cooperation, I believe we can protect the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Ning Fengzhi's wife, Madam Ning, said with a smile as she held Ning Rongrong.
Despite being a woman, she was no weakling and had sharp insight into the situation. She quickly understood the difficulties the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect faced.