She picked up the water by the bedside and held it to Gu La's lips. "Here, drink. Do you want Miss Ning Rongrong to call that little black cat over to feed you?"
Seeing her sour expression, Gu La refrained from adding fuel to the fire. Using telekinesis, he manipulated the water flow, letting it slowly enter his mouth to moisten his parched cells.
"Hmph, just as I thought."
Ning Rongrong wore an unsurprised look, feeling quite smug. Thinking she was the only one who knew about Gu La's extraordinary abilities, her heart was momentarily filled with sweetness.
But then, recalling the girls around Gu La, her mood soured instantly.
She glared at him fiercely—how dare he flirt with others when he kissed her? If not for his injury, she would have taught him a lesson.
---
Half a month later.
Morning light filtered through the gaps in the parasol tree leaves, casting a golden glow over the small courtyard behind Shrek Academy.
Gu La reclined on a wicker chair, his crimson, glass-like fingertips resting on the armrest, radiating intense heat.
Zhu Zhuqing silently practiced her soul skills nearby, occasionally checking on Gu La's condition.
Her cool fingertips paused briefly when they touched his wrist—the pulse there was much stronger than it had been seven days ago.
During Gu La's recovery, Zhu Zhuqing and the others took turns caring for him, making life surprisingly more peaceful than usual.
However, Gu La didn't let this comfort cloud his focus on important matters.
After half a month of various treatments, Gu La's injuries showed significant improvement, no longer requiring constant bed rest.
Under Gu La's direction, Tang San crafted a wheelchair for him. In the mornings, the girls wheeled him outside to bask in the sunlight, utilizing photosynthesis and the rejuvenating effects of Grassy Terrain. Coupled with the Red Orb's ability to restore vitality under clear skies, the high-quality energy left behind by Groudon was gradually refined within his body. His cells and meridians, though damaged, were continuously healing and growing stronger, becoming as resilient as dragon sinews.
Basking in the sunlight, Gu La closed his eyes in deep concentration, a faint golden aura emanating from his body. The grass and trees in the courtyard swayed without wind.
This was a new ability he had recently discovered—fusing the residual magma energy from Groudon with his nature-aligned traits to refine natural energy into blood qi. Even bedridden, he didn't neglect physical training.
"They're here."
Tang San set aside the hidden weapon he was polishing and curiously watched the middle-aged man behind Ning Rongrong.
Ning Fengzhi, unable to wait any longer, swallowed his pride as the leader of one of the top three sects and personally came to Shrek Academy to meet Gu La.
Of course, accompanying him was Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who looked at Gu La with obvious displeasure, clearly unhappy about the man who had "stolen" their little princess.
Under the clear sky, Sword Douluo's sharp gaze shifted upward toward the sun. His eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed something unusual—the sunlight here seemed more intense than elsewhere.
He wasn't mistaken. Gu La hadn't restrained his solar absorption trait, which combined with the already sunny weather, made the sunlight even hotter.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Gu La opened his eyes and began to turn the wheels as if to greet them. Ning Rongrong's skirt fluttered urgently as she leaned forward to stop the wheelchair. "Don't move around so carelessly. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Be careful not to strain your wounds."
Ning Fengzhi inwardly sighed, feeling like his daughter's heart had been completely captivated. Just days ago, she had still harbored dislike for Gu La before meeting him.
He carefully studied Gu La, noticing that the tips of his hair seemed to shimmer with molten gold-red hues. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be an illusion caused by the sunlight.
But could a Soul Sage's eyes fail to distinguish sunlight reflections?
Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes.
Gu La stopped the wheelchair without further ado, offering an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Lord Ning. My weakened state has caused me to be impolite."
"No need to apologize. You and Rongrong are friends—you can call me Uncle Ning. I've heard so much about you from Rongrong, but I never imagined our first meeting would be under these circumstances."
Ning Fengzhi naturally couldn't express dissatisfaction. He asked with concern, "Have you consulted a healing-type soul master? If it's inconvenient, I can arrange it for you."
Gu La declined politely, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Ning, but my injuries require more rest than treatment. No need to trouble you."
"Mm, don't push yourself too hard. Cultivation is important, but your health comes first."
Ning Fengzhi said casually, then got straight to the point. "Young people dislike formalities, so I'm sure you've guessed why I'm here. Can you contact your teacher?"
"My teacher? You mean Principal Flender…" Gu La feigned ignorance, glancing at Ning Rongrong, whose guilty expression was evident from the back of her head.
She then turned around and gave Gu La an apologetic look, mouthing a silent agreement to his unreasonable demands.
The PUA session ended, and Gu La hid the amusement in his eyes. Manipulating everyone behind the scenes felt unexpectedly satisfying.
"You know I'm not talking about him—I mean Oak."
Ning Fengzhi interrupted Gu La's thoughts, leaving him no room to pretend ignorance.
The anticipation and urgency in Ning Fengzhi's eyes revealed that he was far less calm than he appeared.
The Star Crown Sect had learned of Oak's presence in the Tendo Empire through the Xingyan (Star) Chessboard and subsequently discovered that he had once saved Emperor Xue Ye.
Ning Fengzhi, however, had obtained information much earlier by bribing members of the royal guard, learning that Oak had single-handedly repelled two Title Douluos.
With such accomplishments in martial soul theory and his own cultivation reaching the Title Douluo level, Oak's value as an ally skyrocketed tenfold.
After all, survival of the fittest was a universal truth. Only those capable of self-defense could fend off covetous eyes lurking in the shadows.
If the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could form a strong alliance with him, the benefits would drive anyone mad with desire.
Gu La wasn't surprised by Ning Fengzhi's question. With a calm demeanor, he replied:
"Alright, I can contact my teacher. However, he doesn't stay in one place, so it will take at least a month for him to respond to my inquiries."
"What business does Uncle Ning have with my teacher?"
Receiving a definitive answer, Ning Fengzhi let out a sigh of relief. He had anticipated that Gu La might deny his request, but he hadn't expected such an easy change in attitude.
He glanced at his daughter—was it because of Rongrong?
Ning Fengzhi's emotions were complicated. Never had he imagined that one day he would need his daughter's help to achieve his goals.
Taking a deep breath, he voiced the lifelong obsession weighing on his mind: "Has Master Oak mentioned how to evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
"Isn't it written in the thesis?" Gu La countered. He hadn't deceived anyone in his paper; following his method, it was indeed possible to evolve the pagoda.
Ning Fengzhi hesitated. "Earth-attribute soul beasts with Glazed variations are exceedingly rare, and their lifespans may not always match our needs. Moreover, disciples require time to break through, so we haven't seen results yet. And if all soul rings are of the same type, the resulting soul skills might be unsatisfactory."
Gu La calmly replied, "Such things cannot be rushed. Martial soul evolution is a miracle that requires a lifetime—or even generations—to achieve through collective effort. Impatience won't help."
Even Oak couldn't solve this? Ning Fengzhi persisted, unwilling to give up. "Is there no way to accelerate the process?"
"Not necessarily nonexistent."
Finally, he took the bait!
Gu La suppressed his satisfaction and played coy. "However, the required items are rarer than hundred-thousand-year soul rings—and in some ways, even more elusive. Uncle Ning, it's best not to hold onto hope."
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