Thank you to our new Patrons: Shisui34, Keith Lighthill, Damass 13, RrJ, Emil Pedersen, Zhandos Kauzhanov, J L, Caio Cainel Buchalla and reece campbell! You are what makes all this possible! We are up to Chapter 40: Two-on-Two Soul Battle on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
For Ning Tianchen, as long as he didn't meet an untimely demise along the way, breaking through to become a Title Douluo in the future was inevitable. Moreover, he had the potential to become one of the most outstanding Title Douluos.
For the Blue Lightning Duo, reaching the level of a Title Douluo with only level eight innate soul power would require extraordinary luck and opportunities. Even after becoming a Title Douluo, their soul power would struggle to exceed level ninety-five.
No matter how you looked at it, Ning Tianchen's future strength would surpass that of the Blue Lightning Duo.
If Ning Tianchen were to die, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would find it extremely difficult to suppress the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family in the future.
"Sword Uncle, based on your suspicions, this possibility does indeed exist," Ning Fengzhi said, his brows furrowed deeply.
Thankfully, he had sent Gu Rong to assist in time, and thankfully Ning Tianchen's strength was solid—otherwise, both he and Ning Rongrong could have easily perished.
"Lord Sect Leader, I also feel that this doesn't seem like something Old Dragon would do. Though he has always viewed the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as a rival, his character wouldn't allow him to resort to such underhanded tactics," Chen Xin added.
Ning Fengzhi quickly retrieved the reply letter from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family from his soul-guidance device.
"Someone, go to my study and bring me the folder located on the sixth shelf, third position of the seventh bookcase," Ning Fengzhi instructed.
Within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, they kept handwritten letters from Yu Yuanzhen. By comparing the handwriting, they could determine whether this letter was truly written by him.
Not long after, a disciple brought over a dusty folder.
With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Xin blew away all the dust from the folder.
He then took out the letters inside.
These letters were from years of correspondence between the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Chen Xin carefully compared the two letters.
After a long while, he gave his judgment: "Lord Sect Leader, at first glance, the handwriting in this letter does indeed resemble Old Dragon's. However, upon closer inspection, there are several places where the strokes end unnaturally."
"The handwriting in this letter captures about ninety percent of Old Dragon's style, but I can confirm that this wasn't written by him. It was likely imitated by someone very familiar with him."
Ning Fengzhi asked, "Sword Uncle, are you saying that Lord Yu did write a reply, but it was swapped midway? And that the content of this letter was copied and edited from the original?"
Chen Xin nodded.
Ning Tianchen exclaimed, "Doesn't this mean that Yu Yuanzhen has been sidelined?"
In the world of Douluo Continent, where soul masters reigned supreme, as long as Yu Yuanzhen remained the family's sole Title Douluo, his authority couldn't be shaken.
However, Ning Tianchen's exclamation was more for show—to make himself appear like an eleven-year-old boy in front of others.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head, his earlier smile now completely gone. "Deputy Lord Yu. Aside from him, very few within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family have prolonged access to Lord Yu."
"I estimate that Old Dragon is currently in seclusion, leaving all sect affairs in the hands of Yu Luomian. But he isn't the sect leader, and even in the future, he has no chance of ascending to that position. What purpose does his behavior serve?" Chen Xin wondered aloud.
Ning Fengzhi didn't dare delve deeper into the matter. "Let's leave it at that. Tianchen, don't mention this to anyone, not even Rongrong. This is an internal matter of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, and we shouldn't meddle."
"By the way, tomorrow evening is my family banquet. Tianchen, you should come as well."
"Huh? Am I allowed?" Ning Tianchen asked in surprise.
A family banquet inviting outsiders—could it still be called a family banquet? He couldn't help but feel that Ning Fengzhi had something important to discuss during the banquet.
"Could it be about me and Rongrong?" Ning Tianchen thought to himself.
Though his mental age was mature, his physical body was still that of an eleven-year-old boy. Discussing marriage matters at such a young age felt inappropriate.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Come along," Chen Xin said calmly.
Ning Tianchen stopped overthinking and left the meeting hall, returning to the training grounds to continue practicing his swordsmanship.
The training grounds weren't empty—there were also disciples from the special training camp practicing there.
With his current strength, staying in the special training camp was no longer necessary. Thus, a year ago, he had applied for early graduation.
Among these training camp disciples, a few had broken through to become Great Soul Masters. However, compared to Ning Tianchen, their strength was far from impressive.
Chen Huayu, who had grown into a chubby figure, said enviously, "Sigh, the gap between me and Big Brother keeps widening. When will I ever reach Big Brother's current level?"
Qi Huan nudged his shoulder. "Fatty Chen, stop dreaming. Big Brother is receiving focused cultivation resources from the sect. If you can get the same resources as him, then talk about catching up."
Fatty Chen snorted. "Hmph, tomorrow I'll request leave to take on missions from the mission hall. Once I receive the rewards, I'll eventually catch up to Big Brother."
Qi Huan shrugged. "Good luck with that."
…
The following evening, under the guidance of a servant, Ning Tianchen arrived at the estate where Ning Fengzhi's family resided within the sect.
The estate was vast, with colorful gardens filled with various flowers.
The main building in the center of the estate was tall and grand, adorned with rows of seven-colored soul-guidance lamps that made it look spectacular and dazzling.
As Ning Tianchen walked along the estate's pathways, he noticed that the lampposts were all shaped like the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
Tonight's family banquet was held on a patch of grass within the estate.
The venue had been prepared in advance, and Ning Rongrong was sitting on a stool, her expression troubled.
Ning Tianchen approached curiously and asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so troubled?"
At the sound of his voice, Ning Rongrong's brows lifted slightly, revealing a rare glimmer of joy.
But her tone remained low. ", Daddy has already decided to send us to the Tian Dou Imperial Academy."
"It's too boring there—I don't want to go."
After saying this, her eyes darted around, and she leaned close to Ning Tianchen's ear, whispering, "Big brother Tianchen, let's run away secretly. I have a map to the Balak Kingdom. Let's go to Shrek Academy together."
How could Ning Tianchen possibly agree?
Ning Rongrong was Ning Fengzhi's precious daughter and the cherished treasure of the two sects' elders.
Whether or not the idea of leaving the sect originated from him, he would inevitably be blamed for "kidnapping" Ning Rongrong.
If this caused Chen Xin to stop teaching him swordsmanship, it would be a devastating loss.
"Rongrong, I need to enter seclusion for a few days. How about you wait a bit longer?" Ning Tianchen employed the art of procrastination.
Ning Rongrong muttered something under her breath, her mind already formulating plans.
Not long after, Ning Fengzhi and the Sword and Bone Douluo arrived at the estate together.
Though the Sword and Bone Douluo weren't part of the family, their long-term interactions had made them feel like family.
Aside from Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi's lineage also included several sons.
However, none of his sons had innate soul power exceeding level five—they were considered completely useless.
Additionally, Ning Fengzhi had several wives, each elegant, dignified, and graceful.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.