Douluo: Martial Soul Seven Kill Sword, The Sword Opens Heaven's Gates

With Ning Tianchen's strength, he had no ability to influence the actions of the Sea God. He could only hope that the Asura God would fulfill his duty as an enforcer and capture the rule-breaking Sea God. 

Thinking of the Sea God, Ning Tianchen also recalled a crucial item—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

It could be said that without the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, the Sea God's ninth trial couldn't possibly be completed.

Originally, Ning Tianchen had considered targeting the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. However, since he had first received the Asura God's trial, if he appeared indecisive, it might leave a bad impression on the Asura God.

Since the palace coup was successful, it was likely that the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was still in the Tiandou Imperial Palace and hadn't fallen into Tang San's hands.

As for future events, they could only take things one step at a time.

If he ended up opposing Qian Renxue, as long as he successfully inherited the position of the Asura God, none of this would be an issue.

After a pause, Feng Xiaotian said, "Tianchen, after we return from this trip, the matters of the sect will be handled by you and Rongrong. We'll take everyone into the Hurricane Canyon for training and strive to obtain the inheritance of the Wind God as soon as possible."

"If we can break through to level 100, we can directly mediate the current situation on the continent and avoid unnecessary casualties to a large extent."

"Sounds good." Ning Tianchen nodded.

The third trials of Asura and the Light God hadn't been issued yet, so for the short term, he and Ning Rongrong could relax a little.

---

In the main hall of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect…

Ning Fengzhi invited the three family heads of Wind, Water, and Fire to this meeting.

Previously, Ning Tianchen had sent a letter proposing that the three families join the Sky Sword Sect.

Ning Fengzhi could tell that if the three family heads hadn't brought it up themselves, Ning Tianchen wouldn't have mentioned it either.

For now, he needed to gauge the attitudes of the three family heads to assess whether the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would suffer any losses.

"Three family heads, I've invited you here today to discuss your joining the Sky Sword Sect. I'm not sure what you're thinking, so I hope you can clear my doubts."

Huo Lie wanted to speak but was stopped by Shui Ningbing. Instead, Feng Changlin spoke on behalf of the three families.

"Ning Sect Leader, to be honest, our decision to join the Sky Sword Sect wasn't made on a whim."

"We've calculated that relying solely on Earl Ning Tianchen's fief, the Sky Sword Sect's future development would be greatly limited. Fortunately, this fief isn't too far from Elemental City, and we've already decided to offer Elemental City to the sect upon joining."

Elemental City was their ancestral property, and offering it so easily showed their determination.

However, the situation in Elemental City wasn't peaceful at the moment.

After the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was wiped out, Thunder Academy was predictably absorbed by the Elephant Armor Academy without any surprises.

The three families relied on their ties with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to barely fend off harassment from the Elephant Armor Sect.

It could be said that capturing Elemental City would inevitably lead to a direct conflict with the Elephant Armor Sect.

Ning Fengzhi wasn't worried about whether the Sky Sword Sect could take over Elemental City.

The Sky Sword Sect had Dugu Bo, a 95th-level Title Douluo, and three powerful Soul Douluos like Yang Wudi. Dealing with the Elephant Armor Sect wouldn't be a problem.

But if the Wind, Water, and Fire families joined the Sky Sword Sect, the sect's population would exceed a thousand people, making it an ultra-large sect.

Ning Fengzhi didn't want the Sky Sword Sect to grow too big, fearing that the alliance between the two sects wouldn't be solid in the future.

At the same time, maintaining the operation of such a large sect required a lot of money. In the future, the two sects would inevitably compete for market share within the Tiandou Empire.

"Fengzhi, allowing them to join the Sky Sword Sect might not be a bad choice for us right now."

Chen Xin expressed his stance through a telepathic message.

The current situation on the continent had become extremely unpredictable.

In previous years, whenever the two empires clashed, the Spirit Hall would immediately step in as a mediator.

Now, however, apart from responding to the Tiandou Empire regarding fugitives, the Spirit Hall had remained silent.

With the Spirit Hall's attitude unclear, the future situation on the continent would be full of uncertainty.

If the Spirit Hall allied with the Star Luo Empire, the Tiandou Empire would inevitably be squeezed for space.

Under these circumstances, if Ning Tianchen's Sky Sword Sect could grow stronger, they would gain greater influence on the continent.

Currently, Ning Fengzhi faced two major issues.

Limiting the size of the Sky Sword Sect would undoubtedly benefit the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the long run, ensuring a strong alliance between the two sects.

However, correspondingly, the Sky Sword Sect wouldn't gain enough influence on the continent, and relying solely on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the future would make it difficult to stand alone.

If the size of the Sky Sword Sect wasn't restricted, it would inevitably grow into an ultra-large sect on par with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

The market pie was only so big, and having two powerful entities in one temple would inevitably lead to competition for resources.

As an elder, Ning Fengzhi naturally hoped that Ning Tianchen's sect would grow stronger. But as the leader of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he couldn't just let it happen.

This conflicting mindset left him quite hesitant, unable to make a firm decision.

The three families of Wind, Water, and Fire seemed to have already made their resolve. Feng Changlin, representing the three, spoke up: "Sect Leader Ning, if we join the Sky Sword Sect, the Divine Wind, Blazing Fire, and Heavenly Water Academies will be unconditionally gifted to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, including teaching materials, faculty, and student resources."

For them, paying such a high price now was equivalent to breaking free from "servitude."

In the past, becoming vassals of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had indeed been the right choice for the three families.

But now, with a better option available, they couldn't afford to sit idly by.

After all, the four affiliated families of the Hao Tian Sect were initially all called brothers. But as time passed, the relationship between the sect and its affiliated families gradually grew distant, and the disciples of the affiliated families were naturally considered inferior to those of the main sect.

Feng Changlin and the others certainly didn't want to leave such a burden for their descendants.

The Seven Treasures Academy's faculty was indeed strong, but the academy was still relatively new, feeling its way forward in many areas. It would take a long time to develop an efficient teaching system.

Obtaining the resources of these three well-established academies would allow the Seven Treasures Academy to quickly bridge its gaps—something money couldn't buy.

Gu Rong, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke: "Fengzhi, I think it's feasible."

"The relationship between Tianchen and Rongrong is something we elders have noticed. In the future, the two sects will undoubtedly be the strongest allies."

After pondering for a moment, Ning Fengzhi finally agreed.

For him, compared to worrying about an uncertain future, the immediate benefits were more tangible.

With a definite answer, Feng Changlin and the other two finally felt relieved.

Next, they only needed to wait for Ning Tianchen's return, negotiate the details, and then they could directly join the Sky Sword Sect.

---

Ning Fengzhi wasn't idle. That night, Tian Ruyang, the sect leader of the Snow Mountain Sect, secretly entered the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

By now, several years had passed since the Snow Mountain Sect established contact with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

During this time, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had helped the Snow Mountain Sect conduct numerous businesses, earning them sufficient funds.

Additionally, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had sent people to the Snow Mountain Sect to educate its disciples about relevant matters and intelligence on the continent.

Now, Tian Ruyang faced another important issue—the selection of a new site for their sect headquarters.

Their original sect headquarters was built for seclusion and located in the cold northern regions of the Tiandou Empire. To reconnect with the outside world, it was inevitably inconvenient.

Moreover, they weren't familiar with the officials of the Tiandou Empire and needed Ning Fengzhi's help to secure a larger area for constructing their new sect headquarters.

The two sect leaders met, exchanged pleasantries briefly, and then got straight to the point.

Tian Ruyang's thoughts aligned closely with the above, but Ning Fengzhi didn't directly respond. Instead, he said, "Sect Leader Tian, in about half a year, the Spirit Hall will host a grand event to select the seven great sects."

"I believe that with your sect's strength, you're more than capable of ranking among the new top three sects. I wonder if your sect would be interested in partnering with my sect to tackle this event together?"

Having already decided to enter the world, how could the Snow Mountain Sect remain unaware of external affairs?

Through the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and their own intelligence network, Tian Ruyang had long learned about the destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Hao Tian Sect.

For them, this conference was the perfect opportunity to make a name for themselves.

However, Tian Ruyang still had some concerns. "Sect Leader Ning, to be honest, in the past, the Spirit Hall conducted deep explorations in the Extreme North Ice Plains and clashed with us multiple times. Many of our disciples perished in those conflicts."

"If we enter the Spirit City this time, it might be like lambs walking into a tiger's den."

Ning Fengzhi, who had brought the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to new heights, naturally possessed exceptional wisdom.

He smiled and said, "It won't be like that."

"The Spirit Hall has already publicly announced that they will hold the grand event to select the seven great sects ahead of schedule. This event has drawn the attention of the entire continent. If they dare to harm any participating sect within Spirit City, they'll lose all standing on the continent afterward."

After the Academic Exchange Conference, Ning Fengzhi had come to deeply understand the importance of public opinion.

The Spirit Hall attacking participating sects would be entirely without justification, triggering backlash from public opinion and facing condemnation from across the continent. They wouldn't be able to withstand such pressure.

Moreover, righteous individuals within the Spirit Hall might even distance themselves from such actions.

---

After much explanation, Tian Ruyang finally felt reassured.

He then laughed and said, "With the combined strength of our two sects, securing two of the top three positions shouldn't be difficult. I wonder which sect will take the third spot? Hopefully, it's not our enemy."

Before Ning Fengzhi could respond, Gu Rong chuckled and said, "Sect Leader Tian, rest assured. The third spot will also belong to one of ours."

Ning Fengzhi added, "I believe your sect has heard about the Sky Sword Sect. That sect is supported by the Poison Douluo and several extremely powerful Soul Douluos."

"From what I've learned, none of the sects that have already confirmed participation have a Title Douluo backing them. Therefore, the top three spots will undoubtedly be ours."

"Excellent!" Tian Ruyang burst out laughing.

---

Meanwhile, Ning Tianchen had no idea about Ning Fengzhi's arrangements.

After days of travel, their group arrived at Gengxin City in the evening.

Unlike other cities, Gengxin City, which revered blacksmiths, had nearly all its architectural elements made of metal, truly earning its reputation as the Metal Capital.

At the city gate, unexpectedly, their carriage wasn't stopped by the guards but allowed to enter directly.

Inside the carriage, Chen Huayu summarized their observations along the way: "It seems the guards of the Star Luo Empire don't collect entry fees, which is quite different from the Tiandou Empire."

"This is due to differences in the household registration system," Zhu Zhuqing explained. "The Tiandou Empire has a strict household registration system that prohibits people from moving around freely. Without proper travel permits, entering a foreign city poses significant risks for the guards, which is why they charge entry fees."

"The Star Luo Empire doesn't have such a strict system. As long as you're not a wanted criminal, you can almost enter any city within the empire."

As a member of the imperial family, Zhu Zhuqing had deep insights into the policies of both empires.

This was also why she had been able to enter the Tiandou Empire without revealing her true identity.

Ning Tianchen pointed out the underlying reason bluntly: "Part of the reason is the inefficiency of the Tiandou Empire's law enforcement, leading to widespread corruption among officials."

Ning Rongrong added, "Actually, this is also related to the empire's strategy."

"The Tiandou Empire is weaker than the Star Luo Empire and adopts a defensive strategy, strictly cracking down on spies within the empire. This indirectly led to the stringent household registration system."

Oscar stared blankly at everyone and muttered, "All of this… we've never heard of it before."

Being of commoner origin, he naturally didn't have access to such knowledge.

Ning Tianchen and the others, coming from prominent backgrounds, had grown up under the influence of scholars from their sects (or families) and naturally understood these matters thoroughly.

"For most people, these things aren't important. Improving one's own strength is the top priority."

As they spoke, the carriage entered the bustling streets.

Lifting the curtain, they saw many street performers, with iron flower displays being the most eye-catching.

"No wonder it's called the holy land of blacksmiths—even the folk entertainment here is so hardcore," Chen Huayu marveled.

While enjoying the performances, Ning Rongrong didn't forget to toss rewards.

Bags of golden spirit coins flew out of the carriage, landing in front of the performers, immediately drawing the attention of many city dwellers.

This kind of behavior was practically "throwing money around."

Many citizens followed behind the carriage, waiting for Ning Rongrong's generosity.

"Rongrong, it's better to keep a low profile. We still have a mission, and it's not wise to attract too much attention."

Ning Rongrong leaned her upper body out of the carriage and muttered, "Big Brother Tianchen, Father never let me go out when I was young. Now that I'm finally on this big trip, I haven't had enough fun yet."

Yu Die snapped, "We haven't relaxed much during this journey. Since we finally have a chance to enjoy ourselves, stop making that sour face and let's go have some fun."

With that, she and Cai Die got out of the carriage.

Feng Xiaotian lightly patted Ning Tianchen's shoulder and said, "That's right. We should take a break."

"Boss, Xiao Ao and I will go scout the area."

With that, Chen Huayu and Oscar quickly jumped out of the carriage.

Ning Tianchen chuckled softly and decided to relax a little as well.

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