NOVEL WEB Chapter 86: chapter 86
Since Jun Tianlin and Gu Ran could only stay for a day before returning to Tiandou Royal Academy, they set aside their cultivation for now. After all, it was a rare opportunity to go home, and spending time with family was a precious thing. Moreover, Jun Tianlin planned to head back to Seven treasure Village in the evening to accompany his parents.
Although he had always wanted to bring his parents to live with him in Seven treasure glazed City, they couldn't adapt to the new lifestyle and returned to the village after only a few days and seeing this, Tianlin respected their wishes. As long as they were happy that was enough for him.
However during lunch, Tianlin noticed someone missing from the table.
"Uncle Ning, where is Rongrong?" Tianlin asked puzzled. The lively girl who always chattered beside him whenever he came home was nowhere to be seen.
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly "She… ran away from home. Last time she visited you at Tiandou Royal Academy, she saw that you had another woman by your side. She got angry and left."
Hearing this, Jun Tianlin panicked. "I don't have any other women! Those women approached me on their own…"
[TL:always blame asura god if the plot suddenly got back to normal]
With his strength, appearance, and status, it was inevitable that some women would seek to win his favor and unfortunately, when Ning Rongrong visited him one day, she happened to see a senior schoolmate with a rather bold figure delivering food to him. The sight enraged her, and she exploded on the spot.
As Tianlin anxiously explained himself and he noticed Ning Fengzhi sipping tea leisurely, showing no sign of concern. His gaze sharpened.
Ning Fengzhi's nonchalant attitude gave him away. If Ning Rongrong had truly run away then there was no way her father would be so calm. Tianlin realized that he had overreacted.
Given the current strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, it was impossible for Ning Rongrong to leave unnoticed.
After a moment's thought Tianlin realized something else "Uncle Ning, where is Grandpa Yang? You must have sent him to protect Rongrong, right?"
"I didn't ask him to go" Ning Fengzhi replied calmly and setting down his teacup "He went on his own. After reaching the rank of Titled Douluo, he said his life's goal was achieved, and he had nothing better to do. So, he followed Rongrong in secret."
Yin Mengyang, also known as Uncle Yang, had originally reached his peak at level 89 as a Soul Douluo and would have remained stuck there if not for Tianlin's help. The Purple Gold Elixir had pushed him past the bottleneck but once its effects wore off, his soul power advanced extremely slowly and reaching level 92 or 93 was his likely limit and with little hope of becoming a Super Douluo.
Thus, Uncle Yang shifted his focus to nurturing the younger generation. He doted on Ning Rongrong like she was his own granddaughter and spoiling her just as much as the clan's renowned Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo did.
"Hmph, Fengzhi, how could you let her go off alone?" Sword Douluo Chen Xin frowned "If Old Yang hadn't followed her, we would've had a serious discussion."
Originally, Ning Fengzhi planned to send two Soul Kings to guard Rongrong in secret but given the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's strength, they could afford to assign Soul Sage or Soul Douluo-level guard and after all, the clan had four Titled Douluos.
"Rongrong won't be in danger" Ning Fengzhi reassured "The reputation of our clan is enough to deter most soul masters. Besides, based on the direction she headed, it looks like she's going to Shrek Academy."
Just like in the original story, Ning Rongrong sought out Shrek Academy. This time, however, her motivation had two parts. First, she was upset about how popular Jun Tianlin was with women, so she wanted to join a team capable of defeating Tiandou Royal Academy to prove her worth.
[TL:asura god manipulating behind the scene]
The second reason was more strategic. During a conversation, Ning Rongrong had asked Jun Tianlin if there were any academies he viewed as worthy opponents in the upcoming All-Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament. He casually mentioned two names: Spirit Hall Academy and Shrek Academy. Rongrong noted them carefully.
[TL:oh it's his fault lol]
She would never set foot in the Spirit Hall due to their past suppression of her clan and that left her with Shrek Academy.
Additionally, Jun Tianlin had mentioned his own plans to visit Shrek Academy eventually and several individuals there held great importance — some who could be allies, some to recruit into the clan, and others to monitor so they wouldn't become threats in the future.
The most critical figure was Tang San and although Tianlin no longer needed Tang San's help with immortal herbs and had no intention of returning what he had taken, Tang San's expertise in hidden weapons remained valuable. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's disciples lacked offensive skills, so hidden weapons were essential for boosting the clan's combat strength.
In the original timeline, Tang San's hidden weapons helped the clan avoid destruction during the Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Operation.
While the Shushan Sect specialized in swordsmanship, Taoism, and alchemy, they had no knowledge of hidden weapons. Tianlin had developed basic talismans but lacked the advanced techniques required to craft attack talismans, which required mastery of the Five Spirits taoism — a skill he had yet to learn.
Thus for now, the clan's short-term combat improvement relied on Tang San.
With these plans in mind, Ning Rongrong set off for Shrek Academy. She aimed to build relationships with those Tianlin intended to recruit and having the future clan leader extend invitations personally was a gesture of great respect.
"Hmph! How could Shrek Academy teach better than we do?" Gu Rong the Bone Douluo, slammed the table in frustration. He was equally displeased with Ning Fengzhi for allowing Rongrong to go.
Shrek Academy wasn't entirely obscure. Rumor had it that a young Spirit Hall elder had graduated from there, though the details were unclear but however, Tiandou Royal Academy's star teacher, Qin Ming was a known Shrek graduate.
Currently, Qin Ming's soul power had reached level 65 — three levels higher than in the original timeline. With his talent, the Purple Gold Pill had accelerated his progress and becoming a Titled Douluo was only a matter of time.
Faced with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo's relentless complaints Ning Fengzhi felt a headache coming on. They were both unreasonable, yet he had no choice but to endure their reprimands. After all, these two Super Douluos adored Ning Rongrong more than anything.
Jun Tianlin stepped in to ease the tension "Master, Grandpa Gu, please don't worry. My current teacher, Qin Ming, is from Shrek Academy. When I have time, I'll ask him to take me to see Rongrong."
Seizing the opportunity, Ning Fengzhi added "Uncle sword, Uncle Gu, you can rest assured now. With both Uncle Yang and Tianlin involved, nothing will happen to Rongrong. Besides, she needs to experience the outside world. Staying within the clan won't help her grow."
Gu Rong gave a reluctant nod and ning Fengzhi had a point
"Hmph! If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hold you responsible!" Chen Xin declared before flying off on his sword
Ning Fengzhi wiped sweat from his brow. Keeping peace with those doting grandfathers was no easy task.
Meanwhile, Jun Tianlin headed to the clan's Medicine Hall. In recent years, a new division called the Medicine Hall had been established but unlike other halls focused on combat or intelligence, this hall specialized in aiding the disciples' cultivation. Although Dugu Bo was the hall's official leader, Tianlin was the one truly managing it.
Dugu Bo had been promised a carefree life, and Tianlin intended to honor that promise.
When Tianlin arrived he found Dugu Bo lounging on a recliner under a tree, basking in the shade. Snakes, after all, preferred cool environments.
Without even opening his eyes Dugu Bo greeted him "Little monster, you're back?"