Word Count: 2,758 Words
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High above the azure sky, two figures streaked between the clouds. Jianmu Douluo broke the tranquil silence as they flew:
"Xiao Bai, your spirit power has already reached Rank 89. Once we're back, you can start preparing to condense your second spirit core."
Ling Bai had held nothing back in the battle against the two Wolf Emperors. Jianmu Douluo could easily sense the solidified spirit power that only appeared after forming a first spirit core. Before breaking through to Titled Douluo, Ling Bai had to condense his second spirit core, or his spirit power would remain forever frozen at Rank 89.
Ling Bai inclined his head slightly. His true combat strength already matched, or even surpassed, an ordinary Titled Douluo's, perhaps edging into Super Douluo territory, but becoming a Titled Douluo still held profound significance. Yin-Yang Complement dual spirit cores would allow him to advance toward Limit Douluo without bottlenecks while pushing his combat strength to yet another level.
Master and disciple returned to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. With the speed of a Limit Douluo and a Seraphim, crossing empires and still making it home in time for dinner was hardly a challenge.
"What happened to all of you…?"
Ling Bai's brows twitched the instant he stepped into the dining hall. The Shrek geniuses he had worked so hard to poach… after only half a day apart, every one of them was bruised and battered, faces swollen and features crooked.
Ji Juechen looked practically like a panda, yet despite his miserable state, he was still exchanging swordsmanship insights with Chen Zifeng beside him. The others were all injured as well, but Wu Feng looked the most wretched of all. One side of her face was puffed up high. From the force behind it, the handiwork clearly belonged to Ling Qiuxi.
Wu Feng's pretty face flushed red under Ling Bai's probing gaze as she muttered:
"We were sparring… friendly sparring… Ow! That Golden Dragon really packs a punch!"
Speaking tugged at her wounds, nearly sending her sliding right off her chair.
"Your dragon flames aren't bad either."
Ling Qiuxi lightly flicked aside a lock of long hair that Wu Feng's fire had scorched black, then patted the seat beside her, motioning for Ling Bai to sit.
Everyone gathered around the table, clinking cups and trading stories. Every word was a special kind of torture for Wu Feng, but what kind of person was she? How could such a minor setback defeat her?
She produced a thin tube, inserted it into her wine cup, and gripped it with the un-swollen half of her mouth. Whenever someone called for a toast, Wu Feng simply sucked hard—slurp—and the wine vanished.
Convenient and efficient!
She naturally ignored the strange looks around her. Once she got properly drunk, still chewing on the tube, she jumped to her feet and started shouting about giving everyone a fire-breathing performance.
Ling Bai and Ning Tian wore identical expressions of pained resignation as they turned away. I don't know her. Who is she…
After dinner ended, Ling Bai handed the unconscious Luminous Silver Wolf and Scarlet Flame Dragon over to Ning Tian and Wu Feng. The Purple Spirit Wolf was passed to Lin Jiaran via Jianmu Douluo.
…
In the Clan Head's bedchamber, Ning Fengya sat elegantly on the sofa. Under the soft lamplight, her waterfall of platinum hair spilled behind her as she held an ancient tome in her fair, jade-like hands.
Ning Fengyu had spent the entire day doing housework and now lounged lazily with her head resting on her sister's lap. Her skin was as smooth and tender as fresh snow. A purple silk nightgown adorned with delicate lace hugged her figure, and a flawless pair of white legs crossed and uncrossed in idle rhythm.
As the sisters enjoyed their peaceful moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Ling Bai's clear voice.
"Aunt Ya."
"Enter."
Ning Fengya closed the ancient text. Too lazy to sit up, Ning Fengyu simply rolled over to face Ling Bai and waved cheerfully:
"Hi, Xiao Bai!"
"Good evening, Aunt Yu…"
The scene before him made Ling Bai squint as he greeted them. Sometimes he truly envied Ning Fengyu—clinging to her elders above, her juniors below, and hugging her sister's thigh in the middle.
Her Martial Spirit talent was strong enough that cultivation required little effort to reach heights ordinary people could only dream of. Her days passed carefree and unrestrained.
Ning Fengya stretched languidly and gazed at Ling Bai with a faint smile. "What brings you here?"
"Aunt Ya, the Spirit Master Tournament is about to begin. This time, the rules have been reformed to allow clans to participate. I'd like to take Xiao Tian and the others to compete in Mingdu, using the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's name," Ling Bai said directly.
Ning Fengya's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She had once represented Shrek Academy in two tournaments and was quite familiar with the event.
After the organizing committee passed the new competition format, they had sent representatives to invite the major clans and sects. As a ten-thousand-year-old clan currently at its peak, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan naturally attracted special attention; the committee had even dispatched envoys to personally extend their invitation.
After a brief moment of thought, Ning Fengya spoke slowly. "The Spirit Master Tournament is held once every five years. It's the most dazzling Spirit Master grand assembly on the Douluo Continent. For most Spirit Masters, they only get one or two chances in their lifetime. Missing it would be a real pity.
The team you lead will almost certainly win this tournament's championship, but the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan does not wish to become too prominent. Have your team form its own faction and choose your own name."
"Understood… Good night, Aunt Ya, Aunt Yu."
A flicker of confusion crossed Ling Bai's eyes as he turned and left Ning Fengya's room.
Ning Fengyu toyed with a strand of platinum hair that had fallen over her sister's shoulder, her voice layered with meaning:
"Sister, that's not like you at all. I thought you'd use this chance to spread the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's reputation and attract more talent."
"The tallest tree in the forest catches the wind. The stronger one becomes, the more one must keep a low profile."
Ning Fengya brushed away her sister's mischievous hand. Her regally beautiful face betrayed not the slightest crack.
"But somehow I get the feeling you're actually using this opportunity to push Xiao Bai out on his own?"
The chamber fell instantly silent. Ning Fengya lowered her gaze to meet Ning Fengyu's smiling azure-gold eyes and said softly:
"It seems I underestimated you, Xiao Yu."
Ning Fengyu sat up and wrapped an arm around Ning Fengya's shoulders, giving them a playful shake. "What's this about underestimating? We're sisters! I'm your personal little maid. You tell me to go east, I'd never dare go west!"
Ning Fengya merely smiled without comment, so Ning Fengyu pressed on. "Sister, tell me, what's weighing on you?"
With a light sigh, Ning Fengya's expression grew complicated. "There's one thing I can't get off my mind. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan maintains its inheritance through bloodline. The Clan Head position must belong to a Seven or Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master.
Xiao Tian will certainly inherit my position one day. But what about after her?"
"Xiao Bai and Xiao Tian's child, of course!" Ning Fengyu blurted.
"That's exactly where the problem lies."
Ning Fengya's tone grew somber. "The Seraphim is notoriously single-inheritance. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda isn't any more reliable. Otherwise, our ancestor Ning Rongrong would have ensured the clan's bloodline inheritance during all those years she remained on the Douluo Continent before becoming a God."
"Sister, is it possible Sausage Douluo just wasn't up to the task?"
Ning Fengyu's words were so outrageous that even the ever-composed Ning Fengya choked for a solid two seconds before answering coldly:
"…We're alone here. Don't make me slap you."
Ning Fengyu quickly mimed zipping her lips and sat up straight, listening obediently.
"Honestly, even after evolving to Nine Treasures, the Glazed Tile Pagoda still can't match Xiao Bai's Seraphim. Let's consider the worst-case scenario."
Ning Fengya's eyes grew distant. "If Xiao Tian and Xiao Bai have only one child, and that child awakens the Seraphim, who should inherit the Clan Head position after Xiao Tian?"
Well… logically, we'd choose a capable candidate from the clan's direct line," Ning Fengyu replied hesitantly, already sensing where her sister was headed.
"Then comes the second question: how could a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master who isn't the primary heir possibly suppress a Seraphim heir, especially one who carries half the clan's bloodline?"
Ning Fengyu fell silent. Ning Fengya continued, "Guests don't suppress hosts. I raised Xiao Bai myself; I know he would never do such a thing. But his Seraphim descendants might not be so restrained.
If their child's Martial Spirit is the Seraphim, then that child can only become a clan Worship. The Clan Head position would pass to someone else.
You've seen it yourself. Among the young generation in the clan, the most talented Shrek Inner Courtyard students all listen to Xiao Bai. When they become Titled Douluo, they'll naturally follow Xiao Bai's direct bloodline.
Isn't there a chance that one day the little angel decides he's unsatisfied being just a Worship and starts an internal coup? There might not even be many within the clan willing to resist. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could very well be renamed the Seraphim Clan.
If it's done cleverly enough, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda line might end up as vassals to the Seraphim."
At the root, the problem was that the Seraphim was simply too strong as a God-level Martial Spirit, while the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, as a support-type, was inherently disadvantaged. Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Masters could use Spirit Guidance Devices, but so could Seraphim Spirit Masters. If everyone had them, it was as if no one did. In the end, everything circled back to the Martial Spirits' fundamental strength.
Ning Fengya's fingers tapped rhythmically against the ancient book, producing crisp, measured sounds. "Rather than sitting and waiting for an uncertain future, it's better to resolve both internal worries and external threats at the root. Let Xiao Bai and the Shrek geniuses loyal to him establish their own faction.
Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan can follow the example of the Star Luo Empire's Hell Spirit Cat Zhu family and form hereditary marriage alliances with Xiao Bai's direct bloodline.
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has no need to interfere in outside politics as maternal relatives, but if there are maternal relatives, they must be Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!"
"That really is a workable plan…"
Ning Fengyu nodded in agreement. The Outer Courtyard geniuses had all been recruited by Ning Tian and belonged to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. The Inner Courtyard geniuses were loyal to Ling Bai and would almost certainly follow him.
If Ling Bai established an independent faction, taking the former Shrek Inner Courtyard students with him, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would lose almost no high-end talent.
With Ling Bai's strength and the Seraphim's natural divine appeal, his faction wouldn't remain small for long.
She now fully understood Ning Fengya's plan. If Ling Bai and Ning Tian's child awakened the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, that child would inherit the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Ling Bai's children with other women would inherit Ling Bai's foundation and marry Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Masters.
If Ling Bai and Ning Tian's child didn't awaken the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, then that child would directly inherit Ling Bai's foundation and still marry a direct Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master, with that Spirit Master inheriting the clan.
This arrangement would guarantee the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's complete independence, free from the potential threat of a Seraphim branch, while hereditary marriage ties would benefit both sides. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan possessed wealth rivaling nations and the world's foremost support-type Martial Spirit. With Ling Bai and Ning Tian's relationship as a foundation, the two sides would be naturally close and reliable allies.
Ning Fengyu yawned. "Being Clan Head is such a headache. You have to think everything through. It's much better to be a happy good-for-nothing who just eats and lazes around."
"Eat and laze around? Keep dreaming."
Ning Fengya snorted and threaded her fingers through Ning Fengyu's azure-gold hair. "Xiao Yu, I didn't pressure you about marriage before because I saw how much you resisted it. But don't forget, Mother's Sky Azure Vine Emperor is a unique Martial Spirit, just like the Blue Silver Emperor. When exactly are you planning to pass it on?"
"Sister, spare me!!!"
…
Deep into the night, Ning Tian lay prone across the wide, soft bed. The mattress curved under her weight in alluring arcs. Her tender pink skin seemed as if water could be squeezed from it at the slightest touch, and her fair, soft belly gradually swelled like a water-filled balloon.
She rested for quite some time before recovering, a uniquely charming blush tinting her face that refused to fade no matter what.
Ling Bai held the exhausted Ning Tian in his arms, his hands teasing two small, sensitive peaks that shivered eagerly under his touch.
"Xiao Tian, we'll be entering the Spirit Master Tournament under a new clan name."
"Mm. What should we call it? How about Spirit Hall?"
"That's not ideal."
Ling Bai smiled wryly. "Spirit Hall's reputation is… complicated."
"Then let's pick another."
Ning Tian didn't particularly care. Names were just labels. They could call themselves the Makka Pakka Clan for all she minded.
Ling Bai had no inspiration either, so Ning Tian helped him think of one.
"Angelic Sanctuary—how does that sound?"
"Perfect."
"Mm… I've rested enough. Bai-ge, let's go again. I'm determined to conceive."
Ning Tian desperately wanted to become pregnant. The Douluo Continent was essentially like the ancient world, with strict notions of legitimate succession.
She knew she would be Ling Bai's wife, but even so, she urgently wanted to bear the legitimate eldest child, ensuring her son or daughter would receive more of their father's love and preferential treatment.
…
The next morning, Ling Bai stepped out of Ning Tian's room and ran into Lin Jiaran, who had just finished absorbing her ninth spirit ring.
"Teacher Lin, congratulations on breaking through to Titled Douluo."
"Thank you."
A faint smile appeared on Lin Jiaran's face. Reaching Titled Douluo meant officially becoming a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master. In the three original empires of the Douluo Continent, she alone now held that rank.
Her Martial Spirit was the Terrifying Demon Dragon, earning her the title—Demon Dragon Douluo Lin Jiaran.
It was recognition she fully deserved. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't some small Tang Sect workshop; it already possessed a large number of Spirit Guidance Masters at Class 7 and below.
With her arrival and guidance, the clan had thrown itself into manufacturing all kinds of Spirit Guidance Devices that previously existed only in the Sun Moon Empire, working enthusiastically day and night.
Over the past few years, Linglong Pavilion had continually smuggled in rare metals, leaving the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan with extremely deep reserves. High-level Spirit Guidance Devices no longer needed to be imported. While they still lacked Class 9 devices, Class 7 and 8 equipment now filled their warehouses. The clan's Spirit Guidance enterprise could truly be described as flourishing.
"Teacher Lin, have you made any progress with those Illustrious Virtue Hall Class 9 blueprints I gave you?"
"I've started on all of them."
Lin Jiaran nodded. "I'm beginning with the Class 9 High-Energy Compression and Multi-Person Linked Spirit Guidance Devices. Those are essential for my 'Crimson Dawn' project.
Your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has a solid foundation. You can independently manufacture everything below Class 8, which saves me a great deal of effort. I only need to focus on researching Class 9 devices.
Oh, and this is for you."
She handed him a circular Spirit Guidance Device.
"I originally planned to imitate Sealed Milk Bottles to create a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device for storing spirit power, but I ended up making one that can store spirit rings instead.
It's not much use to me, so you can have it."