Compared to Tang San's scheming, things were much calmer on Ning Rongrong's side.
After intimidating Tang San and his group, everything returned to normal.
"Have you made your decision?"
In the inner hall of the Nine Treasure Chamber, the same group was gathered.
Hearing Ning Rongrong's question, Wang Quan Fugui and Zi Zhenzhu both nodded.
To increase their Xiantian soul power, even reaching Xiantian full soul power, with no risk of death—what was the difference between that and no danger at all?
Only a fool would refuse!
And no fool could cultivate to Soul Sage in their early thirties or Soul Douluo in their seventies or eighties.
They'd have been stuck at level 29, unable to progress, like a certain unnamed master.
Ning Rongrong's gaze swept over Zi Zhenzhu and Wang Quan Fugui.
"Phew—"
Ning Rongrong nodded. "Alright, since you're both determined, I have no reason to hesitate."
"Zi Zhenzhu, step aside for now."
"Huh?" Zi Zhenzhu, with her ample figure, was stunned, pointing at herself. "Didn't you say we'd start with me?"
Normally, you'd go from easier to harder.
Wang Quan Fugui was nearly 90. Starting with her to give him a reference made sense.
What was the Young Sect Leader thinking?
"I don't want him to feel scared. If I torment you first, Wang Quan Fugui might develop fear, and that could lead to unexpected accidents."
"Oh… I see."
Zi Zhenzhu stood up thoughtfully and stepped to the side.
Also, what's with the word "torment"?
Couldn't you use a different term?
After Zi Zhenzhu moved aside, the open area in the center was left with only Ning Rongrong and Wang Quan Fugui.
Their eyes met, and Ning Rongrong's pupils gradually changed.
Even an 88-level Soul Douluo felt a faint sense of fear under those heterochromatic clock-shaped pupils.
"Young… Young Sect Leader!" Wang Quan Fugui swallowed hard.
"Remember, don't overthink it. Just endure."
"Keep one thing in mind."
"You want to break through to Title Douluo. That's enough."
Wang Quan Fugui: "…"
Why did it feel like he was heading to an execution?
"Alright, embrace the pain!"
"A breakthrough without pain lacks a sense of accomplishment!"
As Ning Rongrong's voice fell, an Eight Trigrams array pattern slowly formed, centered on her position.
She casually formed a few hand seals.
Dots of white light gathered, rapidly compressing to the tip of her index finger.
"We're about to begin. I won't stop midway."
"Also, the soundproofing here is good. No one outside should hear any howling."
"If we scare off the people coming to the auction later and the Nine Treasure Chamber's profits drop, I, as Young Sect Leader, would be in big trouble."
Wang Quan Fugui: "…"
Speechless. Utterly speechless.
No wonder Ning Yun sometimes complained that his little sister often went off on tangents.
Even when handling serious matters, she could ramble about nonsense.
Wang Quan Fugui sat upright.
As he muttered to himself, a strand of white light shot into his forehead.
Wang Quan Fugui jolted.
Then his bones creaked audibly.
Sweat instantly drenched his forehead, soaking his entire back.
"Ah—arghhh!"
Like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, Wang Quan Fugui's face twisted in agony, veins bulging on his arms and forehead.
Ning Rongrong watched impassively.
She sighed inwardly: "Soul power and zhenqi repel each other. Forcing open meridians is extremely painful. Even after two and a half years of practice, I'm still lacking experience in this."
Her blue-white spatial pupils rotated slightly.
She sealed the surrounding space to prevent Wang Quan Fugui from "jumping the wall in desperation."
Screams kept pouring from Wang Quan Fugui's mouth.
Ning Yun and the others, already at the edge of the hall, retreated to the corner. The screams were just too chilling.
One minute, two minutes… twenty minutes passed.
"Did it fail?" Ning Rongrong murmured.
The golden clock hands in her pupils ticked slightly.
"Time Reversal."
Mysterious rules twisted Wang Quan Fugui's body, and his fading voice became clear again.
A spiritual ginseng appeared in Ning Rongrong's hand. She extracted its medicinal power into a glowing orb, hovering at her fingertip.
The orb, infused with the ginseng's power, shot into Wang Quan Fugui's forcibly opened mouth.
Then, Ning Rongrong raised her other hand, sending another beam of white light into his body.
This time, no surprises occurred.
After dozens of minutes of screaming, Wang Quan Fugui's voice weakened again.
Ning Rongrong repeated the process.
Time Reversal—administer medicine to boost vitality.
Then, resume the torment.
Once, twice, ten times…
Gradually, Ning Rongrong gauged the strength of Wang Quan Fugui's meridians. They were stronger than Shui Cangyue's before her Title Douluo breakthrough, but his advanced age caused various issues with his organs.
Normally, it wouldn't matter, but for a breakthrough, it was troublesome.
Finally, on the thirtieth attempt, Ning Rongrong formed complex hand seals.
Sensing Wang Quan Fugui's meridians through the Eight Trigrams array pattern beneath her feet, she whispered, "Break!"
A spurt of crimson blood sprayed from Wang Quan Fugui's mouth.
The blood aimed at Ning Rongrong was evaporated by the scorching heat of her zhenqi shield half a foot away, making a sizzling sound.
Ning Rongrong sent a voice transmission: "It's done. Your soul power is now at level 89."
"Try breaking through now!"
"It shouldn't be too difficult."
Wang Quan Fugui, nearly mentally broken from the torment, shuddered at Ning Rongrong's voice in his mind. He began to sense his condition.
His soul power flowed faster through his meridians.
As he meditated, Wang Quan Fugui's soul power stabilized at level 90.
Ning Rongrong stood aside, waiting for him to complete the breakthrough.
It took the entire afternoon.
At noon, a King's Authority Sword, carrying a gentlemanly aura, floated gently around Wang Quan Fugui. His slightly aged face regained youth, stabilizing at around thirty years old.
He slowly opened his eyes, his heart still pounding.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
He had just kept enduring until Ning Rongrong said it was done.
But now, he was utterly exhausted.
The moment he opened his eyes, he met Ning Rongrong's heterochromatic pupils and flinched reflexively.
"Young… Young Sect Leader!"
"Mm, success!" Ning Rongrong nodded and stood. "Congratulations, you're now a quasi-Title Douluo…"
Before she could finish, Wang Quan Fugui dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Young Sect Leader, I, Wang Quan Fugui, swear to repay your immense kindness with my life."
"Alright, stabilize your strength here first. We'll discuss soul rings later."
With that, she led Zi Zhenzhu, Ning Yun, Dugu Yan, and Lou Gao to the other side.
…
Ning Rongrong and the others boarded the upgraded "New Zi Zhenzhu" for an adventure to find soul rings.
Of course, the soul rings weren't for her but for Wang Quan Fugui and Zi Zhenzhu.
A 100,000-year soul ring was rare and not always winnable even if found.
So, Ning Rongrong didn't insist on specific soul rings.
"Senior Lou Gao, the Zi Zhenzhu should be a level 7 soul tool, right?" Ning Rongrong marveled at its powerful functions.
This was something that didn't exist two and a half years ago during her seclusion.
After coming out of seclusion, the ship had already been handed to Zi Zhenzhu for use.
So, Ning Rongrong was quite curious about this ocean-faring soul tool, modeled after the Dragon Abyss Boat.