Yin Zhang nodded slightly and said to Hu Liena:
"That was true in the past. But things are different now. Ning Fengzhi's martial soul has already evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. He's no longer limited to rank seventy-nine. Now, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can be said to surpass the Nine-Hearted Begonia."
He continued calmly:
"Moreover, with Ning Fengzhi continuously having children, more and more of them may inherit powerful support-type martial souls. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's position as the number one support martial soul on the Douluo Continent is now fully deserved."
Hu Liena nodded thoughtfully.
"I still don't understand how Ning Fengzhi managed to evolve his martial soul. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has existed for over a thousand years, yet none of their ancestors succeeded. Eventually, they even gave up on the idea of martial soul evolution entirely. From what I remember, the most their ancestors ever hoped for was evolving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Eight Treasure version. Yet Ning Fengzhi somehow jumped straight to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I have no idea what kind of treasure he obtained."
Yin Zhang paused, coughed lightly, and said evenly:
"Actually, I was the one who helped Ning Fengzhi complete that evolution."
"Huh?" Hu Liena froze in place. "Brother Zhang… you?"
There was no reason to hide it from her. Yin Zhang continued calmly:
"Back then, I wanted something from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. The pearl I gave you two years ago, when I returned to Spirit Hall to help strengthen your spiritual power, came from their treasury. I traded it to Ning Fengzhi in exchange for a celestial herb."
He spoke as if recounting something trivial.
"Helping him evolve his martial soul didn't really cost me anything. In fact, I gained quite a lot. The soul skill I used earlier—Dragon God Transformation—allowed me to turn into a giant dragon and fight head-on with that eighty-thousand-year Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger. I even obtained a dead dragon egg. Along with the pearl, I acquired two other rare treasures. Overall, the deal was extremely worthwhile."
Yin Zhang's expression remained calm.
"As for Ning Fengzhi becoming a Soul Douluo, or even potentially the first Title Douluo of the Ning family in the future, that doesn't change the overall situation. Even if his Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda greatly boosts Gu Rong and Chen Xin, Spirit Hall still has far more Title Douluos. Even my teacher alone could suppress the two of them."
He added indifferently:
"Now, Ning Fengzhi is already trying to have more children, hoping one of them will inherit the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Even if that happens, it may actually be a good thing. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School won't have time to wait for those children to grow up. Before that, the sect will either be conquered or wiped out by Spirit Hall. Those children may even become outstanding talents for us."
Hu Liena was visibly shaken by his words.
"But Brother Zhang," she asked, "how can you be sure they'll truly submit to Spirit Hall?"
Yin Zhang smiled faintly.
"When the gap in strength is absolute, they'll only have two choices: surrender or destruction. Ning Fengzhi is a smart man—he'll know which path to take."
His gaze grew colder.
"Of course, to prevent him from choosing to resist to the end, I also have other methods. His children, the sect's inheritance, and some… less honorable leverage. With these in hand, Ning Fengzhi will submit obediently. Nana, you don't need to worry."
—
When Yin Zhang and Hu Liena arrived at the Ye family residence, they were warmly received by the family head.
Although the Ye family's inherited martial soul was the Nine-Hearted Begonia, and only two Soul Masters could possess it in any given era, that didn't mean the Ye family consisted of only two people.
If a child were born while two Nine-Hearted Begonia Soul Masters already existed, the child would simply awaken a different martial soul. For example, even if Ye Lingling married and had children, as long as another Nine-Hearted Begonia Soul Master lived, her child would inherit the other parent's martial soul instead.
The current head of the Ye family was the other Nine-Hearted Begonia Soul Master besides Ye Lingling.
Her name was Ye Qingcheng.
A rank sixty-eight support-type Soul Emperor.
Though surprised and curious about the sudden visit from Spirit Hall, Ye Qingcheng clearly understood that the Ye family was in no position to offend such a powerful force. Politeness and hospitality were the safest choices.
"Hehe, Aunt Ye, you can just call me Xiao Zhang," Yin Zhang said with a gentle smile. "I'm still a junior, after all."
Naturally, his intention was to recruit the Ye family into Spirit Hall. Though not a top-tier sect, the Ye family was still a significant force—bringing them under Spirit Hall would only strengthen its foundation.
"Brother Zhang is right," Hu Liena added with a smile, seeing through his intentions. "We're both juniors. Aunt Ye doesn't need to be so formal."
Ye Qingcheng's smile stiffened slightly, a trace of helplessness flashing through her eyes.
As someone who had weathered countless political storms, she could immediately tell that the two visitors had a clear purpose—especially Yin Zhang.
Whether intentionally or not, the faint aura of his soul power alone left her shaken. Was this the pressure of a Soul Saint… or even a Soul Douluo?
Because Yin Zhang's dragon might subtly amplified his presence, Ye Qingcheng misjudged his true cultivation. She even began to suspect that he was an old monster who merely appeared young through secret techniques or rare treasures.
Yin Zhang smiled faintly and spoke again:
"Aunt Ye, although this is our first meeting and my words may sound abrupt, I should explain our identities more clearly."
"My name is Yin Zhang, the sole disciple of Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Second Elder of Spirit Hall. Nana here is the only disciple of Bibi Dong."
"Our visit to the Ye family is part of Spirit Hall's internal agenda. We sincerely hope to invite the Ye family to join Spirit Hall and contribute to its future."
Ye Qingcheng fell silent.
As a long-standing noble of the Heaven Dou Empire, if she had wanted to join Spirit Hall, she would have done so long ago. She had not waited until today without reason.