"Um, Master..."
Tokisaki Kurumi wore an expression of hesitation, timidly pulling out a ring from her pocket.
"What is it?" Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had stolen something from her!
"The skeletons of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King."
"Eh?" Ning Rongrong was stunned. "Does Di Tian just carry around an urn with him?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "..."
If you don't want it, give it to me! These are god-level bones—perfect for making soup!
No, wait—if I devour them, they'll greatly enhance my strength!
"Alright, these belong to me now." Ning Rongrong reached out, took the ring, and casually stored it away.
"Master, look at how hard I've worked. Even if there's no merit, there's still—"
"Stop." Ning Rongrong silenced her with a look. "I don't know why Di Tian threw these to you before leaving, but the bones of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings need to be returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I can't let you waste such treasures."
"How is it a waste? These things could help me gain huge insights into my rules! Cross-referencing, understand?" Tokisaki Kurumi raised her hand in protest.
"No." Ning Rongrong tapped Kurumi's forehead with her finger. "Next time, Kurumi. I need these to restore the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
"Tch… fine. Whatever, you're the master." Kurumi rubbed her forehead with a look of disdain. "I'm going back to sleep. Out of sight, out of mind."
With that, she dissolved into a streak of light and vanished into Ning Rongrong's body.
"Finally, the nagging nuisance is gone."
Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi's group arrived at the council hall.
"Move the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?" Before Ning Fengzhi could even speak, Dugu Bo's face lit up with excitement.
"Mm. Using the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as a soul tool to seal the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well inside should be possible."
"Won't… that be dangerous?" Ning Fengzhi's eyelids twitched. Rongrong's martial soul was becoming more and more outrageous.
Before, the things she stored at least made sense—now it seemed like she could store anything.
"Not at all! I've already absorbed the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, so I'm basically immune to extreme temperatures now. After my breakthrough, my control over the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's rules has improved even further."
"I'm still worried..." Ning Fengzhi felt the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was inherently dangerous. That place wasn't suitable for ordinary Soul Masters to stay in for long. The last thing they needed was for the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to have to relocate because of it.
"Relax. Though I'm not an expert in this area, I still have some understanding. Once we adjust the chaotic nature of the energy a bit, there won't be any issues," Ning Rongrong replied.
"If you think it's feasible, then go ahead." Since Ning Rongrong had made up her mind and it would benefit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, he might as well let her proceed boldly.
"By the way, when do you plan to hold the ceremony for becoming the Young Master?"
Ning Rongrong had little interest in the formalities of inheriting the position.
"Let's not rush that. Qian Renxue might be making a big move soon, so it's better to wait."
"If the elders and deacons have anything to say, I'll just send Kurumi to beat them up. If one beating isn't enough, then two. There are plenty of ways to convince them."
"It's not like my two brothers can compete with me for the position anyway."
"Even if they tried, they'd never win—even if Dad and the two Grandpas stood behind them."
"At worst, I'd just leave for a few years, come back stronger, and reclaim what's rightfully mine."
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Was it really okay to say that so blatantly?
Ning Fengzhi seemed to be losing more and more authority—even the matter of succession was no longer in his hands.
"Ahem, Rongrong, don't forget—I am still the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. At least give me some face."
Black lines crept across Ning Fengzhi's forehead.
He didn't think his two sons could ever compete with Rongrong, but did she have to say it so openly?
"Ah, that's not important." Under Ning Fengzhi's exasperated gaze, Ning Rongrong continued,
"Once the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well stabilizes within the sect, we might need Bi Ji's help. That's why I formed a contract with her."
"Bi Ji..." Dugu Yan's voice carried a trace of worry. "Won't that be a problem? She's still a soul beast—a 99th-ranked one at that. What if something goes wrong?"
"Are you worried the Spirit Hall will accuse the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda of colluding with soul beasts?"
"It's not just that. What if Bi Ji takes the sect's secrets back to the Star Dou Great Forest? Wouldn't that put us at a disadvantage?" Dugu Yan shook her head.
"Bi Ji is different from other soul beasts. If not for her repeated interventions, Di Tian would have long since launched a beast tide."
"Bi Ji stopped the beast tide?" Bone Douluo exclaimed in surprise.
"Right. She's the only soul beast who genuinely wants coexistence between humans and soul beasts—and actually acts on it." Ning Rongrong smiled. "Isn't that a naïve idea?"
The group fell silent. None had expected that a 99th-ranked existence would harbor such an unrealistic fantasy.
"Is something like that really possible?" Dugu Yan couldn't help but ask.
"Impossible." Ning Rongrong's tone was absolute. "As long as Soul Masters continue to rely on hunting soul rings for cultivation, soul beasts will inevitably face extinction."
"Extinction?"
"Exactly. The sheer number of human Soul Masters creates an insatiable demand for soul rings."
"Title Douluos need nine soul rings, with the last four all being ten-thousand-year or higher."
"For soul beasts to reach ten-thousand-year cultivation, it usually takes ten thousand years—or at least several thousand."
"Exceptions like Bi Ji don't count, but if this hunting continues, soul beasts will eventually be wiped out completely."
"Would the Silver Dragon King just stand by and let that happen?" Dugu Bo asked doubtfully.
"The Silver Dragon King can't act recklessly." Ning Rongrong was also hesitant about whether to cooperate with the Star Dou Great Forest.
She herself was an outsider—at the very least, her cultivation method differed from that of the Douluo Continent. How the God Realm viewed her was still uncertain.
To truly understand the Star Dou Great Forest's stance, they'd have to wait until Bi Ji arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Ning Rongrong suspected that Bi Ji and Di Tian's visit to the Heaven Dou Empire might be related to Qian Renxue.
Of course, this was just speculation.
If true, it would mean the Silver Dragon King intended to rally the entire continent against the God Realm. But the chances of success...
Honestly, Ning Rongrong found the idea far-fetched.
"We'll see how things develop later."
"Even if the God Realm finds out, we can just say I learned from the Dark Devilgod Tiger that there's a powerful being called the Silver Dragon King—perhaps even stronger than the Evil God within the Dark Devilgod Tiger's Evil God Pearl."
I'm just a lucky one who obtained the Dark Devilgod Tiger's Evil God Pearl—not someone standing against the God Realm.
The matters of the God Realm could be considered later. After all, the God Realm wasn't a monolith.
For now, the priority was resting at home before heading to the Sunset Forest to relocate the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
There was no helping it—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in the Sunset Forest had already drawn the attention of the three upper sects and the Spirit Hall. It could no longer serve as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's secret external training ground.