"Oh?"
Seeing Ning Fengzhi's constipated expression, Qian Daoliu raised an eyebrow.
Had Ning Fengzhi been sidelined?
Neither of the two "Pillars of the Sky" refuted Tokisaki Kurumi's words.
Could it be that this Tokisaki Kurumi truly had some skills, just as Bibi Dong had said?
Though he knew that she had escaped Di Tian's pursuit in the Sunset Forest while disguised as Xue Qinghe and safely returned with Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu remained skeptical of Bibi Dong's claim that Di Tian had been severely injured.
That woman Bibi Dong—who knew what she was thinking? The credibility of her information was questionable.
Previously, she had claimed she would go help Xiao Xue, only to turn around and deliver the Heartbroken Acacia to that waste Yu Xiaogang.
As a result, Xiao Xue had no choice but to tarnish her own reputation and become the "lover"—no, the "close confidante"—of "Xue Qinghe."
Tch! When Qian Renxue had told him about this, Qian Daoliu had nearly rolled up his sleeves and locked Bibi Dong in the secret chamber to give her a taste of "Secret Chamber 2.0."
This foolish woman was nothing but trouble.
Not only had she wasted Xiao Xue's talent, but now she was even trying to ruin her reputation.
What kind of mother does that?
And then, she had the nerve to send Xiao Xue a letter telling her to "think carefully" and not stain her reputation unnecessarily.
What the hell!
Wasn't this entire mess her doing in the first place?
Typical case of the weasel paying respects to the chicken—no, scratch that.
In short, that woman was just plain wicked.
Who knew what she was up to now, having abandoned the Spirit Hall and slunk off to the Star Luo Empire?
If it weren't for Qian Renxue saying that Bibi Dong seemed to have changed somewhat, he would have already taken action.
Suppressing his irritation, Qian Daoliu took a deep breath.
"I heard that Miss Kurumi recently severely injured the Beast God, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest. Is there any truth to that?"
"Oh, you mean that big dumb dragon?" Tokisaki Kurumi, dressed in gothic lolita attire, twirled the gun in her hand.
"That guy tripped over his own nose and gave himself a brain hemorrhage. It had nothing to do with me!"
"I'm just an ordinary support-type Spirit Master. I'm nowhere near as strong as you all."
"At most, I have just a tiny bit of self-defense capability."
Qian Daoliu: "..."
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Qian Daoliu's eyelid twitched. He was utterly speechless.
"So, who's going to fight me? Though I don't like to admit it, Tang Chen's brute-force approach does have its merits—sometimes, martial power really is the best way to solve problems," Qian Daoliu said.
"Not me, don't look at me." Tokisaki Kurumi shrugged. "If you can defeat a certain incompetent sect master and a few Titled Douluo first, then I'll fight you."
"But if you can't, then it's none of my business."
"I don't like fighting. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just got along?"
Ning Fengzhi's forehead darkened with sweat.
Good grief, since when had he been demoted to "incompetent sect master"?
He was, after all, the sect master of the number one support sect. How was that "incompetent"?
Did being "competent" mean being as absurd as Ning Rongrong?
With her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, she barely even used support abilities—instead, she could do just about anything else.
Thinking about Ning Rongrong's ridiculously versatile martial soul made Ning Fengzhi's eye twitch.
"The stakes are simple," Tokisaki Kurumi said languidly.
"If we lose, we'll submit to or join the Spirit Hall, as previously discussed. It doesn't matter either way."
"But if, by some chance, you, Qian Daoliu, are outmatched..."
Here, the pupil of her left eye, which resembled a cosmetic contact lens, emitted a chilling pressure.
"Then I'll ask the Spirit Hall to pack up and leave, never to trouble us again. And you, Qian Daoliu, must swear an oath on your martial soul."
"Of course, we won't go looking for trouble with the Spirit Hall either. How does that sound?"
"Ning Fengzhi will always remain the teacher of the Heaven Dou Emperor—that much should go without saying, no?"
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted slightly.
"You mean..."
"Ahhh~ What I mean is, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will remain neutral. Whether conflicts arise in the future depends not on us, but on the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Emperor's choices."
"Remember, it's the Heaven Dou Emperor's choice."
As Qian Daoliu pondered the implications of Kurumi's words, she spread her hands and smiled.
"To put it simply, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has no interest in getting involved in the continent's conflicts."
"No interest in the continent's conflicts, huh?" Qian Daoliu mused, scrutinizing Tokisaki Kurumi while completely ignoring Ning Rongrong standing beside her.
"Fine, I accept."
"But who will be fighting me? You?"
Qian Daoliu still couldn't reconcile the image of this seemingly playful young girl with the powerhouse Bibi Dong had described—the one who had supposedly severely injured Di Tian.
Her appearance was far too deceptive.
As for her claim that Di Tian had tripped and given himself a brain hemorrhage?
Not even a ghost would believe that!
Seeing Qian Daoliu agree, Tokisaki Kurumi smiled.
"The one fighting you won't be me for now. I'm just an ordinary little girl who's not good at fighting. As for combat, let's leave that to Sect Master Ning!"
"If you can win, then I'll let you see the power of the greatest support-type Spirit Master in the history of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—one who surpasses all previous holders."
Ning Rongrong: "..."
Kurumi was getting more and more outrageous. Sure, as the spirit of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, she technically surpassed Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. But something about this still felt off.
Qian Daoliu nodded and turned his gaze to Ning Fengzhi.
"What do you think?"
"This..." Ning Fengzhi fell silent, stealing a glance at Ning Rongrong, who had been keeping a low profile beside Tokisaki Kurumi. Seeing her give him a slight nod, he felt reassured.
Ning Rongrong might usually be unreliable, but she wouldn't just sell out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, right?
Most of the decisions just voiced—aside from the unimportant parts—couldn't have been Tokisaki Kurumi's own ideas.
As a Dark Devilgod Tiger, she had no inherent interest in human affairs.
Most likely, Ning Rongrong had relayed these words to her through some means, and Kurumi had simply spoken them on her behalf.
Still, Ning Fengzhi was worried. Did Rongrong and the Dark Devilgod Tiger really have a way to defeat Qian Daoliu?
Even after all these years, Ning Fengzhi still couldn't gauge Ning Rongrong's true strength.
If she was weak, how had she suppressed the soul of a god-level spirit beast and reinforced its seal, pushing back its aura?
But when asked directly, Ning Rongrong would just say she was a Soul Sage.
A Soul Sage? What kind of Soul Sage was this absurd?
Collecting his thoughts, Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"Kurumi's decision is also mine. What does Grand Priest Qian Daoliu think?"
"Very well." Qian Daoliu nodded.
"Coincidentally, my strength has recently improved. Since Sect Master Ning also finds this method acceptable, let us fight. It will also give me a chance to witness the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Pillars of the Sky."
With that, Qian Daoliu soared into the sky, followed closely by Ning Fengzhi and the others.
Qian Renxue glanced at Tokisaki Kurumi and Ning Rongrong before chasing after them with the two Titled Douluo.
After they left, Dugu Bo hesitated and looked at Ning Rongrong.
"Should I participate?"
Honestly, he didn't think he could do much against a level-99 powerhouse.
"No need. If anything goes wrong, Kurumi and I will handle it."
"Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone need a real battle—not just for breakthroughs, but also to complete their martial soul fusion skill. This might be the perfect opportunity."
Ning Rongrong's expression was serious.
"Senior Dugu, I'll leave matters here to you for now. As for Tian Shui Academy..."
"Senior Shui Cangyue, you probably won't be able to stay here. It's best to prepare to relocate to the Four Elements City. That would be safer, but the final decision is yours."
"Understood."
Though somewhat confused, Shui Cangyue nodded.
"Kurumi, let's go."
With that, Ning Rongrong took to the air, flying toward the battlefield.
"Ah... more running around!" Tokisaki Kurumi shook her head before leisurely rising into the air and following Ning Rongrong.
Watching the two leave, Shui Cangyue, Ye Renxin, and Ye Lingling exchanged glances.
"Dugu Bo, what's going on with Ning Rongrong and the others...?" Ye Renxin hesitated, unsure how to phrase his question.
Dugu Bo sighed.
"Let me tell you—the strongest members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have never been Chen Xin and Gu Rong. It's always been Ning Rongrong and Tokisaki Kurumi."
"If I had to guess, given Rongrong's personality, they must have a way to deal with Qian Daoliu."
"That... that's just too unbelievable!" Ye Lingling couldn't help exclaiming.
Ning Rongrong being above level 70 was already hard to fathom.
But now, she could supposedly handle a level-99 Qian Daoliu?
Before this, she had thought Dugu Yan's Soul Sage-level abilities were already inhuman.
But this young sect master was on another level entirely—capable of facing a Limit Douluo?
"It is unbelievable, but also normal." Dugu Bo nodded.
Shui Cangyue: "..."
Ye Renxin: "..."
This was normal?
Did the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have some kind of misunderstanding about the word "normal"?