Blazing Wind Academy, rest area of the competition grounds.
"Teacher..."
Huo Wushuang approached Bi Ji's side, hesitating to speak.
Bi Ji continued reading her book as if no one else was around. After Huo Wushuang spoke, she set the book down and revealed her usual gentle smile.
"Is there anything else? Your team's arrangements are already quite good. Logically, there shouldn't be anything left to add."
"Over there... that girl named Ning Rongrong..." Huo Wushuang subtly glanced in the direction of the Glass Academy team, who were also preparing for their upcoming match in the rest area.
"She's from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, right? Just like Ning Tian, who competed earlier."
Following Huo Wushuang's gaze, Bi Ji swept her eyes over the Glass Academy's position before withdrawing her gaze moments later.
"Her name is Ning Rongrong. I already wrote that in the participant list I gave you."
"Yes, she is indeed from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School. I heard she's the most beloved daughter of the sect master, Ning Fengzhi. He's kept her tightly guarded—probably worried she might be tricked by some scoundrel."
"Uh..." Huo Wushuang didn't know how to respond, but fortunately, Bi Ji didn't seem to notice and continued.
"There have been rumors that Ning Rongrong's martial soul has surpassed the limits of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda."
"Eh? An Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda?" Huo Wu interjected as she walked over.
Ning Fengzhi had never deliberately hidden the fact that he possessed the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
As Xue Qinghe's teacher, he often appeared in public, making it difficult to conceal his martial soul once used.
"No, perhaps it's a Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda," Bi Ji said calmly.
"Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda? That would mean she could reach Title Douluo?" Xue Ke walked over, her expression puzzled.
"Correct." Bi Ji nodded. "The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is restricted by its martial soul and can only reach level 79, Soul Sage. The Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda can reach level 89."
"Just like the current Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School's sect master, who is an 89th-ranked Soul Douluo. If it truly is the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, reaching Title Douluo at level 90 or above isn't impossible."
"That's terrifying! The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is already recognized as the number one support-type martial soul on the continent. The Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda would be..."
Xue Ke clicked her tongue in amazement.
"I remember Ning Rongrong mentioning to me that she has innate full soul power."
Bi Ji nodded. "Indeed. Among Soul Masters, innate soul power determines cultivation speed and the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks. Just like you, Xue Ke..."
Though the others in the team were curious, Bi Ji didn't elaborate further.
"Teacher, I don't understand," Xue Ke said, puzzled. "Why is Ning Rongrong's hair pink? I remember it being brown the last time I saw her."
"After a martial soul's second awakening, there's a chance it may alter certain aspects of one's body."
"Of course, there may be other methods. I'm not entirely sure of the specifics."
"But changes in hair, appearance, height, and the like are all possible."
"Actually, Xue Ke, you should know this too. Right now, apart from Xue Qinghe, who knew you from the beginning, and the teammates I've told, no one else would recognize you."
"That's true," Xue Ke murmured.
"Teacher, there's something I'm not sure if I should mention," Huo Wushuang said, his posture somewhat stiff. "That Ning Rongrong... I think we've met her before."
Huo Wushuang recounted to Bi Ji how he and his group had encountered a young woman with the surname Ning in the Blazing Wind Forest, detailing the entire incident.
He also told Bi Ji about how, not long ago, the Glass Academy's Shui Cangyue had used a Phoenix Coronet Grass to exchange for the Huo family's heirloom.
"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Bi Ji's face. "Effortlessly killed a thousand-year Titan Giant Ape?"
"Hu Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and I saw it with our own eyes. Though she didn't reveal her name at the time, her appearance was extremely similar to Ning Rongrong's. If it wasn't her, it might have been an older relative."
"What do you all think?" Bi Ji fell silent for a moment before countering with a question instead of answering.
"I don't know. Feng Xiaotian, what do you think?" Huo Wushuang looked at his friend beside him.
"Without using soul rings, just relying on what might have been her martial soul—a single weapon—she killed a thousand-year Titan Giant Ape. If that's true, it's absolutely terrifying."
From the registration forms, they had seen Ning Rongrong's age.
She was only a year older than Xue Ke.
The fact that Xue Ke had broken through to Soul Ancestor was already astonishing, given that she had Bi Ji—a Limit Douluo—guiding her and had undergone a second martial soul awakening.
But defeating a thousand-year Titan Giant Ape without releasing soul rings? That was simply too absurd.
Especially for Feng Xiaotian. At 23, he had only been at level 44. While part of that was due to him deliberately waiting for Huo Wu, it wasn't as if he hadn't worked hard at all.
Not long ago, he had taken a special medicinal herb brought by Bi Ji, which allowed his soul power to rise by two levels without side effects. But even then, he was only at level 46.
And yet, Ning Rongrong was also an innate full soul power holder. The gap was just too ridiculous.
If it was true, Ning Rongrong was only in her teens—and a support-type Soul Master at that.
Wait, how the hell does a support-type one-shot a thousand-year Titan Giant Ape?
"Teacher, do you think Ning Rongrong might have twin martial souls?" As children of a major clan, they couldn't be completely ignorant of the concept of twin martial souls.
"No." Bi Ji shook her head. "In any case, don't overthink it. If you find it hard to accept, just give it your all. Don't leave any regrets."
"Xue Ke, I permit you to use those powers."
"T-That's alright?" Xue Ke's face showed clear concern. She was no longer the caged bird of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
After all she had experienced, she understood that the things she carried with her were essentially walking targets.
"Don't worry. What I've given you is yours. That was part of the deal between Xue Qinghe and us. No one can take it from you."
"I understand, Teacher." Xue Ke nodded seriously.
"Alright, the match is about to start. Go. If you want to win, give it everything you've got."
Seeing the referee step onto the competition grounds, Bi Ji knew it was time.
The group nodded and walked toward the arena together.
Bi Ji's gaze was deep as she watched the two teams take their positions.
When she noticed Ning Rongrong stepping forward as well, a flicker of surprise crossed her face, but it quickly faded.
"Angel's Sacred Sword?"
"A divine weapon that should only be usable by the Angel Clan... So you can wield it too, huh?"
"Is it because of the Dark Devilgod Tiger?"
"No... It can't be her."
As for the identity of Tokisaki Kurumi, others might not know, but how could Bi Ji not?
The girl who had stopped her back then, calling herself Tokisaki Kurumi, was the same Dark Devilgod Tiger that had made a fool of Di Tian.
If she could suppress Qian Daoliu, then according to Qian Daoliu's own words—
She was capable of killing Bi Ji, but simply chose not to.
What were they afraid of?
"The Divine Realm?"
"Or... the spirit beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School was far too mysterious.
Though Bi Ji had entertained the idea of visiting, she had been overruled by Di Tian and the others of the Star Dou Great Forest. That was why she had delayed her plans.
If they had the power to kill Qian Daoliu, there was no way they couldn't kill her, who only had a cultivation of 570,000 years.
By human standards, she was only at the first stage of Limit Douluo—the False Demigod realm.