"Let's talk inside!"
Ning Yun gestured invitingly, leading Ning Rongrong and her group inside.
The group passed through a straight corridor and soon arrived at the entrance of an arched bridge-style gate.
The door slowly opened, and a middle-aged man with a full beard stepped out.
"Young Master."
"Hm, the sect sent people over. I'll go in to handle things first."
Upon hearing this, the bearded middle-aged man stepped aside to let Ning Yun and the others enter.
"Huh, level 88 Soul Douluo?"
Ning Rongrong didn't know who Ning Fengzhi had sent to protect Ning Yun. As she passed by the middle-aged man, she instinctively sensed his soul power and was somewhat surprised.
The bearded middle-aged man was also taken aback when he saw Ning Rongrong.
He nodded in response: "Yes, I recently broke through."
"You're quite impressive," Ning Rongrong's gaze lingered on the man for a moment. "Want to take a gamble on becoming a Title Douluo?"
"Uh~" The bearded middle-aged man abruptly raised his head, looking at Ning Rongrong, who was much shorter than him, in astonishment. "Young Sect Master, you mean…"
"After I discuss the matters Father entrusted with Ning Yun, we'll consider helping you break through to Title Douluo, but there will be some level of risk."
The bearded middle-aged man's mind buzzed, but Ning Rongrong had already walked into the room and found a seat. Seeing this, he exited the room and gently closed the door.
However, Ning Rongrong's words echoed in his mind.
If another teenage girl had told him she could help him become a Title Douluo.
He'd slap her right away.
"You think Title Douluos are cabbages?"
But the one saying this was Ning Rongrong.
It could be said that in the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aside from Ning Fengzhi, the most authoritative voice was Young Sect Master Ning Rongrong. Even Ning Yun, the Young Master, had voluntarily given up the idea of being the heir.
To avoid gossip, he deliberately came to Vast Sea City to develop.
And he, as Ning Yun's protector for several years, how could he not know how outstanding Ning Yun was?
Balancing the various forces in Vast Sea City with precision, merging the local auction house into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to build the Nine Treasure Chamber of Commerce, and firmly establishing a foothold in Vast Sea City, where continental soul masters were disliked.
Zi Zhenzhu's help was undeniable, but Ning Yun's personal abilities were also indispensable.
Most importantly.
Two and a half years ago, at the Elite Soul Master Tournament, he had watched the finals alongside Ning Yun.
Young Sect Master Ning Rongrong, as an auxiliary soul master, defeated Spirit Hall's level 85 Qian Renxue and toyed with the level 95 Title Douluo Tang Hao—a terrifying existence.
Forget Tang Hao at level 95; even Qian Renxue at level 85 felt like someone he couldn't match at all.
"Is this what it means to stand at the pinnacle of continental talent?" The bearded middle-aged man clenched his fists, both hands sweaty despite not using any soul power fluctuations.
Just a few words had unsettled him so much.
As expected of the Young Lady!
The Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Title Douluo… Can I, Wang Quan Fugui, also have a chance to reach that level?"
"What a thrilling prospect!"
While Wang Quan Fugui was caught in shock and awe.
Inside the spacious, soundproofed room.
"Bang!"
The redwood table trembled.
Ning Rongrong's right hand left a clear palm print on the square tabletop, sinking into the solid surface.
"They want us to stop supplying soul tools to the Heaven Dou Empire, and on top of that, they want the production methods for soul tools from us without paying a hefty price, relying on personal connections!"
"Is Tai Tan from the Strength Clan this shameless?"
To create soul tools, how many years, how much manpower, resources, and wealth, and how many trial-and-error attempts had the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect invested to reach this point?
And Tai Tan thinks he can use his deep friendship with Lou Gao to get the soul tool production methods for free or at a minimal cost?
I've never seen such a shameless person.
"Rongrong, calm down," Ning Yun said, his mouth twitching slightly as he looked at the palm print that had sunken into the table.
Can't afford to provoke her, can't afford to provoke her—truly terrifying.
If that slap landed on him, his frail body would probably cough up three liters of blood.
Ning Yun picked up the teacup on the table, which had slightly spilled, his hands trembling. He took a sip: "There are too many factors involved. I didn't know how to handle it, so I decided to leave it to the sect."
Ning Yun didn't say he left it to Lou Gao but to the sect.
Perhaps this was also Ning Yun's way of testing Lou Gao.
As for why he tested him, it might be due to the relationship between Tai Tan and Lou Gao.
As for whether Lou Gao would hand the letter to Ning Fengzhi, neither Ning Rongrong nor Ning Yun mentioned it, which was rare.
"So, they want to meet Pavilion Master Lou Gao to buy the soul tool production blueprints from him?" Ning Rongrong frowned slightly. "Ning Yun, don't you think something's off about this?"
"Call me Big Brother, don't be so informal," Ning Yun said with a pout, then continued, "Yeah, I feel the same, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
In this situation, no one would believe Tai Tan could pry open Lou Gao's mouth to get the soul tool production plans—except someone as clueless as Yu Xiaogang.
"What's in a name?" Ning Rongrong brushed it off, continuing her questioning. "Don't tell me you haven't found out anything during this time?"
"Not exactly," Ning Yun shrugged, setting down the teacup he'd been holding for a while. "Mainly, it seems there are others with Tai Tan."
"One of them is Tang San, who appeared at the Soul Master Tournament two and a half years ago."
"And besides that…"
At this point, Ning Yun's expression turned serious:
"I'm not sure about the situation with Poseidon Island's enshrines, but the other man with Tang San, aside from Tai Tan, bears some resemblance to the Poseidon Island enshrine Zi Zhenzhu mentioned."
"Poseidon Island is involved too?" Ning Rongrong's pupils slightly contracted. "Can you confirm it's really a Poseidon Island enshrine?"
Whether it was an order from Bo Saixi or Poseidon himself.
That was the question.
If it was Bo Saixi, it was likely that the Nine Treasure Chamber of Commerce was affecting some of Poseidon Island's interests.
But if it involved Poseidon, that was another matter entirely.
For example, Tang San might be participating in the Nine Trials of Poseidon.
Of course, this was just a speculation.
"When did they arrive in Vast Sea City? It shouldn't have been long, right?" Ning Rongrong's brow furrowed slightly.
"They just arrived recently," Ning Yun said. "Our people didn't dare get too close, but they came from the docks. Our workers at the docks noticed the three of them."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong sighed: "Looks like we need to prepare for the worst."
Regardless of their intentions, they'd need to meet in person to make any concrete guesses.
"Ning Yun, spread the word that Senior Lou Gao has arrived in Vast Sea City."
"Oh, and keep my and Dugu Yan's presence a secret for now."