Listening to Ning Fengzhi's probing, Chen Yi still kept that faint smile at the corner of his lips, as if completely unaware of the growing tension condensing in the air.
He even yawned lightly, and though his tone was mild, it carried a clear note of distance.
"Sect Master Ning thinks too highly of me. This junior understands your good intentions."
"It's just that the little sect I'm in is obscure and off in a corner of the world, truly nameless. I fear mentioning its name would only dirty your esteemed ears. You surely haven't heard of it."
The words were polite, but in truth, this was still just evasive stalling.
Seeing him repeatedly dodge and never step into the "trap," a hint of displeasure finally flashed in the depths of Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
As Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, his status was revered. Ordinarily, geniuses and major powers would beg for a chance to show their faces in front of him. Yet now, he had lowered his own posture and taken the initiative to reach out, but this youth refused time and again to cooperate.
It really was… difficult to handle.
Ning Fengzhi's slender fingers subconsciously tapped the gem-tipped staff, though he remained silent. The faint crease between his brows betrayed some impatience.
Off to the side, Bone Douluo Gu Rong had been standing quietly like a shadow. He'd long since lost his patience.
In his life, what he found most tiresome were these juniors who thought themselves clever while hiding behind mysterious tricks.
Seeing Chen Yi still "beating around the bush" before Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong finally let out a dull, cold snort from his nose.
The sound wasn't loud, but in the confines of the box it boomed like muffled thunder, making everyone's eardrums buzz. The invisible pressure in the air suddenly surged.
"Boy."
Gu Rong's voice was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper scraping wood, radiating undeniable dominance.
"When the Sect Master asks you something, you answer. Don't play tricks here!"
The terrifying aura of a Titled Douluo had not even been fully released, yet threads of coercive pressure were already flooding out like a chilly tide, quietly filling every inch of the room.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both felt as if a boulder had been pressed against their chests. Their breathing became labored, and their slender bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"Titled Douluo"—these were beings who stood at the pinnacle of the soul master world. The weight of that title was not something two mere Soul Grandmasters could withstand.
Chen Yi seemed completely unaware. The slight smile on his lips did not fade at all. He raised his eyes to look at Gu Rong's ugly, skeletal face and oppressive aura, and his tone remained relaxed.
"Why should Senior Bone Douluo be so angry? It's not that this junior is deliberately hiding anything. It's just that my sect is secluded and detached from the world. No one knows of it. Speaking its name would only invite ridicule."
His attitude seemed humble, yet his stance was firm—with a hint of steel beneath the softness.
Gu Rong was completely enraged.
"What a sharp tongue on this brat!"
His already withered, grotesque face twisted further with fury, and a cold light shot from his deep eye sockets.
"You really don't know how high the heavens are. You reject a toast only to drink the forfeit, is that it?"
Before his words had finished, a cold and heavy pressure crashed down toward Chen Yi like a tangible mountain.
This was no mere probing like earlier. It carried the full weight of a Titled Douluo's will.
The tables and chairs in the room groaned faintly under the pressure, and the air seemed to coagulate into gelatin, suffocatingly thick.
"Senior Gu Rong!"
Dugu Yan cried out, her pretty face turning ashen in an instant.
She knew well how terrifying the title "Titled Douluo" was—and she had seen her own grandfather Dugu Bo erupt in anger before. At this moment, Gu Rong was clearly genuinely enraged.
If he truly struck, she feared that Chen Yi…
Inwardly, she prayed frantically that her grandfather would sense the disturbance and hurry over.
Ye Lingling also clenched her fists tightly. A hint of worry flickered in her icy eyes, mixed with helpless rage.
In the face of absolute power, her hatred and concern seemed so feeble.
Yet in the very heart of this storm, Chen Yi still sat firmly, unmoving.
Confronted with Gu Rong's dreadful coercion—sufficient to make a Soul King tremble—Chen Yi didn't even brush his sleeve.
The smile on his face deepened slightly, as if he were watching a comedic farce that had nothing to do with him.
This unreasonable calmness had a reason.
During the time he spent at the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well, he had already understood much about the Grand Elder's true condition.
He was one hundred percent certain that what the Grand Elder had gained from that unique environment was far more than just an increase in soul power—that was only the smallest benefit.
What had truly undergone a qualitative transformation was the Grand Elder's spiritual power.
It was vast like the sea, condensed like steel. Even if it were the Divine Oracle Douluo Han Tianyi born twenty thousand years in the future, wielding the strongest spirit in the world, he might not surpass the present Grand Elder in spiritual might.
This was a terrifying spiritual power that completely exceeded contemporary understanding. Even among the Three Peerless Douluo of this era, none might match the Grand Elder purely in that aspect.
Therefore, from the very instant Ning Fengzhi and his group stepped into this room—and from the moment they took serious interest in Chen Yi—all that happened here had already fallen under the "gaze" of the Grand Elder's omnipresent spiritual senses.
The old man who looked like he spent his days lazily drinking tea was, in fact, guarding his own reverse scale to the utmost. Right now, he was definitely hidden somewhere within Shanhai Pavilion, a cup of fragrant tea in hand, watching with great interest as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect led this "forced palace interrogation" drama.
With such a solid backing silently watching from the shadows, how could Chen Yi possibly fear Gu Rong's coercion?
His appearance of "a dead pig not fearing boiling water," combined with that slightly teasing smile, completely ignited Gu Rong's fury.
This Bone Douluo had roamed the continent for many years; never before had a junior treated him with such disregard.
"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you really won't understand what the title of Titled Douluo means!"
Gu Rong's eyes sharpened, and his thin right hand—like a ghost's claw—lifted slightly. Grey-black soul power condensed at his fingertips, and the faint creak of grinding bone echoed chillingly in the air.
He had decided to teach this ignorant boy a little lesson—at least enough to make him kneel and beg for mercy, and obediently reveal the truth.
As for whether someone truly stood behind Chen Yi? Gu Rong didn't care.
He was a rank-95 Titled Douluo, one who could be counted among the most respected across the entire Douluo Continent.
Behind him stood the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Beside him stood Sword Douluo Chen Xin, the unrivaled number-one attack-type on the continent.
Looking across the world, aside from the old enshrined in Spirit Hall and the missing Tang Chen, who else could truly make him hesitate?
Seeing Gu Rong completely lose his temper—and clearly not just putting on a show—Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered slightly, but he still did not step in to stop him.
He gently swirled the tea in his cup, white mist blurring his deep gaze.
Chen Yi's repeated evasions and current "arrogance" had made even this always-gentle, cultured sect master dissatisfied.
The nobles of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had lowered themselves and spoken kindly, but the other party was too ignorant. Letting Gu Rong apply a little pressure to smooth out the boy's edges might not be a bad thing.
He also wanted to know where this young man's confidence came from.
The air in the room suddenly plummeted in temperature.
The grey-black soul power on Gu Rong's fingertips grew thicker and denser. The cold, deathly aura seemed capable of freezing and tearing space itself.
A "lesson" from a Titled Douluo now appeared unavoidable.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's hearts were in their throats. They could hardly bear to watch the impending scene of Chen Yi being crushed in an instant and almost closed their eyes.
Chen Yi, however, was still smiling. He even took the time to straighten his clothes, as though what was coming was not the wrath of a Titled Douluo, but merely a gust of trivial wind.
He raised his eyes slightly. His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the box, looking far into the distance. A smile with a hint of deeper meaning appeared at the corner of his lips.
Old man, you've watched enough of the show, haven't you? It's about time you came out and cleaned up this mess.
If you don't move now, I really will end up being treated like some soft persimmon.
This quiet thought seemed to transcend the walls of space.
And at that precise instant—when the grey-black soul power at Gu Rong's fingertip was about to be unleashed—
The situation changed in a heartbeat.
...
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