Watching Gu Xuan suddenly cry out for Ning Rongrong, Chen Xin felt a line of black veins pop on his forehead. He didn't even know what to say.
Hearing Gu Xuan's call, a bright, joyful smile spread across Ning Rongrong's cute face. "Nine Treasures Famous, Second: Speed!"
A nine-colored pagoda instantly appeared in her hand, and a streak of light flew toward Gu Xuan. On his back, the eight dragon-swords had already retracted, and his sword-wings unfurled, vibrating as he prepared to take flight.
Little did he know that Gu Rong had also been struck by a playful whim. His eighth soul ring lit up, and a Spatial Portal appeared directly in front of Gu Xuan. Unable to brake in time, Gu Xuan charged straight into it, only for another portal to open right in front of Chen Xin. Gu Xuan practically dove into Chen Xin's arms.
Chen Xin retracted his Seven Kill Sword and condensed a massive, blunt sword out of soul power. Like a professional ping-pong player, he smacked Gu Xuan away.
Gu Xuan had used so many skills in rapid succession that his soul power was in a brief vacuum state; he couldn't even trigger his fourth ring to escape. Being swatted away by that sword didn't injure him, but the vibration made his head spin.
How was he supposed to know that his grandfather, that "Old Bastard" Gu Rong, would completely disregard martial ethics?
The recoiling Gu Xuan passed through yet another portal behind him, only to be teleported back in front of Chen Xin for another face-first meeting with the blunt sword.
Bang!
Gu Xuan was toyed with by the two old men like a shuttlecock. Watching this, Ning Rongrong giggled behind her hand. She no longer felt the worry she had a year ago when Gu Rong used to handle Gu Xuan. Although Gu Xuan was very good to her and exceptionally handsome, he was simply too mischievous; a little "education" every now and then was for his own good.
After being batted around seven or eight times, Gu Xuan finally forced his soul power to surge and activated his fourth soul skill. He teleported to Ning Rongrong's side, immediately scooping her up and holding her in front of him like a human shield.
"Timeout! Timeout! You two are world-renowned, prestigious Titled Douluos. How can you be so unethical?" Gu Xuan shouted at Gu Rong while holding a bewildered Ning Rongrong aloft.
Gu Rong smiled faintly, acting completely innocent. "No matter how prestigious I am, I'm still your grandfather. You're usually too reckless; Old Sword is just tightening your skin a bit."
"Besides, haven't you noticed? The strikes he landed on you injected eight strands of Seven Kill Sword intent into your body. If you digest them well, your external soul bone won't bring shame to its reputation."
Gu Xuan did, in fact, feel the eight strands of sword intent attached to the connection points between his spine and the dragon-swords.
'But was it necessary? Did it have to be done this way?' he thought. 'Couldn't you just sit on the ground and transfer it to me? Did you have to play tennis?'
'Second Grandpa! You've been corrupted by my grandfather, that old scoundrel!'
In Gu Xuan's arms, Ning Rongrong's face was flushed red. She held back her laughter and whispered into his ear, "Brother, you should probably put me down. I'm not a little kid anymore; I've grown up."
Hearing this, Gu Xuan finally felt the two soft, budding curves against his chest. He quickly put her down, patted her head, and said softly, "Rongrong, I wasn't trying to take advantage of you. These two old men were just too much; without your protection, I don't feel safe."
Seeing Gu Xuan's cowering expression as he peeked at Chen Xin and Gu Rong, Ning Rongrong's bashfulness faded, replaced by a cute smile. She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's because you're too annoying, Brother Gu Xuan. You make Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone worry all day; a little discipline is good for you."
Gu Xuan stared at her in disbelief. Seeing her smug expression, he couldn't resist flicking her forehead.
"Fine, Rongrong! After all the nice things I think about you every day, I can't believe you'd think that of me," Gu Xuan said, pretending to be offended.
Ning Rongrong clutched her forehead, her eyes welling with tears. "Brother, if you keep flicking my head like that, I won't be smart anymore."
Seeing her play the victim—and looking so damn cute doing it—Gu Xuan gave in and leaned over to gently blow on her forehead.
Chen Xin returned to the side of Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi. The three men watched the scene with knowing smiles. Chen Xin suddenly remarked, "Fengzhi, you know, looking at them now, Rongrong and Xuan'er are quite the match."
Ning Fengzhi's smile faltered for a moment. He looked at Gu Rong and asked, "Uncle Bone, what do you think?"
Hearing this, Gu Rong immediately tucked away his "doting grandfather" smile. He thought back to Li Li's attitude toward Gu Xuan during their two months away; it was actually quite similar to Ning Rongrong's.
Sometimes, Gu Rong had to marvel at the brat's charm. He wasn't a pedantic man; it was normal for powerful men to have multiple wives, and more descendants meant the Martial Soul would flourish further. However, Gu Xuan's first "girlfriend" was Dugu Bo's granddaughter, which made things complicated.
If the second were Li Li, it wouldn't be a problem since she was a civilian soul master with no background. A status as a concubine would suffice. But Ning Rongrong was different—she had the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and was the future Clan Leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"Ahem." Gu Rong coughed. Seeing how much Ning Rongrong relied on Gu Xuan, he definitely had some selfish motives in his heart. Even if Gu Xuan acted heartlessly, he, as the grandfather, couldn't be.
"Clan Head," Gu Rong didn't use Ning Fengzhi's name, adopting a serious tone. "In my opinion, even if Xuan'er is engaged to Yan Yan, if Rongrong can get along with them, I would hope for them to be together."
He held up two fingers. "Two points."
"First, Rongrong's talent is undeniable now, as is Xuan'er's. Their offspring would have a high probability of inheriting both Martial Souls and immense innate soul power."
"Second, Xuan'er carries the inheritance of two Dragon Kings. His hope of reaching that realm is high, and he might even take Rongrong with him. From these perspectives, as long as their feelings are there, nothing else is an issue."
Ning Fengzhi fell into thought. Gu Rong's words made perfect sense. If Gu Xuan were even slightly more ordinary, he wouldn't consider it. But Gu Xuan was a monster—his fourth ring had reached the 30,000-year level. His future was unfathomable.
After a long silence, Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Children have their own fortunes. Let's see how fate plays out." This was, in essence, an agreement with Gu Rong, just without saying it explicitly.
At that moment, Gu Xuan came over, pulling Ning Rongrong along. "Grandpa, Second Grandpa, you've seen my strength now, right? I can handle a Soul Emperor with no problem. As for a Soul Saint... if I can't beat them, I can definitely outrun them!"
Ning Fengzhi and the two guardians couldn't help but shake their heads and laugh. The boy was talented, if a bit arrogant, but it wasn't a major issue.
Gu Rong remembered something. "Didn't you receive the inheritance of two Dragon Kings? Why didn't I see you use it?"
Gu Xuan gave a helpless laugh. "I'd love to use them, but the soul power consumption is too high. It's not as practical as my Darkgold Terrorclaw or the Flying Dragon Piercing Heaven. I reckon I can barely manage those inheritance skills once I break through to Soul King."
The elders nodded. The Dragon Kings were once beings on par with gods; even a weakened inheritance skill wouldn't be something a mere Soul Ancestor could use freely, even one who could kill a Soul Emperor.
After critiquing his performance and warning him not to get too cocky, they finally let him return to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy with Dugu Bo. Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, went to the Seven Treasure Academy; a new school needed geniuses to build its reputation.
Seven Treasure City was not far from Heaven Dou City—only half a day by carriage. However, Gu Xuan and Dugu Bo didn't need such slow transport. Gu Xuan's sword-wings extended, and he trailed behind Dugu Bo as they sped toward the academy.
In an hour, they arrived. Before reaching the gates, Gu Xuan retracted the Sword Dragon Eight Wings and let Dugu Bo carry him the rest of the way. Dugu Bo was now Rank 92; once he stabilized, he would use the pills Gu Xuan provided to reach Rank 93. Carrying Gu Xuan for a short flight was effortless.
They went straight to the Three Great Instructors' office. Meng Shenji and the others were stunned to see Gu Xuan after several months. His temperament and appearance had changed drastically. If he hadn't spoken up, they would have thought Dugu Bo was bringing in a new student.
After checking in, Gu Xuan left for the villas to find Yu Tianheng and the others. They were his first core group; even if he couldn't recruit them all, they were a significant force he couldn't ignore. After all, he had invested too much in them not to see a return.
(End of Chapter)
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