Early the next morning, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying woke up early, washed up, ate a simple breakfast, and then brought Dugu Bo to Moon Pavilion.
Since they hadn't agreed on a specific meeting place with Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong the day before, Moon Pavilion was the natural choice.
When the five finally met, Gu Rong glanced at Dugu Bo and let out a cold snort.
Dugu Bo responded with a soft snort of his own, and the two immediately turned their heads away from each other.
One was a Rank 91 Titled Douluo, the other Rank 94. Though there was a three-rank difference on paper, in reality, it would be extremely difficult for either to truly defeat the other.
Gu Rong possessed terrifying defensive power and higher spirit power overall, while Dugu Bo specialized in control-type spirit abilities. Although the difference between ranks at the Titled Douluo level was often described as worlds apart, that was mostly true only after Rank 95. Before that, cases of the weak defeating the strong were not uncommon—there were even instances of Spirit Douluo-level experts defeating Titled Douluo.
If Dugu Bo truly wanted to flee, even if Gu Rong could keep up for a time, he would inevitably be dragged into a prolonged stalemate, unable to kill him outright.
After regrouping, the five arrived on the main street.
Gu Rong summoned his martial soul—the Bone Dragon—and took Ning Fengzhi into the air.
Naturally, Dugu Bo, Yin Zhang, and Qiangu Yunying were not about to be left behind.
Dugu Bo stepped onto the head of his martial soul, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Yin Zhang carried Qiangu Yunying in his arms, spread his wings, and shot into the sky.
On the Douluo Continent, Titled Douluo could fly freely, but for many of them, using their martial soul as a mount was more efficient than relying on spirit power alone.
As Gu Rong protected Ning Fengzhi while flying, Ning Fengzhi quietly observed Yin Zhang.
When he noticed that Yin Zhang's flying speed—despite carrying someone—was not much slower than theirs, his eyes flickered with surprise and curiosity.
He immediately sent a voice transmission to Gu Rong.
"Uncle Gu, speed up a bit. I want to see just how fast this Yin Zhang really is—and where his limits lie."
Gu Rong gave a slight nod. He, too, was interested.
Seeing Gu Rong suddenly accelerate ahead, Yin Zhang instantly understood that they were deliberately testing him.
He didn't hold back.
"Sister Yunying, hold on tight. I'm going to speed up and pass them."
Qiangu Yunying didn't fully understand the word "pass," but from the situation, she grasped the meaning and quickly tightened her grip around him.
Yin Zhang didn't mind. The massive dragon wings on his back beat powerfully, and even Dugu Bo couldn't help but feel startled.
"What is this kid doing?" Dugu Bo muttered. "Flying this fast—does he think he's rushing to a wedding?"
By the time they arrived at the headquarters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Yin Zhang and the others were perfectly fine, but Qiangu Yunying's face was slightly flushed.
Yin Zhang noticed and gave an apologetic smile.
"Sister Yunying, are you okay? I shouldn't have flown that fast…"
Ning Fengzhi chuckled, about to speak—when a familiar voice reached his ears. He smiled helplessly.
"So this little ancestor has shown up again."
Gu Rong, on the other hand, was overjoyed. His previously stern expression instantly softened as he turned around and opened his arms wide.
"Rongrong! Did you miss Grandpa Bone? Grandpa Bone brought you lots of tasty food and fun toys this time!"
As the little girl ran toward Gu Rong, a name immediately surfaced in both Yin Zhang's and Qiangu Yunying's minds.
Ning Rongrong?!
Qiangu Yunying tugged on Yin Zhang's sleeve and whispered in his ear.
"Xiao Zhang, is she Sect Master Ning's daughter? I heard she's extremely willful, and her temper is a bit…"
Yin Zhang smiled helplessly and whispered back.
"Alright, Sister Yunying, keep your voice down. Sect Master Ning and the others are still here."
Watching Ning Rongrong laughing and playing with Gu Rong, Yin Zhang couldn't help but reflect.
In the original timeline, Ning Rongrong first appeared when Tang San and Xiao Wu had just left Nuoding City and arrived in Suotuo City to enroll at Shrek Academy, appearing during the initial registration.
Twelve years old. Martial soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Rank 26 support-type Spirit Grandmaster.
For an ordinary Spirit Master, that level at twelve would already qualify as a genius. But Ning Rongrong possessed innate spirit power level nine—so being only Rank 26 at twelve was actually somewhat underwhelming.
Why was that?
The answer was obvious: overindulgence from Ning Fengzhi and the two pillar elders of the sect, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
Ning Rongrong was the same age as Tang San, while Yin Zhang was seven years older than Tang San—and likewise seven years older than Ning Rongrong. With such an age gap, there was clearly nothing inappropriate to consider.
However, the Huangdou Battle Team from the original story shouldn't have officially formed yet.
That meant that after leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he would need to start preparing to seek out the members of the Huangdou Battle Team.
Yu Tianheng could be ignored—he had already thoroughly offended the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
As for Dugu Yan, she was right here, so there was nothing to say.
The others—Ye Lingling and the Shi brothers—were still worth recruiting.
The Ye family should be located in Heaven Dou City, making Ye Lingling easy to find. As for the Shi brothers, however, Yin Zhang still didn't know where they were.
After Ning Rongrong was led away, Ning Fengzhi finally smiled.
"Xiao Zhang, Yunying, Your Excellency—let's go inside. After you've chosen your treasures, I've also prepared a banquet of our sect's finest dishes. Eat and drink to your hearts' content. Consider it my duty as host."
Yin Zhang didn't refuse. Together with Dugu Bo and Qiangu Yunying, they offered their thanks.
Ning Fengzhi, seemingly intent on showing off, led the three on a brief tour of the sect's main hall. The interior was luxurious yet refined, steeped in the weight of time and aristocratic elegance.
It truly looked like what a great sect with a long legacy should be.
Soon after, they headed toward the treasury.
At this point, Gu Rong stepped forward, and Ning Fengzhi turned to Yin Zhang.
"Xiao Zhang, the location of our sect's treasury is a secret. You'll have to come alone."
Yin Zhang nodded without objection.
After signaling to Dugu Bo and Qiangu Yunying, he stepped forward.
Then he saw Gu Rong open a strange, pitch-black spatial void.
Yin Zhang followed Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi inside.
At first, everything went dark. Then he felt as if he had stepped onto the edge of a cliff.
And that was exactly the case.
When Yin Zhang opened his eyes, he realized that behind him—just one meter away—was a sheer cliff face.
He watched as Ning Fengzhi took out an exquisitely crafted pendant shaped like a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and slowly placed it into a groove on the stone door.
With a deep rumble—
The door opened.
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