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Xiao Wu pointed toward the depths of the academy: "He should be in the 'Quiet Room.' Teacher usually studies soul tools or meditates there in the afternoon. You're looking for him?"
Ning Rongrong nodded, her heart beating fast again.
The Quiet Room was located in a more secluded bamboo forest in the back mountain of the academy. it was an independent small building with an ancient appearance, surrounded by simple soundproofing and warning soul tool formations. Ning Rongrong walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and knocked.
"Come in." Mo Bai's voice came from inside, flat and waveless.
Ning Rongrong pushed the door open. The indoor light was soft, the layout simple, with only a few tables and chairs, a row of bookshelves, and a large gathering spirit formation carved with complex patterns in the center of the room. Mo Bai was sitting on a chair next to the formation, fiddling with a dark gold metal piece, seemingly studying the soul tool inscriptions on it. He had changed into a dark gray casual outfit, looking a bit more relaxed, but that calm and profound aura was not diminished in the slightest.
"Something the matter?" Mo Bai did not look up, his gaze still on the metal piece.
Ning Rongrong closed the door, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. The rhetoric she had prepared before coming was stuck in her throat at this moment; she couldn't say a single word. She opened her mouth and finally only whispered: "Teacher... yesterday... that medicinal bath, and you helping me clear the meridians... thank you. My... my soul power really broke through."
Mo Bai then looked up at her, his gaze staying for a moment on her still somewhat constrained face. "Hmm. The foundation has stabilized slightly, but it's still far off. You haven't even unearthed one percent of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's potential."
It was another one of those merciless evaluations. But this time, Ning Rongrong did not feel unconvinced like yesterday; instead, she felt a tightening in her heart. She walked forward a few steps and gathered the courage to ask: "Then... how can it be unearthed? Like Sister Xiao Wu and the others?"
Mo Bai put down the metal piece, leaned back in the chair, crossed his fingers in front of him, and looked at her quietly. That gaze seemed capable of penetrating her body, looking directly into the depths of her soul. Ning Rongrong felt a surge of inexplicable guilt, but she still forced herself to meet his gaze.
"Their path may not be suitable for you," Mo Bai said slowly. "Xiao Wu's martial soul is a beast martial soul, her body is resilient, and her modification direction leans toward 'endurance' and 'serving.' Zhu Zhuqing is of the Agility Attack System, focusing on 'stealth' and 'burst.' Dugu Yan's poison is 'erosion' and 'control.' Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is a top-tier Support System tool martial soul; its potential lies in 'amplification' and 'sublimation.' The direction of modification is naturally different."
"Then... my direction is?" Ning Rongrong pursued, her heart beating even faster.
Mo Bai did not answer directly but asked instead: "Do you want to become strong? Not the kind of strength stacked up by medicine and resources, but a true strength originating from your own martial soul's source. Even... touching that legendary Nine Treasure Realm."
Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! Ning Rongrong's breath hitched. This was the realm her father, and successive generations of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Masters, had dreamed of!
"Yes!" She blurted out, her gaze becoming fervent.
"Even if you have to pay a price?" Mo Bai's voice lowered, carrying a peculiar alluring power. "Even if you have to break your cognition from the past ten-plus years, put down your pride as an Eldest Miss, and hand over your body and soul to me for... 'casting'?"
Ning Rongrong shuddered. Handing it over to him... for casting? Like casting a soul ring, casting herself?
The images in the hot spring surfaced again, along with the completely submissive appearance of Xiao Wu and the others. Was the price... that?
She looked into Mo Bai's calm and waveless eyes; there was no coercion, no threat, only a kind of indifference waiting for a choice. It was as if saying: the road is given to you; whether to walk it or not is your own choice.
A long silence spread in the Quiet Room. Ning Rongrong could hear her own violent heartbeat. Pride, shame, desire for power, fear of the unknown... various emotions clashed in her heart.
In the end, her father's phrase "at any cost" and that bit of hidden desire for the extreme experience in the hot spring—which she didn't even want to admit to herself—overwhelmed the rest.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly opened them again, her voice carrying a trace of trembling that was imperceptible, yet exceptionally clear: "I... I am willing. Please, Teacher... help me."
The corner of Mo Bai's mouth curled upward almost imperceptibly. He stood up and walked in front of Ning Rongrong. His tall figure loomed over her, bringing an invisible pressure.
"Remember your choice, Ning Rongrong." He reached out, his fingertip touching her forehead. A cool mental power permeated inward; Ning Rongrong's body stiffened, but she did not dodge. "From this moment on, your body, your martial soul, and your soul will all be 'recast' by me. In this process, there is no turning back. You will experience extreme pain, and possibly extreme pleasure. But in the end, you will get what you want—power that truly belongs to you."
His fingertip left her forehead and moved downward, tilting her chin up, forcing her to look up at him. "Now, let me see your determination. Take off your clothes."
Ning Rongrong's face instantly drained of blood and then quickly flushed red. She didn't expect it to be this fast, this direct. She thought at least... at least there would be a process like yesterday.
"I..." Her voice shook.
"What? Regret already?" Mo Bai's voice remained calm. "If you can't even take this step, how can you speak of putting down pride or casting the soul? Is your determination just talk?"
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms. She looked into Mo Bai's eyes that seemed capable of swallowing all light; a surge of stubbornness and a "sink or swim" emotion rose up. What she, Ning Rongrong, decided, she never did halfway!
With trembling fingers, she undid the buttons of her uniform. The jacket slid to the floor, followed by the shirt, the skirt... piece by piece the clothing fell until only her intimate wear remained. The cool air hitting her skin caused a layer of tiny goosebumps to rise. She wrapped her arms around her chest, her body shaking slightly, not daring to look into Mo Bai's eyes.
"All of it," Mo Bai's voice was beyond question.
Ning Rongrong closed her eyes, tears swirling in her eyes. She took a deep breath and undid the final restraints. The girl's green yet already slightly developed body was completely exposed to the air, exposed under Mo Bai's calm, scrutinizing gaze. Her skin was white and delicate, flushing a faint pink due to shame and nervousness, and the two cherry reds stood quietly in the cool air. Her small, perky breasts with pale pink nipples trembled slightly with each breath, her slender waist, smooth hairless mound, and long legs fully revealed.