With a swift kip-up, Xu Yang leapt to his feet, grabbed the fishing rod beside him, and reeled in a fish with one smooth motion. As he removed it from the hook, he said seriously,
"Rongrong, I've reached the end of this training phase. It's time to return to the academy. I won't be able to keep you company for a while."
"Hmph!"
Ning Rongrong froze in place, then turned her head away with a pout.
"What does you going back to school have to do with me? If you want to go, go!"
Her tone was cold, but Xu Yang could clearly hear the disappointment behind her words.
And it was understandable. As the heiress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, future successor to the Sect Master, she had indeed been doted on by many. But at the same time, she had been overly sheltered. Add to that her identity as a Support-type Soul Master, and from childhood onward—aside from a handful of rare occasions—she had never once left Seven Treasure City. She hadn't even attended a basic soul master academy.
Because of her special status, she also had no peers or friends her age within the city. Xu Yang and Dugu Yan had been the only two close to her age. Dugu Yan wasn't part of the sect and had to attend school, so her visits were limited. As for Xu Yang, he had been away for four years training and hadn't returned once.
That left Ning Rongrong incredibly lonely. So even if Xu Yang occasionally teased her, and the training they did was repetitive and dull, she still insisted on following him around—because he would spend time with her.
Now that Xu Yang was leaving too, she'd be returning to that lonely life once again.
At that thought, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Xu Yang stepped forward and gently wiped them away.
"Rongrong, I'm just going back to school. I'll come home every weekend to keep you company. Don't cry, okay?"
Not far away, Ning Fengzhi let out a quiet sigh. His eyes were filled with guilt and self-reproach. Ever since the assassination incident involving Qing'er and Ning Rongrong years ago, he had insisted that Rongrong remain confined to Seven Treasure City, giving her a life that was carefree—but also stifling. Looking at her now, he realized his decision had backfired.
"Forget it. Once she obtains her third soul ring, it's time to let her experience the outside world on her own for a while."
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, within the residential area of the Royal Battle Team, Xu Yang was seated cross-legged on the rooftop. Above his head, his Sun Martial Soul blazed with radiant energy. His consciousness merged with the heavens, sensing the flow of natural forces in the air—not just cultivating, but also contemplating the circulation patterns of internal energy.
"As expected… without understanding how the meridians correspond to the Bagua, yin-yang, and the Five Elements, developing a precise internal circulation method is nearly impossible. Especially when it comes to refining essence into soul power… At this rate, condensing an Inner Core could take a lifetime."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes, a trace of helplessness flashing across them. Originally, he'd thought that with his full-body meridians unblocked and his grasp of Unity Between Man and Heaven, crafting an internal circulation method would be simple.
And while he had developed a basic method, the efficiency was abysmally low. Soul power wasn't the same as true qi. Though they were similar, soul power was tied to the Martial Soul and had properties unique to this world, which made refining essence, energy, and spirit far more difficult.
Both factors combined had significantly slowed his cultivation.
When he thought of the major battles that lay ahead, Xu Yang felt a growing sense of urgency. He didn't have time to slowly refine his internal alchemy method—he needed a solution now.
Just then, Dugu Yan lightly leapt up onto the rooftop, handing him a note.
"Message from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Rongrong's run off. She's headed for Soto City."
"Of course!"
Xu Yang's eyes lit up.
"Just because the rest of the continent lacks internal circulation methods doesn't mean everyone does. That brat Tang San is a transmigrator. His Mysterious Heaven Technique is a legit Daoist cultivation method—there's bound to be a complete internal alchemy system in it. I can use that as a reference!"
As he read the message, a small spark of flame ignited in his palm and reduced the paper to ash. Xu Yang's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"There's no way Rongrong just snuck out. She definitely got permission from her master and Madam Ning. Otherwise, the clan's guards wouldn't have let her go. I'd bet there's at least one Soul Sage and one Soul Douluo secretly watching over her. She'll be fine."
As for stopping her from interacting with Tang San, Xu Yang didn't even consider it.
"Sure, that little punk's character is questionable, but he's still the chosen child of this world's fate. If Rongrong joins Shrek Academy, there's a high chance she'll obtain a divine position. Why not take advantage of that?"
Xu Yang pulled Dugu Yan into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Didn't Teacher Qin say that some nobles from Soto City invited our Royal Battle Team to the Great Spirit Arena to stir things up for them? Looks like we've got a good excuse to go—and we can check in on Rongrong while we're at it."
"Sounds good to me."
Dugu Yan smiled and nodded.
Meanwhile, Xu Yang was already planning how to get his hands on Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Technique. The first plan was to secretly observe and learn it.
His Golden Sun Eyes, having evolved again after fusing with the Wisdom Skull of Spiritual Purification, now had the power to track soul power as it flowed through the body's meridians. If he could catch Tang San during cultivation, he could mimic the technique.
This method wouldn't give him the core internal method or mental discipline behind the technique—but it was safe.
The second method was riskier: using spiritual power to hypnotize Tang San. With Xu Yang's spiritual strength and cultivation, he could easily extract the full Mysterious Heaven Technique, including its mental techniques and meridian pathways. Afterward, he could erase the memory, leaving no trace.
The only problem?
Tang Hao.
If Xu Yang acted while Tang Hao was still lurking nearby, he'd be smashed to pieces before he even got close.
"Better to try spying first, then resort to hypnosis. There's no way a Titled Douluo at my level, in Unity with Heaven and Earth, can't sense Tang Hao if he's nearby."
With that, Xu Yang made his decision.
At that moment, in Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong had already passed the preliminary trials alongside Tang San and the others and was headed to the fourth test.
She bounced along next to Zhu Zhuqing, smiling brightly.
Zhu Zhuqing, ever the quiet one, said nothing. Though she noticed how happy Ning Rongrong was, she remained silent—still puzzled as to why the heiress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had come to this rundown academy.
To her, Shrek was little more than a dump. If not for the rumor that Dai Mubai was studying here, she never would have come at all.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, was in high spirits. She looked left and right, comparing everything to Seven Treasure City. She didn't think much of it—she was just curious.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin