On this particular day, just as Yang Xiong arrived at school and sat down, a little witch appeared before him.
Ning Rongrong looked at him a bit strangely and said, "Little Bear, come with me for a moment. I've got something I want to talk to you about in private."
Not only Yang Xiong, but the people around them were also surprised. Although Ning Rongrong was known for her bossy behavior at school, the two had never interacted before. So why was she suddenly asking to speak with him alone?
While Yang Xiong always ranked first in written exams, that was just theory. In the world of Soul Masters, most people didn't value book knowledge as much. What really mattered was soul power level.
And Ning Rongrong just happened to have the highest soul power level in the class. On top of that, she held high status within her clan and was notably pretty, making her quite popular with both boys and girls. By all appearances, the two of them had nothing in common.
Faced with the odd looks from everyone, Yang Xiong felt a headache coming on. In the end, he had no choice but to follow this "little witch" out of the classroom.
Outside, Ning Rongrong gave him a strange look. "Little Bear, I think I saw you buying whale amber the other day. Was it you who discovered its secret?"
Yang Xiong was stunned. Weren't people in Douluo known for having low average intelligence? How was this little witch so quick on the uptake?
"Rongrong, I don't know what you're talking about."
Ning Rongrong smirked, looking completely confident. "Even though my dad said it was your father who discovered the secret behind whale amber, I saw you buying it in secret. And it looked like you already tried some too. That's what struck me as odd, why would an eight-year-old kid be buying whale amber?"
Yang Xiong quickly replied, "Maybe my dad asked me to buy it for him?"
Ning Rongrong gave him a look of disdain. "It's perfectly normal for adults to buy whale amber, but not for a kid. Plus, I did some checking. Your dad, Yang Lin, is diligent, but he's never made any major contributions to the clan. You, on the other hand, love reading. Maybe you pieced it all together from books."
Yang Xiong was speechless. He didn't expect his adult-level reasoning to be looked down upon by an eight-year-old.
"Rongrong, this whole whale amber matter involves clan secrets. It's best not to let it leak. And you didn't call me out here just to talk about this, did you?"
Ning Rongrong's expression darkened. "I knew it was you. You're the reason I have to eat that disgusting whale amber now. You have to make it up to me!"
Yang Xiong felt helpless in the face of her logic. "Rongrong, that's not fair. It was the clan leader who told you to take it, not me. And whale amber is genuinely good for the body, you should be thanking me."
"Hmph!" Ning Rongrong snorted. "Thank you? My dad's forcing me to eat that awful stuff at such a young age. Did you ever think about how the side effects might be unfriendly to girls?"
Yang Xiong sighed. "So what do you actually want from me? I'm just an ordinary student in the class, and my soul power is always at the bottom."
Ning Rongrong's eyes gleamed with cunning. "It's simple. Next time you discover something like this, don't tell my dad, tell me directly. I might even reward you."
She handed Yang Xiong a soul tool. "Here's your reward. If you discover any new secrets, tell me, not my father. Otherwise, I've got a bunch of followers who'll make your life miserable."
"Oh, and stop calling me 'Rongrong' or 'classmate Rongrong.' From now on, call me 'Big Sis Rongrong.' You're under my protection now, my little follower. I've got your back across the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Yang Xiong felt another wave of headache. What did all this even mean? How had a proud young man like him become someone's little lackey? And a little girl's at that.
Still, seeing the smug look on Ning Rongrong's face, he could only accept the soul tool she gave him.
To his surprise, the soul tool contained several hundred thousand gold soul coins, along with some training resources. It seemed like someone had planned this out in advance. Definitely not something a regular eight-year-old would've thought through.
Even more amazing, the soul tool was a wristband with a discreet design and a full twenty cubic meters of space. It fit him well.
Ning Rongrong grinned proudly. "You won't be mistreated following Big Sis Rongrong. I've got tons of great stuff like this at home. Just keep finding treasures like whale amber, but don't tell my dad. Just me. After all, we're classmates, it's much easier to talk to me than him."
Yang Xiong:
When the two returned to the classroom, Yang Xiong quietly went back to his seat in the corner, and the whole class looked at him with envy.
He grew increasingly fond of the soul tool on his wrist. Ever since becoming a soul master, he'd wanted one of his own. But soul tools were rare and expensive, usually costing hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins. Even in his family, only his father Yang Lin and Sun Yu had one, not even his older brother.
This particular wristband soul tool seemed specially chosen for him. Whether for training or medicinal baths, he could carry everything he needed. Whoever chose it clearly knew his lifestyle well.
And the card with hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins? For an eight-year-old, that was a small fortune. But it wasn't so excessive as to arouse envy within the clan.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but muse, "Ning Fengzhi is pretty clever. He really goes all out for his precious daughter. Teaching her how to win people over at such a young age."
What Yang Xiong didn't know was that the soul tool hadn't come from Ning Fengzhi, but someone else entirely.
With this unexpected windfall, Yang Xiong decided to accelerate his training plan and begin formal physical cultivation.
He had recently been reading many books, including some on the body-forging techniques of defensive clans. These families enhanced their physical defenses using medicinal stimulation to achieve near-impenetrable bodies.
To truly master such extreme defense, one generally needed a beast-type martial soul, like the Diamond Mammoth of the Elephant Armored Sect or the Plated Armored Rhinoceros of the Yu clan. In addition to physical training, there were also secret techniques unique to each family.
While Yang Xiong didn't plan to specialize in defense, he understood that such cultivation built incredibly strong bodies and immense strength, which would benefit his martial soul's early development.
If you want to read advanced chapter please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel