Ning Fengzhi's expression also turned serious and resolute upon hearing Yang Xiong's heartfelt words. "Little Xiong, you can rest completely assured - the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is genuinely your home. As long as you never betray our sect, you can freely utilize any resources within our organization. Even if you require spirit rings or spirit bones in the future, our sect will do absolutely everything within its power to help you obtain them."
Yang Xiong responded quickly and gratefully, "Thank you for the sect's continued nurturing and support. I will always remain a loyal member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Following this exchange, Yang Xiong finally witnessed the true extent of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's legendary wealth. At Ning Fengzhi's gracious invitation, Yang Xiong joined several sect elders for an elaborate lunch that exceeded his wildest expectations.
The entire dining table was piled high with delicacies of every conceivable kind. Each dish was not only perfect in color, aroma, and taste, but also contained numerous rare spiritual herbs and high-level spirit beast meat of exceptional quality. Yang Xiong estimated that a single dish would probably provide enough resources for an ordinary person to live comfortably for an entire lifetime.
However, Yang Xiong felt somewhat restrained and nervous since this was his first time dining with so many powerful and influential figures. Ning Rongrong remained lively and talkative throughout the meal, while Ning Fengzhi consistently maintained a warm smile on his face. Unfortunately, Sword Douluo displayed no expression whatsoever during the entire gathering, and Bone Douluo appeared rather serious and stern, making Yang Xiong feel extremely uncomfortable. He politely excused himself and left quickly after finishing the meal.
After Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong departed, only Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo remained in the dining hall. Ning Fengzhi, who had been cheerful and welcoming throughout lunch, suddenly became extremely serious as his true thoughts emerged.
"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, what are your honest assessments of this Yang Xiong?"
Sword Douluo spoke slowly and deliberately, "Fengzhi, aren't you taking this Yang Xiong far too seriously? Although this boy has made significant contributions to our sect, his innate spirit power of only level six and his unusual martial soul are still somewhat lacking. I'm concerned he may not reach the expectations you're developing for his future."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head with thoughtful disagreement. "Uncle Sword, this isn't simply a matter of typical Spirit Master cultivation aptitude. Yang Xiong has read extensively despite his young age. He couldn't possibly be unaware that this represents the golden period for meditation and cultivating spirit power. Perhaps his current approach reflects his own deep understanding of his unique martial soul's requirements."
"Moreover, he has made continuous valuable contributions to our sect. This Rasengan alone justifies the sect's full investment in his development. Furthermore, he has grown up within our sect since childhood and demonstrates extraordinary loyalty to our organization. This place has truly become his home in every meaningful sense."
Sword Douluo's expression shifted with obvious concern. "Then you absolutely shouldn't allow Rongrong to teach him Distraction Control techniques. Rongrong is still quite young and shouldn't have such extensive contact with others at this early stage of her development."
"I also understand what you're truly thinking. I suspect you want Rongrong to develop a relationship with him and pave the way for Rongrong to eventually become sect master in the future."
Ning Fengzhi smiled knowingly. "Uncle Sword, you're overthinking this situation. They are merely children right now, and things may not necessarily develop as you're imagining."
"Moreover, consider this carefully - a child under twelve years of age who can continuously discover valuable resources like whale glue and develop a self-created spirit skill like the Rasengan may be capable of providing even more surprises for our sect in the future. Perhaps he will represent the genuine hope for the true rise of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in years to come."
Sword Douluo simply released a resigned sigh and chose not to comment further on the matter.
"Uncle Bone, haven't you been carefully observing this Yang Xiong all along? What is your personal assessment of him? Has he met the expectations you developed?" Ning Fengzhi continued his inquiry.
Bone Douluo snorted with cold frustration. "This Yang Xiong has always been mysteriously secretive about his true intentions. Although he remains young, I find him somewhat unfathomable and difficult to understand. When you provided him such an excellent opportunity to make demands, his requests were surprisingly simple and modest. Doesn't he desire any valuable treasures to enhance his cultivation? Does he somehow underestimate our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's capabilities?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled with appreciation. "Uncle Bone, I also find this Yang Xiong rather unfathomable in his thinking. He demonstrates much greater maturity than I initially imagined. Perhaps it's precisely because of his remarkably mature mentality that he can develop a self-created spirit skill like the Rasengan and make such tremendous contributions to our sect."
Bone Douluo expressed clear displeasure. "The self-created spirit skill he researched is indeed impressive, but his journey as a Spirit Master has only just begun. He can't even properly grasp the optimal direction for his own cultivation development. I fear his future potential may be limited. I also understand his cultivation methods less and less with each observation."
Ning Fengzhi responded with understanding. "Uncle Bone, you're simply disappointed that you see such a promising candidate for cultivating the defensive path apparently going astray from your teachings. Perhaps you should find appropriate time to provide this child with some personal guidance and mentorship."
Bone Douluo remained silent, clearly conflicted about the entire situation.
During the following few days, Ning Rongrong provided oral instruction for the final two advanced levels of the Distraction Control cultivation method. She also presented Yang Xiong with the promised spirit tool designed for storing living organisms.
Yang Xiong had actually searched extensively throughout Seven Treasure City on multiple occasions, even making inquiries through numerous different channels, but spirit tools capable of storing living things proved to be extraordinarily rare. Even specialized shops in Seven Treasure City that focused exclusively on selling spirit tools didn't possess such items, which explained why he had decided to request one from Ning Fengzhi directly.
When Yang Xiong finally received the spirit tool, he felt overwhelming joy and excitement. With this remarkable device capable of storing living organisms, accomplishing his various goals would become significantly more convenient and practical.
The spirit tool measured only about ten centimeters in diameter and resembled a gray bag, making it extremely convenient to carry around during travels.
The internal volume of the spirit tool actually reached an impressive twenty cubic meters, and it already contained a substantial number of gold spirit coin cards along with various resources needed for advanced cultivation. There were even several rare thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, and all the materials Yang Xiong would need for his future body training and medicinal bath sessions had been thoughtfully prepared. Everything appeared to have been carefully selected and organized.
Ning Rongrong displayed obvious pride in her contribution. "Little Xiong, I'm pretty good to you, aren't I? This spirit tool is called the Hundred Herb Pouch, and it's specifically designed for storing various types of medicinal herbs. I carefully selected this particular item from our sect's treasure vault. It's worth at least 500,000 gold spirit coins in the outside market."
Yang Xiong smiled with genuine appreciation. "Student Rongrong, were all the items in this Hundred Herb Pouch personally prepared by you? I noticed there are quite a few poisonous herbs included inside."
Ning Rongrong's confident expression froze momentarily, and she immediately provided a defensive explanation. "Although those particular poisonous herbs weren't prepared by me personally, I also arranged for qualified experts to carefully select them from within our sect's resources. Don't be ungrateful for the effort involved."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head as he observed Ning Rongrong's childish defensive behavior. "Then I sincerely thank you, Miss Rongrong, for your generous consideration."
Only then did Ning Rongrong proudly nod her small head with satisfaction. "That's absolutely correct. However, next time, could you possibly research something that would allow me to improve my strength at this current stage? Your Rasengan proves far too difficult to cultivate properly. I can't even successfully break through the first level water balloon exercise yet."
Yang Xiong smiled with patient understanding. "The Rasengan isn't as simple as it initially appears. While each individual step may seem manageable, mastering the technique requires extensive long-term cultivation and must be approached step by step with dedication. Student Rongrong, you should at least reach the Spirit Ancestor level before seriously attempting cultivation, or perhaps even wait until later stages."
A trace of resentment appeared on Ning Rongrong's face. "Didn't you begin researching it when you were merely a Spirit Grand Master? With my exceptional talent, I should definitely be able to learn it much more quickly than average."
After essentially mastering the formulas and cultivation methods of advanced Distraction Control, Yang Xiong spent several days purchasing numerous materials throughout Seven Treasure City. Ning Fengzhi had generously provided him with a full one million gold spirit coins this time, which proved sufficient for acquiring substantial quantities of necessary materials.
Yang Xiong had lived within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School since his birth, and the few occasions when he had visited Heaven Dou City had always been accompanied by his parents. Recently, he had been planning to travel to Heaven Dou City independently for the first time, as part of his own carefully developed cultivation plan for the future.
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