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Ever since the emergence of Ning Tianchen as a rising star in the Seven Kill Sword lineage, Gu Rong had been harboring a sense of dissatisfaction.
Over the past few years, he had been constantly on the lookout for potential disciples, but none had met his standards.
The Spirit Cat martial soul was a dark-attribute martial soul, which aligned with his own attribute.
Ning Tianchen's letter praised Zhu Zhuqing highly. Anyone who could earn such high regard from a genius like him must possess extraordinary qualities.
Moreover, she would only be an honorary disciple for now. If Zhu Zhuqing's future cultivation results satisfied him, he could promote her to a direct disciple later. If not, he could simply ignore her.
An honorary disciple—no big deal.
As the three discussed, Ning Tianchen and the others waited outside the hall.
After the messenger informed Ning Fengzhi, the latter immediately interrupted the discussion. "Elder Sword, Elder Bone, they've arrived. Why don't we take a look at them first before making a decision?"
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Along the way, Oscar had personally witnessed the prosperity of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
Many of the extravagant buildings surpassed his imagination.
Especially the statue of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul, made entirely of glaze and located at the center of the sect—it nearly blinded him with its brilliance.
On their way into the main hall, Oscar couldn't help but swallow nervously and whispered, "Tianchen, Rongrong, is the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect really this wealthy?"
Ning Rongrong held her head high and proudly replied, "Of course! This is the result of Father's efforts and generations of sect leaders accumulating wealth over a thousand years."
As the saying goes, noble families come and go, but great lineages endure. A thousand-year-old sect like the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect possessed a foundation that no noble family or clan could match.
Oscar was utterly astounded by the sect's opulence, his mind unable to settle for a long time.
Indeed, the lives of the wealthy were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
"Xiao Ao, when you meet Uncle Ning, don't act too much like a fool. First impressions are important—they affect your future cultivation resources," Ning Tianchen reminded him.
Oscar cleared his throat a few times, steadied himself, and entered the meeting hall with the others.
Ning Fengzhi stepped down from his high seat to personally welcome them.
His voice was gentle, like a warm breeze. "You two must be Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing?"
Oscar's initial nervousness eased, and together with Zhu Zhuqing, they respectfully bowed to Ning Fengzhi.
"Your situations were mentioned in Tianchen's letter. First, on behalf of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, I welcome you to join us. As for the cultivation resources you need, Ning will grant them without hesitation."
"I hope you can quickly integrate into the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect family. Additionally, your accommodations have been prepared, and someone will guide you there shortly."
With that, Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze toward Gu Rong.
After their earlier exchange, Gu Rong had already decided to take Zhu Zhuqing as an honorary disciple.
"Little one from the Zhu family, why do you wish to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect?" Gu Rong took a few steps forward, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"Greetings, Elder Bone Douluo." Zhu Zhuqing bowed first, then answered, "Because I want to grow stronger. Staying in the Zhu family would only entangle me in the competition for the imperial succession—I wouldn't have the chance to become stronger."
Gu Rong countered, "Then aren't you afraid the Zhu family will remove you from the family register?"
"I believe that fate is in my own hands," Zhu Zhuqing said firmly, her eyes unwavering.
During the journey, Ning Tianchen had warned her about how to answer when asked why she joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. She must not mention Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai was an external factor. Simply being dissatisfied with the marriage arrangement and leaving the Zhu family—how would Ning Fengzhi and the two sect elders view her?
Still, Ning Tianchen hadn't expected her to give such an answer.
Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Gu Rong suddenly laughed. "Haha, what an interesting little one. I intend to take you as an honorary disciple. Will you accept me as your teacher?"
"If your performance meets my expectations, I won't hesitate to make you my direct disciple."
Taking Zhu Zhuqing as a disciple was also part of Gu Rong's considerations.
With his title as a Sealed Title Douluo, the Zhu family would think twice before causing trouble for Zhu Zhuqing in the future.
Zhu Zhuqing felt immense joy, never expecting that a Sealed Title Douluo would willingly take her as a disciple.
"Master, please accept my bow."
Gu Rong didn't let her kneel, using a gentle surge of soul power to lift her body. "You're only an honorary disciple—no need for such formalities. Your future actions will determine your standing."
"I will not disappoint your expectations, Master," Zhu Zhuqing said solemnly.
Gu Rong waved his hand. "Your soul power level is too low. Here's your goal: break through to Level 30 within a year. After that, I'll officially begin teaching you."
"Zhuqing, congratulations," Ning Rongrong said with a smile.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly.
She knew she couldn't relax yet. After leaving the meeting hall, she decided to start cultivating immediately.
"Oscar, you're a food-type soul master. The sect's approach to training you will differ from that of battle-type soul masters. Ning doesn't know much about food-type soul master cultivation, so you may seek guidance from any high-level food-type soul master within the sect."
Ning Fengzhi wasn't ignorant of food-type soul master cultivation. However, since Zhu Zhuqing had already formally become a disciple, if he personally taught Oscar, the latter would likely end up becoming his disciple as well.
As the sect leader, he didn't have the time to oversee Oscar's cultivation progress.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Ning," Oscar said, bowing once more.
"You two may leave now."
After they left, Ning Rongrong rushed into Ning Fengzhi's arms, grumbling, "Father, that Shrek Academy is terrible. I'm never going back."
When it came to Shrek Academy, she had endless grievances to pour out.
Ning Fengzhi chuckled warmly, saying nothing.
Chen Xin couldn't sit still any longer and angrily said, "Fengzhi, that Shrek Academy—how could they teach better than us? In my opinion, forget about the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Let Tianchen and Rongrong stay in the sect."
Ning Fengzhi hadn't expected the atmosphere of Shrek Academy to be so exaggerated.
Allowing students to cause trouble outside—what kind of academy would do such a foolish thing?
But if they didn't let Ning Rongrong and the others attend an academy, how would they participate in the upcoming soul master competition?
"Uncle Ning, actually, we don't need to join any academy. Why doesn't the sect establish its own academy, just like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family?"
"The soul master competition requires a team of seven. Including me, I've already found six people. We can select a few more geniuses from the sect to complete the team."
Establishing an academy wouldn't be a financial issue for the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect—the key was whether Ning Fengzhi was willing.
Of course, Ning Fengzhi had his concerns.
If the sect established an academy under its name, many auxiliary-type soul masters across the continent would flock to study there.
Take Thunderclap Academy, for example—it was the top choice for dragon-type or lightning-attribute soul masters.
What the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect needed weren't auxiliary-type soul masters but battle-type soul masters.
Establishing a Seven Treasures Academy wouldn't attract battle-type soul masters to the sect—wouldn't that just be a waste of money?
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