"Fengzhi, if the pill formulas leak out, won't they be copied? What if " The Sword Douluo stopped mid-sentence, and the Bone Douluo hesitated, leaving his words unspoken.
"It won't happen in the short term." Before Ning Fengzhi could answer, Ning Rongrong cut in.
"Pill-making involves precise heat control and strict ingredient sequences. If the steps are wrong, the effects will change sometimes drastically."
"At worst, the ingredients could clash and become useless. Of course, completely preventing imitation is impossible."
"But what we're selling are only low-grade antidotes and spirit power recovery pills, effective only for soul masters under level 30. No faction would spend such massive resources to copy them."
"Besides, Qian Renxue won't allow it either for her own interests, she'd suppress any attempts at replication."
"What if the Spirit Hall copies them?" Dugu Yan pressed.
"What is Qian Renxue's status? She's the Spirit Hall's young mistress, Grand Worship Qian Daoliu's granddaughter."
"If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is seen as her faction whether it's true or not as long as she acknowledges it, even Pope Bibi Dong wouldn't dare go too far."
Ning Rongrong paused briefly before continuing, "Actually, I also plan to test something. Otherwise, even if we cooperate, I won't feel entirely at ease."
Whether it was about taking sides or not, Ning Rongrong didn't want her collaborator to be a future love-struck fool.
That would doom both her and any related factions.
She already had a plan.
The others present exchanged glances, sensing that Ning Rongrong was scheming again and some poor soul was about to suffer.
On the third day after discussing the cooperation plan with Xue Qinghe, the crown prince bid farewell to Ning Fengzhi and returned to the Heaven Dou Empire with his entourage of soul masters.
As Xue Qinghe put it, the collaboration with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda required Emperor Xue Ye's approval.
Before leaving, Ning Fengzhi gifted Xue Qinghe a parting present a bottle of healing pills, though they only worked for soul masters under level 30 and ordinary people.
Spring passed, autumn came.
In the blink of an eye, three years went by.
The Alchemy Pavilion and the Soul Tool Pavilion had both stabilized. While the Alchemy Pavilion had gained fame across the Douluo Continent, the Soul Tool Pavilion remained obscure.
However, Master Craftsman Lou Gao had already mastered the production of fourth-rank soul tools, far surpassing the complexity of third-rank ones.
What shocked Ning Rongrong even more was that, based on the wreckage of soul tools collected from across the sea especially the ice-attribute soul tool retrieved from the Heaven Dou Empire's treasury Lou Gao had successfully crafted a fixed-mounted soul cannon.
Though only a fourth-rank soul tool, this marked a staggering leap forward for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Its power even left Title Douluos astonished.
Everyone believed that under Lou Gao's leadership, soul tools could reach even greater heights.
Thus, despite being only a 78th-ranked Soul Sage, Lou Gao was granted equal status to the Alchemy Pavilion's master, Dugu Bo approved unanimously by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Soul Sages and Soul Douluos.
While the sect flourished, Ning Rongrong continued her steady cultivation.
Five floating soul rings surrounded her, marking her as a Soul King.
However, it was slightly disappointing that none of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda's soul rings were black all were purple, with each seemingly around 7,000 years in age.
"Hah "
The misty aura dissipated as her soul rings and martial soul dissolved into specks of light, merging into her body.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and stood up.
"Judging by the timeline, it's about time Tang San heads to Shrek Academy."
She had no attachment to Shrek Academy.
What could that place offer her?
Forced endurance runs?
Was that necessary?
Truthfully, Ning Rongrong's biggest concern was the Asura God, Asura, standing behind Tang San. She had no idea what his stance on Tang San was.
That was the real reason she hesitated to pick a side.
Shrek Academy was irrelevant. Tang San was irrelevant.
But the Asura God?
That was a different story.
That guy was a God King even if Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong became gods, they'd be no match for him.
And she knew her own limits.
She wasn't some divine inheritor just a lucky transmigrator with past-life memories and cultivation techniques.
No backer. No protector. No godly support.
Only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which wasn't even the strongest faction.
"The nourishment of my twelve meridians is nearly complete. My strength is approaching the peak of the Houtian realm close to restoring my past life's level."
By her estimates, raising all her soul rings to 9,999 years would mark the peak of the Houtian realm.
But in the end, she was still a support-type soul master.
What rank could a Xiantian master reach in this world?
Levels 60–70? Or beyond?
She remained skeptical.
A soul master with a 10,000-year soul ring was on an entirely different level from those without.
Still, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was on the right track.
Next step: deal with that crazy woman in the Spirit Hall and rewire Qian Renxue's love-struck brain.
Then the sect could develop peacefully for a long time.
As for how?
She had already instructed Dugu Bo to prepare.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of rustling branches.
A slender, graceful figure dropped down from the treetops.
Around her floated four soul rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple.
"Sis Yan'er, you're not a monkey stop hopping around like one." Without even turning, Ning Rongrong knew who it was.
"Rongrong, look at me where do I look like a monkey? And have you ever seen such a pretty monkey?"
Dugu Yan sauntered over, chattering away.
Compared to three years ago, she had matured her short purple hair giving off a sharp, capable vibe, paired with a youthful energy that had captivated many young men in the sect.
Not that she ever responded she simply turned them all down.
"Yes, yes, Sis Yan'er is the prettiest." Ning Rongrong sighed.
Dugu Yan seemed to be growing more narcissistic by the day.
After studying her for a moment, Ning Rongrong's brows furrowed.
"You condensed a Poison Core?"
The Poison Core was something Dugu Bo had developed after gaining full control over his toxins a perfected internal energy core.
But that was for a Title Douluo.
For Dugu Yan, this was playing with fire.
"Eh? You noticed?!" Dugu Yan blinked in surprise. "Even Grandpa couldn't tell!"
"It's dangerous. Why would you do this?" Ning Rongrong frowned. "You could just keep the toxins in your martial soul without letting them invade your body. There was no need to copy Dugu Bo's Poison Core method."
"You didn't get his permission, did you?"
"Don't make a big deal out of it, Rongrong." Dugu Yan's voice softened.
"I've studied all of Grandpa's notes. I thought I could handle it and it speeds up cultivation!"
"It's not the same!" Ning Rongrong's frown deepened. "Dugu Bo has the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor yours is just the Jade Phosphor Serpent."
"Using his methods will cause problems later! We've talked about this before!"
"Rongrong, I'm already 19." Dugu Yan said. "The best age for soul masters is 15 to 25 when spirit power grows the fastest "
"I don't know what you're thinking." Ning Rongrong cut her off.
"Level 48 is already outstanding among your peers. What's the rush?"
This is such a headache!
Dugu Yan used to be so obedient.
Now she felt her past poisoning wasn't severe enough?
"Forget it. Let's go to the Alchemy Pavilion and explain this to Dugu Bo."
"We'll figure out what to do after."