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"Ahhhh—The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! The legend of our sect! Oh my goodness, nine layers and nine colors—I must be dreaming! Teacher Li, I absolutely adore you!"
Ning Rongrong was ecstatic and impulsively rushed forward to give Li Luochen a kiss—not out of romantic affection but the kind of innocent peck a child might give an elder. Even Jian and Gu Douluo had never received such treatment.
Though Li Luochen was young, his actions and words exuded maturity, making Ning Rongrong subconsciously treat him like an elder figure, much like her father.
Seeing Ning Rongrong about to kiss him, Li Luochen quickly waved his hand, using Oscar as a shield. To everyone's surprise, Oscar ended up locking lips with Ning Rongrong instead.
"Miss Ning, I'm a married man, please don't… uh…"
Li Luochen's intention had been to use Oscar as a buffer, hoping Ning Rongrong would simply kiss Oscar on the cheek. Instead, his maneuver resulted in a full-on lip-lock between the two. Hmm, the taste of a first kiss.
"Woo!" Ma Hongjun was the first to react, immediately teasing the couple. The usually aloof Phoenix God began enthusiastically shipping them, having noticed long ago that Oscar liked Ning Rongrong. What a shame this moment wasn't recorded for posterity.
Zhu Zhuqing maintained her usual icy demeanor, but her face flushed red like a teapot. Seriously, if you're going to act cold, at least do it convincingly.
Ye Lingling covered her eyes with both hands, but the gaps between her fingers betrayed her curiosity. Everyone seemed eager to witness the drama unfold.
"Mmm~"
After their saliva exchange, Ning Rongrong and Oscar quickly separated. Ning Rongrong blushed furiously, then glanced at Oscar's face with a mix of embarrassment and relief. She even licked her lips, savoring the moment.
With his superior mental strength and vision, Li Luochen observed everything clearly. "No, no, no! Young lady, why are you licking your lips? Where's your modesty? Good grief, I can only say good grief."
Oscar, meanwhile, was glowing red with excitement. At first, he had been completely bewildered, but once he felt the softness of Ning Rongrong's lips, his heart cried out: Brother Chen, I love you to death!
"You despicable Oscar! How dare you steal my first kiss! You… you… you… Hmph!"
Only now did Ning Rongrong remember to act demure, though it was already too late.
"Cough, cough, you two can sort out your romance later. First, let's focus on business. Rongrong, has your martial soul truly evolved?"
As a teacher, Li Luochen naturally had to defuse the awkward situation. He hadn't expected the Beautiful Silk Tulip Pill to actually help Ning Rongrong evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Now he wondered if Ning Fengzhi could achieve the same breakthrough. If so, he could squeeze Ning Fengzhi for a hefty trade—while still making the other party feel like they were getting the better deal.
Hehe, a win-win situation. Both sides would feel they were profiting. Ning Fengzhi would gain another chance to advance, reviving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Meanwhile, Li Luocheng would trade for several ten-thousand-year spirit bones to further enhance the cultivation of Shrek Academy's teachers and elders.
A perfect plan! Both sides benefited. As for gold spirit coins, Li Luochen wasn't lacking. If he ever needed more, he could always ask Little Angel. A single flick of Little Angel's hand could produce millions of gold spirit coins. The cost? Endless flattery from Li Luochen.
Would I, Li Luochen, a proud eight-foot-tall man, sell my dignity for money? Yes! The Law of Gold transcends all worlds.
"Yes, Teacher Li. My martial soul has evolved into the legendary Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda of our sect. The third sect leader in our history, who possessed the strongest martial soul, wielded the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The amplification provided by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda far surpasses that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Moreover, it allows me to break through the level seventy-nine bottleneck—a limit that Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit masters cannot surpass. With this evolution, I can now aim to become a Title Douluo.
In our sect's history, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has appeared only once, while the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has appeared twice. Among our ancestors, I am the most talented descendant after those three. My innate spirit power is at level nine, giving me a high chance of breaking through level seventy-nine. However, I don't know the exact method.
Director Li, your pill has completely transformed me. You have done an immense service not only for me but also for the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
With that, Ning Rongrong bowed deeply to Li Luochen, expressing her gratitude.
"I see. Well, consider yourself lucky. After all, as a teacher, I can't show favoritism."
Li Luochen delivered an official-sounding response before addressing the entire group.
"Don't go around boasting about your recent advancements—it could attract unwanted attention and danger. Additionally, I'm giving you all a month-long break to rest. After that, I'll begin training you.
I intend to make you champions of this Spirit Master Tournament. The process will be grueling, so mentally prepare yourselves. This one-month vacation will be your last taste of freedom. Alright, you're dismissed."
With that, Li Luochen promptly left, leaving the others staring at each other wide-eyed. Ma Hongjun spread his phoenix wings and flew off, while Zhu Zhuqing took Ye Lingling by the arm and walked away. Only Oscar and Ning Rongrong remained, lost in thought.
... An awkward silence filled the air. From a third-dimensional perspective, however, hearts could be seen floating above their heads.
Li Luochen, meanwhile, went to visit Little Angel. It had been a while since he last saw her, and he fully expected to be scolded. After all, rank dictated authority, and Li Luochen's position was as an advisor to the Young Miss of the Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue.
As for advisory duties, Li Luochen rarely participated, as there was little need for strategic planning. Ever since their first meeting, Qian Renxue had implemented many of his suggestions.
Currently, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe already had two children, much to the delight of the aging emperor, who had handed over power to Xue Qinghe a year ago. Qian Renxue had also begun systematically eroding the empire's military forces.
She followed Li Luochen's advice, starting with smaller, remote cities, encircling larger ones, and eventually annexing them.
Under Qian Renxue's control, four major cities of the Tian Dou Empire had fallen, including Suotuo City, where Li Luochen often resided. Her next target was the Barak Kingdom, sixty percent of which she had already infiltrated.
Seventy percent of the small cities surrounding Barak were either under her control or in the process of being absorbed. The Barak Kingdom had no chance of appealing to the Tian Dou Imperial Family—the message couldn't even get out.
Moreover, the Barak Kingdom existed as a quasi-independent state within the empire, answering the imperial family's summons but not its decrees. Indeed, the Barak Kingdom had the strength to back up their arrogance.
Their patronage consisted of two Soul Douluos—only one less than the three Elders of the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Their royal family looked down on the imperial family due to the backing of these powerful patrons.
However, they were unaware that the Tian Dou Imperial Family truly had the capability to annihilate them. All it would take was deploying the Royal Knight Legion. The three commanders of the legion were all Soul Douluos capable of performing a three-way spirit fusion technique.
In addition to the three commanders, there were over a dozen Soul Sage-level grand commanders, dozens of Soul Emperor-level officers, and countless Soul Kings and Soul Masters forming the backbone of their forces.
Qian Renxue dreamed day and night of absorbing the Tian Dou Royal Knight Legion. Once that fell, the Tian Dou Empire would crumble.
Li Luochen estimated that Qian Renxue would likely replace the Tian Dou Empire within a few years. It wouldn't take long for her to seize control of the entire empire and fulfill her ambitions.
Li Luochen was well aware of the Spirit Hall's grand unification plan. He simply sat back and watched, knowing that unification was inevitable. Whether the Spirit Hall unified the continent or not, in ten thousand years, when the Sun and Moon Empire invaded, a unified Douluo Continent might stand a chance against the Sun and Moon Continent.
By then, however, Li Luochen would likely have ascended to the divine realm, enjoying his life.
But this time, Li Luochen's visit to Qian Renxue wasn't for anything else—he needed more gold spirit coins. His financial reserves had dipped below twenty million, and he felt uneasy. So, he shamelessly sought Qian Renxue's assistance.
As for the gift, it was the immortal herb Eight Petal Sunflower—the most suitable immortal herb for Qian Renxue. The last time he saw her, her spirit power was at level seventy-eight. Li Luochen suspected she was close to breaking through to Soul Douluo. Helping her along was only fair—after all, she was both his money bag and his superior.
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