20+ Advance chapters on Patreon
A gentle breeze swept through the forest, stirring the leaves into a soft rustle. Sword Douluo stood motionless in the dense woods, his senses sharp. A shadow flickered in the corner of his vision, followed by a piercing chill that cut through the air. The sharp snap of breaking branches echoed around him.
"Hostile intent," Sword Douluo muttered, his eyes narrowing.
In an instant, a tree as thick as a meter snapped behind him, toppling toward his position. He spun around, stepping forward in one fluid motion. His right hand flashed, fingers forming a translucent sword of soul power. With a swift horizontal slash, he split the tree cleanly in two. The cut gleamed like polished glass as the halves flew past, revealing Ning Tian standing there, his gaze icy and unwavering. Ning Tian's first soul ring glowed faintly as he gripped his sword with both hands and swung it downward in a forceful arc.
A massive azure blade, nearly eight meters long and formed of pure soul energy, materialized and crashed toward Sword Douluo. At the same moment, Ning Tian's third soul ring lit up. His body shimmered, turning translucent azure, and identical figures split from him. The clone darted forward, sword aimed at Sword Douluo's vulnerable arm.
Sword Douluo instinctively leaned back to dodge the clone's thrust, but a sudden prickle of danger from behind forced him to act. Mid-motion, he twisted his blade, parrying a second clone's sneak attack from the rear.
In that heartbeat, Ning Tian and his two clones unleashed a relentless barrage. The coordinated strikes were fierce enough to cripple or outright defeat any Spirit Master below the Spirit King rank. But Sword Douluo was no ordinary opponent. With years of battle-honed instinct, he deflected every blow using only his soul power-formed sword, his martial soul still unsummoned.
Then, with a surge of effort, his aura erupted. Nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, five black blazed around him. A wild burst of soul energy exploded outward, shattering Ning Tian's first soul skill's projection in a shower of light.
As the dust settled, Ning Tian stood across from him, his clones at his side.
"Not bad," Sword Douluo said, his sword fading into nothing. "For your age and cultivation, your strength, speed, and combat instincts are flawless. Few Spirit Kings could survive that combined assault. You've clearly endured grueling training… and that killing intent. Have you taken lives?"
"I've fought countless life-or-death matches in the Great Spirit Arenas across the cities," Ning Tian replied, his voice steady. His third soul skill, Sword Shadow, deactivated, and the azure clones flowed back into his body as streams of light.
Sword Douluo gave a small nod. "Do you have a master?"
"I do," Ning Tian answered simply, seeing no reason to hide it.
Sword Douluo's expression shifted, as if confirming a suspicion. He studied Ning Tian for a moment longer before speaking with a grave tone. "The Seven Kills Sword lineage ends with me. I hadn't intended to pass down the Seven Kills Sword Technique as you're not an heir to this sword, nor my disciple. But you saved Rongrong in the Star Dou Forest, and you have the potential to master it. I'll make an exception, but you must agree to three conditions."
"Please, state them," Ning Tian said, bowing respectfully.
Sword Douluo's eyes bore into him. "The Seven Kills Sword Technique fuses killing intent with soul power to form sword light, manifesting as the character for 'kill.' Each additional 'kill' doubles its power. With nine, a level ninety-seven peak Douluo could stand toe-to-toe with a level ninety-eight. My father, Chen Jianjun, once challenged Qian Daoliu, the Great Enshrined of the Martial Soul Hall, at ninety-seven. He lost, gravely wounded, but to even attempt it with such a gap in soul power, that was the Seven Kills Sword Technique's strength."
He paused, then continued. "First, never turn your sword against the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
"You have my word," Ning Tian replied. "I hold no grudge against the sect." As long as they didn't threaten him or those he cared about, he had no reason to oppose them.
Sword Douluo nodded, satisfied. "Second, pass down the Seven Kills Sword Technique. Keep the legacy alive, and ensure your successors swear the same oath against harming the sect." He sighed, a flicker of melancholy crossing his face. "Third, if the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect ever faces a crisis, protect Rongrong to the best of your ability."
"I will," Ning Tian promised without hesitation.
.......
For the next two days, Ning Tian trained with Sword Douluo in the forest, honing the technique. On the third afternoon, Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi bid their farewells and left.
With Dai Mubai still recovering and Tang San frantically searching for Xiao Wu, Shrek Academy hadn't resumed classes. That evening, Ning Tian used his God-Level Side Effect System to confirm Tang Hao wasn't watching and no one was following him. Assured, he slipped away to the quiet inn where Xiao Wu was hiding.
The moment she saw him, Xiao Wu launched herself into his arms. "Little Sixth, you're finally here!" Her arms locked around his neck, legs wrapping around his waist as she clung to him like a koala.
Feeling her trembling, Ning Tian gently stroked her hair. "It's alright now. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is gone."
She nodded, easing her grip reluctantly. "Let's head back."
"Not yet," Ning Tian said. "There's something I need to tell you first."
She looked up at him, her trust in him absolute, and waited.
"After some careful probing and a few side conversations with Rongrong's father, the sect leader, I've confirmed the identity of the Titled Douluo who threatened me."
Xiao Wu's expression hardened.
"It's Tang Hao," Ning Tian said. "The Clear Sky Douluo, Tang San's father."
"I knew it," Xiao Wu growled, her eyes flashing with loathing. "That's why Tang San wouldn't leave me alone. He's known what I am all along and had his sights on me."
Ning Tian let out a quiet sigh. "It's hard to swallow, but it's the truth. The good news is, as long as Tang San can't handle a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and you don't offer yourself up, you're safe for now."
Xiao Wu scowled. She wanted nothing more to do with Tang San, but she knew staying put was the smartest move.
"Still," she huffed, "I'd rather blow myself up than sacrifice for him."
'If I had to, it'd be for you.'
She kept that last thought to herself, her feelings weren't that reckless yet. In the original story, she'd only sacrificed for Tang San when he was moments from death and escape was impossible.
Ning Tian gave her a small smile. "Don't talk like that. I won't let anyone take your life. For now, just act like you hate me and treat Tang San like a brother. That'll keep Tang Hao off our backs.
......
Meanwhile, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were in a sorry state. Xiao Wu had slipped out of Shrek at night, disguised, leaving their search empty-handed. They'd all but concluded she'd left Soutuo City for good.
Tang San moved into despair, locking himself in his dorm. He refused to eat or cultivate, barring even Oscar, his roommate, from entering.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't much better. Ning Tian's public rebuttal, right in front of the Shrek students, Ning Fengzhi, and Sword Douluo had left him humiliated. Now, he was seriously considering taking Tang San and leaving.
.......
After the fruitless search for Xiao Wu, Yu Xiaogang stormed into Flender's office to resign.
Flender, ever the loyal friend, shot it down. "No way. I won't let you go again. You promised to stay, and I've already told everyone you're leading the students' training. If you leave, who's going to teach them?"
"After what happened, you think I can stay?" Yu Xiaogang snapped, slamming his hand on Flender's desk. "If you're really my friend, don't stop me. I'm taking Little San with me."
That was Yu Xiaogang—timid with outsiders and ferocious with those close to him. He shrank before the powerful but unleashed his temper on those who cared enough to take it.
Flender sighed, softening his tone. "Let's not argue. Fighting won't fix anything. Can't you handle a little setback? This isn't the unbeatable theorist I know!"
To keep Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, Flender tried a challenge and it worked, partly because Yu Xiaogang didn't truly want to leave. He saw the potential in Shrek's students. Leading them in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition could bring him fame faster than waiting for Tang San to rise.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang waver, Flender pressed on. "Classes start tomorrow. I'll announce you're in charge. If anyone complains, I'll handle them."
"What about Ning Tian?" Yu Xiaogang asked, his voice uncertain.
Flender rubbed his forehead. "I'll talk to him tonight."
"If it happens again, I'll take Little San and leave without a second thought," Yu Xiaogang said, turning away with a haughty air.
"Deal," Flender agreed.
Just then, Oscar's voice cut through from outside. "Dean, Xiao Wu's back!"
"Let's go," Flender said, his face lighting up. Yu Xiaogang exhaled sharply, 'Tang San could finally pull himself together.'
Minutes later, they reached the main field. Everyone was there except Tang San and Dai Mubai, who was still nursing his wounds.
"Xiao Wu, where've you been? You had us worried," someone said.
Xiao Wu scratched her head. "I just needed some air. I'm back now, and I've decided to live for myself and the people who actually care about me. Everyone else can forget it."
She didn't so much as glance at Ning Tian, following his plan to the letter.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$