Li Xun's heart stirred.
This residence was only occupied by him and Aunt Xue.
Even if Ning Fengzhi and others arrived, Aunt Xue would inform him first.
Only one person could bypass Aunt Xue and knock on his door directly.
"Come in," Li Xun called softly with a smile.
Hearing his voice, the door opened a crack.
A small head peeked through the gap into the room.
"Brother Li Xun, I came to play with you!"
A voice tinged with shyness and a hint of joy came from the door.
"Did you finish your morning lessons?" Li Xun teased.
Ning Rongrong's eyes darted around, and she quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Sword Grandpa and Grandpa Bone even praised me. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."
Li Xun rolled his eyes at her. Through these past few days of interaction, he had come to understand Ning Rongrong's personality.
The girl wasn't bad-natured, just a bit mischievous, and hadn't been spoiled into being willful and unreasonable.
She was just a normal six-year-old girl.
"Did the teacher ask you to come find me?"
Li Xun watched as Ning Rongrong slowly moved closer to him.
"No, I came on my own."
"Brother Li Xun, I heard from my father that you might one day reach the same level of cultivation as Sword Grandpa. Will you protect me then?"
Ning Rongrong leaned in close to Li Xun, tilting her head up to look at him with a pleading expression.
"Probably, but it depends on your performance."
Li Xun smiled as he looked at Ning Rongrong. "If your cultivation is too weak to assist me, and I end up losing to others because of it, I might just leave you behind and run away first."
Ning Rongrong had an Innate Soul Power of level nine, which already surpassed 99.9% of Spirit Masters in terms of talent.
However, she had been pampered since childhood and couldn't endure hardship.
This was why, when she joined Shrek Academy, her Soul Power was one level lower than Zhu Zhuqing, who had an Innate Soul Power of level seven.
Although auxiliary Spirit Masters cultivated more slowly, her lax attitude also played a part.
"Well, I still have Sword Grandpa and Grandpa Bone. They'll protect me."
As if angered by Li Xun's words, Ning Rongrong's face, which had been pleading, now puffed up in frustration.
"They too will go through the cycle of life and death. They won't always be there to shield you from the wind and rain."
"If you don't cultivate properly now, and we encounter a powerful enemy in the future who needs your assistance, but your cultivation isn't strong enough to help, what will we do then?"
Li Xun's words were like a thorn, piercing Ning Rongrong's heart. Her previously puffed-up face now turned slightly pale.
Li Xun only wanted to motivate Ning Rongrong to cultivate harder.
Seeing her expression change, he quickly tried to comfort her, "If you start cultivating seriously from now on, that won't happen."
"By then, we might even rely on Rongrong's assistance."
"Mm! Rongrong will cultivate hard, and I'll assist all of you when the time comes."
After hearing Li Xun's reassurance, Ning Rongrong's face gradually returned to normal, and she spoke with determination.
"You have to keep your word."
Seeing Ning Rongrong's expression, Li Xun couldn't help but add.
"Rongrong keeps her word. If you don't believe me, you can supervise me."
Seeing that Li Xun seemed to doubt her, Ning Rongrong raised her head and declared loudly.
"Alright, then starting today, I'll supervise your cultivation. I'll go talk to the teacher later, and you can't back out."
"Not today, I've already finished my morning lessons. Let's start tomorrow."
Upon hearing that Li Xun wanted to supervise her training today, Ning Rongrong quickly waved her hands in refusal.
"Tomorrow is fine, I'll give you a day off."
Li Xun nodded. Changing a person required long-term preparation; it wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.
Even in the future, he wouldn't be too strict in his supervision, but would subtly influence Ning Rongrong.
"Is there anything else?"
Seeing Ning Rongrong fidgeting with her hands after he finished speaking, Li Xun asked curiously.
"Brother Li Xun, I've already promised to train seriously."
Hearing Li Xun's question, Ning Rongrong's face lit up with a pleading smile: "Can you show me your... second Martial Soul?"
Was she finally showing her true intentions?
Li Xun was momentarily stunned, then smiled oddly: "Rongrong, I can show you my Martial Soul, but don't forget what we agreed on earlier!"
After saying this, he handed the kunai to Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, you must continue to train seriously even when I'm not around."
"I'll check on you when I return."
Li Xun stood on Sword Douluo's flying sword, waving a branch at the excited Ning Rongrong below.
"Got it, Sword Grandpa, please take him away quickly."
Ning Rongrong instinctively covered her bottom with her hands.
"Haha, alright, Sword Grandpa won't disturb our little princess anymore."
Chen Xin chuckled as he glanced at Ning Rongrong, then soared into the sky on his sword.
The purpose of Li Xun's trip was to obtain his first Spirit Ring.
His body had fully recovered several days ago, but he had delayed until now to research suitable Soul Beasts.
Sunset Forest.
Located near Heaven Dou City, this place was rich in high-level Soul Beasts and extremely dangerous.
With Sword Douluo's cultivation, carrying Li Xun on his sword, they reached the forest from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in just one hour.
As a powerful Titled Douluo,
Chen Xin flew straight into the Sunset Forest without stopping.
Perhaps due to Chen Xin's overwhelming aura as a Titled Douluo, Li Xun looked down from the flying sword.
He saw Soul Beasts occasionally running in all directions through the forest. Those that looked up would quickly lower their heads upon seeing the flying sword above, pretending they hadn't been spotted.
"There's a Silver Branch Spruce tree right below."
"The silver branches are nearly sixty in number, and judging by their age, they should be between five hundred to six hundred years old. Xiao Xun, are you sure you want to take such a risk?"
Sword Douluo slowly stopped the flying sword.
Hearing this, Li Xun looked down and saw a spruce tree in the forest with shimmering silver branches and abundant fruit.
Their targets for this trip were two types of tree Soul Beasts: the Soapberry Soul Tree and the Silver Branch Spruce.
These tree-type Soul Beasts were non-aggressive, and their fruits were highly nutritious, providing a good supply-demand relationship for the ecosystem.
They also had few natural predators, making them quite common.
"Sword Grandpa, the Silver Branch Spruce has a gentle nature, so it should be fine."
"Moreover, this tree produces hundreds of thousands of seeds each time, making it the most beneficial choice for my first Spirit Ring."
Li Xun looked at Sword Douluo with a serious expression.
"Alright then! I'll make the first move, and you can deliver the final blow." Sword Douluo sighed lightly.
Several members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had advised against Li Xun choosing a Soul Beast with too high an age for his first Spirit Ring.
As a twin Martial Soul possessor, Li Xun was regarded as second only to Ning Rongrong in their eyes.
Such a genius, even with steady cultivation, was guaranteed to become a Titled Douluo at the very least.
Li Xun's relentless efforts left them utterly perplexed.
Sword Douluo gently guided his flying sword downward. As he descended, he extended two fingers in a sword gesture, unleashing two streaks of Sword Qi that shot straight toward the Silver Branch Spruce.
The Sword Qi was as swift as a meteor, slicing through the spruce's branches, trunk, and roots in the blink of an eye.
The massive tree, which would have taken five or six people to encircle, swayed precari
ously like a candle flame after this single strike.
Perhaps sensing its impending demise, the fruits on the Silver Branch Spruce collectively burst open, releasing hundreds of thousands of seeds that rapidly scattered in all directions.
(End of Chapter)