"Xiao Tian, do you want to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School? Honestly, I think staying in the village, working as a warehouse manager, and marrying a wife would be a great life—stable income and safe!" Tian Lin's mother held her child tightly, her face full of reluctance.
From what Sword Douluo had just explained, after Tian Lin left, the chances of him meeting his parents would greatly decrease. For a mother who cherished her child like her own life, this was simply unbearable.
"Sigh, what do you know, honey? Although Tian Lin will leave, he'll receive the full support of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School. One day, he's destined to become a great Soul Douluo like Lord Yin Yang, or even a Titled Douluo!" Even though Jun Tianhai also felt reluctant, he knew allowing Tian Lin to leave was the best choice for his future.
Since their marriage, he had spoiled his wife, always yielding to her wishes. But today, for the sake of their son's future, he had to show the authority of the head of the household.
"I have agreed to let our son join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School. This is final, and no objections will be allowed!"
Seeing this, Tian Lin quickly chimed in, "Yes, Mother, going to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School is my own decision."
"Mother, my dream is to become a great Soul Master. You'll support me, won't you?" Tian Lin looked at his mother with hopeful eyes. Her support meant the world to him.
Faced with her child's yearning gaze, Mo Lan finally sighed and gave in. She was her husband Jun Tianhai's weakness, and Tian Lin was hers. "Fine, since you're so determined, I'll agree. But you must take care of yourself. I've heard Soul Masters have to hunt these creatures called soul beasts, and it's extremely dangerous. Your father came back injured once, you know. You have to be extra careful. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to live on."
"Don't worry, Mom! My goal in becoming a Soul Master is to protect the people important to me. To do that, I'll have to take care of myself first. I promise nothing will happen to me," Tian Lin assured her with confidence.
Looking at their understanding and well-behaved son, the couple felt a deep sense of comfort. Parents should never become an obstacle to their children's aspirations, and together, they finally agreed to let Tian Lin join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School.
...
That evening, Tian Lin returned to his room and summoned his magic sword.
"Long Kui, are you there?"
"Lan Kui, Hong Kui—anyone! If you're here, say something!"
He tried calling out to the spirit of the magic sword but to no avail. It seemed that this sword, now part of his martial soul, no longer hosted Long Kui's spirit.
Although the sword's power hadn't diminished, without his favorite adorable spirit girl, Tian Lin couldn't help feeling disappointed.
With thoughts of the future filling his mind, Tian Lin gradually drifted off to sleep.
At dawn the next day, Tian Lin had already packed his belongings and waited at the front door for Sword Douluo's arrival.
Soon, a flying sword shot rapidly across the horizon and stopped in front of him.
Sword Douluo jumped off the sword and said, "Hmm, you're up pretty early. Good. Have you said goodbye to your parents?"
Tian Lin nodded. "Yes, but goodbyes are painful, so I asked them not to see me off."
"Silly child. Without the sorrow of parting, how can there be the joy of reunion? Train hard and make yourself more outstanding before you see them again—that's the best way to honor them!" Sword Douluo lifted Tian Lin and placed him on the long sword. "Alright, we're leaving now. Are you ready? I'm about to take off!"
"I'm ready!"
"Good." With a light flick of his finger, Sword Douluo's sword rose into the air, carrying him and Tian Lin toward the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School.
"So this is what it feels like to fly on a sword?" Tian Lin relished the thrill of flying, showing no fear and instead feeling a rush of excitement.
The Shu Mountain Treasure Record also included a method for sword-flying, but it differed slightly from Sword Douluo's.
As Sword Douluo flew, his third soul ring glowed continuously, signifying the use of a soul skill.
The third soul skill, Sword Wings Soaring!
While Titled Douluos could naturally fly, Sword Douluo prioritized efficiency. Using his soul skill for flight doubled his speed at the cost of negligible soul power.
On the other hand, the sword-flying technique from Tian Lin's Shu Mountain Treasure Record was a self-created soul skill, akin to Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, and was more advanced than ordinary soul skills.
Before long, under Sword Douluo's rapid flight, the two arrived at a massive city built atop a mountain—Seven Treasures Glazed Tile City.
"I'll take you to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hall to meet the Sect Master. That's a place only elders and core disciples can enter. Outer disciples aren't allowed in."
"Like that villager I met yesterday?" Tian Lin asked.
"You mean the child with innate soul power level four? Yes, someone will pick him up later today, but he can only train as an outer disciple. You're different; you'll be one of our top-priority disciples."
As they spoke, the two entered a magnificent hall.
At the top of the hall were three seats. The central seat belonged to the Sect Master, occupied by a handsome, middle-aged man.
To the left sat a tall, emaciated old man with only a few strands of hair. His intimidating appearance identified him as Bone Douluo Gu Rong, the other Titled Douluo of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School.
The right seat belonged to Sword Douluo, who was standing beside Tian Lin. However, the seat wasn't empty—instead, it was occupied by a cute little girl.
"Daring to sit in Sword Douluo's seat—within the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, only the little witch from the original story would have the nerve to do so!" Tian Lin instantly guessed her identity—it had to be Ning Rongrong.
Sure enough, as soon as the girl saw Sword Douluo return, she eagerly ran over and jumped into his arms, whining, "Grandpa Sword, you're finally back! Without you, Rongrong's been so bored—no one wants to play with me!"
This Ning Rongrong knew how to act cute. No wonder she had these two old men wrapped around her finger.
Sword Douluo fondly patted Ning Rongrong's head and said kindly, "Haha, Rongrong, be good. Grandpa will play with you later. Right now, I need to introduce you to a new friend!"
"Is it him? The person Grandpa went out of his way to pick up? He looks about my age. Is he really that amazing?" Ning Rongrong blinked her big eyes at Tian Lin, curiosity evident in her expression.
"Of course he's amazing. Innate full soul power, a top-tier weapon martial soul—Rongrong, he's even more talented than you!" Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master, joined the conversation. It wasn't the two old men's style to make such remarks, but her father, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't hesitate to tease her a little.
"Tian Lin greets Sect Master Ning!" Tian Lin cupped his hands in greeting toward Ning Fengzhi. After all, this man was going to be his leader in the future. While there was no need to grovel, maintaining politeness and respect was always a good idea.