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The two rings were clearly a pair.
Although Ning Rongrong held a high position within the sect, at her current age, it was obviously impossible for her to possess such valuable soul-guidance rings on her own. (T/N: It can be translated as soul-guidance tools, soul tools, spirit guidance tools, and the wiki also called Tang San's Twenty Four Moonlight Bridges 'essence tool'.)
Most likely, Ning Fengzhi had deliberately placed the soul-guidance rings in a conspicuous corner, allowing Ning Rongrong to "find" them.
If he had handed them directly to her, given her young age, she probably would have unintentionally "exposed" Ning Fengzhi's intentions.
"It seems that the Sect Leader is subtly pushing for an engagement between me and Rongrong," Ning Tianchen thought to himself.
However, he didn't object to the idea.
Being engaged to the Sect Leader's daughter meant he wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources in the future.
Haha, managing to latch onto this little rich girl wasn't a bad outcome for someone who had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent.
Besides, he was already a disciple of the sect, so it wasn't as if he was freeloading.
"Thank you, Rongrong. I really like your gift. But you shouldn't take things without permission, okay?" Ning Tianchen said with a smile, testing her.
Ning Rongrong placed her hands on her hips and pouted angrily. "I didn't steal anything! I found this under my pillow. If Tianchen big brother hadn't been so nice to me, I wouldn't have even given you the other ring!"
Ning Tianchen understood everything perfectly.
Not long after, all the disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—both inner and outer—who had recently awakened their martial souls gathered at the training grounds.
As a large sect, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had over three thousand disciples combined from its inner and outer divisions.
Only those outer division disciples with innate soul power of level six or higher could enter the inner division for training.
Where there are people, there is competition. Before arriving, these disciples must have been instructed by their parents—if they could win over Ning Rongrong, their family's prosperity was guaranteed.
Seeing Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong's close interactions, many couldn't help but grit their teeth in frustration.
Feeling their gazes, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but smile inwardly. "A bunch of kids, all hiding their thoughts."
But then again, he was also just a six-year-old child. Even if he managed to win over Ning Rongrong, it wasn't as if he could do anything about it now.
The sect official responsible for teaching separated the battle-oriented soul masters from the auxiliary soul masters.
"Big brotherTianchen, after school, I want to go to Tiandou City to eat candy!" Ning Rongrong quickly added before leaving.
"All right, all right," Ning Tianchen readily agreed.
For battle-oriented soul masters, the most important aspect of training was combat practice.
The teaching style of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was completely different from that of ordinary primary soul master academies on the continent.
In general primary soul master academies, the focus was mainly on teaching theoretical knowledge, and combat training courses only began in intermediate academies.
But in a large sect like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, combat skills were cultivated immediately after awakening one's martial soul. As for martial soul theory, disciples were usually expected to study independently at the sect's academy.
The official in charge of teaching spoke up: "My name is Jiang Fei, and I am your teacher. Starting tomorrow, you will undergo six years of intensive training within the sect. For every five days of training, you will have two days off. During these two days, I expect you to visit the sect's academy to supplement your theoretical studies."
"A soul master must not only improve their soul power and strength but also cannot neglect book knowledge. From time to time, I will conduct random checks on your understanding of soul master theory. If anyone fails, their training load will double."
"Aww~" The children groaned in unison.
At the age of six, it was only natural for children to be playful.
Someone like Ning Tianchen, a transmigrant, might be able to control his playful tendencies, but these children certainly couldn't.
However, since the sect poured vast resources into their cultivation, it was understandable that their training would be strict. After all, even a wealthy sect like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect didn't want their resources wasted.
"Next, let me see what you're made of."
As he spoke, Jiang Fei's gaze landed on Ning Tianchen.
The Sect Leader had personally informed him about Ning Tianchen's situation. Originally trained as an auxiliary soul master, Ning Tianchen's sudden transition to a battle-oriented soul master would inevitably leave him feeling out of place.
"Ning Tianchen, if you find it difficult to adapt, you can observe for the first two days. After that, you can join the others in sparring."
Ning Tianchen shook his head. "No need. I'll be fine."
Jiang Fei nodded slightly. "Very well. All of you may choose your opponents freely. There's only one rule: no holding back, no going easy on each other!"
At this, quite a few children shot challenging glances toward Ning Tianchen.
Though they didn't understand romance, they knew that to gain Ning Rongrong's attention, they first had to deal with Ning Tianchen, the obstacle standing in their way.
"So, you want to spar with me?" Ning Tianchen said with a faint smile.
"Facing a group attack without panic—his composure is truly impressive. No wonder the Sect Leader holds him in such high regard," Jiang Fei thought to himself, silently praising Ning Tianchen.
Even among older soul masters, it was rare to remain calm under such circumstances. To display such fearlessness at such a young age was extraordinary.
"You can't just pick one opponent. Since all of you want to challenge Ning Tianchen, let him choose his opponent instead."
Ning Tianchen knew that if he picked the weakest opponent and won, the others would still refuse to accept the result and would keep challenging him endlessly.
At this stage, he needed to focus on honing his sword techniques. He couldn't afford to waste too much time on sparring.
"Who among you is the strongest?" he asked.
Better to strike hard once than face endless challenges later!
The tallest and chubbiest boy stepped forward, rubbing his fists together. "You fight me. If you lose, you'll leave Miss Rongrong alone and never show your face to her again."
Ning Tianchen smiled faintly. "Worry about that after you beat me."
With that, he patted the wooden sword strapped to his back and asked Jiang Fei, "Can I use this wooden sword?"
For soul warriors without soul rings, using their martial souls in combat consumed a lot of energy. Therefore, during sparring, they often used weapons similar to their martial souls as substitutes.
Jiang Fei didn't object.
The chubby boy's martial soul was a black bear, a type of beast soul.
He lifted his chin proudly and declared, "My innate soul power is level seven! You're going to lose!"
His black bear martial soul hadn't fully materialized yet, but his hands had transformed into bear paws. He charged at Ning Tianchen aggressively.
Ning Tianchen twirled the wooden sword in his hand, forming a graceful arc, and then thrust upward. Though the blade wasn't sharp, it struck the chubby boy's palm, causing him to recoil in pain.
"How does he have such strength?!" the boy thought in shock.
Before he could catch his breath, the surrounding children began to jeer. "Boss, don't hold back! Teach that guy a lesson and show him how strong you are!"
The chubby boy gritted his teeth, extending his palm to reveal sharp bear claws.
Ning Tianchen took a step back with his right leg, pointing the tip of his wooden sword at the boy.
Before the other could make a move, Ning Tianchen suddenly pushed off with his right leg, charging forward with incredible speed.
The wooden sword thrust out, and caught off guard, the chubby boy instinctively raised both hands to block in front of him.
The tip of the wooden sword was surprisingly sharp. If this strike landed, it would pierce straight through the boy's palms.
But this was just a friendly sparring match, and they were all still children. Being overly ruthless wouldn't reflect well on him.
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