Thud, thud, thud…
Footsteps echoed outside.
Ning Hao's heart leapt into his throat.
His daughter had entered the sealed chamber three or four days ago. That alone showed how difficult the trial was. But it also gave him hope—after all, the longer she remained inside, the more likely she was steadily progressing. If she had been thrown out just after entering, that would have meant all hope was lost.
Creaaak...
As the heavy doors slowly swung open…
Two figures appeared before everyone's eyes.
The moment Ning Hao saw his daughter, his expression froze. His mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Xiaotian…"
"It's me, Father."
Ning Tian smiled.
Her hair was still short and tidy, but her entire aura had undergone a significant transformation. Even her height had shot up—it was as if she'd grown up overnight.
What shook Ning Hao the most, though, was her undisguised aura of power… Soul King!
"It worked… it really worked! Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has finally reached this day!!" Ning Hao wept openly, his usual dignified demeanor as the sect master gone.
Ning Tian quickly stepped forward to support her father.
Tears streaked her own cheeks as well, though her smile was radiant.
"Father, elders—this is the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!" As she spoke, she raised her palm. A dazzling nine-colored pagoda floated above it, gently rotating.
Although it had only gained two more layers, the significance was worlds apart…
"Your Highness, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will follow your lead unto death!"
Ning Hao dropped to one knee.
All the elders followed suit.
This was the future hope of the entire sect!
Who would've thought Xu Cheng would so casually gift such a miracle… from a single trial?
"Hehe, rise, Sect Leader Ning. I'm Xiaotian's teacher—naturally I won't mistreat my own student." Xu Cheng smiled as he helped him up.
"Yes, sir!" A glint of astonishment flashed through Ning Hao's eyes.
He knew very well—Xu Cheng had never acknowledged himself as a "teacher" before. To change his tune now, it must be closely tied to his daughter's performance in the chamber. But no matter the reason, this marked genuine recognition. A great sign!
As the elders of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect departed with tearful thanks, Xu Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
According to logic, the girl's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda should have been identical to Ning Rongrong's from ten thousand years ago. The strength of this martial soul lay in its consistency: regardless of the user's talent or soul rings, it always granted fixed enhancements.
Power. Speed. Defense.
Even at nine layers, it only added two defensive-type buffs.
But Ning Tian had received a system reward, and her martial soul had subtly evolved.
For instance, her first soul skill, originally just a 40% power boost, now had a secondary effect: an additional 40% enhancement specifically targeting soul tools.
Her second skill also applied to soul tools, boosting attack speed.
Her third (power), fourth (defense), and fifth skills didn't change much in type—but now they all applied to soul tools!
In the original story, Ning Rongrong rarely enhanced soul engineers. Even when she did, it was on an individual basis. Melee engineers benefited, but ranged soul engineers were basically neglected—only the fifth soul skill helped, and even that was worse than using high-grade energy bottles.
This meant that in the era of soul tool proliferation, her martial soul would become increasingly obsolete.
But now, thanks to the system, Ning Tian's buffs applied to both soul masters and their weapons. Ranged soul tools, in particular, received massive boosts in range, attack speed, and firepower.
Pair her with someone like Xiao Hongchen—a walking artillery platform—and the resulting synergy would be terrifying.
Her martial soul now seamlessly fit into the soul tool revolution—even taking the lead.
A 1.4x boost multiplied by another 1.4x… nearly double the power for soul tools, across attack speed, range, and firepower. In the future, she could easily become the core support of any Sun Moon Empire soul engineer regiment.
This even elevated high-level combat between top-tier soul engineers.
Take Ye Yulin's "Sun Moon Divine Needle"—its damage wasn't outstanding, but it had a massive attack radius. A 30-kilometer diameter—devastating.
But what if it received another doubling buff?
Sixty kilometers? And when she activated her seventh ring true form, an additional full-range enhancement? Nearly 100 kilometers of area denial?!
And this was before she even became a god. After godhood, Ning Tian could likely support entire "starships," unleashing true healer-class power. The Sun Moon Empire's future lay in the stars, and starship-class soul tools would be an irreplaceable force. According to Xu Cheng's long-term vision, every soul engineer regiment would be organized around starships.
Gods?
How many stellar annihilation cannons can a god withstand?
Returning to the present.
Even before becoming a god, Ning Tian would be able to assist elite soul engineers to precision strike targets from over 100 kilometers away. Even the Sea God Pavilion elders at Shrek Academy would break into cold sweat at the mere thought.
With a threat like that—by the time you tried to retaliate, she'd be long gone.
In previous life's gaming terms, it was called "kiting."
Even weak long-range attackers became nightmares once their range grew to absurd levels. Tanks and assassins could only cry.
Jing Hongchen once said: within 100 meters, he could beat Xuanzi. At 1,000 meters, he could retreat safely. At 10,000 meters? He'd win easily.
Moreover...
Xu Cheng smacked his lips.
In the original story, Ning Rongrong's eighth and ninth soul skills were defensive. Only her tenth gave resurrection.
But Xu Cheng had a feeling—Ning Tian wouldn't even need to become a god.
The system's early rewards were already overpowered. But as she added more soul rings in the future? It would only become more terrifying…
The future was bright!
Wang Dong'er was equally shaken.
She was also an exchange student from Shrek Academy. Same age. And yet she was still at the Soul Ancestor stage, while the other girl had already become a Soul King!
That gap… was massive.
"Alright, stop overthinking. You're my personal disciple. You think I'd shortchange you?" Xu Cheng snapped out of his thoughts and ruffled her hair, seeing his little disciple still staring blankly at Ning Tian's back.
"I get one too?!" Wang Dong'er pointed to herself in surprise.
"Of course. In a few days, I'll take you to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. We'll be back before the tournament. Don't envy others—you each have your own path. Once you become a divine blacksmith, who knows how many people will envy you…" Xu Cheng chuckled and playfully tousled the hair at her forehead. Great texture.
Wang Dong'er definitely deserved a trip to the Yin Yang Well.
So did Xiao Hongchen, Nana, and the others. He'd take them to Sunset Forest soon. These friends were his true foundation, the source of his confidence in the future.
"Mm! I'll do my best!" Her eyes sparkled like stars.
Xu Cheng glanced at her. Truthfully, watching her dainty frame hammer away in the forge was a bit incongruent—but she truly loved it. Elder Kong said she'd enter the forge and not emerge for hours, completely absorbed.
Her soul cultivation may have slacked a bit lately, but her growth was real.
From a spoiled princess to a resilient warrior…
"Acheng, aren't we going to start reaping yet?" Juzi took a deep breath, voice trembling as she looked at the financial report.
Even after accounting for recent "losses," they still had 2.7 billion gold soul coins on the books.
That was equivalent to five or six years' worth of all Mingdu's profits!
The entire continent's yearly currency flow probably only amounted to a billion or so. 2.7 billion was mind-boggling.
The biggest chunk came from Shrek Academy.
They had dumped nearly a billion into Xu Cheng's investment just days ago—and now it was all tied up.
"Shrek alone accounts for 1.2 billion. Truly lavish. Even the Dou Ling Empire put in over 600 million. They took some profits already, but I expect they'll reinvest heavily tomorrow…" Juzi muttered in disbelief.
Xu Cheng rested his chin on his hand, pondering.
"When does the academy tournament begin?"
"Three days," Juzi answered smoothly.
"Then we harvest in three days," Xu Cheng grinned.
"When they suffer a crushing defeat… let's send them a final 'gift.'"
Juzi shook her head.
She didn't dare imagine the despair that would hit the allied factions when they returned.
They had hoped for massive profits. Now, they'd find their entire capital had vanished. Learning that the entire thing was a scam? That their investments were worthless? It wouldn't be fatal—but it would feel like being flayed alive.
She could only hope they were mentally prepared...
"Will this affect the gold soul coin's value?" she asked, suddenly worried.
"It will," Xu Cheng admitted. "But they're the ones who should worry. The emperors will bend over backwards to stabilize the coin's purchasing power, swallowing their losses to maintain face."
He gently pulled Juzi into his arms, smiling.
"Gold soul coins have ruled the continent for thousands of years. They are the economic foundation of the Three Great Nations and Shrek Academy. Changing currencies would spark instability. And the last thing they want… is me causing trouble right now."
"I've long wanted to return to the original Sun-Moon Coin system anyway."
"…I see," Juzi murmured, suddenly understanding.
Seeing Xu Cheng's confident smirk, she couldn't help but giggle. She twisted her slender waist in his arms, adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, and prepared to leave like nothing had happened.
Only to be pulled back in by a strong arm.
"If you've got business, fine. If not, you'd better show some awareness… Madam Secretary-General."
"Mmph…"
Juzi's face flushed red. "You rogue!"
"Your words lack damage… but your looks deliver critical hits." Xu Cheng laughed.
"How about we celebrate in advance… for this grand deception?"
"Mmph~"
She felt her shoulders guided, her soft lips sealed.
Her body turned to jelly in his arms, allowing him to take his fill.
With a wave of Xu Cheng's hand, the curtains closed, the door shut.
Spring fever bloomed.
Bottom level of the Holy Spirit Church.
"What?!!"
Long Xiaoyao's body trembled as he stared at Ye Xishui in disbelief.
But very quickly, that disbelief turned into ecstatic joy.
As a devoted simp, what is the pinnacle of success?
Answer: Sleeping with your goddess and even having her bear your child.
Wait—considering it's been nearly a hundred years, that kid should probably call him Great-Grandfather.
"Yan Shaozhe, Yan Shaozhe…"
He was visibly excited.
His mind kept replaying the youth's face. He had long parted ways with Mu En in his younger years. The only reason he even noticed Yan Shaozhe was because of a recent visit to Shrek Academy, where the boy's talent had caught his attention.
But fate is strange like that.
He carries his bloodline…
"Phew… Xishui, thank you…" Long Xiaoyao said sincerely.
But Ye Xishui showed no pleasant expression in return. "If I weren't severely injured now, I would've taken this secret to the grave."
Long Xiaoyao's smile didn't waver. "I always knew you had a soft heart."
"Enough," Ye Xishui said coldly. "I told you this not for any other reason, but so you can go and acknowledge Yan Shaozhe as your son!"
She hated Mu En—loved and hated him both. Not long ago, she led a group of powerful soul masters to openly snatch people from Shrek Academy, solely to trample Mu En's pride and grind it into dust.
But things never go as planned.
Mu En not only returned at full strength but nearly killed her on the spot.
Now grievously wounded, with her life span drastically reduced, some plans had to be moved forward.
She couldn't bear to see Shrek Academy flourish, so she played this hidden card—to disgust Mu En one final time.
"Do you want me to bring him back to the Holy Spirit Church?" Long Xiaoyao hesitated.
He knew better than anyone the depravity and darkness of the Holy Spirit Church. He was genuinely reluctant to drag his own descendant into that pit.
"That's not necessary. And besides, you wouldn't be able to do it even if you wanted to," Ye Xishui said impatiently. "Just tell Yan Shaozhe his true identity. I've managed to learn some inside information about Shrek Academy… Shaozhe doesn't seem to be having a smooth time there."
She let out a cold laugh. "That old bastard Mu En plans to make his grandson the next Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion. But he seems to have forgotten everything Shaozhe has done for the Academy all these years. Forcibly pushing his own grandson up—how many people's hearts do you think that's going to chill?"
"They only respect strength. If Bei Bei can prove himself and has the talent, then…" Long Xiaoyao tried to analyze rationally.
"Shut up!" Ye Xishui snapped coldly.
Was that what she wanted to hear?
Long Xiaoyao immediately shut his mouth.
Looking at the now "obedient" Long Xiaoyao, Ye Xishui felt another wave of unexplainable anger. With a bland expression, she waved her hand and said, "Also, tell him about Feng Ling marrying Zhongli Wu. That might be useful to him too. Alright, I'm tired and need to recover."
"…Understood."
Long Xiaoyao hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
In his heart, he was already contemplating how to make it up to Yan Shaozhe.
To repay all these years of absence…
(End of Chapter)