Upon awakening, the first thing Ning Fengzhi sensed was the transformation in his soul power. The soul power that had been hindered for years by the limits of his martial soul had grown once more—he had reached Rank 80. Reaching Rank 80 meant only one thing: his martial soul had truly evolved.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... Haha… Eight Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda… Hahaha…"
Summoning his martial soul and counting the tiers of the pagoda, Ning Fengzhi burst into uncontrollable laughter. After so many years, his Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had finally evolved. No longer was he trapped at the Soul Saint level, unable to make progress.
"Eight Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda? Shouldn't it be the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda?!" Chen Xin approached while carrying Ning Rongrong, his expression puzzled. He remembered clearly—Xu Yang had said that the immortal herb would evolve the Seven Treasures Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Pagoda.
"Uncle Jian, don't worry. I can still feel that only a portion of the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid has been consumed. When I absorb my eighth spirit ring, I should be able to use its power to evolve my martial soul further into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda."
Ning Fengzhi smiled with confidence. He could feel the medicinal power of the Eight-Petaled Immortal Orchid continuously being absorbed. Once fully refined, it would fuel another evolution of his martial soul.
"Alright then. Once that rascal Xu Yang and Qing'er finish absorbing their herbs, we'll go hunt spirit rings!" Chen Xin nodded, then returned to tease Ning Rongrong with Gu Rong.
Madam Ning was no mere trophy wife. According to the rules of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, a spouse had to be a powerful Battle Spirit Master. In fact, her strength surpassed Ning Fengzhi's—she was an eighty-fourth-ranked Spirit Douluo. If she hadn't borne three children, she might have already reached the level of a Title Douluo.
Yes, Ning Rongrong had two older brothers. However, their innate talent was lacking, only possessing rank 5 innate soul power. Even in their teens, their cultivation had just surpassed the thirtieth rank. Thus, they assisted Ning Fengzhi in managing sect affairs.
Xu Yang got along well with the two brothers. In fact, all heirs of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan were well-mannered and socially adept. Yet, due to their poor talent, they were unfit to inherit the clan. That was why Ning Rongrong was born.
Before long, Madam Ning had finished absorbing the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone and happily called out to her husband, "Fengzhi, my soul power has reached Rank 87, and I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking through to Title Douluo!"
In this era—still within the Soul Land I timeline—the concept of soul cores, which later facilitated Title Douluo breakthroughs, had not yet been researched thoroughly. Back then, such breakthroughs relied heavily on individual potential, and a bit of luck. No one was absolutely certain.
But Madam Ning now had that certainty. She was fully confident in her breakthrough—an unshakable belief brought by the effects of the Daffodil Jade Muscle Bone.
Two more hours passed, and the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower in Xu Yang's hands turned to ash—completely absorbed. As he opened his eyes, a wave of stench overwhelmed him, causing him to gag.
But in the next moment, he realized the force came from within—his soul power surged, shaking off the black filth clinging to his body.
And then… a sudden chill between his legs.
Realizing what had happened, Xu Yang quickly took out a clean set of clothes from his storage ring and dressed himself. Casually, he moved to a corner of the room. After all, everyone had been waiting for him to finish absorbing the herb. Now that they'd all seen him stark naked, it was more than a little embarrassing.
It would have been fine if it were only men… but his teacher's wife was here too!
As for Ning Rongrong? Just a little brat—he ignored her.
Still, he was only slightly embarrassed. As a veteran of modern society, Xu Yang had developed a thick skin.
Everyone in the room began laughing, especially Sword and Bone Douluo. Their laughter echoed through the hall.
Hearing them, Xu Yang gave up pretending. He simply walked to the center of the hall, standing there calmly, as if nothing had happened. He showed no sign of shame for his previous nakedness.
"Alright, enough! Today is a joyful day—let's not make a scene." Ning Fengzhi stepped in to help Xu Yang save face, then asked, "Yang'er, what's your current soul power rank?"
Feeling the burning and robust sun soul power within him, Xu Yang quietly replied, "I've gained seven ranks. I'm now at Rank 30!"
In the original work, Ma Hongjun gained five ranks after absorbing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower while still a Soul Elder. So Xu Yang felt that gaining seven ranks was reasonable.
"Then, for your third spirit ring, are you still going with the Sun Sacred Beetle?"
"Of course!" Xu Yang nodded firmly.
"Alright, once you stabilize your soul power, let Haiyan take you to Sunset Forest..." Ning Fengzhi began arranging things.
"Um, Teacher, Uncle Ning might not be able to go. Before entering the room, I gave him a Ninth Grade Purple Ganoderma. If he absorbs it, he'll likely reach Rank 80 as well. He'll probably need to hunt for a spirit ring too." Xu Yang scratched his head, a little embarrassed to reject his teacher's arrangement.
Ning Fengzhi didn't blame Xu Yang for giving Ning Haiyan an immortal herb on his own. He just nodded. After all, Haiyan had spent years teaching and caring for Xu Yang. Their bond was very close.
After a moment's thought, Ning Fengzhi turned to his wife and said, "Qing'er, I'll have to trouble you to accompany Yang'er on his hunt for a spirit ring."
"Alright. I'll take him shortly." Madam Ning replied, gently patting Xu Yang's head.
And so, the soul beast hunt was split into two groups. One group consisted of Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Ning Haiyan, who would head to Star Dou Forest to hunt a suitable eighth spirit ring—ideally over seventy thousand years old. Sunset Forest lacked sufficient high-aged soul beasts in both quantity and variety.
The other group was Madam Ning and Xu Yang, who would go to Sunset Forest to hunt the Sun Sacred Beetle. Compared to wandering aimlessly in Star Dou Forest, it was more efficient to find this known target in Sunset Forest.
Originally, Ning Fengzhi had considered sending a Soul Sage from the sect to assist Xu Yang. But given that his rise in rank was sudden and powered by immortal herbs, the more discreet the better—so he had his rarely-traveling wife accompany him instead.
As for little Ning Rongrong, the brat was left in the care of Gu Rong back at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan.
Not wasting any time, Xu Yang returned to the specially constructed mimicked environment filled with sun flowers, designed specifically for him.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and summoned his Sun Martial Soul before him, beginning to sense its changes. Outwardly, it remained similar—like a sun—but the originally crimson flames had turned golden. As the martial soul manifested, the surrounding temperature soared rapidly.
Even the sun flowers no longer turned toward the sky but instead angled themselves toward Xu Yang's martial soul, as if in reverent worship.
What's more, Xu Yang could now feel his martial soul could freely suppress or release its flame and radiance. In particular, the radiance was something it had lacked before.
Now, his Sun Martial Soul truly resembled a real sun.