Though Ning Rongrong's progress could be attributed to the medicinal properties of the Celestial Herb and her inherent talent, it was evident that she had also been diligently training. Considering her somewhat playful nature, this was quite commendable.
"Yes, I am already at level forty-four spirit power, and not far from level forty-five," Ning Rongrong nodded first, then seemed somewhat dissatisfied and said angrily, "I returned just a few days after you left last time. Why didn't you wait a few more days for me?"
"Is that so? Haha, that's quite unfortunate. I had some other matters to attend to at the time. Besides, I told the Sect Master that I would return soon, and here I am after a little over six months."
Seeing her gaze frequently turning to the woman beside him, Su Cheng introduced her, "This is Zhu Zhuqing, you've met her before, the student from Shrek Academy with the Nether White Tiger spirit."
"Hello." Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly towards her, reverting to her usual cold demeanor.
"So it's you!" Ning Rongrong suddenly realized.
No wonder she found this woman familiar but couldn't recall where she had seen her before.
However, the other party had changed so much, maturing seemingly by seven or eight years, with a completely different aura.
Or rather, this was the aura she should have had, but it had not been evident due to her youthful appearance back then.
"You two…"
Ning Rongrong's gaze lingered on Zhu Zhuqing's neck, where red marks were somewhat glaring.
Although young, she was knowledgeable enough to immediately have some unsavory suspicions.
"Cheng'er."
Before they could say more, several figures appeared at the end of the mountain path.
Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and Gu Rong all came out from the main hall of the sect to greet them.
Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi naturally had smiles on their faces, and even Gu Rong was no longer as indifferent as before.
It seemed the two volumes of innate skills had indeed been quite effective.
However, the smile on his stiff, skeletal face was far from flattering.
"Teacher, Sect Master, Elder Gu."
After greeting them one by one, Su Cheng continued to introduce, "This is Zhu Zhuqing, a direct disciple of His Holiness the Pope."
"So she's the Pope's disciple."
Ning Fengzhi nodded and said, "Let's go inside instead of standing out here."
He then led them towards the main hall at the center of the sect.
The distance was short, and the six of them quickly entered the hall and took their seats.
This place was the core area of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and no disciples were assigned to serve here.
So Ning Fengzhi personally took out the teacups and teapot from the table.
As he was about to make tea, Su Cheng stopped him, "Sect Master, let me handle it. Drink the tea I brought."
He took out a small wooden jar the size of a fist from his soul guide device and gave Zhu Zhuqing a knowing look.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly, recalling his words at Moon Pavilion the previous day.
Su Cheng took the teapot from Ning Fengzhi, poured a small amount of tea leaves and cold water into it, and then heated it with his soul power.
When the water was about to boil, he stopped infusing soul power and waited for a moment before lifting the lid.
A delightful fragrance immediately wafted out.
The aroma alone made everyone, who were accustomed to good tea, show expressions of enjoyment.
"How is it compared to the tea from Moon Pavilion?" Su Cheng raised his eyebrows at Zhu Zhuqing after pouring tea for everyone.
"Why didn't you bring it out then?" Zhu Zhuqing retorted, unwilling to admit defeat.
"This stuff is precious. I wouldn't waste it on Yu Tianheng."
"What excellent tea. This is rarely seen even in the Spirit Hall," Ning Fengzhi exclaimed after tasting it.
As an honorary elder of the Spirit Hall, he was naturally well-treated whenever he visited the Spirit City.
Not to mention, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was extremely wealthy, with countless delicacies and treasures, yet he had never tasted such fine tea.
"It's specially supplied by the Pope. I brought it specifically to honor my elders," Su Cheng chuckled.
"Not even the elders get this?"
"No."
His words didn't surprise the others. To them, it was normal for Su Cheng, given his talent and contributions, to receive special treatment.
Only Ning Fengzhi was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Su Cheng and began to ponder.
He knew Su Cheng wasn't one for ostentation. Today, bringing out such good tea and mentioning the Pope likely had other intentions.
He then thought about the results of their cultivation with the innate skills and his discussions with Chen Xin and Gu Rong about the current state of the continent, and he felt a sense of understanding.
However, besides him and Su Cheng, everyone else seemed somewhat preoccupied.
Chen Xin and Ning Rongrong were discreetly observing Zhu Zhuqing, seated on the other side.
Their casual interaction with Su Cheng had caught their attention.
Chen Xin, especially, was puzzled.
Though he was devoted to the way of the sword and had never married, he had seen many things over the years and could tell their relationship was unusual.
But he also knew about Su Cheng and Qian Renxue's relationship.
As the granddaughter of Qian Daoliu, she was evidently strong-willed and domineering, with a deep bond with Su Cheng. How could she tolerate another's presence?
Even he himself had grown to respect and bless their relationship. So, how had another suddenly appeared?
Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing herself was quite strange.
The Hell White Tiger spirit was extraordinary and had deep ties to the Star Luo Royal Family. Why would she join the Spirit Hall and become the Pope's disciple, entangled with Su Cheng? It made no sense.
The more he thought about it, the more baffled he felt. He couldn't believe that his disciple, whom he regarded almost as a son, was so unprincipled deep down.
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing was similarly troubled, not even noticing the odd looks from Chen Xin and the others.
She was puzzled by Su Cheng's close relationship with Bibi Dong.
Even drinks that the elders couldn't access were allowed by the Pope to be given to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
Why was Bibi Dong so keen on pairing her with Su Cheng, to the point of trying to separate him from Qian Renxue?
Recalling the events on the Hell Road and Bibi Dong's murmurs when she was delirious, she felt even stranger.
Even the precious tea in her hands seemed hard to swallow.
Probably, only Gu Rong was entirely focused on enjoying the tea.
"By the way, Cheng'er."
Noticing Ning Fengzhi's glance, Chen Xin recalled another matter and put thoughts about Zhu Zhuqing aside for later.
Hesitantly, he asked, "The method you taught me before, does it have more parts, or am I mistaken?"
This was why Ning Fengzhi had signaled him.
With his relationship with Su Cheng, Chen Xin could ask this without issue. If Ning Fengzhi asked, it might seem presumptuous.
"You noticed?" Su Cheng was a bit surprised.
Chen Xin was indeed different from many spirit masters, focusing not only on spirit power but also having a deep understanding of cultivation principles.
After a moment's thought, he said seriously, "Teacher, you're right. The content is incomplete.
"However, the missing part might have significant impacts and isn't useful to you, so I didn't include it.
"In fact, the innate skills have another part that can enhance bloodline purity and help improve the quality of spirits."
"What?!" Ning Fengzhi's reaction was intense. His hand trembled, spilling some tea.
But his first thought wasn't the impact of the skill, but its significance to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Cheng'er…" He stared at Su Cheng, hesitant, his eyes filled with longing.
Su Cheng understood his thoughts instantly and shook his head helplessly.
"Sect Master, it's not that I'm deliberately hiding anything. As I said, this part isn't useful to you, and that includes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"The principle of this skill to improve spirits lies in purifying the bloodline, allowing the spirit to reach its highest potential.
"But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's limit is the Spirit Saint. This is an innate limitation. Even with the purest bloodline, this reality cannot be changed.
"Only by using special methods to compensate for the spirit's flaws, as Rongrong did, can it evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"Practicing the missing part would at most allow spirit masters with lower innate spirit power to have higher-quality Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas."
"…" Ning Fengzhi was stunned, feeling as if his energy had been drained, showing a trace of despondency.
"I see…"
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing frowned, glancing at Ning Rongrong.
"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda…"
She hadn't thought of this before, but now she linked it to herself.
Just like how the Hell Civet couldn't evolve into the Hell White Tiger without obtaining the White Tiger spirit bloodline.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were fundamentally different, almost like entirely different spirits.
So, what about this Ning Rongrong?