At Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Ning Rongrong had just left the villa and was leisurely walking around the campus.
During the pre-match discussion that had just concluded, she was essentially an outsider. The tactics had already been decided without her contributing a single word.
She wasn't particularly concerned about the Soul Master Tournament.
If they weren't eliminated, she would continue to appear with the team. If they were eliminated, she would go home.
Hmm, no, actually, if that happened, she'd have to watch the matches from the stands.
She felt a little troubled. Not long ago, Ning Fengzhi had approached her, and after praising her, he gave her a task.
The task was to find a way to contact Han Li and show the goodwill of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
When Ning Rongrong heard her father's words, she felt dizzy.
She, Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was being asked by her father, the clan leader, to approach the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. If she hadn't already been almost confirmed as the next leader of the sect, she might have thought Ning Fengzhi was planning to marry her off.
She believed her father was capable of doing such a thing.
Such arrangements weren't uncommon in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Several of her brothers, who didn't have exceptional talent, were paired with the descendants of the sect elders.
Ning Rongrong walked for a while and sighed softly. Not only did she have to deal with her irritable teammates every day, but now she also had to approach the Holy Son of Spirit Hall.
Poor me, Rongrong, I'm so tired.
I never thought my small shoulders would have to bear the responsibility of the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. When will my father step down and let me take over? If I were to rebel now, Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone would probably support me, right?
As she entertained herself with this amusing idea, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Checking the time, she realized it was almost noon. Thinking about returning to face her teammates, she stopped walking.
Forget it. There's no better time than now. Instead of going back to listen to that grandmaster's nagging, I might as well go find Zhu Zhuqing to hang out.
With the passage of time and frequent interactions between the four girls—and after the visit from Skywater Academy—Han Li's residence in the business district was no longer a secret. However, not many people dared to disturb him.
I'll go find Zhuqing and meet the Holy Son of Spirit Hall at the same time. That would also count as completing my father's task.
With this thought, Ning Rongrong started walking toward the academy gates. Outside, there were always members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect waiting for her with a carriage. No one dared to interfere with her actions, as long as she didn't miss any matches.
After leaving the academy, Ning Rongrong gave her instructions to the guards, and the carriage quickly headed toward Heaven Dou City.
...
At Han Li's residence in Heaven Dou City's business district.
Han Li sat with a smile, listening as the four girls, who had just returned from a match, enthusiastically discussed the game that morning.
Seven Asura Dreamland, huh? It's indeed a decent combination skill.
As the four of them spoke, they were analyzing the formation and weaknesses of their opponents' combination skills, preparing to create a similar one for the seven members of Skywater Academy.
With Han Li's earlier explanation of Martial Soul Fusion Techniques and their firsthand experience of Canghui Academy's reversal technique, they found the idea quite appealing. Given the compatibility among the Skywater Academy members' martial souls, replicating it wasn't out of the question.
Han Li quietly listened, occasionally correcting them when their thoughts went astray. These kinds of discussions and experiments would benefit their understanding of martial souls as they aimed to attain the title of Titled Douluo, and he encouraged it.
As the girls were deep in conversation, there was a knock at the courtyard door.
Han Li scanned the area with his spiritual power and paused for a moment before looking at Zhu Zhuqing.
"Zhuqing, go open the door. I believe someone's here for you."
The person outside the courtyard was Ning Rongrong, and she appeared to be alone.
"Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing stood up, and as if something had occurred to her, a faint smile appeared on her face, causing her steps to quicken.
The other three girls paused their discussion. Shui Bing'er even spoke up, "Is it Ning Rongrong?"
"Hmm."
Han Li wasn't surprised that she had guessed it, and he casually nodded.
"At this time? Do you think she's here just to see Zhuqing, or is there something else? Maybe she's here for you?"
Shui Bing'er often discussed things with Han Li, helping him refine his plans, so she was more in the know.
"I don't know, maybe both. It doesn't matter. Whatever her purpose is, she'll reveal it sooner or later. Besides, Zhuqing seems quite happy, doesn't she?"
Han Li wasn't aware of Ning Fengzhi's actions, but he didn't care. If someone had a request, they would eventually fall into the trap he'd laid out. Even if they held back for now, it was only a matter of time.
Shui Bing'er glanced at the door but said nothing more, as at that moment, Zhu Zhuqing returned with Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong looked around curiously but didn't formally greet the others. Instead, she casually acknowledged them with a relaxed demeanor.
This was a private meeting, and she knew her true identity and background were no secret to the others. So, she didn't bother to pretend.
Ning Rongrong was naturally adept at socializing. With Zhu Zhuqing acting as a mediator, she quickly built rapport with the other girls, and soon they were chatting and laughing about recent events in the Soul Master Tournament.
Right on time, the staff brought in the meal.
Their conversation naturally shifted to the dining table.
It was only then that Ning Rongrong unabashedly turned her gaze to Han Li.
"Haven't we met before?"
At close range, Ning Rongrong's face was full of confusion.
If initially she had come with the mindset of simply completing her task, she now had to admit her curiosity played a role.
On one hand, there had always been very little information coming from Spirit Hall about Han Li, and she genuinely wanted to investigate— a habit cultivated by Ning Fengzhi from a young age.
As the future leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and with the Holy Son of their greatest potential enemy, Spirit Hall, it would be strange if she didn't feel this desire.
On the other hand, she also wanted to see for herself what kind of person this Holy Son was—the one who had quietly stolen away her close sister.
Strangely, after meeting Han Li today, she was certain that she had never met him before, but there was a sense of familiarity. Moreover, her martial soul was reacting quite oddly.
"That's impossible," Han Li said decisively, moving his left hand from the table to beneath it.
Hearing his response, Ning Rongrong awkwardly glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and the other girls, who were watching her. She forced a smile and said, "Really? Then I must have remembered wrong."
Ah, how embarrassing... They won't think I was trying to flirt, will they?
At that moment, Ning Rongrong wanted to bury her head under the table.
What she didn't know was that Han Li also breathed a sigh of relief.
He glanced down at the bracelet on his left wrist, which he had just discreetly shut off.
He had forgotten that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had a treasure-appraisal function. It was only after sensing the unusual reaction from Ning Rongrong's martial soul that he remembered.
No wonder she blocked me back then and even claimed she wanted to make me her little follower.
Han Li recalled when he had infiltrated Heaven Dou Imperial Academy under the alias Xiao Yan, encountering Qian Renxue and Ning Rongrong. He had already fooled Qian Renxue, and he hadn't said or done anything particularly odd, but Ning Rongrong had fixated on him.
At that time, he had already been wearing this storage soul tool on his hand, and she must have sensed it. So, she had her eye on the treasure, huh? Han Li found it both amusing and frustrating.
Even if it had been exposed, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but Han Li didn't want any unnecessary complications. After all, Qian Renxue had taken steps to cover things up afterward.
In situations like this, even the slightest chance had to be handled cautiously. Ning Fengzhi wasn't someone to be underestimated.
At this point, Zhu Zhuqing received Han Li's mental transmission and took the initiative to help Ning Rongrong out of her awkward situation, restoring a more relaxed atmosphere.
As the conversation continued, the topic naturally shifted to the tournament's qualification matches.
Ning Rongrong curiously asked the girls, "Are you planning to compete in the matches again?"
It wasn't that she was trying to gather information—speculations about their strength had already spread throughout Heaven Dou City, and most people had a pretty solid idea.
Zhu Zhuqing might not be the weakest among them, but the others certainly wouldn't be weaker than her.
After all, aside from Xiu'er, whose background was completely unknown, Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er's talents were well-known, and their ages were no secret. Based on their interactions, there was no reason to think they'd be weaker than Zhu Zhuqing.
"We probably won't," Zhu Zhuqing answered. They had already decided on this long ago, and it wasn't a secret.
"Then do you want to fight them again in the promotion matches?"
Ning Rongrong asked, blinking at Zhu Zhuqing.
"Huh?"
This time, not only Zhu Zhuqing but also Han Li and the others froze for a moment, looking at her with strange expressions. After all, those were her teammates she was referring to—was it appropriate to say that?
Being stared at, Ning Rongrong's face turned a little red, but she still defended herself confidently, "Just beat up Dai Mubai. Make sure it's a thorough beating. The academy has been strict lately, and last time he attacked me by mistake. I haven't had a chance to get back at him, and Grandpa Sword can't intervene either. It's infuriating."
"Come on, Zhuqing, help me out, will you?"
Ning Rongrong directly hugged Zhu Zhuqing and started acting spoiled.
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated and looked at Han Li. She had long stopped caring about her old teammates, but with Ning Rongrong making such a request, she...
Han Li, however, gave a meaningful glance at Ning Rongrong, who was still clinging to Zhu Zhuqing and smiled.
"It's up to you. If you agree, just talk it over with the other students. One match should be enough."
"If Zhuqing doesn't want to fight, I can do it. Beating people up is kind of my specialty," Dugu Yan chimed in, teasing from the side.
"Alright, I'll do it," Zhu Zhuqing said, gently pulling Ning Rongrong off her and agreeing to the request.
"Great! I knew you were the best, Zhuqing! Mwah~"
Ning Rongrong beamed with joy, hugging Zhu Zhuqing and even blowing her a kiss.
In his mind, Han Li raised his opinion of Ning Rongrong. Using a common enemy to bring people closer together was a clever tactic that, in her case, didn't come across as manipulative or off-putting.
It seems like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is starting to make their move.