"Collaboration... what exactly do you mean?"
Hearing Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan mention collaboration, Ning Fengzhi didn't refuse right away. Instead, his eyes gleamed with interest as he asked for more details.
"Hehe, ever since the mysterious reward-based Q&A livestream appeared, you must have realized that the future of the continent will undoubtedly see major shifts," Yue Guan said confidently. "From the current situation, it's clear that the Heaven Dou Royal Family is nowhere near as formidable as the Star Luo Empire. By supporting Heaven Dou, aren't you worried about getting caught up in future conflicts?"
Yue Guan continued, "Our Spirit Hall is far stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire, and we hold no direct conflict of interest with your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Although we also recruit auxiliary spirit masters, most still choose your sect. Based on that, we can easily ally."
"Heaven Dou can offer you benefits, but so can we—perhaps even more in the future."
Ning Fengzhi's brows furrowed at Yue Guan's words, though he wasn't too surprised.
"Are you suggesting Spirit Hall wants to conquer the continent?"
"Why not?" Yue Guan responded bluntly. "The continent will eventually be unified. Why shouldn't it be under our Spirit Hall? You must realize that keeping the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires divided harms the entire continent more than it helps."
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi fell silent.
Of course, he understood that the continuous conflict between Heaven Dou and Star Luo was detrimental compared to a unified empire. But would an alliance with Spirit Hall truly benefit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan more?
Ning Fengzhi wasn't so sure. Following Heaven Dou might seem bleak in the long term, but siding with Spirit Hall in their bid to conquer the continent—was that any better? Let's not forget that conquering the continent would essentially mean Spirit Hall going up against everyone.
The Star Luo Empire alone would be a tough nut to crack!
Sure, Spirit Hall could court the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan because they lacked a powerful auxiliary sect, and Ning Fengzhi's clan could fill that gap. But Spirit Hall wouldn't ally with everyone. For instance, the Clear Sky Clan was their sworn enemy!
After thinking for a moment, Ning Fengzhi didn't immediately agree to the alliance. Yue Guan wasn't surprised, though. After all, Ning Fengzhi was the leader of the continent's second-largest faction, not some small-time chief. Spirit Hall's offer wasn't going to make him jump with joy.
Ning Fengzhi's hesitation was expected by the Spirit Hall Pope. The whole point of this conversation was to give him a way out—a backdoor.
By offering an option, Spirit Hall hoped that when the time came, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would hesitate to fully support the Heaven Dou Empire.
Spirit Hall wanted to sow doubt. After all, they were offering an alternative.
In the original storyline, Bibi Dong would never have attempted such a strategy—pulling some factions in while keeping others at bay. Bibi Dong had been emotionally invested in Yu Xiaogang, but he had only ever taken from her, leaving behind nothing but pain.
This had darkened Bibi Dong's heart. Her ambition to lead Spirit Hall in conquering the continent was driven by a desire to destroy not just the continent, but Spirit Hall, the Qian family, and herself in the process.
But after being exposed in the livestream, Bibi Dong had seen Yu Xiaogang's true colors. She acknowledged her own emotions and redirected her feelings toward her daughter, Qian Ren Xue.
Thanks to Lin Yu's repeated emphasis that without Spirit Hall, the future of the continent under Tang San's rule would be filled with suffering, Bibi Dong felt a pang of remorse. After all, she had come from humble origins herself.
Thus, the plan to send Yue Guan to negotiate with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had been formed.
"You may doubt Spirit Hall's sincerity, but that's okay. We've brought an offer to show our good faith." Yue Guan's smile broadened. "I hear you have a daughter, Ning Rongrong, who turned seven today. Coincidentally, we have a seven-year-old genius auxiliary spirit master—Lin Yu. Since the two are the same age, why not arrange a marriage between them?"
"This is merely a gesture of goodwill. Whether or not you agree to our proposed collaboration today, we won't push the matter."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened upon hearing Lin Yu's name.
"Lin Yu?!" Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Don't be alarmed, Ning Sect Master," Yue Guan explained patiently. "He merely shares the same name as the other Lin Yu. We've already confirmed that."
Still, Ning Fengzhi's unease lingered as he glanced at Lin Yu again. Could it just be a coincidence? This Lin Yu was an innate full spirit power auxiliary spirit master with an unusual spirit ability...
According to Yue Guan, Lin Yu had already been with Spirit Hall for over a year. The other Lin Yu's first wish had been to learn about the past, present, and future of the Douluo Continent, not to gain a specific spirit. So, logically, Lin Yu couldn't be the same person.
Yet something still felt off to Ning Fengzhi.
"Sect Master, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has a rule..." Sword Douluo Chenxin, who had been silent, spoke up. He frowned at the idea of arranging Ning Rongrong's marriage to another auxiliary spirit master.
The clan's tradition was that their auxiliary spirit masters must marry powerful battle spirit masters.
Chenxin also didn't want his beloved goddaughter, Ning Rongrong, to marry someone who couldn't protect her—even if Lin Yu was a genius.
"Alright, we'll agree!" Ning Fengzhi interrupted with a sharp glint in his eye and a smile on his face.
"Sect Master!" Both Sword Douluo Chenxin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong were taken aback, looking at Ning Fengzhi in shock.
But Ning Fengzhi simply waved them off. "Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"Hehe, well then, here's to a prosperous alliance between Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!" Yue Guan smiled, somewhat surprised that Ning Fengzhi had agreed but kept to the plan.
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile as well. He didn't regret his decision.
He was an investor by nature, and every investment carried risk. But his intuition had always served him well. Years ago, he had trusted his instincts to win over Sword Douluo Chenxin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, which had led to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's rise.
And this time, he was once again putting his faith in his intuition.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu stood frozen on the side, completely baffled. What the heck just happened? How did he suddenly become Ning Rongrong's fiancé?
And why didn't anyone tell him about this beforehand?