At the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi had also received the same news. However, unlike Tang Hao, he neither felt any concern nor regret—just a tinge of wistfulness.
"I really didn't expect this. Just recently, I declined Nan Tianchen's marriage proposal, and now, Lan Xue has broken through. What an unexpected turn of events." Ning Fengzhi chuckled wryly.
"Hmph, so what? She's just a newly ascended Titled Douluo," Bone Douluo scoffed. "A Titled Douluo like her, I could defeat in thirty moves. Give me a hundred, and I could kill her."
His confidence was justified. At rank ninety-five, Bone Douluo was on the threshold of becoming a Super Douluo. From this level onward, the difference between ranks became unimaginably vast. Not to mention that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had another, even stronger, powerhouse—Dustless Sword Douluo, who had reached rank ninety-six.
"Besides, just because the mother is outstanding doesn't mean the son will be. I've heard Nan Feihuang only has innate spirit power of level eight. Sure, there's a slim chance he could break through to Titled Douluo in the future, but becoming a Super Douluo is nearly impossible. And do you really think these pampered noble princes have the discipline to cultivate diligently? Didn't Nan Tianchen just bring in a batch of new concubines? Like father, like son. Such a man is unworthy of our Rongrong."
"Uncle Bone, that level-eight innate spirit power was information released by the Gulei royal family themselves. It's possible his true talent is higher—perhaps even innate level-nine or full spirit power," Ning Fengzhi speculated.
It wasn't uncommon for royal families to hide the true potential of their heirs.
"But it's also possible that he's only innate level five or six, isn't it?" Sword Douluo countered.
Nan Feihuang carried heavy expectations, and it was indeed plausible that his potential had been concealed to protect him. However, there was also the possibility that his talent was mediocre, and the royal family exaggerated his abilities to foster alliances with other powerful forces.
With the wealth of resources available to royalty, early cultivation progress could be artificially accelerated. Even someone with innate half-level spirit power, like Yu Xiaogang, had been nurtured to rank twenty-nine by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. As long as someone had innate spirit power of level five or six, with enough resources, they could exhibit a cultivation speed on par with the prodigies who participated in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. Only in the later stages would the discrepancy become apparent.
When the inevitable slowdown occurred, it could be conveniently attributed to bad luck or circumstances. By then, Nan Feihuang would likely already be king, and he wouldn't need to take the field himself—just as Snow Night Emperor rarely did now.
Ning Fengzhi nodded. Indeed, it could go either way—there was little point in dwelling on it now.
"Never mind. Besides, with Rongrong's temperament, she probably wouldn't want to be a queen anyway," Ning Fengzhi said, waving his hand dismissively. Since he had already declined the proposal, he wouldn't reverse his decision just because they had gained a Titled Douluo.
Amid the varied reactions from the major forces, a month quickly passed.
It was the most eventful month Nan Feihuang had ever witnessed in the royal palace.
Visitors from all over arrived one after another. It had to be said—being a Titled Douluo really did come with tremendous respect.
With the assistance of the soul master legions and numerous high-ranking spirit masters, Lan Xue had successfully returned after hunting her ninth spirit ring.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
But that was expected. Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were incredibly rare and powerful, not something one could easily come across. Still, her ninth spirit ring, at eighty thousand years, was impressive even among Titled Douluo.
Even luckier, Lan Xue had obtained a soul bone—a left arm soul bone of eighty thousand years, an absolute treasure far superior to the three soul bones that had appeared in the original Spirit Master Tournament.
The issue, however, was that this soul bone had appeared in front of numerous witnesses. Lan Xue had no choice but to absorb it on the spot.
Had it been possible, she would have saved it for Nan Feihuang. But if she had openly forgone absorption, everyone would have known her intent to gift it to her son.
With Nan Feihuang still too weak, he wouldn't be able to protect such a treasure.
The phrase "A man's wealth is his ruin" came to mind.
Unless Nan Feihuang stayed home permanently, he would face great danger the moment he stepped outside. An eighty-thousand-year soul bone was enough to drive many desperados mad, willing to ignore the deterrent power of the Gulei Kingdom and its Titled Douluo protector.
By absorbing it herself, there were no such worries. Who would dare steal a treasure from a Titled Douluo?
Moreover, Lan Xue wasn't just any ordinary Titled Douluo. The public assumed that she had just broken through to rank ninety, with her new spirit ring bringing her to rank ninety-one.
In reality, she had reached the peak of rank ninety-three, nearing ninety-four.
Two Ice Soul Pills, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, plus the eighty-thousand-year spirit ring and soul bone had propelled her power forward drastically.
And this wasn't even the full effect of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. Lan Xue's age limited her ability to fully absorb its medicinal properties. If she had been younger, the benefits would have been even greater.
Soon after her return, Xue Qinghe, accompanied by Xue Ke, arrived at the Gulei Kingdom's royal palace right on schedule.
"Uncle Nan, greetings! Greetings to Her Excellency the Douluo!" Xue Qinghe greeted Nan Tianchen and Lan Xue with respect. "I've been sent by my father, His Majesty, to offer our congratulations to Her Excellency on her successful breakthrough to Titled Douluo."
He didn't need to bow to Nan Tianchen or address him as "Your Majesty" since, as the Crown Prince of an empire, his status was higher than that of a mere kingdom's ruler.
The Gulei Kingdom's land was no larger than one of the provinces of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Given their status as future in-laws, addressing Nan Tianchen as "Uncle" was quite polite. But Lan Xue was different.
The title "Her Excellency the Douluo" was on par with addressing a sovereign ruler.
This meant that Lan Xue could now stand as an equal to the Snow Night Emperor himself.
Such was the power and prestige of a Titled Douluo—the highest rank on the continent!
"Crown Prince, you are too kind. Please convey my thanks to His Majesty," Lan Xue replied, maintaining her usual demeanor, without any airs despite her newfound title.
After all, they were soon to be in-laws. It was important to maintain a good relationship.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency. Oh, and allow me to introduce you to my younger sister, Xue Ke," Xue Qinghe said, stepping aside to reveal a soft and adorable little girl behind him.
With silver hair and a cute face, Xue Ke appeared even younger than Nan Feihuang, yet her noble demeanor surpassed his.
"Greetings, Uncle Nan. Greetings, Your Excellency," Xue Ke said gracefully, giving a perfect curtsy, her every movement radiating the elegance of nobility.
Lan Xue's eyes lit up. So, this was her son's future wife.
Even without considering her talent for cultivation, Xue Ke's noble bearing was truly remarkable. It was clear she had received specialized training.
Indeed, Xue Ke had been sent by the Snow Night Emperor to the most prestigious etiquette school in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Moon Pavilion, under the tutelage of Tang Yuehua since the age of four.
Her cultivation talent wasn't great. She had only awakened a Swan martial spirit not long ago, with an innate spirit power of level three. But the Snow Night Emperor had used every means to refine her manners and increase her appeal, adding at least a little weight to the alliance through marriage.
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