Xiao Wu quickly picked up on the key point: Ning Rongrong didn't deny that she might be easier to win over than Zhu Zhuqing. Instead, she shifted the topic, saying that her agreement alone wouldn't matter—it would be up to her three elders to decide.
After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was a massive and powerful organization, and since Ning Rongrong was the heir, her future partner would have to marry into her family. If that were the case, they would only be allowed to have her as their wife.
Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes and stared at Rongrong with a playful but slightly dangerous expression, "So, Rongrong, you're not denying that you might be easier to win over? And I'm sure, given Su Ming's abilities, he'll find a way to convince your father and grandfathers to let him marry you—especially if you both have feelings for each other."
Having spent six years together, Xiao Wu believed she knew Su Ming's character fairly well. But even then, Su Ming remained unpredictable—he was full of hidden surprises and unknown cards.
Feeling a bit flustered under Xiao Wu's gaze, Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and decided to be open, "Okay, fine. I admit, when Su Ming stepped in and helped me, I started to like him a little. But it's not to that extent yet."
"And besides, I've said this before—if someone can help me evolve my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, I'll marry him!"
"If Su Ming can do that, I'm sure my father and grandfathers wouldn't oppose it. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda only exists in legends. No one has ever seen it, and it's my father's greatest regret. He's been stuck at the seventy-ninth level for a long time now."
Xiao Wu huffed, "Su Ming knows a lot of things, plus he has a system. I bet he could find a way to evolve your martial spirit. And don't forget, in the original story, you became a Rank 2 God. Sure, it might've been a bit overhyped, but do you know what that means?"
Ning Rongrong's heart began to race as she recalled Su Ming mentioning that she eventually became a god in the diary. Her eyes sparkled with realization, "That means my martial spirit must have evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda at some point! Only then would I have the chance to become a god!"
Now, Ning Rongrong's thoughts were swirling with excitement. When would her martial spirit evolve? Would Su Ming help her? And if he did, would she really marry him? The thought made her face flush even redder.
Meanwhile, back in his room, Su Ming had begun writing in his diary, knowing he hadn't finished his entry for the day. He wasn't concerned about Oscar or Tang San—they were hardly worth paying attention to unless absolutely necessary.
[Today's battles at the spirit arena have come to an end. I saw a variety of martial spirits and spirit abilities, which I suppose was somewhat helpful in expanding my knowledge. But in terms of improving my combat skills? Not so much. Honestly, the people I fought were too weak. They couldn't even handle a tenth of my power. Sigh.]
[When will I finally find a strong opponent to have a real fight with? Of course, that person would need to be on my side. What if they had bad intentions?]
At first, Ning Rongrong had been thinking about how Su Ming needed a strong opponent to practice against. She immediately thought of her two grandfathers, but given the current circumstances, she couldn't consider them "on his side" yet. She couldn't guarantee how her grandfathers would react if they saw Su Ming's full strength.
If Su Ming's power exceeded their expectations, and he refused to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, they might develop dangerous thoughts. After all, if Su Ming joined another faction, it could become a threat to their clan. So Ning Rongrong quickly dismissed the idea.
[As for the events in today's spirit battle, I'll just jot them down briefly. Nothing major really happened, though Zhu Zhuqing's strength has clearly improved compared to the original timeline.]
[That surprised me a little. Her third spirit ability, Ghost Slash, now has a bleeding effect—something that didn't exist in the original. This bleeding effect instantly elevates what was once a fairly average skill into a top-tier one.]
[As long as Ghost Slash can wound the opponent, Zhu Zhuqing will definitely win in a prolonged battle. This time, she actually defeated Tang San, whereas in the original, she lost.]
[One thing that puzzled me was how Tang San agreed to engage in close combat with Zhu Zhuqing at first. With his confidence in his Tang Sect techniques, he wasn't afraid of close combat. But after taking just one hit from her Ghost Slash, he chose to avoid further direct confrontation, which was odd.]
The other girls were also intrigued. Why had Tang San avoided combat instead of fighting head-on? Could it have something to do with the diary's previous rewards for Zhu Zhuqing? Both Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing smiled and nodded, "You guessed right. Fortunately, the diary gave me the ability to bypass defenses just before the spirit battle. Without it, I'm not sure if I could've defeated Tang San."
"After all, Tang San is quite skilled. His Mysterious Jade Hand and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track are formidable. But with this ability to bypass defenses, his Mysterious Jade Hand became useless. That gave my Ghost Slash the opportunity it needed. After a series of attacks, Tang San finally made a mistake, and I was able to wound him. I suppose I got lucky."
"Continuously using my spirit abilities to boost speed and attack with Ghost Slash consumed a lot of my spirit power, but thankfully, I succeeded in the end."
After speaking, Zhu Zhuqing looked pleased with herself. With this newfound ability to bypass defenses, along with the internal energy technique she'd been practicing, she now believed she could even defeat Dai Mubai.
However, there was one downside—her internal energy technique, Nine Yin Manual, was incomplete. She had the internal cultivation method but no matching martial techniques. If she had the full manual, her strength would rise even further.
Xiao Wu then asked what had been on her mind, "Zhuqing, when I saw you fighting back then, you didn't seem low on spirit power. Did the diary give you something to increase your spirit power?"
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment before deciding to share. After all, both Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were trustworthy. Rongrong had even stood up for her and nearly got hurt.
In a low voice, Zhu Zhuqing replied, "Yes, it's thanks to the diary. But it didn't give me more spirit power directly—it gave me a cultivation technique."
"It's called the Nine Yin Manual, though the version I got is incomplete and only contains the internal cultivation method. Still, it allows my spirit power to regenerate continuously."