"Ah!"
Qin Jian abruptly stepped back, instinctively pushing Ning Rongrong's petite frame aside.
"S-sorry…"
For the first time, Qin Jian looked somewhat flustered, his face tinged with an uncharacteristic redness. "I got a little too carried away…"
"Oh…"
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, not daring to look at him. Flustered, she quickly burrowed under the covers.
Watching her cocoon herself tightly in the blanket, Qin Jian couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.
He understood himself better than anyone—this wasn't mere excitement. It was a lingering side effect of his condition, a gnawing hunger born of long isolation.
Though he had regained human form, his existence as a soul beast for a hundred thousand years had magnified his instincts. The incident with Xiao Wu during his early transformation had only exacerbated it.
That night… what had happened was beyond words.
He wondered if Xiao Wu had fully recovered by now.
Switching off the lamp, Qin Jian settled into the bed, his gaze glimmering in the dark with fragments of memory.
"Xiao Wu should still be at the primary academy. I wonder… has she met Tang San yet?"
The next day, when Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo arrived to check on them, they were met with an astonishing sight.
Ning Rongrong had transformed overnight. Gone was her capricious, spoiled demeanor; instead, she was calm, obedient, and composed.
That day's trek over mountains and valleys was completed without a single complaint. She followed Qin Jian's instructions without question, and by midday, they reached their resting point.
"This…"
Ning Fengzhi stared at Ning Rongrong, who seemed like an entirely different person. "What happened last night? How is Rongrong so well-behaved today?"
Sword Douluo speculated, "Perhaps she has resigned herself to her situation, or maybe Jian convinced her."
Ning Fengzhi nodded thoughtfully. "That does seem plausible. Let's hope she can keep this up…"
Over the following six months, regardless of the terrain—mountains or rivers, deserts or glaciers, oceans or forests—Ning Rongrong persevered.
No matter the weather—raging storms, crackling thunder, blazing heat, or bone-chilling cold—she held Qin Jian's hand and pressed forward.
"They… seem different," Ning Fengzhi remarked one day, finally noticing something unusual. "With Rongrong's pampered nature, how is she enduring such grueling conditions? Could it be… the two of them have developed feelings for each other?"
Sword Douluo blinked. "It's possible…"
"What do you think, Uncle Sword? If the two were to truly… be together, would that be acceptable?"
Ning Fengzhi's expression was hard to read as he rested both hands on his cane.
Sword Douluo chuckled. "I wouldn't overthink it, Sect Master. Let nature take its course. At the very least, I can vouch for Jian's character—it's impeccable."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Your judgment is one I trust without question."
"The coming months will be even tougher," Ning Fengzhi added. "I hope they can endure until the final trial. It's been nearly a century since anyone from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect made it to the end. Perhaps they'll create a miracle, even if it's fueled by emotions."
Sword Douluo pondered for a moment before asking, "Sect Master, when was the last time a team completed the final trial?"
Ning Fengzhi hesitated briefly before replying, "The records indicate it was over a thousand years ago…"
Turning to Sword Douluo, his eyes narrowed. "Uncle Sword, do you believe those two can make it?"
"Who can say…"
Sword Douluo wasn't certain about Ning Rongrong's limits, but he had unwavering faith in Qin Jian.
Over the next six months, the conditions within the Simulation Training Ground grew increasingly hostile. Yet, Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong continued to press on hand in hand.
Through scorching deserts under blazing suns and volcanic eruptions, they staggered on, drenched in sweat but undeterred.
Across turbulent oceans, they braved roaring winds and crashing waves, navigating to distant shores on makeshift rafts.
In trembling forests wracked by earthquakes, they leapt nimbly across cracked and shifting earth, avoiding danger at every turn.
Through floods and avalanches, they never faltered, always pushing through.
No matter how exhausted, battered, or disheveled they were, they always made it to safety—the warmth of their tent serving as their haven.
Unbeknownst to them, these shared trials forged an unshakable bond of trust and understanding.
By the ninth month, most of the other pairs had been eliminated.
By the tenth month, only five or six pairs remained.
By the twelfth month, only Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong were left.
Their progress became the focus of the entire sect. High-ranking elders observed closely, while ordinary sect members stopped by, curious to see how far the pair could go.
When the final day of the year-long trial arrived, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was abuzz. Everyone gathered outside the Simulation Training Ground, eager to witness history.
It had been a century since anyone had come this far. Could Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong overcome the final trial?
That day, the Simulation Training Ground expanded into a thousand-mile-wide area, encompassing every conceivable terrain—deserts, forests, mountains, glaciers, and oceans.
Natural disasters struck with terrifying frequency.
"If the regular challenges are a difficulty level of 1," Ning Fengzhi said gravely, "this final trial is a level 10."
Standing behind him, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo kept their eyes locked on the scene.
"I recall an ancient sect rule…" Bone Douluo murmured. "If a pair clears the final trial, they are bound as lifelong partners and cannot pair with anyone else."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "That is indeed the rule."
Sword Douluo pointed ahead. "Look, it's starting."
Earthquakes couldn't stop them.
Tsunamis couldn't delay them.
Through floods, they laughed and pressed on.
In raging winds, they charged forward, undeterred.
As long as they held hands, it seemed nothing in the world could frighten them.
The crowd outside grew increasingly excited. By dusk, Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong were mere moments away from victory.
Yet, Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluos grew even more tense.
"If the earlier challenges were a level 10," Ning Fengzhi said solemnly, "then this final trial is a level 100."
He turned to the two Douluos. "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone—if anything goes wrong, be ready to intervene immediately!"
The two Titled Douluos nodded grimly.
Before Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong stood a towering snow-capped mountain, thousands of feet high.
Without hesitation, they began their ascent.
But as they reached the halfway point, the mountain roared to life.
A colossal avalanche, the likes of which they'd never seen, thundered down, swallowing the entire peak.
"Ah!"
Cries of alarm erupted from the crowd outside.
Within, Qin Jian tightened his grip on Ning Rongrong's hand. "Are you afraid?"
Her small frame trembled, but she looked up to meet his warm gaze. "No."
"Then let's face it together," Qin Jian said with a smile. "Let's see what this avalanche can really do!"
With that, they charged headlong into the sea of snow.
"Come on!"
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