In the days that followed, the Seven Treasures team continued to rigorously practice their tactics.
During this time, Zhang Erhe successfully broke through to become a Soul Douluo and, with Dugu Bo's assistance, went on to hunt for his eighth spirit ring.
Ning Tianchen had spoken to Ke Jie about him. Although the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect hadn't officially accepted him, Zhang Erhe was allowed to enter and leave the Seven Treasures Academy freely.
It was also under his guidance that Yu Die and Cai Die overcame their psychological barriers. Afterward, their tactical training progressed much more smoothly.
With Ning Tianchen no longer needing to deliberately accommodate the two sisters, he could focus more energy on coordinating with the other teammates. For a time, the tactical training began to show initial results.
One day, after Zhang Erhe finished hunting his spirit ring, he returned to the Seven Treasures Academy with Dugu Bo.
"Little one, you all talk. I'll go check on my medicinal herbs," Dugu Bo said as he quickly escorted them to the academy before heading off to his estate.
Inside the academy's reception room, Ning Tianchen asked, "How is your condition now?"
Zhang Erhe smiled confidently and patted his chest. "Thanks to Master Ning, my internal injuries have healed. After this breakthrough, I can feel that becoming a Soul Douluo isn't my limit. In the future, I'll still need your help to hunt for my ninth spirit ring."
With an innate soul power level of eight, Zhang Erhe's potential wasn't low.
However, it was a pity that he had wasted nearly twenty years of his life. While he still had the chance to break through to become a Title Douluo, he wouldn't be among the strongest of them.
Still, for Zhang Erhe, this was already the best outcome given his circumstances.
"I'll ask you again—are you sure you're capable of killing the Golden Palace Soul Douluo?" Ning Tianchen asked.
Over the past few days, he had sent people to investigate news about the Golden Palace Soul Douluo.
This person wasn't weak, possessing a soul power level of eighty-two. Moreover, he was among the younger generation of Soul Douluos in the Spirit Hall and had the potential to become a peak Soul Douluo or even achieve greater heights.
Zhang Erhe nodded solemnly. "No problem—he doesn't know I've broken through to Soul Douluo. Pretending to be weaker gives me an advantage. With that, my chances of victory are at least eighty percent."
"What about the remaining twenty percent?" Ning Tianchen pressed further.
If they decided to move against the Golden Palace Soul Douluo, they couldn't afford to leave any loose ends that might lead the Spirit Hall to their doorstep.
Zhang Erhe suddenly chuckled. "Even in the worst-case scenario, he won't escape. He's like a flower grown in a greenhouse, never having experienced the baptism of war. That twenty percent probability represents killing him at the cost of sustaining serious injuries."
It couldn't be denied that soul masters who had been tempered by the battlefield were the strongest among their peers.
Hearing this, Ning Tianchen felt reassured. "The Golden Palace Soul Douluo is currently on a mission in Balak City. He's alone—you can go find him."
"Additionally, both the Balak royal family and the Dragon Snake family have powerful Soul Douluos stationed there. There may even be hidden experts. Under no circumstances should you act within the city."
Zhang Erhe suddenly felt uneasy, his expression turning hesitant. "Master Ning… after all, I already killed his family. If I kill him too, wouldn't that be…"
Originally, he didn't think he'd find the other party so soon. When discussing it earlier, he naturally didn't feel any psychological burden.
Ning Tianchen glanced at him indifferently and said coldly, "No one is perfect. Since you've already committed such deeds, finish them cleanly. Consider the Golden Palace Soul Douluo as someone who died back when you razed his village."
To hesitate in making a decision was to invite chaos upon oneself.
In the world of Douluo Continent, clinging to moral principles would only leave one without a grave to rest in.
Take Qian Daoliu, for example. By stubbornly adhering to his sense of righteousness, he indirectly harmed Qian Renxue and brought calamity upon the entire Spirit Hall. Had he acted sooner to destroy the Hao Tian Sect or personally killed Tang Hao and his son, many subsequent troubles could have been avoided.
Indecisiveness was not an option!
For the first time, Zhang Erhe sensed such chilling killing intent from a young man.
He swallowed hard, and after some internal struggle, finally nodded in agreement. "Master Ning, don't worry. I understand that showing mercy is unacceptable."
Upon hearing this, Ning Tianchen's face broke into a faint smile, and he lightly patted Zhang Erhe's shoulder. "There's no need to rush off. Go see Yu Die and the others."
As Zhang Erhe exited the reception room, his gaze toward Ning Tianchen was filled with complex emotions.
At such a young age, he was already so resolute. In the future, he would undoubtedly grow into a formidable leader. The rise of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would be unstoppable.
---
Later that evening, after bidding farewell to his two daughters, Zhang Erhe set off on his journey to Balak City.
Of course, Ning Tianchen hadn't forced him to take action during this trip.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's information on the Golden Palace Soul Douluo was limited. Acting rashly might lead to unforeseen complications, so Zhang Erhe was instructed to observe the situation carefully before making a move.
With about half a year left until the Soul Masters Tournament, Ning Tianchen decided to stop dealing with external matters and focus entirely on cultivating his soul power.
For him, this was akin to the final semester of high school, where every effort counted. Unless it concerned major changes in the sect or political landscape, he wouldn't concern himself with anything else.
On the other side, under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, the Shrek Seven Monsters were undergoing intense training.
The original Lanba Academy had only one simulated cultivation field. However, the Shrek Seven Monsters possessed different attributes, and not everyone was suited for this particular simulated environment.
When Flender considered building a few more, he quickly gave up after seeing the exorbitant price of simulated cultivation fields and comparing it to the academy's financial records.
It was outrageously expensive!
Across the entire Tiandou Empire, only the Seven Treasures Academy and the Tiandou Imperial Academy had a full set of simulated cultivation fields.
Why did older elemental academies like the Godwind Academy only recruit students with a single attribute?
Ultimately, it came down to their inability to build multiple simulated cultivation fields. Yet, they wanted to maintain the academy's overall strength, so they could only recruit soul masters of a single attribute.
Of course, this minor difficulty couldn't stump someone as brilliant as Yu Xiaogang. He found alternative ways to push the Shrek Seven Monsters' potential, enabling them to rapidly increase their soul power in a short period.
When Huang Yuan saw the content of their training regimen, he couldn't help but gasp. "Are they crazy? This kind of training method—only madmen would attempt it."
As substitutes for the team, they weren't scheduled to train alongside the main members, sparing them from this ordeal.
Jing Ling nodded in agreement.
---
Time flew by, and four months passed. With just two months left until the start of the Soul Masters Tournament, preparations were already underway in Tiandou City. Even the Tiandou Grand Spirit Arena underwent renovations to its stages in anticipation of the event.
During this time, Ning Tianchen, aided by the simulated cultivation field and resources provided by the sect, increased his soul power by three levels, reaching level forty-eight.
At this rate, it was impossible for him to break through to Soul King before the tournament began.
The preliminary rounds, along with the rest periods and promotion matches, would last just over two months.
Once the tournament started, he would need to focus on the matches, leaving little time to cultivate his soul power in peace.
Thus, early that morning, Ning Tianchen submitted a leave request to Ke Jie. He needed to use the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well to continuously break through two more levels of soul power within the next two months.
"Go ahead. I'll personally speak to the sect leader. Your only task is to push forward with everything you've got and reach Soul King!" Ke Jie readily agreed.
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