"However, among the rewards for the Soul Masters Tournament, there's also a fifty-thousand-year head bone. Rongrong shouldn't rush to absorb this one—there might be something better in the future," Ning Tianchen added.
He had two martial souls. Once his Seven Kill Sword broke through to nine rings, the soul ring years of his second martial soul would certainly not be low. In the future, he wouldn't lack soul bones either.
If he absorbed a soul bone with a lower year count now, and a higher-quality one came along later, he'd have to give it up.
Gu Rong laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you really know how to calculate."
Ning Fengzhi patted Ning Tianchen's shoulder and chuckled, "How about this? This twenty-thousand-year gemstone-type head bone—I'll consider it your betrothal gift to Rongrong, alright?"
Instantly, Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, unable to meet Ning Tianchen's gaze.
Ning Tianchen scratched his head. "Uncle Ning, there will definitely be better things in the future. The value of this twenty-thousand-year soul bone might not be enough."
Ning Fengzhi was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.
Gu Rong grumbled, "Are you trying to drain Old Sword Man of all his savings from the past few years? But honestly, what you're saying shows some ambition—I approve of you."
Then, he turned to Ning Fengzhi, "Fengzhi, since Tianchen has offered such a high betrothal gift, shouldn't you show your appreciation?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile.
They were still young and far from discussing marriage—it wasn't urgent for now.
"By the way, Uncle Ning, there's one more important matter," Ning Tianchen said, pulling out the hidden weapon blueprints.
Ning Fengzhi took them, glanced through briefly, and his expression suddenly changed. His tone became quieter as he asked, "This is... the blueprint for hidden weapons?"
He finally understood why Ning Tianchen had deliberately staged the scene as a robbery.
So, the robber wasn't Shi Nian—it was him.
With the blueprints in hand, they could now decide completely on their own how many hidden weapons to produce in the future.
This truly resolved the pressing issue for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
This time, Ning Tianchen's contribution was immense, and Ning Fengzhi didn't know how to reward him.
Ning Tianchen continued, "Uncle Ning, the attack range of these hidden weapons is only fifty meters. If the distance is too great, the arrows lose their power. With the blueprints, the sect can try producing some as a backup in case of emergencies."
"As for the new type of weapon I've envisioned, it can reach at least three hundred meters. So, for now, it's best not to mass-produce hidden weapons."
"Bad news, Fengzhi!" Gu Rong suddenly remembered the severity of the situation. "If Tang San is Tang Hao's son, we've never purchased large quantities of hidden weapons from him before. If we suddenly start using them, won't that expose us?"
"What? Tang San is Tang Hao's son?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise.
Ning Tianchen pretended to be puzzled. "Grandpa Gu, did you fight Tang Hao outside the city?"
Gu Rong nodded and recounted the details of what happened.
"Tang San's father is indeed named Tang Hao—I've heard him say so before. Now it seems, this Tang Hao is the Hao Tian Douluo," Ning Tianchen pretended to realize.
Gu Rong snorted angrily, "In the past, the Hao Tian Sect bullied the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect quite a bit. Hmph, so what if he's Tang Hao's son—we won't go easy on him."
Ning Fengzhi interrupted, "Enough. Tianchen, Rongrong, focus on the Soul Masters Tournament for now. Other matters don't require your involvement at this time."
"Don't breathe a word about today's events—not even a single word. Especially the fact that you both possess soul bones!"
"Understood, blah blah blah." Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue, pulled Ning Tianchen, and hopped back to the rest area.
After they left, Gu Rong continued, "Fengzhi, Tang Hao's strength isn't on par with Old Sword. Why don't we... take care of both father and son?"
As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "The continent has been peaceful for too long, but beneath the surface, the undercurrents have already begun to stir. Though the alliance of the Three Great Sects has become history, when necessary, our three families must still unite to deal with the Spirit Hall."
Gu Rong grimaced and said leisurely, "You're just too merciful. Tianchen and Rongrong don't get along well with Tang San. It's best to resolve this trouble early and eliminate any future threats."
---
After the announcement regarding Canghui Academy's punishment concluded, Tang San immediately got up to leave the city and retrieve his hidden weapons.
"Xiao San, you've just regained consciousness. If you don't rest properly, you might suffer from aftereffects," Flender tried to stop him.
Tang San paid no heed to this and said, "Principal, I'm fine. After I retrieve my belongings, I'll return to the academy to rest—it won't make a difference."
Flender wanted to persuade him further but saw Tang San's resolute attitude.
Sighing, he said, "Then I'll accompany you."
"Principal, Teacher accompanying me is enough. You continue observing other teams' matches."
With a Soul Sage's mental strength, a glance at the hidden weapon blueprints would allow them to remember most of the content.
Tang San didn't want the blueprints to leak—how could he let Flender come along?
"Rest assured, I'll follow Xiao San, and nothing will happen."
Yu Xiaogang patted Flender's shoulder and left the rest area with Tang San.
Watching this, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Isn't Third Brother's father always protecting him? How could Shi Nian have succeeded?"
On the way, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but ask, "Xiao San, where is your father?"
Tang San furrowed his brow.
Before leaving, Tang Hao had told him that he would remain hidden within Tiandou City.
When Shi Nian acted, Tang Hao should have noticed.
"Father must have left for something." Shaking his head, Tang San didn't think much of it.
Not long after, the two arrived at the "robbery scene."
The area was guarded by soldiers of the Tiandou Empire. Upon seeing Tang San's arrival, the soldiers withdrew.
On the ground, various hidden weapons were scattered everywhere.
Some were only slightly damaged, while others had been violently destroyed.
After a brief inspection of the scene, Yu Xiaogang analyzed, "It seems that Shi Nian retrieved items from your soul-guided device, found them worthless, and in anger, destroyed your hidden weapons."
Tang San nodded, not denying Yu Xiaogang's speculation.
He bent down and began collecting the hidden weapons from the ground.
Those undamaged were counted and directly stored in the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight. The damaged ones were placed nearby, and he searched for their broken parts in the vicinity.
About two hours later, Tang San finished checking everything here.
Among the missing hidden weapon blueprints, all had been deliberately torn apart, and the paper fragments were scattered throughout the nearby woods.
Tang San retrieved them and pieced them together roughly, discovering that nothing was missing. Even the number of hidden weapons matched perfectly.
Seeing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As the sun began to set, Tang San leaned against a tree trunk nearby, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
His mind began to ponder.
"Did Dugu Bo see the hidden weapon blueprints?"
With the mental strength of a Title Douluo, a single glance would allow him to memorize the contents of the blueprints.
After Shi Nian erased the mental imprint on the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight, did Dugu Bo inspect the contents of his soul-guided device?
Seeing his somber expression, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but ask, "Xiao San, are there any missing items?"
"Dugu Bo is, after all, a Title Douluo. I doubt he'd take your things."
After a moment of thought, Tang San felt reassured.
A Soul Ancestor's personal belongings weren't enough to tempt a Title Douluo.
As for the hidden weapons, Dugu Bo had never seen them before—even if he'd glimpsed the blueprints, he probably wouldn't take them seriously.
Standing up, Tang San stretched his body, then asked, "Teacher, our opponent the day after tomorrow is the Blazing Team. I have an idea for dealing with them—do you think it's feasible?"
Yu Xiaogang smiled, "Xiao San, let's discuss tactics after we return. Tomorrow's opponent is Canghui Academy, so we can rest for a day. Your body still needs plenty of rest."
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