As Ning Tian had predicted, that very night, Tang Hao descended upon the underground casino. He unleashed his wrath, annihilating everyone including Dao Ge.
The next morning, gamblers arrived to find the casino reduced to rubble, and the news spread like wildfire.
Yu Xiaogang, busy buying rations in the bustling market for his planned trip to Martial Soul City, overheard the commotion. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. With the casino destroyed, there was no need to make the journey.
The loan scandal faded away, and Nuoding City settled back into its usual peace.
Ning Tian wasn't the type to stir trouble for no reason. His earlier schemes except for the one targeting Yu Xiaogang had been practical solutions to his own problems, with a bit of chaos as a bonus. Now, with everything he needed, he saw no point in wasting time on distractions.
And so, he threw himself into a fulfilling routine: grueling physical training at dawn, classes in the morning, soul power meditation during breaks, sword practice with Zhu Qing in the academy's backwoods grove in the afternoon, reading in the evening, and more meditation at night. Balancing academics and swordsmanship cut into his soul power cultivation time compared to his days in Emperor Soul Village, but every moment felt meaningful.
This shift gave Tang Hao—Ning Tian's unwitting 'battery' a much needed break. Had Ning Tian kept pushing himself at that reckless pace, Tang Hao might not have survived a few more years.
Under Zhu Qing's teaching, Ning Tian mastered her sword techniques in no time, even surpassing her. Though her family's style leaned heavily on soul skills, it was a solid foundation. Later, he sought out other instructors for practical combat training.
Xiao Wu tried to challenge him a few times, but failed every time.
Before he knew it, the academic year was nearing its end.
Through relentless effort, Ning Tian's soul power finally hit Level 10.
"XiaoTian, you're a real genius. Reaching Level 10 so fast, even the academy's two innate full soul power students couldn't keep up," Zhu Qing said, kneading his soft, fair cheeks with a proud smile.
She'd started calling him "Xiao Tian" after taking him as her disciple, though he wasn't thrilled about it. It reminded him of someone distasteful.
Blushing under her warmth and fragrance, he mumbled, "Teacher, just call me Ning Tian or Little six, like the villagers did."
"Oh, he's blushing! Our little Tian's shy!" Zhu Qing teased, rubbing his cheeks even harder.
After a while, she let go and asked seriously, "Xiao Tian, have you decided what kind of soul ring you want for your first martial soul?"
Without missing a beat, Ning Tian replied, "I've been thinking about it for a while. My martial soul's a sword with wood attributes, so I'm aiming for a plant type soul beast." So far, he hadn't sensed any lightning traits in his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, let alone the Evil Repelling Divine Lightning that could counter dark arts.
That lightning, with its devastating power, would be a game changer against evil martial souls, soul skills, or even domains like the Godslayer Domain.
"Can you tell me why?" Zhu Qing asked, tilting her head.
"Over the past year, I've read the books you gave me and dug through the academy library. I figured out that strengthening a martial soul is all about energy. Absorbing energy that matches its attributes can trigger evolution. Mismatched energy, though, risks soul ring rejection—like a plant type martial soul taking an animal type ring. That's why plant type soul masters rarely go for animal rings."
Ning Tian rambled on, pulling theories from his past life to convince Zhu Qing to let him chase a higher year soul ring. With his God Level Side Effect System, he could shrug off any downsides.
When he finished, Zhu Qing stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing. We'll go with your plan," she said, shaking her head. It hit her then—she'd taken in an extraordinary disciple. Not only had he outdone her in swordsmanship in record time, but his grasp of soul master theory was groundbreaking. Compared to him, Yu Xiaogang, the 'Master' who'd driven his own disciple to high-interest loans, was a laughing stock.
All she could do now was help him hunt soul rings.
"Alright, Teacher. When do we leave?" Ning Tian asked.
"The academy's annual soul ring hunt is in a few days, but the sooner the better. We'll head out tomorrow morning after we inform the dean."
Soon, they reached the dean's office, where Yu Xiaogang was sipping tea with Dean Jeno, boasting about Tang San and his theories as usual.
"Vice dean Zhu Qing, what brings you here?" Jeno asked.
Zhu Qing shot Yu Xiaogang a disgusted look before replying, "Dean, my disciple Ning Tian's hit Level 10. I'm taking him to the Soul Hunting Forest for his first soul ring."
"Level 10 already? You've got a fine disciple there, vice dean Zhu Qing," Jeno said, impressed.
Everyone knew Zhu Qing had taken Ning Tian under her wing, though many had questioned why a talented soul master under thirty, with a bright future, would pick someone with just half level innate soul power. Hard work couldn't bridge that gap or so they'd thought.
Now, with Ning Tian reaching Level 10 in a single year, the skeptics were silenced.
Yu Xiaogang glanced over, curious.
"It's all his own effort," Zhu Qing said modestly. "Well, Dean, if there's nothing else, we'll be off. Xiao Tian, let's go."
Eager to avoid Yu Xiaogang, she said her goodbyes and left with Ning Tian.
Once they were gone, Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Dean, I remember that kid only had half-level innate soul power. How'd he reach Level 10 so fast?"
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