Chapter 2: Questioning Ning Fengzhi
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
In the reception hall, Ning Fengzhi was in discussion with the two elders, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, when suddenly, a crisp "ding" echoed in his ears.
[Question...]
The moment he heard that voice, Ning Fengzhi immediately realized that he had been selected for the Q&A and would have to answer a question.
For nearly six years now, the Random Q&A had occurred dozens of times. People had gone from initial shock to treating it as a regular occurrence. Since the selection process was completely random, anyone could be chosen at any time. Ning Fengzhi had mentally prepared himself for this moment long ago. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly focused on reading the question.
However, the moment he saw the question clearly, his eyes lit up with excitement, and even his breathing grew heavy.
[Question: Who successfully broke the fate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda never surpassing Rank 80 Contra and evolved their Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Option 1: Ning Fengzhi.
Option 2: Ning Rongrong.
Option 3: Tang San.
Option 4: Ye Cheng.
Option 5: None of the above.
Correct answer: Martial Soul evolves into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
Incorrect answer: Lose nine levels of soul power!]
"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda... the legendary Martial Soul of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Someone in the future actually managed to awaken it?" Ning Fengzhi was stunned after reading the question, murmuring to himself in disbelief.
At this moment, the livestream chatroom was already filling up with viewers.
Representatives from various factions were present Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Star Luo Imperial Family, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and even the long hidden Clear Sky Clan. Most of them were merely watching without commenting.
Lines of bullet comments flashed across the screen:
[Didn't expect Sect Master Ning to be the one chosen for this round.]
[Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda… Does this mean the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can actually evolve into this legendary form?]
[Among the four named choices, two are completely unfamiliar. So the correct answer is likely between the first two. The first is Sect Master Ning himself, and the second is his most talented daughter. Which one should he choose?]
[I think it's probably Ning Rongrong. Her innate soul power is at Rank 9, which is incredibly rare among support type Martial Souls! Her future potential is immeasurable!]
[That makes sense...]
The bullet comments were anonymous, so no one could tell who was posting them.
It's worth noting that while all beings soul masters, soul beasts, and even ordinary people were pulled into the livestream chatroom, only those with soul power could send messages. Ordinary people could only watch and listen.
However, if the Q&A was an open session where anyone could answer, then even ordinary people had a chance to participate. There had been one such instance where a regular person managed to answer correctly.
That lucky individual received a reward: their useless Martial Soul evolved into a top tier Martial Soul and gained innate full soul power!
From a powerless commoner, they skyrocketed into a rising star in the soul master world an instant ascension to greatness.
Because of this, countless ordinary people and low level soul masters desperately wished to be selected for the Q&A or to successfully answer an open question, hoping to win a fate altering reward.
On the other hand, soul beasts had to possess human level intelligence to participate in discussions. Even if they remained in beast form, as long as their intellect was equal to that of a human, they could speak. However, pure wild beasts couldn't.
...
Ning Fengzhi ignored the bullet comments and instead focused entirely on analyzing the five answer choices. He had to determine the correct one.
If he answered correctly, his reward would be the evolution of his Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
This was the dream of countless predecessors of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Now that the opportunity was right before him, how could he not be excited?
Of course, the consequences of answering incorrectly were severe. Losing nine levels of soul power would cost him years of cultivation effort.
So he had to be extremely cautious!
"Among the five answers, aside from the last option, the first four include myself, Rongrong, and two names I don't recognize Tang San and Ye Cheng..." Ning Fengzhi furrowed his brows, analyzing the options rapidly. But with so little information, he couldn't draw a definitive conclusion.
As the countdown for answering approached its end, he had no choice but to make the most reasonable selection based on what he knew.
"I choose Option 2, Ning Rongrong!" he declared firmly after taking a deep breath.
The moment he spoke his answer, the livestream fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, the voice spoke again.
[Incorrect answer! Punishment: Lose nine levels of soul power!]
As soon as the words fell, Ning Fengzhi staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo caught him in time, saving him from embarrassing himself in front of countless spectators.
The punishment came without warning silent and seamless.
Ning Fengzhi instantly felt his soul power drop by nine levels, from Rank 79 to Rank 70. Thankfully, he hadn't fallen below Soul Sage; otherwise, it would have been an even greater disaster.
But at this moment, he wasn't concerned about his lost soul power. What truly shocked him was that his answer was wrong. Did this mean the correct answer was Option 1? Was he the one who would evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Meanwhile, the viewers in the livestream were equally puzzled. Bullet comments flooded in.
[Wait, what? It's not Ning Rongrong? Then who? One of the unknown names? Or was it Option 5: None of the above?]
[Damn, losing nine levels of soul power! That's a massive loss for Sect Master Ning!]
[So who is the correct answer?]
[I can't figure it out...]
[No need to panic. The livestream should start playing the answer footage soon.]
[Every time someone answers, right or wrong, the livestream always reveals the correct answer. We'll know the truth soon enough...]
After a series of comments, the livestream fell silent for a moment before responding.
[Question: Who successfully broke the fate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda never surpassing Rank 80 Contra and evolved their Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Correct Answer Option 4: Ye Cheng.]
As soon as the answer was revealed, reactions varied among the spectators. But Ning Fengzhi himself was utterly confused.
Who was Ye Cheng?
Was he an external disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
As one of the oldest clans in the continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had a long history. Over such an extended period, intermarriages had occurred multiple times. It wasn't impossible for some descendants to inherit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.
But if that were the case, wasn't he just incredibly unlucky?
Who could have guessed this answer?
[Would you like to play the related video?]
This prompt was directed at Ning Fengzhi, as he was the one who had answered the question. He could choose to play the video or not, but if he chose not to, there would be no future opportunity to watch it again.
Out of curiosity and a desire to understand how he had lost, Ning Fengzhi chose to confirm.
The livestream video blurred for a moment before shifting to a new scene.
The first shot was a panoramic view of a bustling town. As the camera zoomed in, the city gate and the plaque above it became visible Baiyun City!
This sequence of images made it clear to everyone that the protagonist of this video was in Baiyun City.
"Baiyun City?" Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly. He seemed to recall something about it. If he wasn't mistaken, that city had been destroyed about twenty years ago.
So this video was showing an event from the past. He came to a realization and continued watching intently…
The scene transitioned swiftly through Baiyun City before settling on the City Lord's Mansion, a vast complex of buildings. Above the grand entrance hung a plaque with two large characters Ye Residence.
Ning Fengzhi still had no impression of it.
The video moved inside the Ye Residence and into a grand hall.
Inside, a large group of people was gathered, some seated, some standing. At the center sat a beautiful woman, looking to be in her early thirties. Her long black hair cascaded down like silk, and her white robes were as pure as snow. She exuded an aura of warmth and quiet determination.
"This is…!"
Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted sharply, as if struck by lightning. He finally recognized who she was.
At the same time, the video showed a group of children gathered in the hall.
They were undergoing their Martial Soul Awakening!
One by one, the children stepped into the awakening formation. Each of them awakened a sword type Martial Soul.
These swords had jade white hilts, and their blades were as translucent as crystal, appearing more like exquisite works of art than weapons.
This sword Martial Soul was called the Flying Rainbow Sword!
Children who awakened this Flying Rainbow Sword had innate soul power ranging from Rank 2 to Rank 6 at best.
Before long, only one child remained.
He had thick, jet black hair and delicate, refined features. Though a boy, his appearance was exceptionally beautiful.
However, as the livestream audience watched, many of them felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
[Does anyone else think this child looks familiar?]
[Yeah, he seems really familiar.]
[Who does he look like?]
[You idiot! He looks just like Sect Master Ning!]
[Could it be that this child is related to Sect Master Ning?]
[Probably an illegitimate child or something. After all, men will be men… I've heard rumors about Sect Master Ning's wild youth…]
Ning Fengzhi had no time to pay attention to the teasing comments in the livestream chat. His eyes were fixed on the boy in the video, and as he recalled past events, he couldn't deny it anymore this child was undoubtedly his illegitimate son.
The video continued.
The boy stepped into the awakening formation, and as the light illuminated him, what appeared in his hands was not the Ye family's inherited Flying Rainbow Sword, but instead a seven tiered pagoda made of what seemed to be glazed crystal.
It was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
[As expected! A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! This child definitely has ties to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!]
[I'm guessing his innate soul power must be at least Rank 8 or 9…]
The video progressed.
Seeing that his Martial Soul was a small pagoda instead of a sword, the boy was visibly shocked. A moment later, a look of disgust flashed across his face clearly, he wasn't pleased with it.
Meanwhile, the beautiful woman at the center of the hall showed no surprise at all. She simply sighed softly before gesturing for his innate soul power to be tested.
The boy placed his hand on the crystal ball.
Immediately, the entire crystal ball shone with an intense light!
That light meant
[Innate full soul power!!]
[Unbelievable! A support type Martial Soul with innate full soul power? This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing!]
[As far as I know, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has never produced someone with innate full soul power before!]
[The highest recorded was Ning Rongrong with Rank 9 soul power.]
[Looks like this child is the answer Ye Cheng.]
Ning Fengzhi clenched his fists as he watched. With this unprecedented innate full soul power, he was now completely convinced this child would one day break the curse of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda never surpassing Contra level and evolve it into the legendary Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
The video continued.
The Martial Soul Awakening and soul power test were over.
The boy, who had awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, was called into a private room by his mother.
Once inside, he mysteriously extended his other hand, revealing a hidden secret to his mother.
A dazzling white light shone, and a long sword with a white jade hilt and a crystal clear blade appeared it was none other than the Ye family's inherited Flying Rainbow Sword!
At that moment, the livestream chat exploded.
[Twin Martial Souls! My god, he has Twin Martial Souls!]
[This is unbelievable!]
[He possesses the world's strongest support type Martial Soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, AND an incredibly powerful offensive sword Martial Soul! A perfect balance of attack and support!]
[I can't even begin to imagine what heights this child will reach in the future!]
When Ning Fengzhi saw that the boy his son was a Twin Martial Soul wielder, he finally understood.
Now, it made perfect sense why he would one day evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the legendary Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. With Twin Martial Souls, this was no longer impossible.
The video continued playing.
Not long after Ye Cheng's awakening, one fateful night, flames suddenly engulfed Baiyun City. Chaos erupted as screams and shouts of rage filled the air.
As the video progressed, everyone finally understood what had happened
The Ye family's arch enemies, the Wang family, had joined forces with other clans to launch a surprise attack on Baiyun City in the middle of the night, aiming to annihilate the Ye family!
Caught off guard and vastly outnumbered, the Ye family was quickly overwhelmed…
Meanwhile, the young boy, who had been asleep, awoke to the sound of chaos.
Before he could react, his mother burst into his room, picked him up, and carried him to a hidden underground passage. She gave him hurried instructions before sealing the entrance behind him.
Trapped in the tunnel, the terrified boy had no idea what was happening.
He had no choice but to follow his mother's orders, fleeing through the underground passage, growing farther and farther away from Baiyun City.
The video jumped forward, skipping many details.
Several days later…
The once thriving Baiyun City had been reduced to ruins. The flames had burned for days and nights, and even now, wisps of smoke still rose from the charred remains.
On a small hill in the distance, the boy who had narrowly escaped stood frozen, staring at the destruction with a vacant, shattered expression.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10