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The reason Ning Tianchen dared to offend Meng Yiran was ultimately because he understood her personality.
Returning with reinforcements was something Meng Yiran might do, but she wasn't inherently evil or malicious.
Even if she caught up to them later, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong wouldn't face any life-threatening danger.
The reason he made it sound so serious was mainly to set the stage for a future lecture to Ning Rongrong.
An auxiliary soul master, without the protection of a battle soul master, recklessly offending a battle soul master—wasn't that like lighting a lamp in a cesspool, just asking to die?
In the original timeline, when she arrived alone at Shrek Academy, she had clashed with Dai Mubai, the big shot of the academy, on the very first day. Fortunately, within the academy, teachers like Master Flender were there to protect her, so her life wasn't in danger. But in the broader world of soul masters, Dai Mubai wouldn't care about her status.
Who knows? He might have even gone as far as raping her before killing her—or worse, doing it again afterward.
The two sprinted out of Balak City without looking back. Following the markings on the map, Ning Rongrong led Ning Tianchen toward the direction of Suotuo City.
As the outline of Balak City gradually faded behind them, Ning Tianchen found a shady spot to rest.
Ning Rongrong patted her chest, catching her breath, and asked, "Big brother Tianchen, she didn't bring anyone to chase us, did she?"
Ning Tianchen didn't answer directly. Instead, his expression turned stern. "Rongrong, from now on, don't go around offending people for no reason."
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt less out of breath and immediately retorted, "I didn't offend anyone! She was the one deliberately picking a fight!"
Ning Tianchen placed his hands on her shoulders. "Rongrong, she's a battle soul master, and you're an auxiliary soul master. If it came down to a fight, could you possibly defeat her?"
"I…" Ning Rongrong was momentarily speechless.
Earlier, when she heard the word "soul duel," she instinctively felt a wave of panic.
Auxiliary soul masters were naturally born without combat abilities—they existed to be protected.
Facing a battle soul master head-on, even a single-ring battle soul master, could easily end her life.
After all, the physical capabilities of battle soul masters, enhanced by their soul rings, far surpassed those of auxiliary soul masters.
Even without using their martial souls, auxiliary soul masters were no match for battle soul masters.
"Rongrong, you need to be more low-key. What if the person you argued with today wasn't a young girl, but an old hag who looked youthful but was actually over sixty years old?"
"Such people wouldn't put up with your antics—she might kill you right on the spot."
"Big brother Tianchen, I understand my mistake," Ning Rongrong murmured with a pout.
Ning Tianchen added, "From now on, don't act impulsively like you did today. Rongrong, think about it—even Uncle Ning, who has the protection of Grandpa and Bone Grandpa, never abuses his power."
"That's because Uncle Ning knows that Grandpa and Bone Grandpa won't always be around. If enemies come knocking, there won't be any chance of survival."
After this lecture, the smile on Ning Rongrong's face completely disappeared.
Clearly, she had taken Ning Tianchen's words to heart.
…
Balak City was about a month's journey away from Suotuo City.
However, the registration ceremony for Shrek Academy was still two months away. Therefore, the two weren't in a rush, spending more time sightseeing than traveling.
Every time they reached a new city, Ning Rongrong would "check in."
"Tianchen big brother, what exactly does 'checking in' mean?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.
"It means proving that we've been to this city," Ning Tianchen replied with a faint smile. Then he urged, "We need to pick up the pace. If we keep playing around like this, we might not make it to Shrek Academy in time for registration."
Calculating the timeline, Tang San should have graduated from Nuoding Academy by now and was likely on his way to Suotuo City.
The two didn't linger too long in the current small town and instead increased their speed toward Suotuo City.
By afternoon, they arrived at the next city.
Ning Tianchen originally planned to spend the night in this city, but Ning Rongrong said, "Big brother Tianchen, didn't you say we needed to hurry? It's still a long time until sunset. If we move faster, we should be able to reach the next city before dark."
With that, she spread out the map and pointed to the distance between the two cities.
Ning Tianchen's lips twitched slightly. The distance between the two cities was indeed short, but it required crossing multiple large mountains, and many of the paths in between weren't official roads.
If it were a flat road, they could indeed reach the next city before sunset.
However, the mountain paths were winding and rugged, and many routes were impassable for carriages. Setting off now would likely mean arriving at the next city late into the night.
Moreover, on the official roads, there were frequent patrols by teams from Balak Kingdom and the Spirit Hall, so ordinary bandits rarely dared to rob travelers. But once they entered the deep mountains, the situation would be different.
"Rongrong, this path isn't going to be easy. Why don't we wait until tomorrow?"
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Before we set out, I already checked. On this stretch of the journey, we're very likely to encounter bandits. But whether we leave today or tomorrow, the bandits will still be there."
"Big brother Tianchen, I think it's better to leave now. Besides, bandits can't be robbing people every second of the day. If we leave now, we might even have a chance to avoid them."
She had a point.
It wasn't like they could turn back just because they knew bandits might be on the road ahead!
After some thought, Ning Tianchen agreed with her suggestion.
This time, the two didn't choose to ride in a carriage but instead ran forward.
Ning Rongrong used her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul to increase Ning Tianchen's speed, while Ning Tianchen carried her on his back as he sprinted.
Using resources efficiently—this was something Ning Rongrong had clearly mastered.
…
By evening, the sun had set in the west.
"We're almost there. After we descend the mountain, we'll reach the official road."
Seeing that they were about to cross the most dangerous area, Ning Tianchen gradually let his guard down.
Night fell, and under the thick canopy of trees, moonlight couldn't reach the ground.
The descent wasn't easy.
Ning Tianchen summoned his Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul, and under its glow, he could barely make out the path beneath his feet.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but complain, "What kind of lousy map is this? These mountain paths are so difficult to navigate—why aren't they marked properly?"
Ning Tianchen sighed helplessly.
The map had already indicated that there were mountains here.
On the continent of Douluo, many maps lacked detailed terrain markings. They only showed the approximate locations of cities. For someone with poor sense of direction, getting lost with such a map was inevitable.
"Who would've thought the two mountains we just crossed would be so high?"
Just then, faint flickers of firelight appeared on both sides of the road.
While Ning Rongrong was distracted, her foot suddenly stepped on something. From the bushes beside her came a rustling sound.
"Rongrong, be careful!"
Ning Tianchen sensed something amiss. Instantly, his Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul vanished, replaced by his Seven Kill Sword martial soul, its surface adorned with dragon patterns.
"Second soul skill, Dragon Sword Guardian."
A yellow soul ring illuminated the surrounding darkness, and his soul power transformed into countless spiritual swords, forming a protective barrier of sword qi.
Bang! Bang!
Crossbow bolts fired from the bushes were deflected by the sword qi barrier.
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