Chapter 172: Salas — "Flatter My Father, Why Don't You!"
"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—this martial spirit, so foreign yet familiar, has appeared again!
Behold that radiant nine-tiered tower, gleaming like crystal glass and shimmering with the colors of a rainbow—a sacred and noble weapon spirit unlike any other!
It's the most beautiful tool-type spirit I've ever seen. Truly, only a princess such as Ning Rongrong deserves to wield something so divine. Look, even the top of the tower glitters like a jewel!"
The commentator had completely abandoned neutrality, eyes glued to Ning Rongrong as words of adoration poured out endlessly.
From her beauty to her martial spirit, he spared no praise.
Perfect—absolutely perfect.
Up in the VIP section, Salas's face darkened.
Flatter my father while you're at it! Everyone knows Ning Rongrong is Ning Fengzhi's daughter!
Who are you trying to impress with all this flattery?
But then something caught his attention.
What's this Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda nonsense? Isn't it supposed to be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Salas leaned forward, eyes locked on the radiant tower. After careful observation, he realized the truth—it was an evolved martial spirit.
The Seven Treasures had evolved into nine.
A cold sweat pricked at his temple.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's martial spirit had advanced—and he, the Spirit Hall's bishop in Heaven Dou, hadn't even known.
The Pope would have his head for this.
"Sect Master Ning," Salas said, his voice dripping with envy, "if I recall, your sect's martial spirit was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. This evolution is quite a surprise for us all!"
All ears in the VIP box turned to him. The revelation was astounding—without a word to anyone, the sect had actually evolved its legendary spirit.
Ning Fengzhi smiled calmly. "A stroke of fortune, nothing more. My little girl's spirit underwent a second awakening. I was as astonished as anyone."
Salas's lips curled into a forced grin. "A second awakening? How very convenient. It seems Sect Master Ning intends to keep the secret of spirit evolution to himself, then."
In all their history, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had never experienced such evolution.
It made no sense—it had to involve some special method.
But Ning Fengzhi simply smiled, offering no explanation.
This was a family secret. Why on earth would he tell Salas?
On the arena floor, Ning Rongrong stood gracefully, holding her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda aloft, captivating the entire stadium.
Her face flushed faintly—she could hear every word of the commentator's shameless praise, though a part of her secretly enjoyed it.
Of course. This princess's debut will sweep aside Thunder Academy in no time!
"Nine treasures glaze with light divine! The Nine Treasures are known—third is Soul!"
"Nine treasures glaze with light divine! The Nine Treasures are known—fourth is Spirit!"
Her crimson lips moved, chanting softly. Eight rays of light bloomed outward in resplendent splendor.
All four Soul Ancestors on her side received her amplification.
With four spirit rings, her boost reached fifty percent.
This terrifying enhancement drew sly smiles from Little Snake, Dugu Mo, and the others.
When they first trained with her, they had been stunned by her power.
Only now did they truly understand why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was famed as the most powerful auxiliary spirit in the world.
And this was the Nine Treasure version—her boosts to soul power and spiritual strength were more harmonious than ever, as if the energy were truly their own.
With their power increased by half across the board, they had surpassed their opponents beyond measure.
Across the field, Thunder Academy's captain, Yu Tianxin, felt his confidence sink.
Ning Rongrong—on their team?
"Full offensive!" Yu Tianxin bellowed.
The opponents had already amplified themselves—if they were allowed to build momentum, his team wouldn't even be able to react.
He had no choice but to strike first, using the speed and ferocity of lightning to blast Gem Academy from the ring.
"Blue Lightning Dragon Surge!"
His fourth spirit ring blazed to life as countless arcs of electric light formed snarling azure dragons.
The sky turned blue with writhing lightning beasts diving toward their targets.
But on the Gem Academy side, Little Snake calmly stepped forward, his own fourth ring shimmering.
"Jade Phosphor Domination!"
Green spirit energy surged forth, coalescing into serpents of shimmering venom.
They streaked through the air, colliding head-on with the lightning dragons in an explosion of thunder and poison.
The two attacks met evenly—their energies locked in chaos.
Both combatants stood at level forty-three, but Little Snake had Ning Rongrong's amplification behind him, his soul power increased by fifty percent.
His confidence was absolute.
"I may prefer assassination," he murmured, "but even in open combat, I won't lose to anyone of the same rank!"
He strode forward through the rain of lightning, venom cascading outward with every step.
The field became a deadly storm of electrified poison.
"What kind of monster is this?" Yu Tianxin hissed.
For both to use fourth abilities, and to fight evenly? Unthinkable.
Lightning normally countered poison—but here, his lightning dragons were being devoured by toxic smoke.
Glancing sideways, he saw his teammates struggling worse.
The Gem Academy's spiritual attacks again took hold, leaving his comrades in disarray.
Dugu Mo unleashed his Spider Web Binding next, ensnaring the helpless Thunder Academy members still reeling from mental shock.
The tide was set—Thunder Academy had no path to victory.
At that moment, deadly light flashed in Little Snake's eyes.
His gaze fixed on Lei Tian and Lei Dong—two of Thunder Academy's four Soul Ancestors.
With Zhang Jingyang's illusions disorienting the field and Dugu Mo joining his assault against Yu Tianxin, Little Snake was free to act.
His ten fingers moved swiftly, jade-green light flickering as toxic bolts shot forth, precisely striking Lei Tian and Lei Dong.
Satisfied, he exhaled softly. This was, after all, the Young Master's order.
No killing—just a little pain. My apologies, gentlemen.
Mastery over the Jade Phosphor Poison granted him surgical control. The toxins invaded their bodies instantly, spreading agony without lethality.
The pair writhed, faces contorted as the venom tore through them.
Feigning innocence, Little Snake launched more projectiles toward other opponents—nothing to betray his intent—and even called out helpfully, "Brother Yu, maybe you should concede! Keep pushing, and your teammates will be seriously hurt. Our poisons aren't easy to cure!"
He even sounded concerned.
His acting had improved, truly touching even himself.
Yu Tianxin saw clearly—his team was finished. Aside from him, none could fight back.
Then he remembered: the academies of the Five Element Alliance had agreed to minimize injuries and cooperate toward the finals.
Why fight to the point of ruin?
Their opponents were merciful enough to warn him—that was honor enough.
Yu Tianxin took a deep breath and shouted, "We surrender!"
(END CHAPTER)
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