Ning Rongrong’s expression instantly darkened.
“What do you mean?”
Yang Xing sighed and sat back down on the chair, even though half of his stall had already been dismantled.
“My fortune-telling skills are a family heirloom,” he said slowly, as if speaking of something grave.
“Divining matters for others is to reveal the secrets of heaven, and it invites divine retribution.
The Spirit Coins I charge are merely a small compensation for myself, and I dare only cast a few divinations each day.”
He paused, looking at Ning Rongrong.
“The transformation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda involves top-tier Martial Souls, top-tier sects, and even the shifting tides of the continent.
The heavenly secrets involved are too heavy.
With my limited capacity, I cannot afford to divine it, nor am I willing to.”
His gaze drifted slightly into the distance.
“The price is too great.”
Ning Rongrong stared at him intently, unable to discern whether his words were true or false.
Just as she was pondering what to say next, she heard Yang Xing speak again.
“Unless—”
He drew out the last syllable.
But there was no follow-up.
Ning Rongrong waited for two seconds.
Seeing that he remained silent, the fire in her chest flared up once more.
“Unless what?”
Yang Xing feigned hesitation.
“In my family’s lineage… divining for those close to us carries a smaller price,” he said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words.
“I have no plans to marry or have children, so I likely won’t have descendants in the future.
That’s why I’ve always wanted to find a disciple to pass on my skills.”
He looked at Ning Rongrong.
“Only if my disciple asked me to divine this would I be willing to give it a try.”
He paused for a beat.
“Otherwise, after divining it, I wouldn’t have many years left to live.”
The air fell silent for a full five seconds.
Then Ning Rongrong laughed.
It wasn’t a polite laugh, but the kind of laugh that comes from being pushed to the brink of fury.
“So—”
Her voice rose three octaves, and the carefully maintained image of gentleness shattered into pieces.
“From the very beginning, you just wanted to take me as your disciple?!”
She pointed at Yang Xing, her hand trembling.
“Couldn’t you have just said so from the start?!
Why go through such a convoluted act?!”
She took a deep breath and spat out a sentence.
“You deceitful liar, are you even worthy?!”
Hearing this, Yang Xing knew the act had reached its end.
There was no point in pretending any further.
In his heart, he forcibly suppressed the surging nervousness within a few seconds, and a candid, smiling expression surfaced on his face.
“Whether I’m worthy or not isn’t for me to say.”
He looked at Ning Rongrong, his tone suddenly turning serious.
“Miss Ning Rongrong, are you willing to become my disciple?”
He raised a finger.
“If you agree, I’ll tell you immediately how to transform the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
I’ll tell you right here, right now.”
Ning Rongrong had initially felt she had the upper hand, but his shameless yet candid attitude made her chest heave with anger once again.
“What if it’s fake?!”
She took a step closer.
“What if the method you give is nonsense?!
Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?!”
Yang Xing smiled.
“I know.”
He narrowed his eyes, his tone leisurely.
“It’s just a matter of whether you, Miss Ning Rongrong, dare to take the gamble.”
His eyes held a clear, provocative glint.
“Whatever consequences I face in the end are none of your concern, Miss Ning.”
Ning Rongrong’s pupils contracted.
She was provoked.
As the esteemed young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the little demoness of Heaven Dou City, when had she ever been provoked by the words “dare you or not”?
“You—”
“Or perhaps…” Yang Xing leisurely added another jab, “Young Lady Ning doesn’t dare?”
“Who says I don’t dare!”
Ning Rongrong’s voice burst out almost reflexively.
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them, but in the face of Yang Xing’s smiling expression, she couldn’t swallow her pride.
“Fine, I’ll sign!”
Yang Xing moved.
His hand slipped into his robe with an impossibly fluid motion, pulling out a scroll of coarse paper, a brush, and a red clay seal pad.
The three items were neatly arranged on the table.
The coarse paper was unfurled, already inscribed with all the clauses of the master-disciple contract.
The “Master” column was clearly filled with the two characters “Yang Xing,” accompanied by a bright red fingerprint.
The ink had long since dried.
Witnessing this scene, Ning Rongrong suddenly sobered up a bit.
“…”
She stared at the contract, then glanced at Yang Xing, her eyes filled with the unspoken question, “Are you out of your mind?”
“How did you move so fast?”
She took half a step back.
“Why is your equipment so complete?”
Another half-step back.
“You haven’t…
used this trick to deceive many people before, have you?”
Yang Xing’s expression was utterly sincere.
“First time.”
He stated with absolute certainty.
“Absolutely the first time.”
Ning Rongrong looked at him with a mix of doubt and suspicion.
“Sign quickly, sign quickly.” Yang Xing urged, tapping his finger on the blank space of the contract.
“Once you sign, I’ll tell you the method immediately.
On-the-spot fulfillment, no delays.”
“Wait—”
“Aren’t you planning to enroll in that Shrek Academy?” Yang Xing responded swiftly.
“Don’t worry, becoming my disciple won’t interfere with anything you do.
I’m just taking you as my disciple; I won’t restrict your freedom.
You can attend school if you want, go shopping if you wish.”
“I—”
“Sign, and I’ll tell you.
Seven Treasures transforming into Nine Treasures.
A millennium-old puzzle.
Revealed right here.”
Ning Rongrong’s mind buzzed from the relentless urging.
She looked down at the contract.
As if possessed, she picked up the brush.
Dipped it in ink.
Wrote her own name.
Pressed her fingerprint.
The moment the sensation of the red clay imprinting on the paper reached her fingertips—
Ning Rongrong suddenly became fully awake.
She looked at the bright red fingerprint on the paper, then at the three characters “Ning Rongrong” she had written with her own hand beside it.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
What am I doing?
How did I…
inexplicably become the disciple of some roadside fortune-telling swindler?
In the Douluo Continent, a formal master-disciple relationship is akin to that of father and child!
If word got out that she, the esteemed young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the little demoness who struck fear into the hearts of all in Heaven Dou City, had been tricked into becoming the disciple of some street vendor in Suotuo City who might not even possess Soul Power—
Where would her face be?
Where could she possibly hide it?
Ning Rongrong’s complexion visibly flushed, then paled, then turned ashen.
“Hey!”
She jerked her head up, her voice rising to its highest pitch.
“I take it back!
This doesn’t count!
Give me the contract back, I’m going to tear it up!
I don’t want to know about the Seven Treasures transforming into Nine Treasures anymore—”
However, her voice seemed to reach Yang Xing’s ears as if through a layer of water.
Because at this moment, Yang Xing’s entire focus was consumed by the sudden series of notification tones ringing in his mind, leaving him no room to attend to Ning Rongrong’s lightning-fast regret.
“Ding!”
“Congratulations, Host, for successfully taking a disciple—Ning Rongrong!”
“Ding!
System assessment: Godhood potential—does not fully meet criteria!
Top-tier talent—does not fully meet criteria!
Super appearance—meets criteria!”
“Ding!
Conducting mission evaluation…
Evaluation complete!”
“Ding!
Due to detecting that the host’s first disciple fails to meet standards by 100%…”
“…”
“Ding!
System Intelligence 396585885566…
using guaranteed recommendation quota…”
“Congratulations, host.
Reward adjustment in progress…”
“Limit Douluo strength sealing initiated…”
Yang Xing’s pupils dilated sharply.
“What?
Are you kidding me?
What’s going on?
You’re sealing my cultivation?
You don’t even think Ning Rongrong is qualified?
Have you lost your mind?
She eventually becomes a god!
Stop it, you stupid system!!”
Yang Xing felt utterly horrified, but the system’s process would not halt for him.
“Ding!
Seal successful.
Congratulations, host, on obtaining mission reward: Level 99 Limit Titled Douluo cultivation set (Set details: 1.
Customizable Soul Skills.
2.
Level 90 Titled Douluo strength.
3.
Monthly one-hour release of Level 99 Limit Douluo strength).”
“Ding!
Mission reward has been stored in the backpack.
Host may claim it at any time.”
(To prevent readers from being discouraged by this chapter, here’s an early explanation of the male lead’s setup: On one hand, Ning Rongrong’s aptitude is indeed insufficient due to realistic reasons; on the other hand, there is no intention to limit the protagonist’s strength.
With one hour of Level 99 strength, as long as the protagonist chooses Soul Skills that allow control at the millisecond level—such as time-based or control-type skills—one hour is more than enough for thousands or even tens of thousands of uses.
Simply put, it’s about precision strikes.
The protagonist only needs to activate Level 99 strength at the moment of executing a skill or landing a punch.
Each action takes mere milliseconds, so one hour is far more than enough.
Later, after advancing to Nine Treasures, the seal will be lifted without any delays.)