That particular day, Yang Xiong had just settled into his seat after arriving at school when a notorious little troublemaker appeared before him.
Ning Rongrong gazed at Yang Xiong with a somewhat peculiar expression. "Little Yang Xiong, come outside with me for a moment. I have something I want to discuss with you privately."
Not only Yang Xiong, but everyone around them appeared surprised by this unexpected development. Although Ning Rongrong was well-known for causing mischief and acting like a little tyrant throughout the school, the two of them had never interacted before. Why would she suddenly want to speak with Yang Xiong alone?
Everyone understood that while Yang Xiong consistently achieved the highest test scores, these only reflected theoretical knowledge. In the world of Soul Masters, many people did not particularly value academic performance. Everyone placed much greater importance on soul power levels and practical abilities.
Ning Rongrong happened to possess the highest soul power level in their class, and she held an elevated position within the sect hierarchy. Moreover, she was quite beautiful and extremely popular among both boys and girls in their grade. No matter how one examined the situation, the two of them seemed completely unconnected.
Observing the strange looks from everyone around him, Yang Xiong felt a headache developing. In the end, he helplessly followed the little troublemaker out of the classroom.
Ning Rongrong studied Yang Xiong with an odd expression. "Little Yang Xiong, I distinctly remember seeing you purchasing whale collagen previously. Did you discover the secret properties of whale collagen?"
Yang Xiong felt surprised internally. Were not people in Douluo Continent supposed to have relatively low intelligence on average? Why was this little witch demonstrating such quick reasoning abilities?
"Rongrong, what are you talking about? I do not understand what you mean."
A cunning smile appeared on Ning Rongrong's face, as if she had complete control over the situation. "Although my father claims that the secret of whale collagen was discovered by your father, I personally witnessed you secretly purchasing whale collagen alone. It also appeared that you had secretly consumed some yourself. I was wondering at the time why an eight-year-old like you would buy whale collagen for personal use."
Yang Xiong quickly responded, "Rongrong, could it not be that my father asked me to purchase it on his behalf?"
Ning Rongrong displayed a contemptuous expression. "It would be normal for adults to buy whale collagen, but it is definitely not normal for a child to purchase whale collagen independently."
"Furthermore, I have conducted my own investigation. Although your father, Yang Lin, has always been conscientious in his duties, he has never made any particularly notable contributions to the sect. However, you have always enjoyed reading books since childhood, so perhaps you discovered this information from clues hidden within various texts."
Yang Xiong found himself speechless. He had not expected that his adult-level thinking would be so easily seen through by an eight-year-old girl.
"Rongrong, the matter of whale collagen involves the sect's most important secrets, so it would be best not to allow any information to leak out. Also, you specifically asked me to come outside - this should not be just about this topic, correct?"
Ning Rongrong's expression suddenly became somewhat unpleasant. "I knew it was you who discovered this. It is entirely your fault. You are the reason I now have to consume this disgusting whale collagen. You absolutely must compensate me for this suffering."
Yang Xiong felt completely speechless at the little witch's twisted logic. "Rongrong, you cannot blame me for this situation. It was the sect master who decided you should consume whale collagen. Besides, whale collagen is genuinely beneficial and very good for physical development. Should you not be thanking me instead?"
Ning Rongrong snorted dismissively. "Thank you? Absolutely not! I am being forced to eat whale collagen at such a young age. Have you never considered that the side effects of whale collagen are not particularly friendly to girls?"
Yang Xiong replied helplessly, "Miss Rongrong, what exactly do you want me to do? I am just an ordinary student in our class. My soul power consistently ranks at the bottom."
A look of triumph appeared on Ning Rongrong's face. "What I want you to do is very simple. In the future, if you discover any secrets similar to this one, do not tell my father immediately. Tell me first, and perhaps I will provide you with other rewards for your cooperation."
After speaking, Ning Rongrong directly handed Yang Xiong a storage soul tool. "This represents my reward for you. In the future, if you discover any important secrets, you must inform me first. Do not tell my father immediately, otherwise I have numerous followers who will make your life quite difficult."
"Also, do not call me Rongrong anymore. You should call me Sister Rongrong from now on. You will follow me from this point forward. You are my little brother now, and I will protect you throughout the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Yang Xiong felt his headache intensifying as he observed Ning Rongrong's determined state. What did this development mean? How had he, a dignified man with adult mental maturity, become someone else's subordinate? Especially to an eight-year-old girl who was calling herself his big sister.
However, looking at Ning Rongrong's proud little demeanor, Yang Xiong helplessly accepted her storage soul tool, recognizing that resistance would likely prove futile.
Unexpectedly, the storage device contained hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins along with various cultivation resources. Everything appeared to have been prepared in advance. At minimum, this was not something an eight-year-old girl would have organized so thoroughly on her own.
The soul tool itself was actually designed as a wrist guard. It appeared inconspicuous when worn on the hand, yet contained a full twenty cubic meters of internal storage space. The design seemed quite suitable for his needs.
Ning Rongrong displayed obvious pride. "Following Sister Rongrong will not treat you poorly. I have plenty of valuable items like this at home. As long as you can discover beneficial things like whale collagen again, simply do not tell my father first - tell me instead. Besides, we are classmates, so it should be much easier for you to find me than to approach my father directly."
Yang Xiong remained speechless at this arrangement.
After the two returned to their classroom, Yang Xiong continued back to his corner seat. Everyone in the classroom appeared exceptionally envious of his apparent good fortune.
Yang Xiong examined the wrist guard in his hand and found himself appreciating it more and more. Since becoming a Soul Master, he had wanted to obtain a storage soul tool, but such devices were relatively rare and each one typically cost hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins. Only Yang Lin and Sun Yu possessed them within the Yang family - even his eldest brother did not have one yet.
This particular wrist guard soul tool seemed to have been specially selected for his specific needs. In the future, he could carry it with him whether he was exercising or taking medicinal baths. It appeared that whoever had chosen this soul tool possessed detailed familiarity with his lifestyle and training requirements.
The gold soul coin card containing hundreds of thousands of coins represented enormous wealth for an eight-year-old. However, the amount was not so exaggerated that it would attract unwanted attention or covetous looks from others within the sect.
Yang Xiong could not help but reflect with admiration: "This Ning Fengzhi is quite perceptive. He is thinking very thoroughly about his precious daughter's future, teaching her how to win people's loyalty at such a young age."
However, what Yang Xiong did not realize was that this wrist guard had not been selected by Ning Fengzhi, but had come from an entirely different source.
With this unexpected windfall of hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins, Yang Xiong began planning to advance his training regimen and commence serious body refinement techniques.
Recently, Yang Xiong had studied numerous texts, many of which contained body refinement methods developed by defensive-focused families. These clans, in order to achieve ultimate physical defensive strength, stimulated their bodies' defensive attributes through various medicinal treatments, eventually reaching extraordinary levels of protection.
To truly maximize defensive capabilities, practitioners typically required beast-type martial souls, such as the Diamond Mammoth of the Elephant Armor Sect or the Armored Rhinoceros of the Defense Clan. Beyond basic physical training, these families also possessed closely guarded secrets that enhanced their natural abilities.
Although Yang Xiong did not intend to pursue a purely defensive cultivation path, he understood that people who followed defensive development generally possessed extremely robust bodies and amazing physical strength. This approach would prove very beneficial for the early development of his Body Martial Soul.
The storage soul tool and financial resources provided by Ning Rongrong would allow him to purchase the rare medicinal ingredients necessary for advanced body refinement techniques. While he had not sought this arrangement, he recognized that it could significantly accelerate his progress toward achieving his ambitious cultivation goals.
Yang Xiong decided to accept this unexpected partnership with the sect master's daughter, understanding that sometimes the most valuable opportunities came from the most unexpected sources. As long as he could maintain his independence while benefiting from her resources and protection, this arrangement might prove advantageous for both parties involved.
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