Ning Tian straightened up as instructed, nodding emphatically, her clear eyes gleaming with immense pride and nostalgia:
"Ancestor's wisdom must have already surmised the identities of myself and Wu Feng."
"I am but a humble servant, favored by the sect, and am the current Sect Heir of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School."
As she spoke, Ning Tian slowly raised her slender hand, and with a thought, a brilliant pagoda, shimmering with a pure seven-colored glow, instantly appeared in her palm, slowly rotating.
The tower was exquisite and translucent, consisting of seven layers, each radiating a rich glazed light and a powerful aura—it was the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit.
"Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School?!"
"Sect Heir?!"
This time, even the usually composed Ning Fengzhi was slightly moved, a flash of unconcealed astonishment crossing his eyes.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo instantly exchanged a look filled with shock and solemnity.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School changed its name to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School?
The meaning behind this change in name was self-evident—most likely because Ning Rongrong's spirit had successfully evolved into the legendary Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
And the title of Sect Heir was immensely weighty, meaning that the status and importance of this young woman named Ning Tian in the sect ten thousand years later was equivalent to Ning Rongrong, who stood beside them now.
However, Ning Fengzhi's keen observation immediately caught a subtle inconsistency.
He frowned slightly, his gaze piercing as he scrutinized the powerful, yet clearly seven-layered, glazed pagoda in Ning Tian's palm. He asked in a deep voice:
"The aura is pure and correct; it is indeed the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. But... since you are the heir of the 'Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School,' why is your spirit still the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
Several thoughts flashed through his mind instantly.
For Ning Tian to reach such a cultivation level at this age, her talent was absolutely stunning. Logically speaking, if the sect possessed the bloodline inheritance of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, she, as the heir, should have awakened a nine-layered pagoda.
Unless... although Ning Rongrong achieved the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, she failed to smoothly pass down this heaven-defying spirit bloodline?
If that were the case, the long-term value of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda to the sect would be significantly diminished.
A slight heaviness settled in Ning Fengzhi's heart at this possibility.
Ning Tian noticed the doubt in Ning Fengzhi's eyes and the fleeting sense of gravity. She contained the spirit's glow, her expression becoming solemn. Her voice carried a hint of helplessness:
"Ancestor, you guessed correctly. According to the secret records passed down through the sect's generations, although Ancestor Rongrong managed to evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda through a great stroke of luck, and ultimately inherited the Nine-Colored Goddess's God Position and ascended to the God Realm, it was precisely because of her godhood that she was subjected to the strict limitations of the God Realm's rules."
She paused, her tone laced with deep regret:
"Deities cannot easily interfere with affairs in the lower realm, nor can they remain in the mortal world for extended periods. Ancestor Rongrong was forced to ascend to the God Realm shortly after becoming a god."
"Therefore... she was unable to leave a direct bloodline descendant in the lower realm in time, and that heaven-defying Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit was not passed down through bloodline."
Ning Tian's voice echoed in the quiet courtyard, every word striking the hearts of Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Ning Rongrong.
She added in conclusion, a trace of resignation in her voice:
"If the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda bloodline had been successfully passed down, with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to defy nature and assist others, why would our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School choose a semi-reclusive state ten thousand years later? Our sect would surely hold a place among the top forces of the Douluo Continent."
As a Second-Rank God, Ning Rongrong's God Position restrictions were inherently strict, compounded by Tang San's special identity and the hostility and discontent of the God of Destruction... she was even more restricted from doing anything extra.
Let alone leaving an inheritance like the Angel God or bestowing a Divine Spirit, she wasn't even allowed to linger on the Douluo Continent for long, making bloodline inheritance an impossibility.
"So that's how it is..."
Ning Fengzhi sighed, his voice filled with complex emotions.
As a father, he was genuinely proud and gratified that Ning Rongrong would eventually ascend to the God Realm and achieve a God Position.
But as the Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, burdened with the responsibility of the sect's survival and prosperity, what he yearned for most deeply was for Ning Rongrong to pass down the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda bloodline, allowing the sect to truly leap forward and live up to the name of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School.
Nevertheless, he was the master of a sect, with a resilient spirit, and quickly adjusted his mindset.
At the very least, confirming from Ning Tian that the sect's lineage continued ten thousand years later, and that they could cultivate such an excellent and composed heir like Ning Tian, was in itself a matter for great celebration.
"Little Tian."
Ning Fengzhi restrained his sigh, his face regaining his signature, gentle, and refreshing smile, and his tone became warmer.
"You and I share the same bloodline, there is no need to be so formal. Since you come from a parallel world ten thousand years in the future, your knowledge and perspective must far exceed ours. You seem to have a different view on Rongrong's God Position matter? Feel free to speak your mind."
He knew full well that after Xuan Zi publicized that future, the difficulty of helping Ning Rongrong successfully obtain the Nine-Colored Goddess's God Position had increased exponentially.
All forces and hidden ambitions would focus on this.
He needed to hear the opinion of this heir of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School from a future parallel world.
Seeing Ning Fengzhi so amenable, Ning Tian felt slightly reassured.
She organized her thoughts, her expression calm, her gaze clear and rational, not at all like a young girl, but more like a seasoned strategist:
"Ancestor's judgment is keen. I am not being alarmist, but making an objective assessment based on the current situation."
Her voice was steady and her points were clear.
"Firstly, the biggest variable is time. The Spirit Empire possesses two Deities who have already completed their God Position inheritance—Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue. Their power is immediate, a dominion already grasped. However, Ancestor Rongrong and Ancestor Tang San, even if they were to set off immediately for Sea God Island to seek the God Position inheritance, would still need to undergo a long and rigorous process of divine trials. This could take several years, or even longer."
She paused slightly, allowing this cruel fact to sink in, then continued:
"The Spirit Empire will not, and cannot, grant us this precious time to develop. Their military edge is sharp, and their pace to unify the continent will absolutely not stop."
"I boldly speculate that by the time Ancestor Tang San completes the Sea God trials, the entire continental resistance might already have been swiftly swept, integrated, or annihilated by the Spirit Empire with overwhelming force."
"By then, even if a few individuals obtain a God Position, facing a massive empire that has been completely unified, its resources integrated, and secured by two sitting Deities, the situation will be ten times more difficult. A lone tree cannot stand, and it will be too late to salvage the situation."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's face paled slightly. Although she was inherently naive and innocent, she was not ignorant of the situation. Ning Tian's analysis was like a bucket of cold water, making her realize the severity of reality.
Ning Tian looked at Ning Rongrong, her gaze honest:
"Furthermore, according to the vague records in the sect's secret codex, even in the originally relatively smooth historical trajectory, Ancestor Tang San only barely won the final three-God battle that decided the continent's fate after undergoing immense hardships. In that battle, the assistance of Ancestor Rongrong and Ancestor Oscar played a crucial, possibly battle-turning role, but the specific details are now lost."
She turned her gaze back to Ning Fengzhi, posing the most critical question:
"However, that was after Ancestor Rongrong and the others had fully matured and obtained the God Position inheritance. In contrast, currently, the cultivation, experience, and even temperament of Ancestor Rongrong and the others are far from the level required to participate in such a battle."
"Even if they immediately find the location for the divine trials, given their current foundation, can they withstand the intensity of the trials? Can they successfully complete the trials under the interference of powerful enemies and the chaos of the continent? These are all unknowns, or rather... the hope is slim."
Ning Tian's words cut through the seemingly hopeful facade of the future, exposing the cold and cruel reality beneath.
She was not swept away by excitement upon arriving in the era of her ancestors, nor was she blindly optimistic because she knew history. Her analysis was based on facts, calm to the point of being cold, but precisely because of this, it was highly convincing.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo remained silent, their expressions growing increasingly solemn, having clearly understood the weight of Ning Tian's words.
Ning Fengzhi's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest of his chair, creating a rhythmic, faint tap-tap sound that was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.
His eyes were deep, calm on the surface, but rapidly calculating and weighing options internally.
Ning Tian's meticulous analysis just now, like a surgical knife, cut open the thorns and abyss hidden beneath the temptation of godhood, laying bare the imminent crisis they might face.
The atmosphere in the main hall grew more and more stagnant due to this fact. Hope and crisis intertwined, making people uneasy, their breathing subconsciously becoming shallower.
Chen Xin, the Sword Douluo, who had been listening quietly, his aura always sharp and stern, finally spoke again.
His voice was not loud, but it possessed a penetrating force that went straight to the heart of the matter. His eyes, brimming with sword intent, were like two beams of sword light, landing precisely on Ning Tian:
"Girl Ning Tian."
His address carried a hint of a senior's scrutiny.
"You specifically sought us out, clarified your bloodline identity, and analyzed the pros and cons of the current situation. Your thoughts and words are clear and hit the nail on the head... I fear your purpose is far more than just to warn us? Why don't you state your true intention directly."
Chen Xin's words broke the brief silence caused by the heavy future and brought the conversation back on track.
Ning Tian met Sword Douluo's gaze, which seemed capable of seeing through all disguise and reaching the depths of the soul. Her clear eyes showed no fear or retreat.
She took a deep breath, as if making a certain resolution, and admitted candidly.
"Ancestor Sword Douluo's insight is impeccable. I... dare not conceal it. I did come with a selfish motive, with an impertinent request, or rather, to propose a choice that concerns the future of the sect and might... be more secure."
Her gaze slowly swept over the pensive Ning Fengzhi, the serious-looking Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, and finally rested on Ning Rongrong, who was still startled and confused. Her tone became incredibly solemn.
"I humbly ask Ancestor Sect Master, and the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, to seriously consider... abandoning our foundation in this realm, and migrating the entire sect through a stable spatial-temporal passage, accompanying me to the parallel world where we reside—ten thousand years in the future."
This proposal could not be described as merely earth-shattering; it was like throwing a meteorite into a calm lake.
Ning Fengzhi's usually gentle and peaceful face showed a violent surge of emotion for the first time, his pupils suddenly contracting.
The contained sword intent around Sword Douluo Chen Xin involuntarily leaked a trace, slicing through the air.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong's habitually somewhat lazy expression completely vanished, replaced by extreme shock and scrutiny.
And Ning Rongrong gasped in astonishment, tightly covering her mouth with her slender hand, her beautiful eyes wide open, almost unable to believe what she had heard—leave? Leave the Douluo Continent that raised them?
Ning Tian knew the shock value of this proposal. She gave them no time to fully process their astonishment, quickly laying out her reasoning with clear and logical rhetoric, attempting to persuade them.
"Ancestor's clear mind is appreciated. Forgive my frankness, but the general situation in this realm, under the full reign of the Spirit Empire's dual Deities and their sharp military edge, is already on the verge of collapse and beyond salvaging. If the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School insists on remaining here, even if we expend all our resources and manpower, regardless of the cost, to aid Ancestor Rongrong in contesting that illusory God Position, the hope of success remains slim."
"And in this process, the sect's accumulation of thousands of years, and countless disciples, will inevitably become cannon fodder on the front lines of the divine war, forcing us to pay a tragic price we cannot bear, even... facing the danger of complete annihilation and the severing of our lineage."
Her voice was exceptionally firm.
"Instead of struggling in this nearly desperate situation, watching the sect head towards ruin, why not find an alternative path, preserve the sect's most precious spark, and seek a soil where we can re-root, or even flourish?"
Her gaze returned to Chen Xin and Gu Rong, and this time, her eyes were filled with an unconcealed yearning for powerful strength.
"In our world, although the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School has been blessed by the protection of successive ancestors and our lineage has not been severed, our strength is far from being the continent's peak. We often face pressure from other powerful forces, our situation is difficult, and we desperately need truly powerful strength as support and deterrent."
Her tone became fervent.
"Ancestor Sword Douluo, your mastery of the way of the sword is divine, you have glimpsed the threshold of the Law of the Sword. Ancestor Bone Douluo, your defense is unparalleled, the mystery of Bone Dragon Transformation is profound. With the talent and foundation of both ancestors, as long as you don't perish prematurely, both of you have a very high chance of reaching Rank 98, or even touching the realm of Rank 99 Peerless Douluo in the future."
"This power is an invaluable treasure for the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School ten thousand years later. It is the cornerstone that can allow the sect to rise again and stand firm amidst the upcoming great changes. I desperately need this power. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School of the future needs the guidance and protection of all ancestors."