After Dongfang Yao went to Tiandou City.to wait for Dongfang Jing to finish distributing food to all the soul beasts, he suddenly felt his trouser leg being gently tugged.
Sensing something, he looked down and saw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, usually so proud, now appearing awkward and uneasy, which amused him.
He squatted down and looked at it at eye level: "What's wrong?"
"I didn't mean to scratch you, I'm so sorry."
The voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered its head, nervously waiting for a response.
Suddenly, a large bowl of fragrant shredded pork with garlic sauce, vegetables, and rice was pushed in front of it.
Looking up, it met Dongfang Jing's smiling purple eyes.
"If you finish all this food, I'll accept your apology."
Before it could react, Dongfang Jing gently stroked its fluffy little head with his finger. "I can tell you more interesting stories tonight." After saying that, he turned to Biji and called out, "Master, let's eat too."
"Okay." Biji responded gently, a satisfied smile unconsciously curving her lips as she looked at the harmonious scene before her.
In the secluded martial arts arena behind the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin, dressed in white, stood in the center of the arena.
He was like a sword sheathed.
Not drawn, but the invisible pressure made the surrounding air heavy.
Opposite him, Dongfang Yao held an ordinary wooden sword.
The little girl was dressed in a neat, athletic outfit today, her face devoid of its usual naivety, only filled with focused seriousness.
"Yao'er," Chen Xin spoke, his voice steady, yet with a metallic quality.
"Today, we won't use soul power or martial spirit. We'll only compete with the swords in our hands and the moves in our minds."
"Yes, Master!" Dongfang Yao nodded vigorously, holding her wooden sword horizontally in the most basic starting stance. Her movements were standard, and she stood firmly.
Chen Xin also took the same wooden sword from the shelf, casually standing in a position, yet there wasn't a single flaw to be found in his posture.
"Come." He uttered only one word.
Dongfang Yao moved.
Her steps were light, and her wooden sword thrust straight out at a tricky angle, aiming directly for Chen Xin's wrist.
But the sword tip was still half a foot away from her wrist when it could no longer advance.
Chen Xin's wooden sword had been waiting there at some point, its blade touching the back of her sword, and a force she couldn't resist pulled her thrust off course.
"The intention was there, but the strength didn't follow," Chen Xin commented, twisting his wrist and turning the wooden sword to strike Dongfang Yao's wrist in return.
Dongfang Yao reacted extremely quickly, her wrist sinking, and the sword blade rising to parry.
But Chen Xin seemed to have anticipated this move; in the instant she changed her attack, the sword tip had already lightly touched her wrist like a dragonfly skimming the water.
She missed the first strike, but was struck instead.
Dongfang Yao was not discouraged; her eyes shone even brighter.
Using the momentum of her retreat, she took a half-step back, and her swordplay suddenly changed, from fast and accurate to elusive, the sword tip trembling slightly, concealing many hidden moves.
"Oh?" Chen Xin raised an eyebrow.
This time, he didn't wait in place, but took a step forward.
His movement looked slow, but it was precisely at the point where Dongfang Yao's sword move was about to be unleashed.
The wooden sword was swung out, without any fancy moves, just a simple horizontal slash.
But this simple slash blocked all of Dongfang Yao's possible routes of attack, forcing her to take the hit head-on.
"Clang!"
The two wooden swords clashed, producing a muffled sound.
Dongfang Yao felt a strange force, not particularly fierce, but exceptionally resilient, forcing her to retract all her prepared counterattacks and causing her to involuntarily take a step back.
"Too many feints, your stance isn't stable enough," Chen Xin's words were as brief as ever.
"Again."
Dongfang Yao steadied herself, her face tense.
She attacked again, her swordsmanship sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, using everything she had learned recently.
Chen Xin remained stationary, blocking, deflecting, pointing, and parrying, subtly shifting her feet to neutralize all of Dongfang Yao's attacks.
After a long while, Dongfang Yao's breathing became rapid, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Seeing her slightly panting, Chen Xin casually placed the wooden swords back on the weapon rack.
"That's enough for today. Once your foundation is more solid, I will formally teach you the Seven Kill Sword Technique."
Dongfang Yao calmed her slightly rapid breathing and respectfully cupped her hands, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."
Chen Xin nodded and added, "Go back and prepare yourself. We'll meet at the sect's main gate in an hour."
"Huh?" Dongfang Yao blinked. "Master, what are we going to do?"
"To Heaven Dou City."
An hour later, Dongfang Yao quickly washed up, changed into clean and neat clothes, and arrived at the imposing gate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School on time.
Outside the gate, besides the disciples on duty,Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin were already present.
Two luxurious carriages that looked extremely valuable were parked by the roadside.
Dongfang Yao quickly stepped forward, first nodding and bowing to Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin, then asking with a hint of curiosity, "What are we going to do?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled and replied gently, "We have some sect affairs to handle in Tiandou City. We'll take you along so you can also see the imperial capital."
"Oh," Dongfang Yao nodded.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Rongrong excitedly came over, grabbing her hand and saying in a clear voice, "Yao'er, Yao'er, come ride with me! I'll tell you all about the fun things in Tiandou City!"
Since learning of Dongfang Yao's amazing talent, this little princess Ning Rongrong hadn't developed any petty jealousy.
She understood perfectly well that there were only a handful of prodigies like Yao'er on the entire continent.
She didn't need to compete; Yao'er was already better than many others, both in talent and family background.
Having such a talented companion like Yao'er was actually quite interesting!
The two boarded the same carriage, which was spacious and comfortable.
After the car started smoothly, Dongfang Yao spoke first, asking, "Rongrong, what are Uncle Ning and the others mainly doing in Tiandou City this time?"
"Oh right, I haven't told you in detail yet."
Ning Rongrong perked up, sat up straight, and explained like a little teacher,
"On our Douluo Continent, there are mainly two great empires: Xingluo and Tiandou. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has always supported the Tiandou royal family."
She paused, organizing her thoughts, "Think about it, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has become one of the three upper sects, with businesses all over various cities, and its power is growing. Of course, this is due to the sect's own strength and foundation, but the many conveniences and assistance provided by the Tiandou royal family behind the scenes are also very important. So, as the sect leader, even if Dad doesn't have anything particularly important to do, it's essential for him to regularly visit Emperor Xueye to maintain a good relationship."
"And this time, I heard that... His Majesty Xueye has something important to announce? So he absolutely has to have Dad go."
"I see," Dongfang Yao understood; this involved the sect and the imperial family.
But then she thought for a moment and asked, "Then why did you specifically bring the two of us along? It sounds like we have nothing to do with it."
Ning Rongrong, hearing this, pointed her two index fingers shyly in front of her and chuckled, "Actually, it's mainly because I wanted to go to Tiandou City to play, so I pestered Dad and Grandpa Jian to bring us along~"
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