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"Fengzhi, how can you be so at ease letting Rongrong wander outside alone?" Chen Xin's voice echoed through the hall, laced with both resentment and anger.
He knew that there were many covert operatives stationed near the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's grounds.
If Ning Rongrong had left the sect without Ning Fengzhi's consent, she would have been brought back sooner or later.
Not long ago, the disciple who delivered Ning Rongrong's letter—fearful of something happening to her—had directly sought out Chen Xin.
That was when he learned that Ning Rongrong had already been outside the sect for a full day.
It was only afterward that the disciple delivered the letter to Ning Tianchen.
Ning Fengzhi helplessly shrugged. "Uncle Sword, Rongrong has been spoiled by all of you while inside the sect. It's about time she went out to explore the world on her own."
Chen Xin wasn't opposed to Ning Rongrong going out to explore—he was concerned about something else. "Fengzhi, why didn't you inform Tianchen when Rongrong left the sect? With him around, at least her safety would be guaranteed."
Ning Fengzhi had undoubtedly sent covert disciples to secretly follow Ning Rongrong. However, these operatives could only trail her from a distance. If they got too close, there was a risk of exposure.
As such, if Ning Rongrong encountered danger, they wouldn't be able to intervene immediately to protect her.
Ning Fengzhi had assumed that Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong had made prior arrangements—they would leave the sect separately at different times.
But to his surprise, Ning Tianchen hadn't made any move, nor did he seem intent on chasing after her.
Just then, Ning Tianchen's voice came from outside the hall. "Lord Sect Leader, Grandpa, are you in there?"
Ning Fengzhi's brows lifted slightly in relief. "Uncle Sword, Tianchen is here now. Rongrong's pace won't be too fast. If Tianchen sets off now, he'll catch up to her within a day."
Ning Tianchen was summoned into the hall.
He immediately handed over the letter Ning Rongrong had left behind to Ning Fengzhi.
Deep down, he also wanted to leave the sect and explore the world. But unlike Ning Rongrong, he couldn't act so carefree—he at least needed to inform Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi returned the letter to Ning Tianchen and chuckled as he suggested, "Hoho, Tianchen, it's about time for you to go out and explore. Why not take this opportunity to join Rongrong and train together on the continent? What do you think?"
Having spent nearly six years cooped up in the sect, Ning Tianchen was more than ready to get out and experience the customs and people of the Douluo Continent, as well as meet Tang San, the Child of Destiny.
"Uncle Ning, I'm willing to go out and train," Ning Tianchen said with a respectful bow.
Ning Fengzhi patted his shoulder. "Go ahead. Rongrong hasn't gone far yet. With your speed, you'll catch up to her quickly."
"Before you leave, don't forget to visit the sect's treasury to collect gold spirit coins for your journey."
After Ning Tianchen left, Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze to Chen Xin. "Uncle Sword, rest assured. Neither Rongrong nor Tianchen will come to harm."
Chen Xin snorted. "If anything happens to Rongrong, I'll hold you personally responsible!"
With that, he stepped onto his Seven Kill Sword and flew out of the sect's meeting hall.
…
Ning Tianchen received a heavy bag from the elder managing the treasury.
Without even opening it, he knew it contained not gold spirit coins but rather gold soul cards.
"Uncle Ning really doesn't hold back. There must be several million gold spirit coins in here," he muttered with a light laugh, storing the bag in his ring-type soul-guidance device.
Only a sect as wealthy as the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could afford such generosity. For some larger families, this amount of money would represent their entire fortune.
Of course, Ning Fengzhi's willingness to entrust him with such a sum stemmed from his trust in Ning Tianchen's steady and reliable nature.
On the way to Balak City, Ning Tianchen opened the bag.
Inside were mostly white hundred-gold spirit cards, along with two purple soul cards and one black soul card.
Certain places on the continent required proof of funds to enter. The inclusion of the black soul card likely meant Ning Fengzhi didn't want them to be denied entry anywhere.
In total, the cards amounted to roughly 2.3 million gold spirit coins.
This amount of money would be enough for an ordinary civilian soul master to purchase a lifetime's worth of cultivation resources.
After a moment, Ning Tianchen set aside his thoughts and began contemplating Ning Rongrong's route.
From what he knew of her, if she hadn't specified a route in the letter, she probably hadn't taken the usual paths.
Rather than waste time searching aimlessly along the way, it would be better to head straight to Barak City to find her.
Throughout the journey, Ning Tianchen chose not to ride in a carriage but instead ran the entire way.
For him, running was also a form of training.
…
After more than half a month, Ning Rongrong arrived in Balak City first.
At that moment, she leaned against the window of her hotel room, idly gazing at the city below.
This was her first successful escape from home, and she felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
Within the sect, she was Ning Fengzhi's cherished daughter, but his teachings had been extremely strict.
The rebellious Ning Rongrong naturally couldn't tolerate such discipline.
However, she didn't realize that the coachman who had escorted her to Balak City was actually an outer sect elder of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, possessing the strength of a Soul Sage.
Otherwise, given the remote mountain paths she had chosen, she would have likely been kidnapped by bandits by now.
Ning Rongrong muttered to herself, "I wonder where big brother Tianchen is now. Did he see the letter I left behind?"
"Hmph, if big brother Tianchen didn't see it, it must have been Daddy's doing. Hmph, bad Daddy."
Over the next two days, Ning Rongrong stayed in the hotel, waiting for Ning Tianchen while reflecting on the contents of the letter she had left.
Suddenly, she realized something. "Oh no, I forgot to tell big brother Tianchen which hotel we'd be staying at."
Though Balak City wasn't as large as Tian Dou City, finding someone in the city within a short period of time would still be nearly impossible.
Upon realizing this, Ning Rongrong immediately left the hotel.
She wandered around the streets for a while, but seeing no sign of Ning Tianchen, she gave up.
It happened to be market day, so Ning Rongrong slipped into a bustling street to browse for items that caught her eye.
…
Meanwhile, Ning Tianchen had just arrived at Balak City.
At the city gate, he was stopped by the guards. "Halt! Non-residents entering the city must pay a one-gold-coin entry fee."
Ning Tianchen was stunned.
In his previous life, when reading novels, he had always found this entry fee unreasonable.
According to the books, a single gold coin was enough to cover several months' worth of expenses for a family of three.
So, how many ordinary people would willingly spend a gold coin just to enter the city?
Later, he learned that this entry fee applied only to outsiders. Locals simply had to show proof of residency to enter the city for free.
Of course, these guards adjusted their demands based on who they were dealing with. Some charged one silver coin, while others demanded five gold coins.
Ning Tianchen had grown up within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and had never registered his soul master identity with the Spirit Hall, so he didn't have a soul master handbook.
At his age, being a three-ring Soul Elder was quite conspicuous, especially in a city like Balak, which housed many influential families.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he obediently paid the one-gold-coin entry fee.
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