Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Snow White stopped and calmly swept her gaze over each member of the team.

Her voice was clear and calm, yet it carried a natural aura of leadership.

"Good morning, Your Highness." Yu Tianheng bowed first, his attitude respectful and natural.

Chapter 256 Dissatisfaction

The other team members also bowed, even the usually aloof Ye Lingling gave a slight bow.

Only Dugu Yan was a beat slower. Although she eventually bowed, a very subtle and complex emotion flashed in her emerald green eyes.

"Starting today, Rongrong will join our team as a substitute player." Snow White stepped aside to make way for Ning Rongrong and calmly introduced her to the team members.

"Her martial soul is the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a level 31 support-type soul master."

"The Eight-Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"

Inside the training ground, almost everyone was slightly taken aback.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is renowned in the Soul Master world. As the number one support-type Martial Soul in the world, its characteristics are almost universally known: it can only hold seven Soul Rings, and Soul Masters can never break through level 80 in their lifetime.

But now, Ning Rongrong is talking about the "Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda".

There's an extra layer.

A brief silence fell over the training ground, with only the faint hum of the soul-guided equipment echoing in the air.

Yu Tianheng was the first to react. A look of realization flashed in his eyes, which then returned to calm.

As a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, he naturally knew about his family's cooperation with the mysterious potion-making witch, Ge Duo, and had also vaguely heard that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had been secretly having close ties with Ge Duo in recent years.

Unexpectedly, this collaboration enabled the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to break free from its millennia-old constraints and successfully evolve.

He gave Ning Rongrong a deep look, and countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.

The evolution of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda means that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will produce support-type Soul Masters at the level of Soul Douluo or even Title Douluo in the future, which will be a qualitative leap for the entire sect.

This news must be told to my father as soon as possible.

On the surface, Yu Tianheng simply nodded slightly and gave Ning Rongrong a perfectly gentle smile: "So it's the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Congratulations, Sect Leader Ning, and congratulations, Miss Rongrong."

The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo exchanged a glance. Both of them came from the Xuanwu Sect. Although it was not the most prestigious sect, it was still a long-established and influential family.

Almost simultaneously, they thought of the mention of His Majesty Gedo and the elixir trade by their sect elders.

Shi Mo scratched his head sheepishly: "The Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda... It sounds really impressive."

Graphite then added calmly, "Welcome, Ms. Rongrong, to the team."

Yu Feng and Oslo also expressed their welcome. They were both from noble or mid-level sects and had heard about the secret deals between the upper echelons of power.

The fact that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was able to break through the restrictions of martial souls must be related to that mysterious alchemy titled Douluo. The potential opportunities contained within this made a glint of light flash in the eyes of both of them.

Ye Lingling remained quietly to the side, her cold face showing no change in expression, only her hand holding the Soul Beast Illustrated Guide tightened slightly.

The Nine-Heart Begonia lineage is passed down through a single heir. From a young age, she was taught to focus on her own cultivation and not to participate in any power struggles.

But at this moment, looking at Ning Rongrong's clearly evolved martial soul, a slight ripple still stirred in her heart. If the Nine-Heart Begonia could also evolve...

The only one who didn't immediately express his opinion was Dugu Yan.

She stood beside Yu Tianheng, her emerald green eyes falling on Ning Rongrong before slowly moving towards Snow White standing in front of her.

Dugu Yan's feelings were complicated.

She acknowledged Snow White's strength; a twelve-year-old Soul Master with a fourth-level Soul Ring after ten thousand years—such talent was truly monstrous.

She also had to admit that Snow White was rightfully the captain, as she was impeccable in terms of strength, status, and symbolic significance.

But agreeing doesn't mean you feel completely comfortable.

Before Snow White joined, Yu Tianheng was the captain of the Tian Dou team.

Yu Tianheng is powerful, of noble birth, fair-minded, and has excellent command skills.

Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng have known each other for many years. Although they have not officially established a relationship, they both know what is going on between them.

When Snow White arrived, she directly replaced Yu Tianheng.

Although Yu Tianheng himself was very magnanimous about this, and even took the initiative to step down as vice captain, Dugu Yan was still somewhat uncomfortable.

In particular, she thought of Lin Wan.

When Lin Wan first joined the Tian Dou team, his strength already far surpassed that of his peers, and he was even among the top in the entire team.

However, he only served as the vice-captain and never thought of replacing the previous captain.

Why is Snow White allowed?

Just because she was born into royalty? Because she's a princess?

The thought flashed through Dugu Yan's mind, but she forcibly suppressed it.

She knew it wasn't fair.

Snow White was indeed stronger than Lin Wan at the time, and her special status made her a more beneficial than harmful figure to the team as a whole.

But these rational analyses could not completely eliminate the subtle imbalance in her heart.

Especially now, looking at Ning Rongrong, yet another member who parachuted in with her background and resources, Dugu Yan's feelings became even more complicated.

She remembered her grandfather Dugu Bo's instructions from a few days ago.

"Yanyan, it's a done deal that Snow White will become the captain, you don't need to worry about it." Dugu Bo was unusually serious at that moment.

"That queen... Queen Eva is no ordinary person. I worked under her and know her methods and ambitions well. As her daughter, Snow White will inevitably become a core figure in the Heavenly Dou Empire in the future, and may even be more than that."

Dugu Bo paused, looking at his granddaughter's emerald green eyes, which resembled his own.

"I know you might have some thoughts in your mind, but remember, take it easy. Team captain is just an empty title; what really matters is strength and opportunity. Snow White's talent far surpasses that of ordinary people. By following her, the things you'll be exposed to in the future may far exceed your imagination."

"Even if you're truly dissatisfied, you must never show it openly. Understand?"

Dugu Yan pursed her lips and did not answer immediately.

Dugu Bo sighed and patted his granddaughter's shoulder: "Grandpa knows you're unwilling to admit defeat, but sometimes, taking a step back isn't admitting defeat, but rather a way to go further. If that kid Yu Tianheng can humble himself, why can't you?"

Recalling her grandfather's words, Dugu Yan took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in her heart.

She raised her hand, nodded slightly to Ning Rongrong, and said calmly, "Welcome."

Although it's only two words, at least the attitude is impeccable.

Ning Rongrong looked at Dugu Yan's calm yet distant eyes and understood.

She keenly sensed that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Soul Master didn't seem very enthusiastic towards her, but she also understood that as a substitute player who had been parachuted in, it was unrealistic to expect everyone to accept her immediately.

"Thank you everyone." Ning Rongrong gave a sweet smile.

"I'm new here and there's still a lot I don't understand. I hope you seniors will give me lots of guidance in the future."

Chapter 257 Battle

Snow White naturally noticed the fleeting complex emotions in Dugu Yan's eyes and understood the various thoughts that were passing through the minds of the other team members.

But she didn't point it out, and simply said calmly, "Although Rongrong is a substitute player, she will participate in all the team's regular training. Lingling, as a senior in the support class, you can give her more guidance when you have time."

Ye Lingling nodded gently: "Yes, Captain."

"Alright." Snow White clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"There's still some time before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, but we can't let our guard down in our training. Today's plan is a team coordination drill. Yu Tianheng, you'll be in charge of grouping and tactical arrangements."

Yu Tianheng stepped forward, his expression serious: "Yes, Captain."

He turned to face his team members and began to outline the training content. His voice was calm and steady, and his explanations were clear, indicating that he had a thorough understanding of the team's situation.

Snow White stepped aside and observed quietly.

She noticed that when Yu Tianheng began to give instructions, Dugu Yan's previously tense expression relaxed noticeably, and her eyes showed more trust when she looked at Yu Tianheng.

When Yu Tianheng was strategizing, he would inadvertently glance at Dugu Yan. Their eyes would occasionally meet, carrying a tacit understanding that needed no words.

It seems that the relationship between these two is indeed unusual.

The thought crossed Snow White's mind, but she didn't delve into it further.

She won't interfere too much with the personal relationships between team members, as long as it doesn't affect training and matches.

Training began quickly.

The team members were divided into two groups for a simulated battle. Snow White did not participate immediately, but stood on the sidelines to carefully observe each person's fighting style, soul skill characteristics, and habits and loopholes in team coordination.

Ning Rongrong was assigned to stand next to Ye Lingling to observe and learn.

Although she was just observing, her eyes were glued to the battle on the field, and a small notebook had appeared in her hand, from which she was jotting things down from time to time.

Time flew by during training.

Two hours later, the simulated combat came to an end, and the team members began to recover their soul power and summarize their performance.

Yu Tianheng walked to Snow White's side, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Captain, there's something I'd like to ask you about."

“Speak,” Snow White said, looking at him.

Yu Tianheng took a deep breath, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes: "I want to spar with the captain."

The training ground fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Everyone looked in their direction, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

In fact, since the day Snow White joined the team, many team members have had this question in their minds: what is the true combat strength of this princess who became a Soul Master at the age of twelve?

Although I knew she was exceptionally talented and possessed the fourth ring of the Ten Thousand Years, I had never personally witnessed her use her full power.

Yu Tianheng's challenge is just what satisfies everyone's curiosity.

Snow White looked into Yu Tianheng's eyes, which were filled with fighting spirit, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded gently: "Okay."

She understood Yu Tianheng's thoughts.

This is not just a simple sparring match, but also a way to establish the captain's authority.

Only by demonstrating overwhelming strength can we win the hearts and minds of all team members, especially those who may still have doubts.