"Let's go. We'll head up."
Under Qian Renxue's guidance, Ye Yu passed through the main gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and began ascending toward the peak of the mountain, where the magnificent Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda stood.
Marble steps paved the path upward, and along the way, the architecture of the clan unfolded before their eyes—grand halls, exquisite pavilions, artificial hills, flower gardens, flowing streams, and arched bridges… all meticulously arranged in a lavish, harmonious style.
Before long, they reached the summit.
There, beyond a stretch of verdant grass, stood the glorious Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Having already been informed of their arrival, Ning Fengzhi, along with Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, was waiting at the entrance.
As they approached, Ye Yu caught sight of the three figures.
At the center stood a refined-looking middle-aged man appearing to be in his mid-thirties. He wore a luxurious blue robe, his tall frame standing straight and composed. His appearance was gentle and scholarly, with a warm smile on his face. His long black hair was tied into a topknot, adorned with a platinum crown. In his hand, he held a gemstone-tipped cane, which he lightly caressed.
Standing to either side of him were two other men.
One wore a blue robe, had a slender and upright posture, long silver hair and eyes, and an aura sharp and cold as a drawn sword—that was clearly Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
The other wore a set of dark armor, had a broad and robust build, with long black hair flowing over his shoulders. His expression was brooding and shadowed—undoubtedly Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
Though Ye Yu had never met them in person, he instantly recognized the three men.
The aura they exuded made it impossible to mistake their identities.
"Qinghe."
When Ning Fengzhi saw Qian Renxue arriving with Ye Yu, his warm smile deepened, and he stepped forward.
"This must be the young man who's made quite a name for himself recently in Heaven Dou City's soul master circles—Ye Yu, yes?"
He gave Qian Renxue a glance, then turned toward Ye Yu, his eyes filled with admiration.
Despite being a noble with wealth and status from birth, Ning Fengzhi had long sought a way to evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—a martial soul with great power but inherent limitations.
Yet all efforts had been fruitless.
Ye Yu's story, however, was legendary.
Born of common birth, orphaned young, and possessing only a Blue Silver Grass martial soul with rank 1 innate spirit power, he had nonetheless managed to evolve his martial soul not once, but twice, becoming a Soul Elder at such a young age—with overwhelming strength to match.
He had first faced more than ten fellow students alone and defeated them all.
Then, in a duel against the famed Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he had emerged victorious with ease.
This kind of ability and growth was nothing short of miraculous.
To Ning Fengzhi, Ye Yu was the model of the ideal child—a role model to be compared with.
In fact, just a short while ago, he had scolded his daughter, Ning Rongrong, using Ye Yu as an example:
"Look at him! Born a nobody, with a weak martial soul and minimal talent, yet through effort and determination, he rose to become a prodigy.
And you, my daughter—you're the heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!
You wield the continent's number one support-type martial soul and were born with rank 9 innate spirit power.
Why aren't you training harder?!"
Of course, another major reason why Ning Fengzhi had so quickly agreed to this meeting, once Qian Renxue brought up Ye Yu, was that he recognized Ye Yu's immense talent in martial soul theory.
He hoped to build a relationship with Ye Yu—perhaps one day he might find a way to evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as well.
"Ye Yu greets Clan Master Ning. Greetings to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo."
Ye Yu respectfully bowed to the three as he spoke, fully aware of their prestige.
"Haha, no need to be so formal."
"Come, let's talk inside."
With a kind smile, Ning Fengzhi ushered Qian Renxue and Ye Yu into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Inside the Grand Hall, First Floor
Once everyone was seated comfortably, Ning Fengzhi turned to Ye Yu with curiosity.
"Brother Ye Yu, Qinghe tells me you wish to engage in business with our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"Might I ask what kind of business you have in mind?"
"He also mentioned that your insight is extraordinary—that you have an aptitude for inventing new tools, such as the curved-beam plow, saw, and multi-function seed-drill cart.
"Are you looking to sell these?"
"Not quite, Clan Master Ning."
Ye Yu shook his head with a smile, then retrieved three items from his Jade Dragon Bracelet—a bag of snowflake salt, a bag of snowflake sugar, and a bar of soap.
"These are the products I'd like to work with your clan to sell."
"Refined salt… and white sugar?"
Ning Fengzhi carefully examined the two items and recognized them, but furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar third object.
"Indeed, they are refined salt and sugar," Ye Yu nodded.
"But I prefer to call them Snowflake Salt and Snowflake Sugar."
"If you look closely, you'll notice how much purer and finer they are than what's currently on the market.
"You can also taste them—the flavor is vastly superior."
"And as for this," Ye Yu picked up the bar of soap, "this is a cleansing product. It can be used for bathing and washing, removing dirt and grime much more effectively than regular methods—and it's even scented."
After briefly introducing all three items, Ye Yu laid out his proposal:
He wished to enter into a 50/50 profit-sharing partnership with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, where he would provide the goods, and they would handle logistics and distribution.
As the clan master, Ning Fengzhi quickly evaluated the offer.
Upon learning that the production cost of Ye Yu's products was lower than average, while the quality was far superior, he instantly recognized their massive commercial potential.
It was the kind of business that could generate mountains of gold.
Soap, too, showed promise as a daily-use product with a wide market.
And Ye Yu wasn't asking for an unfair share—he offered half the profits, which was perfectly reasonable given that he was supplying the goods.
Furthermore, Ye Yu's future was bright.
At just fourteen, he was already a Soul Elder—becoming a Soul Douluo in the future was very likely, and even reaching Titled Douluo was within reach.
He was worth investing in.
Ye Yu also possessed impressive insight into martial souls.
Ning Fengzhi already hoped to someday ask for his help researching a way to evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.
And this wasn't the first time Ye Yu had impressed him. The youth had already invented the curved-beam plow and multi-function drill cart—tools that revolutionized agriculture.
Now he brought them luxury goods with mass appeal.
Who knew what he'd invent next?
If this partnership succeeded, there was no reason they couldn't collaborate further down the line.
With a partner like that, gold soul coins would come rolling in—and such talent must not be offended.
Very soon, Ye Yu and Ning Fengzhi finalized their cooperation agreement in the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Afterward
Ning Fengzhi needed to speak privately with Qian Renxue, and couldn't continue hosting Ye Yu.
Ye Yu, however, was curious about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's interior.
"Then please, Clan Master, Your Highness—take your time.
"Since I'm already here, I'd love to look around the clan a bit."
Bidding farewell politely, he stepped out of the pagoda and began wandering.
But he hadn't gone far when a crisp, angry voice called out behind him:
"Hmph! So you're that Ye Yu, huh?!"
Turning around, Ye Yu saw a young girl—around ten years old—wearing a sapphire-blue wide-sleeved long dress. Her soft brown hair was neatly parted in the middle and tucked behind her dainty ears.
Her large sapphire eyes sparkled with intelligence, her facial features were exceptionally delicate, and her noble air unmistakable.
Right now, she was puffing her cheeks in frustration, one hand on her waist as she glared at him.
Ye Yu blinked.
…This must be Ning Rongrong.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin