After patrolling the sect and finding nothing unusual, Nan Qiuqiu stopped her rounds and walked toward a pavilion. Inside, she quickly spotted a beautiful woman with fair skin who bore a striking resemblance to her.
Standing beside the woman was a young man dressed in black. At that moment, he was pouring tea for her. White steam rose gently, carrying the fragrance of tea as it was dispersed by the breeze.
"Mom!" Nan Qiuqiu called out with a smile.
"Qiuqiu?" Nan Shuishui looked at her daughter with a hint of confusion. "At this hour, aren't you usually patrolling the sect before going off to spar with your senior and junior brothers?"
Without hesitation, Nan Qiuqiu replied, "Mom, fighting may help me improve my combat skills, but I've already beaten all my peers in the sect there's no one left who can challenge me. Sparring with them doesn't help me grow anymore, so there's no need to keep fighting every day. Otherwise, wouldn't that just be bullying?"
"Besides, last time I left my senior brothers bruised and swollen, and you scolded me for it!"
Hearing this, Nan Shuishui sighed inwardly. In her eyes, her daughter was talented but too proud. Pride could lead to arrogance, which made Nan Qiuqiu reckless and impulsive.
But for a small sect like the Earth Dragon Sect, being cautious was the key to survival.
"Qiuqiu, you are an outstanding child there's no denying that. Everyone in the sect looks after you, partly because of your talent and partly because you are the daughter of the sect leader."
"But when your senior brothers get beaten up by you, do you really think it's because they aren't strong enough? They are going easy on you, yet you still go all out and leave them black and blue." Nan Shuishui shook her head with a touch of helplessness.
Nan Qiuqiu was momentarily stunned before mumbling, "They don't have to go easy on me. As long as we don't aim to cripple or kill each other, sparring should be fair."
"I have the Rouge Dragon Martial Soul, after all. It's the best martial soul in the Earth Dragon Sect far superior to the others. Even if they didn't go easy on me, I'd still win!"
She took great pride in her martial soul, the Rouge Dragon, because of its innate Annihilation attribute.
Annihilation was an extremely rare attribute, second only to the Ultimate attributes.
Its defining trait was the ability to erode all other attribute based abilities. If an Annihilation attribute Soul Master attacked an opponent, even one with an Ultimate attribute, they could break down their opponent's power. To resist Annihilation, an enemy would have to expend significantly more soul power.
Nan Shuishui frowned, her expression serious. "Qiuqiu, even if what you say is true, you cannot afford to be arrogant. The world is full of geniuses. Take the Soul Dueling Tournament that the Sun Moon Empire won look at how many prodigies emerged from the Sun Moon Battle Team.
Not only were they skilled with powerful soul tools, but their cultivation levels at that age were truly extraordinary."
As the leader of the Earth Dragon Sect, Nan Shuishui paid close attention to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. After all, the competition often determined which factions would dominate in the future.
In Douluo Continent, the strength of a faction depended largely on its powerful members. And how were strong warriors created? By nurturing talented individuals.
No matter how many resources a sect possessed, if it lacked enough strong cultivators, it was always at risk of being wiped out by its rivals. No sect leader would ever want to see such a fate befall their sect.
Nan Qiuqiu rolled her eyes. "Mom, I admit that the Sun Moon Battle Team had powerful soul tools, and those people were soul tool prodigies. But most of their cultivation came from relying on pills.
Sure, their levels might rise quickly now, but they've permanently damaged their potential. I wouldn't even consider them true Soul Master geniuses. For all we know, their actual cultivation talent might be worse than mine!"
"Perhaps the only real Soul Master prodigies are the ones in Shrek Academy's inner court. After all, Shrek is the number one Soul Master academy on the continent, gathering top talents from all three Douluo nations."
Nan Shuishui's face stiffened, and she scolded, "I'm telling you to recognize what makes those Sun Moon geniuses stronger than you, not to fixate on their flaws! Regardless of how they cultivated, their strength is real."
"Enough of this. Since you don't want to spar with your senior brothers, you can fight me instead. If you lose, I'll send you to Zhenlong Shore for long term seclusion training."
Nan Shuishui felt she had to discipline her daughter and temper her personality. In the future, Nan Qiuqiu was destined to inherit the sect leader's position.
But the Earth Dragon Sect was just a small sect. Small sects had to keep a low profile in the presence of powerful factions otherwise, they risked destruction. The history of Douluo Continent was long, and countless sects had perished over time. Even a once mighty clan like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been wiped out by Spirit Hall.
For the safety of the Earth Dragon Sect, its future leader could not afford to be arrogant and reckless.
"Mom…" Nan Qiuqiu's expression changed slightly. One of the things she hated most was long term seclusion training it was unbearably boring.
Beside them, a young man named Xiao Ye spoke up. "Sect Leader, isn't this a bit unfair to Big Sis?"
Nan Shuishui glanced at Xiao Ye. He was one of the Earth Dragon Sect's top talents, possessing the Night Dragon Martial Soul. She had high hopes for him and believed he could be her daughter's right hand man in the future.
She sighed. "Unfair? In this world, strength rules all there is no such thing as fairness. The Earth Dragon Sect is not strong enough, so Qiuqiu cannot afford to be arrogant. If she doesn't change, she will suffer one day. Look at Old Tianlong if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were still around, would he be stuck living out his days guarding the Tianlong Sect?"
After saying this, she turned to Nan Qiuqiu. "Qiuqiu, let's find an open space and start our match."
Nan Qiuqiu sighed bitterly and reluctantly agreed.
Moments later, she sat on the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Her shoulder ached.
Even though Nan Shuishui had suppressed her cultivation to match her daughter's, she had still defeated Nan Qiuqiu with ease.
"Alright, as per our agreement, I'll be sending you to Zhenlong Shore for seclusion training now," Nan Shuishui declared.
Suddenly, a male voice rang out from behind her. "Sect Leader Nan, there's no need to rush. We have some matters to discuss with you."
Nan Shuishui felt a chill run down her spine. She spun around, immediately shielding Nan Qiuqiu behind her as she looked toward three figures gradually emerging in the distance.
Their presence was unsettling. She suspected they had used some kind of special stealth soul skill to conceal themselves nearby otherwise, they couldn't have appeared so suddenly.
(End of chapter.)
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