Although it wasn't as violently intense as direct body tempering, the intensity of this style of cultivation was no less demanding.
As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong had never been someone who completely avoided hard work. But no matter how hard she thought she had trained in the past, compared to today's cultivation intensity, it all felt laughably easy.
In her entire life, she had never been this exhausted from cultivation before.
Still, while Ning Rongrong was prideful, she wasn't the type to irrationally cause trouble for no reason. Facing someone as overwhelmingly outstanding as Chen Ming, she behaved extremely cooperatively.
She also understood clearly that the reason nobody had ever forced her to cultivate to such an extent before was partly because she was Ning Fengzhi's only daughter and had always been deeply pampered.
But another reason was because the upper limit of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was Spirit Saint.
Without breaking through that limit, Level 79 was the absolute ceiling.
With her talent, there had never really been a need for her to desperately push herself beyond that point.
But now, her identity was no longer simply the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
She had become the sect's hope.
The one tasked with attempting to shatter the shackles of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The effort she was putting in now had meaning. As long as she worked harder, her future chances of breaking through that upper limit would become even greater.
Although the exhaustion of reaching her limits made the usually spoiled Ning Rongrong feel extremely uncomfortable, after sensing the amount of Spirit Power she had accumulated throughout the day, she still revealed a bright smile.
It was exhausting. But her cultivation speed for this single day was practically equivalent to two ordinary days of cultivation in the past.
If she could maintain even eighty to ninety percent of this state over a long period of time, then her cultivation speed would undergo a complete transformation compared to before.
Without forcing herself this far, Ning Rongrong truly would never have realized she could actually reach this level.
Looking at Ning Rongrong, whose entire body was drenched in sweat with soaked clothes tightly clinging to her figure as though she had just climbed out of water, Chen Ming let out a faint sigh.
Then he opened his soul tool and skillfully rummaged through it before taking out a packet of medicinal powder along with a handwritten instruction sheet he had already prepared beforehand.
"This medicinal powder was specially formulated by me. And this is the usage guide I wrote in advance," Chen Ming explained calmly. "After you return, prepare hot water, pour the medicinal powder into it, and soak according to the instructions."
"For Spirit Masters who are still in their growth period, this medicinal bath can greatly relieve physical fatigue. It can also strengthen and toughen the meridians."
"Although it can't be used indefinitely, for someone like you using it for the first time, the effects should still be quite obvious."
Naturally, something this effective wasn't cheap to produce.
And as a medicine, Chen Ming very naturally added an extra zero onto the production cost before deciding on the final selling price.
Once Ning Rongrong began producing visible cultivation results, Chen Ming fully intended to take the expenses he had accumulated during this period and have Ning Fengzhi reimburse him for everything.
After all, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might not possess infinite wealth, they were still extremely far from ever worrying about money.
As long as Ning Rongrong displayed obvious improvement, Ning Fengzhi would only shove more and more money into Chen Ming's hands rather than trying to avoid payment.
Completely drenched in sweat, Ning Rongrong accepted the medicinal packet and instruction sheet from Chen Ming. Then, after barely adjusting her exhausted state, she forced out a smile.
"How did I do today, Brother Chen Ming?" Ning Rongrong asked expectantly.
"You did fairly well. It's just your comprehension…" Chen Ming paused to think for a moment before continuing, "Actually, your comprehension is fine too."
For Douluo Continent natives — people whose brains generally weren't particularly suited for learning and whose study abilities were practically overdue on payment — Ning Rongrong's performance could already be considered extremely good.
Hearing the slight dissatisfaction hidden within Chen Ming's evaluation, Ning Rongrong lightly bit her lip as a trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes.
She had always believed herself to be a genius.
But standing before a true genius…
Was she still not good enough?
"Then, Brother Chen Ming, can you accompany me around the academy tomorrow?" Ning Rongrong asked carefully. "There are still many things about the academy I don't understand yet, and I'd like you to explain them to me."
Ning Fengzhi had never instructed Ning Rongrong to make such requests.
This was entirely because she genuinely wanted to get closer to Chen Ming.
It was just that she was still far too young and inexperienced, making the way she expressed herself somewhat awkward.
"I still need to organize various research materials and continue cultivating. I don't really have the time right now…"
Ning Rongrong's expression dimmed slightly.
But then she heard Chen Ming continue speaking.
"If you can properly step onto the correct cultivation path and complete your foundational knowledge studies, then perhaps I could spare some time for other things. But right now, I temporarily don't have that kind of free time."
"I understand!" Ning Rongrong nodded firmly, determination flashing through her eyes.
No matter whether success was possible in the end or not, she was determined to give it everything she had.
After organizing her belongings, Ning Rongrong left Chen Ming's cultivation room. But before she could even take more than two steps outside, the cool night breeze immediately blew across her body.
Although she had dried off a little, she had sweated far too much earlier. Her clothes were still damp, and the cold wind made her shiver involuntarily.
Left with no other choice, Ning Rongrong awkwardly retreated back into Chen Ming's cultivation grounds and revealed an embarrassed smile toward him.
"How about… I stay here tonight instead?" Ning Rongrong asked with a flushed face. "I can sleep on the floor if necessary."
"This…" Honestly, Chen Ming could naturally tell exactly what Ning Rongrong was thinking.
And truthfully speaking, he wasn't particularly opposed to her thoughts.
But the problem was that Ning Rongrong was still far too young.
She was genuinely just a little girl.
At this age, the situation truly left Chen Ming feeling somewhat awkward and helpless.
If he approached things purely rationally, there were plenty of methods he could use to handle the situation.
But after thinking for a moment, Chen Ming chose to temporarily turn down the rational side of his thinking a little.
Then he nodded slightly toward Ning Rongrong.
"Besides my own room, there's another room here that I originally used for inventions and experiments. I'll set up a bed for you. You can sleep there tonight."
"If you want, you can even redecorate that room a bit. In the future, whenever you come for cultivation, you can simply stay here directly."
"I'll make some food in a bit. You can eat together with me. Medicinal cuisine doesn't taste very good, but it's still quite beneficial for the body."
"Perfect timing too — I have a bathing barrel here. Later I'll heat some water, pour the medicinal powder inside, and you can soak in it directly."
"A bath…?" Ning Rongrong clearly thought of something else entirely, her entire face instantly turning bright red.
"I'm not joking," Chen Ming replied calmly. "Your cultivation intensity today was a little too high. If you do nothing at all afterward, it'll take several days for your body to fully recover, and your meridians will feel uncomfortable during that time as well."
"If you don't want to waste time, then taking the medicinal bath is necessary."
"I assume you should also have a soul tool on you. You probably brought bathing supplies and personal items already, right?"
"I…" Ning Rongrong blushed deeply and nodded, looking at Chen Ming with an oddly complicated expression.
Honestly speaking, even though people on the Douluo Continent matured somewhat earlier, the current ten-year-old Ning Rongrong was still basically just an older loli.
Being stared at by a soaked little girl like this still gave Chen Ming an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Even though he truly hadn't done anything at all, the whole atmosphere still felt strangely awkward.
Chen Ming himself wasn't entirely sure whether this situation counted as raising someone… or whether he had somehow ended up with a childhood sweetheart instead.
Though one thing was certain.
If the ones staying here tonight had been Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng instead, Chen Ming definitely wouldn't have had the slightest unnecessary thought.
In theory, Chen Ming could completely activate deep analytical thinking and abandon emotional perception altogether.
But in reality, most of the time he only maintained the minimum level of activation necessary to preserve his photographic memory and enhanced perception abilities.
At most, he could be considered calm, emotionally stable, and less impulsive due to his young age and relatively balanced hormones.
But compared to becoming some truly emotionless stone…
He was still very far from that point.