I'm Not Going to Shrek! Ning Rongrong Insists on Becoming a Maid
Ning Rongrong's pretty face flushed crimson as she stared at Chu Yuan and asked, "Y-your Martial Soul... what exactly is it? Why did my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda automatically form the phantoms of two extra levels in front of your Martial Soul?"
Chu Yuan gently curled his five fingers, dismissing the Crown of Heavenly Principles from his right hand and leaving only the Glaze Lily quietly blooming in his left palm.
Without the Crown of Heavenly Principles shining upon it, the two phantom levels on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda vanished in an instant, and the pagoda settled back into Ning Rongrong's palm.
Chu Yuan looked at the distraught Ning Rongrong. "How can a frog at the bottom of a well know how vast the heavenly way is? The Martial Soul your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect takes such pride in is incomplete at its very source. Only the divine essence of Heavenly Principles under my command and this immortal treasure of Teyvat can make up for your Martial Soul's innate deficiency. Now, do you still think those few worthless stones in your hands can compare with my belongings?"
Ning Rongrong bit her lip and glanced down at the Scarlet Sun Jade and the luminous pearl that had rolled onto the carpet.
Having witnessed the divine essence that could evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, she looked at the treasures she had brought out from her sect's collection and found them as laughable as mud and rubble by the roadside.
All the pride and defiance in her heart were shattered by the shock of something that concerned her family's ultimate dream.
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes burning as she stared fixedly at the Glaze Lily in Chu Yuan's left palm. "I... I admit I lost just now! Your treasures are ten thousand times more precious than mine! Sir, please tell me how I can truly turn my Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! As long as you're willing to help me, I can have my father give you half the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's entire fortune in exchange!"
Chu Yuan chuckled and casually put the Glaze Lily into his storage space. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's fortune? I already said it: I pay no heed to mortal gold and silver. Besides, the direct descendants of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have no means of protecting themselves. Even if I gave you the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, without a powerful expert to protect you, you would be nothing but a fat sheep for others to slaughter."
At the mention of her sect's pride, Ning Rongrong instinctively puffed out her chest and protested, "Who says we're waiting to be slaughtered? Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has two Titled Douluo guarding it, Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone! My Grandpa Sword, Chen Xin, has the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul, the number one tool Martial Soul under heaven, and its attack power is unmatched in the world! As long as Grandpa Sword is there, nobody can bully us!"
Keqing, who had been standing quietly beside Chu Yuan, heard this. Her amethyst eyes flickered, and she stepped forward slowly.
She glanced at the proud-faced Ning Rongrong and spoke in a cool, even voice. "Swordsmanship unmatched under heaven? Little girl, I don't yet know how strong the Sword Douluo you speak of is. But when it comes to the intricacies of the sword, the crude methods on this continent that rely on Soul Ring skills cannot bear the words 'unmatched under heaven.'"
Ning Rongrong admired Sword Douluo Chen Xin more than anyone. Hearing Keqing's words, she immediately took offense. "Nonsense! My Grandpa Sword is a level ninety-six Titled Douluo! You haven't even shown a Soul Ring, so what gives you the right to belittle his swordsmanship?"
Keqing did not get angry. She turned and looked at Chu Yuan as if asking permission, and when she saw him give a slight nod, she turned over her delicate hand.
With a ring, a one-handed sword appeared out of thin air in her fair hand. It was the Lion's Roar, its slender, elegant blade gleaming with flowing dark gold and crimson light.
An open floor-to-ceiling viewing window stood on one side of the corridor. Outside were several century-old ironwood trees planted in the auction house's rear courtyard, and a withered yellow ironwood leaf was drifting into the corridor on the wind.
Keqing spoke two words: "Watch closely."
Before her voice had faded, she gave her wrist a light flick. The reconstituted Electro Vision at her waist flashed purple, and she shouted, "Swordlight, reflect my will and cut through all clutter!"
In an instant, violet lightning surged before Ning Rongrong's eyes. Keqing's figure left an afterimage where she stood, and in less than half a breath, the long sword in her hand slashed out dozens of violet-gold sword nets too fast for the naked eye to follow.
There was no warning flash of a Soul Ring, nor the slightest excess energy leaking out. The path of every stroke was exquisite to the extreme, imbued with pure lightning sword intent.
The next instant, Keqing sheathed her sword and stood quietly beside Chu Yuan again. Her purple twin tails swayed gently behind her as though she had done nothing at all.
The palm-sized ironwood leaf hung motionless in midair for an instant, then rustled apart.
In that half a breath, sword Qi had sliced it with precision into exactly 108 neat fragments, each the size of a grain of rice. The edge of every fragment was smooth as a mirror, without the slightest trace of scorching.
Beyond the window, more than ten zhang away, the top of a bluestone rockery three people tall silently slid off. Faint, lingering wisps of violet lightning still flickered along the cut.
Ning Rongrong's little mouth fell open as she stared blankly at the 108 leaf fragments on the carpet, then at the bluestone rockery with its top sliced flat outside the window. Her head buzzed.
She had grown up at Sword Douluo Chen Xin's side. Though her own strength was not great, she had a discerning eye for sword intent.
The swordsmanship the purple-haired young lady had just displayed had not used any Soul Ring or Soul Skill at all. It relied entirely on her own sword techniques, honed through countless trials, and a kind of lightning power Ning Rongrong had never seen before.
She had never heard of swordsmanship so exquisite, with the sword following the heart and a hundred slashes delivered in an instant.
Ning Rongrong swallowed and murmured, "She can unleash such terrifying sword Qi without a Soul Ring... W-what kind of swordsmanship is that?"
When she looked at Chu Yuan and his companions again, the last trace of contempt in her eyes vanished completely.
The young man could casually produce a divine object and an immortal flower that could trigger the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's evolution. The purple-haired girl beside him possessed peerless swordsmanship that surpassed the Soul Master system, and even the black-clad female guard behind him, who was Ning Rongrong's age, was strong enough to frighten her into immobility.
Compared with this group of mysterious people, the Shrek Academy she had originally planned to apply to, built in a shabby village, was nothing but a makeshift country troupe playing at greatness.
Chu Yuan paid no further attention to Ning Rongrong, who stood there in a daze. He led Keqing, Mona, and Zhu Zhuqing down the stairs, leaving her with only one sentence: "Let's go back to the hotel."
Seeing that Chu Yuan was really leaving, Ning Rongrong abruptly came to her senses.
The sight of the nine-level phantom appearing on her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda flashed through her mind, and she immediately made up her mind. Forget Shrek Academy; she wasn't going.
If she missed this mysterious young master, she might never again encounter an opportunity to evolve her Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Ning Rongrong didn't stop to pick up the luminous pearl. Gathering the hem of her long white dress, she hurried after him on her little legs, calling as she ran, "Wait! Don't leave me behind!"
She went around to Chu Yuan's side, her earlier arrogance and willfulness gone. Wearing a sweet, well-behaved smile, she looked up at him and pleaded softly.
"Young master, Rongrong was blind just now and offended you and these ladies. May I apologize and make amends? I originally ran away from home to train at Shrek Academy, but I've changed my mind now! Young master, do you need someone to serve you tea and water? I'm a direct-descendant genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and my support abilities are the best under heaven. Please let me follow you!"