Ultimate Slash, Deep Schemes

Shrek Academy, the main training grounds.

This was where all the students had gathered on their first day.

But now it had become the arena for Ning Rongrong and Dean Flender's wager.

Oscar had never imagined that merely reaching level thirty would stir up so much trouble.

If he were given a chance to start over,

he would, of course...

still choose to reach level thirty.

After all, others being strong was their business; only being strong oneself was the true path.

Ning Rongrong stood opposite everyone present.

Seeing the various thoughts on their faces, she was more touched by Zhu Zhuqing.

Although Zhu Zhuqing said nothing and her expression remained as cold as ever, she was the only one who cast worried glances Ning Rongrong's way from time to time. That was what genuine friendship looked like.

Ning Rongrong smiled faintly and nodded to Zhu Zhuqing, then released her Martial Soul—the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword.

"Is that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? How is that possible? It looks far too different from before."

"It looks like a sword? How could a Support System Soul Master's Martial Soul be a sword?"

"This... could her Martial Soul have mutated? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect actually has a genius like this!" Flender was astonished. After seeing Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul, he could not calm himself for a long time. "This Little Demoness really is a monster among monsters."

Tang San's face darkened. "I found Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul strange when I saw it before. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda clearly has only seven levels, but her Martial Soul had ten. Now her Martial Soul has changed again. I'm afraid this is its second mutation."

"What? A second Martial Soul Mutation? This... how is that possible? Doesn't a Martial Soul stay the same once it awakens?"

"No. Some Immortal Herbs can give a Martial Soul a chance to evolve or mutate again, but this second mutation..."

Amid everyone's astonishment, Ning Rongrong began to release her Soul Skills.

"From the turning of the ten treasures comes glazed light. The ten treasures are named: first, Strength; second, Speed."

Whoosh-

Whoosh-

Two streams of emerald-green light burst forth, suddenly splitting apart in midair and racing toward everyone present at tremendous speed.

From the release of the Soul Skills to the completion of their boosts, only an instant passed.

Everyone felt their strength and speed continuously increasing. As if they had been injected with hundreds of doses of hormones, they were brimming with vigor and eager to try them out.

Even Dai Mubai, whose balls had been crushed, felt as though he had become a real man again.

This was the first time he had received Ning Rongrong's support, and he felt it most keenly.

He had long heard that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was the Douluo Continent's finest Support System Martial Soul, providing tremendous boosts. Now, the boosts this Mutated Martial Soul gave everyone were even greater. It was simply staggering.

If he were given another chance, he would never dare provoke this Little Demoness.

But it was too late.

There was no medicine for regret in this world.

Flender was equally shaken. After feeling the boost, he, a level seventy-six Soul Saint, even felt capable of fighting a Titled Douluo. "Ning Rongrong, your Martial Soul is..."

In his astonishment, Flender could no longer remain composed. In the end, he asked, "It's no longer a Support System Martial Soul, is it?"

But as soon as he asked, Flender suddenly felt foolish. If it were not a Support System Martial Soul, how could it have boosted everyone?

Ning Rongrong concealed nothing. She looked at the group as though they were fools. They really were a bunch who had never seen the wider world. "The Ten Treasures Glazed Sword is still a Support System Martial Soul, but my attacking ability is in no way inferior to a Power Attack System Martial Soul."

"Wh... what?"

"Not inferior to a Power Attack System Martial Soul? That means she's no weaker than a Power Attack System Soul Master!"

"No wonder she was able to defeat Fatty and Mubai one after the other!"

"Is this really the talent of a Soul Master? How is it even more outrageous than a Soul Beast's???"

Feeling the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword's boosts, everyone fell silent.

But just looking at the imposing expression in Ning Rongrong's eyes, they suddenly began to think that Flender might ultimately lose this wager.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Although every second was the same length,

before anyone knew it, the agreed two hours had passed just like that.

It was Flender who spoke up first. "All right. Next, you'll have to hold out against me for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I'll go easy on you."

Having seen Ning Rongrong's talent, Flender had mixed feelings. Though Ning Rongrong had crippled Ma Hongjun and injured Dai Mubai-

talent was something everyone always sought.

Even if one could not obtain it, one still had to ensure that talent could grow.

Besides, even if he wanted to avenge Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai, would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really let him off?

Once they learned of Ning Rongrong's talent, wouldn't they be eager to cast everything aside and clear a path for her?

In the eyes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, how much deterrent power did the whole of Shrek Academy have compared with Ning Rongrong, a genius among geniuses?

Flender knew he could not afford to provoke the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That had been true before, and it was even truer now.

"Come on. Let me see your attacking ability." Flender put away his astonished expression and began the next test.

Ning Rongrong nodded and withdrew the boosts she had given everyone, then directed them all to herself. "From the turning of the ten treasures comes glazed light. The ten treasures are named: first, Divine Strength; second, Divine Speed."

Whoosh-

Whoosh-

Her attack increased fourfold, and her speed increased three and a half times.

The test officially began as Flender planted the burning incense stick in the ground.

Unlike Zhao Wuji, whom she had faced when she first entered the academy, Flender had a flying Beast Martial Soul. He was fast and powerful, and his strengths were exactly the same as Ning Rongrong's.

But one was a level seventy-six Soul Saint, while the other was only level twenty-six.

He surpassed her by a full fifty levels.

Hopefully, Flender would not use his full strength.

The battle officially began.

Flender attacked first.

He was too eager to learn the true strength of the Little Demoness, Ning Rongrong.

But without Ning Rongrong's boosts, he immediately felt that his abilities had declined considerably, which was painful for him.

He had clearly stood at the peak, yet could not remain there forever. How heartbreaking.

Whoosh-

Flender's attack came swiftly. It was a simple attack that did not rely on a Soul Skill, yet it put Ning Rongrong under pressure.

His speed was probably far greater than hers.

They were not in the same league at all.

And this Soul Saint expert had not even released a Soul Skill.

Sure enough, showing off would bring retribution.

She still could not meet a Soul Saint head-on.

Barely evading Flender's first attack, Ning Rongrong's eyes turned emerald green. At the same time, she gripped the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword, wielding the sword to command its momentum and riding that momentum forward.

Crack-

Turning defense into offense, Ning Rongrong launched an attack.

"What incredible speed!"

"Ning Rongrong is almost as fast as the dean!"

"Is this the boost from that Divine Speed?"

"It seems Divine Speed lets her focus more on boosting herself, maximizing the boost she receives."

"Rongrong..."

The younger generation of Shrek Academy chattered endlessly.

Some were shocked, others worried, but all watched the match without taking their eyes off it.

Flender could clearly sense a change in Ning Rongrong's presence after she took the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword in hand. She was only a level twenty-six Soul Master, yet she made him, a Soul Saint expert, feel a trace of danger.

Could a level twenty-six child really make him feel threatened?

Flender could hardly believe it. He activated his Third Soul Skill, Seek and Strike Weakness, using the Cat Owl's special vision to find and strike his opponent's weaknesses.

His pupils changed as well, turning a deeper black, as though his gaze had locked down everything around him.

But Ning Rongrong's speed soon left him thoroughly disappointed.

Although Ning Rongrong was not as fast as he was, he still could not lock onto her weaknesses.

"What on earth is going on?" Flender observed Ning Rongrong as he confronted her head-on.

Little did he know, fighting at close quarters made Ning Rongrong delighted.

After all, the Hyper-Acceleration Domain attached to Ning Rongrong's Second Soul Skill restricted a target's speed by ten percent. The faster the Soul Master, the greater the restriction.

For example, if Zhao Wuji's speed were one hundred, the restriction on his speed would be only ten.

But if Flender's speed were one thousand, the restriction on his speed would be one hundred.

The speed taken from Flender alone was roughly equivalent to one Zhao Wuji.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Fierce sword Qi burst from the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword, slashing at different parts of Flender's body, all of them places where a hit would restrict his speed.

If he failed to dodge, he would be wounded and his speed restricted further. Even if he dodged, his speed would still be restricted considerably.

The piercing sound of the air being torn apart startled Flender.

He truly had not expected Ning Rongrong's practical combat ability to be so outstanding as well.

Though he was faster, he could only fight Ning Rongrong to a draw at close quarters.

Of course, he had not used his stronger Soul Skills. He had originally thought that even using his Third Soul Skill would be bullying her, and had intended to go easy on Ning Rongrong. Now that he thought about it, he had been careless.

However, Flender's practical combat experience was clearly superior.

Realizing that close combat would restrict him at every turn, he immediately released his First Soul Skill, Eagle Strikes the Sky, and used it to take flight.

Although he was not flying very high, he was beyond Ning Rongrong's reach.

"Don't say I'm bullying you. This really is an advantage of my Martial Soul."

Flender smiled sinisterly. Counterattacking with the advantage of his Martial Soul worked unexpectedly well, and he began to suppress Ning Rongrong.

"A little girl is still a little girl. Let me teach you another lesson: you need to learn to seize your opponent's weaknesses."

"..."

Damn it, as long as you can't fly, that's a weakness.

As soon as he finished speaking, Flender struck with a claw, colliding head-on with the blade of Ning Rongrong's Ten Treasures Glazed Sword. Although he did not touch Ning Rongrong herself, the blow sent her stumbling back several steps.

For a moment, the strength of a Soul Saint expert was displayed to the fullest.

But the more excited he became, the calmer Ning Rongrong grew.

Seeing Flender use a flying Soul Skill to fight her, she decided to hold nothing back and take the opportunity to try out a new move.

Of course, its effect should be far stronger than Ten Treasure Continuous Strikes.

"Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-

A multitude of sword Qi slashes flew from the blade of the Ten Treasures Glazed Sword almost simultaneously, all locked directly onto Flender in the air.

No matter how Flender dodged, he could not evade them.

"Fuck!" Flender felt as miserable as if he had eaten a lump of shit. Had he known Ning Rongrong possessed such a killing move, he would have been better off fighting her at close quarters and giving her no chance to release it.

Boom-

The first strike of Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash hit Flender. His body shook violently in the air, but he barely managed to hold on.

"Does this Soul Skill have a guaranteed-hit effect?" Flender was horrified and quickly grasped the nature of Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash.

Soon afterward, another five strikes hit him.

Flender felt his body grow as heavy as lead, and he was about to fall. Fortunately, he had not suffered a fatal injury, which meant Ning Rongrong's attacks could not hurt him too badly for now.

But Flender was Flender, after all. There were two reasons he had become dean of Shrek Academy: one was his strength, and the other was that his mind was sharper than many people's.

"In that case, don't blame me for not holding back." Flender shouted coldly, then abandoned his attempts to dodge and allowed the seventh strike of Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash to hit him. His body began plummeting rapidly.

"What? Dean Flender lost?"

"He's a level seventy-six Soul Saint expert!"

Everyone looked astonished.

But soon, something happened that astonished them again.

Even Ning Rongrong had not expected it.

Flender actually used the moment his First Soul Skill was broken to crash down toward her.

"That old thing actually wants me to block Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash." Ning Rongrong quickly understood Flender's true aim, and she had to admit that his method could break through her Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash.

It took time to describe, but it happened in an instant.

Flender cleverly used his falling body to brush past Ning Rongrong. After the seventh strike of Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash,

Boom-boom-

the eighth and ninth strikes both landed on Ning Rongrong herself.

Thud-

The damage from these two strikes increased with each successive hit. After Ning Rongrong took both attacks, her entire body was sent flying.

"Pfft."

A great mouthful of blood gushed from her mouth.

This was the first time she had experienced the strength and on-the-spot adaptability of a Soul Saint expert.

It also showed her the limitations of Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash against Speed System Soul Masters.

Especially Speed System Soul Masters who were faster than she was.

"Hahaha, that was satisfying." Seeing Ning Rongrong fly backward, Flender laughed. "To think a level twenty-six youngster could suppress me like that—I really do admire you. But unfortunately, the incense hasn't burned out yet. In the end, you still lost, youngster."

Boom-

Ning Rongrong slammed heavily into the ground, unsteady and on the verge of collapse. Everyone's attention was drawn to her.

Dai Mubai even showed a trace of a cold smile. "I never thought this day would come for you too."

Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, was filled with worry.

Xiao Wu said, "Ning Rongrong really lost this time, right?"

Tang San frowned. "Not necessarily."

"Huh? Can Ning Rongrong still fight the dean?" Xiao Wu didn't understand.

Tang San nodded and explained, "Xiao Wu, do you remember how many attacks the Ten Treasure Continuous Strikes had in total when Ning Rongrong fought Ma Hongjun? There were ten in all, but in her fight with the dean just now, the Ten Treasures Ultimate Slash clearly struck only nine times. There should be one more."

!!!