Six Powers · Sunset Forest

"Why did they do that? If they couldn't win, couldn't they just admit defeat?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked, puzzled.

"Because... they weren't brothers," Tang Feng said casually.

"If they were brothers, they wouldn't have done that, right?"

Tang Feng looked at Zhu Zhuqing. He suspected she was taking a jab at him, but he had no proof.

"If they were brothers, you should know the answer yourself."

"What does that have to do with..." Zhu Zhuqing was about to ask what that had to do with her when she remembered the deeply affectionate brothers and sisters of the Star Luo Imperial Family and her own clan, and how they had slaughtered one another.

She had finally seen a normal relationship between brothers and sisters.

In Tang Feng's words, that was raising gu.

The Star Luo Emperor had his children kill one another until a single gu king emerged to inherit the throne.

Zhu Zhuqing argued:

"That's different. The Star Luo Empire is a special case."

"A normal relationship between siblings definitely isn't like that."

Tang Feng burst out laughing.

"Haha, I'm teasing you. Of course normal brothers love and care for each other."

Isn't that right, Tang San...

Shrek Academy, Suotuo City.

Tang San, who was cultivating on his bed, suddenly shuddered and looked around.

He was alone in the room.

He and Oscar had originally shared a room, but on the second day after the school year began...

Ning Rongrong had refused to obey Flender's discipline, so Flender had ordered her to run twenty laps around the village. In the end, she hadn't run enough—she hadn't even finished a single lap before going shopping in Suotuo City.

Dean Flender had given her a furious scolding, and that night, Ning Rongrong had run off toward the dormitory.

Flender had sent Oscar to comfort Ning Rongrong, but...

Ning Rongrong had run away!

She had left Shrek Academy.

Flender had been scared out of his wits. He had hurriedly gathered people to search for Ning Rongrong, but they had searched all night without finding her.

Flender had been devastated. He hadn't expected the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's little princess to be so fragile. He had only scolded her a few times, and she had run away from school.

Now I'm screwed.

I can only hope Sect Master Ning is as kind as he said in his letter... and won't hold this against me.

Come to think of it, why didn't that pair of students who bought a yellow crystal at my shop that day come to Shrek Academy?

Could they have been rejected?

Surely not?

After Ning Rongrong left, Tang San became Shrek Academy's only new student in nearly three years.

With a room now vacant, Tang San had been able to move into it without trouble.

As of now, the academy had only four students in total, but a full five teachers. Even with one-on-one instruction, there was a teacher left over.

Tang San felt he probably shouldn't have come to Shrek Academy.

Fortunately, he had learned from a letter that his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, would be coming here in a few days to teach him.

Only then could Tang San study at Shrek Academy with peace of mind.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

After three days of traveling through the night, Ning Rongrong was finally carried all the way back from Suotuo City to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect by its Soul Masters.

As soon as she entered the sect's council hall, she saw Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong seated at the head of the hall.

Ning Rongrong instantly burst into tears, throwing herself into Sword Douluo's arms and bawling.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were heartbroken at the sight and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Ning Rongrong embellished her account of how she had been singled out at Shrek and bullied by the academy's teachers.

When Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who had never supported Ning Rongrong going to Shrek Academy, heard this, his face immediately fell.

He looked at Ning Fengzhi, imposing even without anger.

"Fengzhi, this was your plan?"

"To send Rongrong to Shrek Academy to be bullied!!!"

"Hmm!!!"

With that angry shout, the presence unique to a level ninety-six Titled Douluo pressed down on Ning Fengzhi, who was only level seventy-nine, leaving him unable to breathe or move.

"Hey! Old Jian! Are you crazy? Watch yourself!" Bone Douluo Gu Rong saw that Sword Douluo Chen Xin was going too far and hurriedly warned him.

Though he also wanted to teach Ning Fengzhi a lesson, it seemed Chen Xin could handle it alone.

Ning Rongrong saw that her father couldn't straighten up under Grandpa Jian's pressure, his face flushed red.

She hadn't expected that a few casual embellishments would make things turn out like this.

This wasn't what she wanted, so Ning Rongrong hurriedly spoke up for Ning Fengzhi:

"Grandpa Jian, please stop bullying my dad. It was all my fault for not sticking it out. My dad meant well."

Those words made Sword Douluo even angrier. Rongrong was so sensible, yet Ning Fengzhi had sent her to Shrek to suffer!

Ning Fengzhi, how could you be so heartless!

Sword Douluo increased the pressure of his Soul Power once more.

Ning Fengzhi was pressed flat on the ground, frantically protesting his innocence.

"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, I've really been wronged!"

Rongrong, you've really put your father through the wringer!

Seven days later, on the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

Two figures arrived. They were Tang Feng and Zhu Zhuqing.

"We're heading to the very center of Sunset Forest. We're bound to encounter Soul Beasts at the ten-thousand-year level."

"So stay close to me from here on. If you notice anything wrong, tell me immediately," Tang Feng said, looking at Zhu Zhuqing as he cautioned her.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Understood!"

Over the past ten days, whenever the two of them came across a city with a Soul Fighting Arena, they had stopped so Zhu Zhuqing could sign up for solo Soul Fighting matches to test her combat abilities.

Her current record was six wins and zero losses.

Under Tang Feng's specialized training, her Soul Power had also reached level twenty-eight, about two months faster than Zhu Zhuqing had expected.

Not only that, with the help of the Tsukuyomi World, Zhu Zhuqing had also learned the basics of the Six Powers.

Geppo gave her the ability to move through the air, expanding her range of movement and improving her ability to maneuver around opponents.

Soru's instantaneous movement, Shigan's finger reinforcement, and Rankyaku's additional attacks, combined with Zhu Zhuqing's various Soul Skills, had brought about a qualitative change in her overall strength, even though her Soul Power had only risen by one level.

She could now instantly defeat a normal genius Soul Master of the same level in a single exchange.

She could instantly defeat her past self.

In Sunset Forest, two figures sped through the trees, one behind the other.

With his Divine Sense to assist him, Tang Feng could tell at a glance where danger lay and where it didn't.

After two hours of travel, Tang Feng finally brought Zhu Zhuqing to the poisonous miasma Dugu Bo had laid down.

Looking at the emerald-green miasma in the distance, Zhu Zhuqing found it a little hard to breathe.

According to Tang Feng, the Immortal Herb he was going to prepare for her was inside, but could they really go in?

It was already hard to breathe from this far away. If she actually inhaled a mouthful, she would probably die on the spot.

Tang Feng took out a Poison-Averting Pill.

"Open your mouth."

"Ah~"

Zhu Zhuqing did as she was told.

Tang Feng placed the Poison-Averting Pill in Zhu Zhuqing's mouth and said:

"The poisonous miasma here can kill a Soul Douluo in a single breath, so taking your life is naturally no problem."

"What I just gave you was a Poison-Averting Pill. It will let you walk through the miasma without being harmed by the poison."

"Its effects last about a day. Consider it a safeguard."

Tang Feng took out an aromatic silk beauty and held it in his hand, then looked at Zhu Zhuqing and said:

"Hold my hand. We're going into the miasma."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing hurried forward, grasped Tang Feng's left hand with both of hers, and stayed close beside him.

This miasma could poison even a Soul Douluo to death. She didn't think she could survive in it without Tang Feng's protection.