Too Small (Please Follow, Please Vote Monthly)

Just now, he had Big Man make his demand in order to divert the other side's attention.

Because of the angle and the darkness, Sword Wings had unfurled silently without being noticed.

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Tianchen shook loose the feather blades and concealed them beneath the fallen leaves on the ground.

When his Third Spirit Ability activated, these feather blades seemed to gain souls of their own, automatically striking at Big Man's vital points.

When Big Man's neck was pierced through, a large amount of blood sprayed onto Ning Rongrong.

Seeing that the danger had passed, Ning Rongrong threw herself into Ning Tianchen's arms, her voice choked with tears.

"Tianchen Gege, Rongrong thought I'd never be able to be with you again."

Ning Tianchen gently stroked her forehead. "Don't cry, Rongrong. The bad guys have all been dealt with."

After this incident, Ning Rongrong had matured considerably.

The spirit master world was this cruel. Without Ning Fengzhi's protection, with her temperament, she would likely have been killed long ago.

Even with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's name behind them, there were still people in this desolate place who refused to show them any respect.

"We can't stay here any longer. We need to leave quickly."

That Big Man from earlier was probably not the Black Wind Stronghold Boss. The battle here had caused quite a commotion, and the other members of Black Wind Stronghold were likely already on their way.

There had been over twenty of them, and even with his strength far surpassing theirs, Ning Rongrong had still been taken hostage. This was enough to prove that when surrounded and attacked, Ning Tianchen would find it difficult to ensure Ning Rongrong's safety.

If there had been even more people, Ning Rongrong might not have survived.

Of course, this was not Ning Tianchen's problem. The Seven Kill Sword Art pursued the ultimate in offense and slaughter; it was not a sword meant for protection.

"Rongrong, stand on the sword first. We'll find a river soon and wash the blood off ourselves."

Covered in blood, they would not even make it into the city. If the guards spotted them, they would likely seize them on the spot.

Relying on the flight ability granted by his Third Spirit Ability, Ning Tianchen quickly flew down the mountain with Ning Rongrong.

The Third Spirit Ability was Ning Tianchen's ultimate spirit ability at present, and it consumed a great deal of Soul Power. Since Ning Rongrong had no soul power amplification ability either, he could not maintain flight for long.

By the time more than half of his Soul Power had been depleted, he barely managed to fly down the mountain.

A small stream happened to lie not far away within their view.

Ning Tianchen casually took off his shirt and used the stream water to wipe the blood from his body.

Ning Rongrong could not do the same.

After all, she was a girl. Taking off her top would be far too improper.

Seeing this, Ning Tianchen said, "Rongrong, I'll keep watch for you. Go wash up."

Ning Rongrong immediately blushed scarlet. Slowly, she removed her clothes and crouched by the stream.

Tonight, the moon was only a crescent, and her features were hard to make out in the reflection on the water's surface.

After wiping herself for a while, she softly said, "T-Tianchen Gege, I can't reach my back. C-can you help me?"

Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it vanished completely.

The moonlit night was silent, but Ning Tianchen still understood what she meant.

"Th-this isn't appropriate, is it?"

With a shame-faced expression, Ning Rongrong said, "Father said Tianchen Gege is going to marry Rongrong, so it's... it's okay."

After hesitating for a while, Ning Tianchen ultimately agreed.

With the faint moonlight, he could only barely make out her snow-white skin. As for anything else...

"A little small."

Ning Rongrong's body stiffened in place until every trace of blood had been wiped clean.

At dawn the next morning, the two entered a nearby city just as its gates opened.

They had spent the entire night in the wilderness and were both exhausted. They planned to rest in this small city for half a day before setting off again.

As they entered the city, a merchant caravan traveling alongside them discussed Black Wind Stronghold.

"Did you hear? Yesterday evening, the Black Wind Stronghold Boss was killed by a Spirit Hall expert. At dawn, when I came from Pei Yang City, I saw several Kingdom armies gathering toward Black Wind Stronghold's mountain."

"Hah, no wonder. You don't know this, but when I passed through the mountain routes they controlled just now, I heard that their Fourth Boss was killed by a group of people last night. Not only did Black Wind Stronghold not seek revenge against that group, they packed up and fled instead. So this was the reason."

Their voices reached Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong's ears.

The two smiled helplessly.

If they had followed Ning Tianchen's suggestion and set out a day later, they might not have encountered the bandits.

Of course, they had not come away from this encounter empty-handed.

Ning Rongrong softly said, "Tianchen Gege is so amazing. You actually killed their Fourth Boss."

Calling those bandits wine-soaked layabouts would not have been an exaggeration. They were used to bullying others with superior numbers. Taken individually, their combat strength was not even as good as that of spirit masters who had spent ten days or half a month fighting in the spirit fighting arena.

Moreover, they were a loose organization without discipline or coordination. In battle, they simply rushed forward all at once, with no tactical cooperation whatsoever.

Even if the bandit-suppression force sent by the Balak Kingdom consisted entirely of ordinary people, with the discipline of an organized army, they might still be able to defeat these bandit spirit masters.

Ning Tianchen took the map from her hand and carefully examined the route.

"There are still three cities before Suotuo City. We should arrive in three or four days. Rongrong, your Soul Power is already at level twenty-nine. Work a little harder and try to break through to level thirty right after enrollment."

He knew that on the first day Shrek Academy officially began classes, Oscar broke through to level thirty. After that, the Shrek Seven Devils entered the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit beasts.

It was also then that Tang San stumbled into obtaining the Eight Spider Spirit Bone, the greatest opportunity of the early stage.

The Eight Spider Spirit Bone and Ning Tianchen's External Soul Bone, Sword Wings, each had their own strengths.

Sword Wings mainly provided flight, as well as the unexpected attack method of feather blades. The Eight Spider Spirit Bone, meanwhile, possessed devouring abilities. As long as Tang San devoured enough spirit beasts, his strength might rise rapidly in a short time.

For now, the Eight Spider Spirit Bone was superior to Sword Wings. However, Ning Tianchen felt that he had not fully developed Sword Wings' potential. Perhaps it would unlock new abilities in the future.

When that time came, Sword Wings might not necessarily lose to the Eight Spider Spirit Bone.

He did not have a good impression of Tang San, but that did not mean he intended to become enemies with him immediately.

Before knowing whether they would be enemies or friends in the future, making Tang San lose the Eight Spider Spirit Bone was the best choice.

As for whether to remain at Shrek Academy, Ning Tianchen had not made up his mind yet.

Ning Rongrong certainly would not attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy. There were only a few powerful academies within the Heaven Dou Empire. The Four Elements Academy were all properties of major clans, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no cooperation with them, so it was impossible to arrange for the two of them to study there.

As for building a new academy, there was not enough time. They would very likely miss the next Spirit Master Competition.

After entering the hotel, Ning Tianchen decided to stop thinking about it.

With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's immense wealth, he did not need to worry about where they would go afterward.

This trip to Shrek Academy was, more than anything, simply to accompany Ning Rongrong in "running away from home," while also taking the chance to see Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, the master and disciple pair.

Gradually setting aside his thoughts, Ning Tianchen lay down on the hotel's large bed and fell into a deep sleep.