Ning Rongrong's Thoughts

The next day!

It was as if everything had returned to normal. Tang San, Chen Yuan, and Ning Rongrong—none of them mentioned what had happened the night before.

After breakfast, everyone prepared to head back to the academy. Chen Yuan no longer wanted to walk, so he took Ning Rongrong with him on Sword Flight.

Their figures rose higher and farther away until they vanished from the sight of the others from Shrek.

Ma Hongjun was green with envy. He jabbed Oscar in the waist with his elbow.

"Oscar, look at you. Your Third Soul Skill only lets you fly for a short minute. Unlike him, he can fly for over an hour at a time. Taking a girl along with him—he's practically the picture of carefree elegance."

Oscar withdrew his gaze and snorted defiantly. Dodging Ma Hongjun's elbow as it assaulted his waist again, he said bluntly, "What's wrong with one minute? One minute is still impressive. With that tone of yours, don't you dare eat my Mushroom Sausage in the future."

Ma Hongjun chuckled. "Who wants to eat your Mushroom Sausage? Once I break through to rank thirty Soul Power, I'll choose a Flight Spirit Ability for my Third Soul Skill too. I have a Phoenix Martial Soul. Then I'll be able to take girls into the sky."

Oscar refused to be outdone. "So what? It'll only last three minutes. Do you really think everyone can keep it up for that long? There's no way to tell how many years Chen Yuan's third Spirit Ring is."

Listening to the two quarrel, Zhao Wuji was utterly helpless. He knocked each of them on the head, then shouted, "Stop talking nonsense. We're leaving immediately. We need to get back to the academy before tonight. Flender isn't going to reimburse me for lodging outside."

After each receiving a knock, Oscar and Ma Hongjun finally settled down and set off at a run with Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing.

Tang San's gaze darkened. One of Oscar's words had struck home: there was simply no way to tell how many years Chen Yuan's third Spirit Ring was.

His second Spirit Ring had already been a thousand-year ring. His third had to be at least three thousand years old. Yet Tang San's own third Spirit Ring was only a mere sixteen hundred years old.

After returning, he needed to find an opportunity to contact Teacher and ask about the possibility of absorbing Spirit Rings beyond the limit, as well as when he should begin cultivating his second Martial Soul.

Tang San was getting a little impatient...

Meanwhile, as Chen Yuan and Ning Rongrong flew through the air, Chen Yuan said to her, "Rongrong, after we return, cultivate at Shrek Academy for a while. I'm not a student at your academy, so I won't be able to stay by your side every day. I need to find a place to cultivate my Soul Power intensely for a while too."

Chen Yuan truly did intend to cultivate for some time, consolidating the Soul Power he had gained from absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone and attempting to break through to rank forty Soul Power.

The enhancement brought by absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was comprehensive. His innate talent and aptitude had improved dramatically.

If he worked hard now and strove to break through to rank forty Soul Power before turning twelve, then, provided everything went smoothly, he could consume the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, undergo Ice and Fire Body Tempering, and then consume the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. He was highly confident that he would be able to absorb any Spirit Ring under twenty thousand years.

With two Spirit Bones and three Immortal Herbs, Chen Yuan believed he could do it. After all, he knew of few Immortal Herbs. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew were his best choices.

After hearing Chen Yuan's words, Ning Rongrong became somewhat dejected. They had only kissed yesterday, and she did not want to be separated for too long. When one liked someone, there would naturally be favoritism. She turned back to look at Chen Yuan's face, her moist eyes full of reluctance as she said softly, "I'm starting to not want to attend this academy anymore. Brother Chen Yuan, if I hadn't run away from home and had gone to Sword Grandpa every day instead, I could have cultivated with you."

Chen Yuan chuckled softly. Looking at the blue sky and white clouds ahead, his gaze distant, he replied calmly, "Cultivating with me is very boring. You couldn't stand it before. Will you be able to stand it in the future?"

Ning Rongrong pursed her lips and nodded firmly. "I can. Thinking back on it now, the days I once found boring were actually quite vivid and interesting."

Chen Yuan tilted his head and met Ning Rongrong's watery eyes. The atmosphere grew ambiguous again. Suddenly, he felt that if he only said the word, Ning Rongrong would obediently follow him back to the sect.

But he did not want to return yet. Opportunities still awaited him outside, so Chen Yuan could only smile and say, "Going back would be fine, but not yet. We still need to collect the Hidden Weapons Tang San promised us. It depends on how many he can make, what the costs are, and how powerful they are. If they're truly practical, the sect can order a batch in the future and arm all our disciples. That would greatly improve the combat ability of the lower-ranking disciples."

At the mention of this matter, Ning Rongrong nodded as well. "That's right. If the Soul Grandmaster and Soul Elder disciples of the Outer Sect, along with the direct-line disciples of the Inner Sect who possess the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit, were all equipped with Hidden Weapons and gained the ability to fight Soul Ancestor experts, the sect's overall strength would rise to a whole new level."

Before Chen Yuan, Ning Rongrong no longer concealed her emotions and voiced every thought in her heart.

"Among these classmates around me, Tang San seems to come from a humble background. His father is only a blacksmith, but neither his talent nor all those skills of his could have come from an ordinary family. His true identity must be very mysterious."

"Xiao Wu—I can't see through her. She has never mentioned her parents or family, and I don't know her background. Yet the Titan Giant Ape specifically came to capture her. She escaped from the Titan Giant Ape, then happened to encounter a stunned rabbit-type Spirit Beast whose species and age were perfectly suited to her. I don't believe a single word of her explanations. I simply couldn't be bothered to say so."

"Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing—the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat are both Martial Souls from the Star Luo Empire. The two of them are both from the Star Luo Empire, and they may even be bound by a marriage alliance. Dai Mubai... although Brother Chen Yuan beat him half to death and my anger has faded, I will never forget that ugly face of his."

"Zhu Zhuqing—I think she's rather pitiful. Her personality is a little cold, but she is very polite to others. Yet she ended up with trash like Dai Mubai. I saw it before: Dai Mubai had a pair of twins in his arms as he went in and out of a couples' hotel in Suotuo City."

"Hmph. That night, I merely spoke the truth, and he became enraged out of shame, threatening to rape me before killing me. He's complete scum. If Brother Chen Yuan hadn't arrived in time, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."

"Oscar and Ma Hongjun—one is a coward, and the other is scum just like Dai Mubai. I can see Oscar's little thoughts perfectly clearly, but he didn't even dare to say a word in my defense. Hmph. Even if Brother Chen Yuan and I kissed our mouths raw, it still wouldn't be his turn."

"Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul is just an excuse. His head is definitely full of filthy thoughts. On this trip, his eyes have never left women. From six-year-olds to sixty-year-olds, he really doesn't discriminate at all."

"Not a single one of these so-called classmates is simple..."

Chen Yuan listened quietly the entire time, and his expression gradually became somewhat strange. Ning Rongrong actually understood everything perfectly well. Her heart was as clear as a mirror.