I Will Protect Those I Want to Protect

Ning Rongrong descended from the air, her heart still pounding with fear.

Yu Feng's attack had come within inches of hitting her. Luckily, that guy had acted in time.

Hmph, although that guy was usually annoying, he was pretty reliable when it mattered!

This time, she could praise him a little!

Thinking this, Ning Rongrong turned toward where Mu Yuan was.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw Mu Yuan looking at Xiao Wu with immense concern.

Ning Rongrong froze.

She had forgotten. She had already given that guy to Xiao Wu.

The person Mu Yuan had truly wanted to save just now was Xiao Wu. Saving her had merely been incidental.

Ning Rongrong pressed her lips together, feeling unbelievably stubborn.

Hmph, who... who needs that guy to save me...

At this moment, because Mu Yuan's intervention had interrupted the match, the area beneath the Great Soul Arena had descended into chaos, and the audience was protesting fiercely.

After all, Mu Yuan's actions had violated the rules. Death was commonplace in the Soul Arena—how could anyone interfere with a match so casually?

Many staff members surrounded him, but wary of the strength Mu Yuan had displayed just now, they did not dare make a move immediately.

Director Ao stepped forward with an ugly expression.

"Spirit King Mu Yuan, you interfered with the match without permission. You've gone too far!"

Mu Yuan looked around, bowed, and earnestly admitted his mistake.

"I violated the rules. I am willing to apologize to the Great Soul Arena and its audience, and I will compensate double for all losses from this match. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for being unable to stand by and watch someone I care about suffer serious injury."

As he spoke, Mu Yuan took out a gold card and handed it to Director Ao.

This card was one of the gifts his senior brother Xue Qinghe had given him to win him over. With it, he would never have to worry about Gold Soul Coins within the Heaven Dou Empire.

He admitted his mistake and was willing to pay for it, but if there was a next time, he would still act. He would not stand by and watch those he wanted to protect get hurt.

The moment Director Ao saw the gold card, his pupils contracted.

It was an imperial exclusive card of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Immediately, the anger in Director Ao's heart subsided.

Seeing Mu Yuan's sincere attitude and the considerable compensation, most of the others beneath the stage also stopped protesting.

At this time, the teachers leading both sides also hurried over.

Mu Yuan circulated his Soul Power and released the members of the Imperial Fighting Team.

None of them had been injured. Their clothes were only slightly disheveled.

"My apologies. The situation was urgent just now. I hope you won't blame me."

Mu Yuan apologized again.

The Imperial Fighting Team members exchanged glances, their eyes all filled with deep wariness.

With just one move, he had easily subdued every one of them.

This legendary strongest genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was absurdly powerful.

Since none of the Imperial Fighting Team members had been harmed, they did not press the issue and chose to accept Mu Yuan's apology.

After Qin Ming and Flender met, they began catching up with each other.

Qin Ming had once been a student of Shrek Academy. With that connection, the atmosphere between the two sides quickly became more harmonious.

Not long afterward, in a private room at the Suo Tuo Grand Restaurant, the people from Shrek Academy and the Imperial Fighting Team members gathered for a meal.

During the meal, Mu Yuan once again expressed his apologies to the Imperial Fighting Team.

A genius like him had apologized to them several times.

Because of this, the Imperial Fighting Team members came to understand Mu Yuan's character better.

He was a person with a good temperament, one who would not become overbearing simply because he was powerful.

After the meal, both hosts and guests were satisfied.

Only Tang San looked displeased.

After Yu Tianheng had electrocuted him into collapse, he had personally witnessed what happened afterward, when Mu Yuan picked Xiao Wu up.

It made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Mu Yuan had touched his dearest Xiao Wu.

Yet he could not exactly question Mu Yuan about it, because Mu Yuan had been saving someone.

He could only silently bury this resentment in his heart.

And endure the pain alone.

Afterward, Qin Ming suggested inviting the people of Shrek Academy to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Flender looked hesitant and said he would consider it.

Over the following days.

Qin Ming went to Shrek Academy every day.

He tried to persuade Flender to bring Shrek Academy into Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

For Qin Ming, it was partly out of gratitude.

Shrek Academy had trained him, and he could not bear to see Headmaster Flender spend his entire life confined to this small place.

As it happened, he was now a teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy and had some connections there. He could arrange for Flender and the others to take positions at Heaven Dou Royal Academy and enjoy better lives. It would also count as his repayment to the academy that had trained him.

But for Flender, although he knew Qin Ming meant well, he truly did not want to be subject to others, so he delayed agreeing to Qin Ming's request.

Yet from another perspective, if they did not join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, his Shrek Academy would not even qualify to participate in the Advanced Spirit Master Tournament. How could he fulfill his dream of making the name Shrek Academy resound throughout the continent?

For several consecutive days, Flender remained conflicted and hesitant.

He sought the opinions of Shrek Academy's teachers, asked Grandmaster, and even spoke with his disciple Ma Hongjun. In the end, Flender agreed to Qin Ming's proposal.

Shrek Academy agreed to merge into Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Of course, although he agreed to merge, Flender put forward a long list of conditions, including retaining the name Shrek Academy and properly settling all the teachers.

Qin Ming agreed to all of them.

In the end, both sides decided to depart for Heaven Dou Royal Academy two months later.

They did not leave immediately because Flender's side needed to pack some things, while Qin Ming needed to return to Heaven Dou Royal Academy in advance to pull some strings and make preparations.

After their defeat against the Imperial Fighting Team, the people of Shrek Academy underwent a change in mindset and all became more diligent.

Tang San resolved to create a stronger hidden weapon, so he went into seclusion and moved directly into the blacksmith shop, forging hidden weapons day and night.

Thus, Mu Yuan was the only one left in the dormitory.

Whenever Xiao Wu had nothing to do in her free time, she would come find him.

Sometimes, Mu Yuan would sit cross-legged on the bed cultivating, while Xiao Wu leaned against his legs, looking here and there. She would even secretly slip her hand into Mu Yuan's clothes to feel his muscles, and she would not get bored all day.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong was unable to feel happy.

She had thought she would be delighted once Mu Yuan was no longer by her side.

But after truly losing Mu Yuan, she instead felt an increasing bitterness in her heart.

Especially when she saw her best friend with Mu Yuan, and remembered that she had personally given Mu Yuan to her, that bitterness grew even stronger.

Gradually, Ning Rongrong began devoting more time to cultivation, using it to numb herself.

After some time, Ning Rongrong actually learned on her own how to cover her body with Soul Power.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had both learned it with Mu Yuan's assistance, but Ning Rongrong had relied entirely on her own comprehension.

Time passed, and two months flew by.

It was time for Shrek Academy to head to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.