Forty-One

The afternoon sun filtered through the sparse leaves of the trees on Shrek Academy's training grounds, casting dappled light spots. As the new semester began, the air still held a trace of holiday laziness, but more so, a subtle anticipation for a fresh start.

Ning Xiaochuan was gathered with Oscar and Ma Hongjun, discussing the latest improvements to his sausage Soul Skill—an attempt to add some Spirit Concentrating Herbal Powder to achieve a short-term boost in mental concentration. Milk Dragon, meanwhile, lay lazily at his feet, its palm-sized body curled into a ball, golden markings flowing with a warm luster under the sun. It occasionally let out faint, contented snores, seemingly uninterested in its master's "chemical experiments."

Ning Rongrong sat on a nearby swing, swaying back and forth listlessly, her crystal-colored long hair fluttering in the wind. She appeared to be daydreaming, yet her gaze would often drift towards Ning Xiaochuan, a faint smile playing on her lips, one she herself didn't notice. Ever since returning from the Blue Silver Altar, a tacit understanding seemed to have formed between them, a delicate connection that hadn't yet been explicitly acknowledged. Still, this ambiguous yet stable daily routine made her feel incredibly at ease.

Just then, the old, creaking wooden gate of the academy was pushed open.

Dean Flender entered first, his face a complex mixture of shrewdness and seriousness. The figure following him instantly captured everyone's attention.

It was a young girl.

A black, form-fitting outfit accentuated her well-developed, slender figure, yet she exuded an icy aura that kept others at a distance. Her beauty was striking, her cat-like pupils a clear, light green, devoid of any emotion, like a frozen lake. Her ink-black hair cascaded to her waist, further highlighting her snow-white skin. However, what was most captivating was the stillness and indifference surrounding her, a stark contrast to her age, as if she were a walking iceberg, insulated from all warmth.

"Everyone, come here for a moment. I want to introduce a new student," Flender said, clapping his hands, his voice breaking the brief silence.

Ning Xiaochuan and the others gathered around. Milk Dragon was also startled awake, lifting its small head groggily, its golden eyes fixed on the new girl.

At that very moment, something unexpected happened!

"Roar!"

The usually docile Milk Dragon suddenly let out a sharp, warning growl. The soft, fine scales all over its body instantly stood on end, like a small beast bristling with immense threat! It sprang from the ground, landing on Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder, its body tensed. It stared intently at the black-clad girl, emitting a continuous, hostile whine from its throat.

Ning Xiaochuan was startled. This was the first time Milk Dragon had shown such a strong and clear rejection! Through their subtle Martial Soul fusion connection, he could even feel the extreme vigilance and a... hard-to-describe restlessness the little creature was conveying.

"Xiao Chuan, what's wrong with your dragon?" Oscar whispered in surprise.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head, gently patting Milk Dragon's back to soothe it, while looking at the girl with equal confusion. What was her Martial Soul? To elicit such a strong reaction from Milk Dragon?

Flender didn't seem to pay much attention to the minor incident. He cleared his throat and introduced, "This is Zhu Zhuqing, our new work-study student. Zhu Zhuqing, these are..."

Before Flender could finish, another figure entered through the gate, his expression complicated—it was Dai Mubai.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze lingered on Dai Mubai for a brief moment. A faint ripple seemed to pass through her frozen eyes, but it quickly returned to a state of deathly stillness, even colder than before. She gave a slight nod to everyone, her voice as clear and cold as ever, devoid of any emotion: "Zhu Zhuqing."

Concise, without even a superfluous "Nice to meet you."

Ning Rongrong also walked over, curiously observing this uniquely charismatic new classmate. Her intuition as a girl made her instinctively step closer to Ning Xiaochuan.

Just then, Dai Mubai seemed to want to say something to Zhu Zhuqing. He stepped forward, his Soul Power fluctuating slightly, "Zhuqing, I..."

Almost simultaneously, a faint, dark glow flashed instinctively from Zhu Zhuqing's body, a cold yet agile aura appearing and disappearing—that was her Martial Soul, the Hell Spirit Cat!

However, just as their spiritual energies were about to collide or resonate—

"Buzz!"

Milk Dragon on Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder let out another low growl. A Dragon Might, far more intimidating than its small size suggested, suddenly spread out! The pressure wasn't directed at everyone, but precisely at the subtle connection point between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power!

Dai Mubai grunted, his condensing Soul Power forcibly interrupted by this sudden, noble Dragon Might, his breath faltering. The dark glow around Zhu Zhuqing instantly vanished. Her light green cat-like eyes snapped towards Milk Dragon, and for the first time, a clear expression of shock appeared on her cold face.

The Dragon Might flashed and disappeared. Milk Dragon seemed to have exhausted its strength, its scales slowly flattening, but it still glared vigilantly at Zhu Zhuqing, refusing to relax.

The scene became somewhat awkward and silent.

Ning Rongrong's eyes darted around, and she suddenly reached out, naturally hooking her arm around Ning Xiaochuan's, leaning almost half her body against him. With a radiant smile, she said to Zhu Zhuqing, "Welcome, classmate Zhu Zhuqing! My name is Ning Rongrong, and this is Ning Xiaochuan. We... well, we're the best of partners!" She deliberately emphasized the word "best," as if declaring a form of ownership.

Ning Xiaochuan stiffened slightly. The soft touch on his arm and the faint fragrance from the girl made his ears feel warm. He turned his head to look at Ning Rongrong's bright smile, feeling a mix of helplessness and amusement: This girl, does she have to be so over the top welcoming a new classmate? Such a child's heart. She must want to welcome her warmly this way, so she doesn't feel awkward about Milk Dragon's rudeness and the previous silence.

He completely interpreted Ning Rongrong's sudden intimate gesture as his "little sister" trying her best to build a good relationship with his new classmate on behalf of her brother, declaring a friendly "fellowship."

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze lingered for a moment on Ning Rongrong's arm linked with Ning Xiaochuan's. She then glanced indifferently at Ning Xiaochuan and the still-tense Milk Dragon on his shoulder, before finally returning her gaze to Ning Rongrong. She remained as cold as ever, merely nodding slightly in response.

Flender smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, there will be plenty of opportunities to get acquainted. Zhu Zhuqing, your dorm is located at..." He led Zhu Zhuqing towards the dormitory area.

Dai Mubai watched Zhu Zhuqing's retreating back with a complex expression. Ultimately, he didn't follow, turning and leaving with a somewhat dejected air.

As the crowd dispersed, Ning Rongrong finally released Ning Xiaochuan's arm. A hint of a blush flashed across her face, but she deliberately put on a stern expression and poked Milk Dragon's little head, "You, you were so rude just now! What if you scared the new classmate?"

Milk Dragon whimpered in grievance, rubbing its head against Ning Xiaochuan's cheek, seemingly confused by its own overreaction. But its golden eyes still held vigilance as it looked in the direction Zhu Zhuqing had left.

"It's not its fault," Ning Xiaochuan said thoughtfully, stroking Milk Dragon. "It seems to be some kind of sensing at the Martial Soul level... very strange, never happened before." He recalled the moment Milk Dragon's scales stood on end, and the fleeting aura of the Hell Spirit Cat from Zhu Zhuqing. "That feeling... it wasn't entirely rejection, more like... a wariness of encountering a similar but fundamentally different entity?"

He couldn't figure it out and could only attribute it to some special sensing mechanism that might exist between top-tier Martial Souls.

"Oh, right," Ning Xiaochuan remembered Ning Rongrong's earlier "enthusiasm" and smiled, ruffling her hair. "Thanks, Rongrong. You knew how to help your brother ease the atmosphere."

Ning Rongrong's initially smug expression froze. Looking at Ning Xiaochuan's relieved smile, as if proud of his "sensible little sister," she stomped her foot in annoyance. She glared at him with her crystal-like eyes, tossed out a "Silly Xiaochuan!" and ran off.

Ning Xiaochuan: "???"

What had he done to offend this little ancestor now?

Shaking his head helplessly, he thought, Girls' minds are truly hard to understand. Holding the still somewhat uneasy Milk Dragon, he prepared to leave as well.

The moment he turned, his peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of something in the distance—Zhu Zhuqing, who had already reached the corner of the dormitory corridor, seemed to be slightly turning her head, her gaze directed towards them.

The afterglow of the setting sun happened to sweep across the elegant curve of her neck.

In that instant, Ning Xiaochuan's pupils contracted sharply.

He clearly saw, on the fair skin of Zhu Zhuqing's neck, a faint, extremely thin dark pattern flash and disappear! The shape of the pattern was twisted and strange, and it bore a heart-stopping resemblance to the golden patterns on the scales of Milk Dragon at his fingertips