Quarrel, Debriefing, Ning Rongrong: That Was Originally Mine...!

Oscar clenched his fists tightly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh. He lowered his head even further, his shoulders trembling slightly, yet he remained silent.

Dai Mubai, leaning against the wall with a lingering pain in his chest, could not stand it any longer and snapped angrily:

"Ning Rongrong! Don't go too far! This isn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. No one here has any obligation to keep indulging your spoiled young lady temper!"

Ning Rongrong immediately turned her fire on him and sneered, "You useless paper tiger, and where exactly are you any better?"

"You failed at flirting and got swatted into a tree like a fly. You were left hanging there, unable even to get down, and you still have the nerve to yell here?"

"You!" Dai Mubai was struck where it hurt. The veins on his forehead bulged as he straightened up abruptly and growled, "Ning Rongrong! Do you believe I'll fucking rape you?!"

"Come on, then!" Rather than being afraid, Ning Rongrong lifted her chin and looked at him provocatively. "I'm sitting right here. Do you dare lay a hand on me?"

"A disgraced prince who couldn't survive in his own country and fled abroad to scrape by—do you really think you're somebody?"

"It's not that I look down on you, Dai Mubai. You simply don't have the guts!"

"If you dare touch even a single finger of mine today, then not just you—everyone here, including this rotten academy, will be buried with me!"

"You... cough, cough, cough...!!" Dai Mubai coughed violently in rage, his face flushing red, but he had no way to refute her.

Though Ning Rongrong's words were harsh, the deterrence of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was undeniably real.

At that moment, even Tang San, who had remained silent until then, could not help speaking up. "Rongrong, you really went too far."

"We're all companions..."

"Oh, so all of you are blaming me?!" Ning Rongrong erupted like a powder keg that had been lit. She shot to her feet and viciously hurled the ice pack onto the floor.

"Since all of you can't stand me, then this young lady won't stay in this damn place any longer! Hmph!"

She forcefully shoved aside the chair blocking her path and ran downstairs in tears.

The few conscious people in the room looked at one another, but not a single one stepped forward to stop her.

"Rongrong, you?" At the stairway entrance, Flender and Yu Xiaogang brushed past Ning Rongrong as she rushed downstairs.

Flender froze for a moment, then looked toward Zhu Zhuqing, the only person in the room who was still relatively calm. He hurriedly said, "Zhu Qing, what are you standing around for? Go talk her down!"

"It's late at night. It's too dangerous for her to go out alone!"

A trace of hesitation crossed Zhu Zhuqing's cold face. She looked at the oppressive atmosphere in the room, then at the staircase where Ning Rongrong had disappeared. In the end, she let out a quiet sigh, rose to her feet, and chased after her.

Yu Xiaogang entered the wrecked room. His gaze swept over the dejected group as he asked solemnly:

"Do you know why you suffered such a major setback this time?"

The room fell silent, and everyone lowered their heads.

Were they supposed to say it was because Ma Hongjun had caused trouble by wolf-whistling out of lust, Dai Mubai had habitually tried to flirt, Oscar had rashly intervened, and Ning Rongrong's arrogance had escalated the conflict?

That reason was simply too embarrassing to voice.

Seeing that no one answered, Yu Xiaogang turned his eyes toward Tang San. "Little San, analyze it."

"Yes, Teacher!" Tang San took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. After thinking briefly, he began:

"I believe the main reason was that there were serious problems with our coordination."

"First, when we encountered an unexpected situation, we failed to form an effective formation immediately."

"If Rongrong had given us support boosts as soon as the enemy made their move, and if I, as a control-type Soul Master, had promptly released Blue Silver Grass to control and restrain them, with Xiao Ao's Flying Mushroom Sausage providing mobility, we could have gradually seized the initiative through skirmishing and attrition."

"No matter how strong those two were individually, they could never have defeated us so easily if we had fought as a well-coordinated team."

A trace of approval flashed across Yu Xiaogang's face. He nodded. "Good. Little San's analysis is correct. He has identified the heart of the problem."

"At the root of it, your coordination was not close enough. You lack the tacit understanding and trust needed to fight as a single whole."

"If the seven of you could truly become one, connected in heart and mind, then those two people today would never have been your match."

He looked around at them, his tone stern. "Focus on recovering first. Once your injuries have healed, I will devise specialized intensive training to address your lack of coordination."

"Remember, you are a team. The bonds and trust between you will be the foundation upon which you defeat stronger opponents in the future!"

Some time later, Zhu Zhuqing caught up with Ning Rongrong, who had been wandering aimlessly through the streets. After much coaxing and persuasion, she brought her into a small tavern by the roadside that was still open.

The two sat in a corner and ordered some light food.

After talking for a while, Ning Rongrong's emotions settled somewhat, though her eyes were still red.

Seeing her like this, Zhu Zhuqing hesitated before finally voicing the question in her heart. "Rongrong, you... seem to know the man called Zhao Linchuan?"

"More than know him!" Complex emotions instantly surged into Ning Rongrong's eyes—anger, jealousy, and, buried even deeper, a trace of regret that she herself was unwilling to admit.

"He... was originally my guardian!"

"Guardian?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly.

"Yes." Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, as if she had fallen into old memories. There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "When he was five, my father brought him from an orphanage into the sect because of his exceptional talent. I wasn't even four at the time."

"At six, he underwent Martial Soul Awakening and manifested the Thunder Tyrant Prison Breaking Sword. He also possessed the one-in-ten-thousand Innate Full Soul Power."

"My father was ecstatic then. He believed Zhao Linchuan was a treasure Heaven had bestowed upon the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so he had him stay by my side. He was both my playmate and someone raised to become the sect's future guardian Douluo."

She paused, her voice lowering. "He really was outstanding... Whether it was the astonishing talent he displayed in business or his extraordinary progress in Soul Master cultivation, he was so excellent that no one could find fault with him."

Hearing that, Zhu Zhuqing probed, "Then now... he has left you, and left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"Yes! That Wild Woman who knows where she came from tricked him away!" Ning Rongrong grew agitated once more, tears welling in her eyes.

"That Zhao Linchuan was originally mine! He was my guardian! Everything about him should have belonged to me!"

"He was mine—!!!!"

"Why?" Zhu Zhuqing asked calmly. "Why did he leave?"

"I don't know! I really don't know!" Ning Rongrong clutched her head and shook it painfully. "The old him obeyed my every word. If I told him to go east, he would never go west."

"No matter how unreasonable my demands were, he would always find a way to satisfy them... I... I had originally planned that, when the time was right, I would... would marry him..."