Ning Rongrong stepped across the ruins, which had nearly been leveled to the ground, as if walking on flat land in her exquisite little leather boots. A smile sweet enough to kill hung on her doll-like pretty face, and her bright big eyes curved into crescents as she stared straight at Qian Mo.
She completely ignored Tang San, who was still twitching in the pit beside her, Zhao Wuji's fleshy face, and even seemed unable to smell the bloody smell that still lingered in the air.
"Wow, Big Brother, you looked so impressive just now!" Ning Rongrong said in a sugary voice, sweet and cloying like thick syrup. As she spoke, she naturally extended her fair and tender small hand, making as if to grab Qian Mo's spotless platinum sleeve. "Is your Martial Soul an angel? It's so pretty. Could you let me have a closer look?"
This Sweet Girl Offensive had never failed Ning Rongrong in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Even her two Titled Douluo grandfathers would instantly surrender before it.
However, her hand had yet to touch Qian Mo.
"Whoosh—!"
A black afterimage slashed through the air like lightning, bringing with it a bone-piercing cold wind.
Ning Rongrong's vision blurred, and an icy aura that seemed to come from the Far North rushed toward her, making every hair on her body stand on end.
At some point, Zhu Zhuqing had already stepped in front of Qian Mo. There was none of her usual shyness in those heterochromatic cat pupils now, only the cold cruelty of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice.
"Clang!"
Three-inch-long Netherworld Claws sprang from her fingertips, reflecting chilling cold light beneath the sun. They were only three centimeters away from Ning Rongrong's delicate little face.
"Get lost."
Zhu Zhuqing's red lips parted slightly. Her words were brief and forceful, carrying an unquestionable dominance.
Ning Rongrong froze. As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, when had anyone ever treated her this way?
"You..." Ning Rongrong had just been about to throw a Young Lady's tantrum, but when she met Zhu Zhuqing's emotionless Cat Pupils, an unexplained fear suddenly rose from the depths of her heart.
This Killing Intent... was not the kind found in petty sparring matches. It was a Death Aura truly honed in a sea of corpses and blood!
Ning Rongrong's Treasure Appraisal Talent, which she was proud of, frantically sounded the alarm at that moment: Dangerous! Extremely dangerous! This Woman in Black was more dangerous than any Soul Douluo she had ever seen, even some Strong Persons who had only recently entered the Titled Douluo rank!
Ning Rongrong's face immediately went pale. Her outstretched hand was Frozen Mid-air, unable to advance or retreat, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground.
"Pfft."
Qian Mo, seated in the Grand Tutor Chair, could not help laughing. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing looking as if facing a great enemy and so fiercely protective of her food, his heart softened completely.
He reached out and gently wrapped an arm around Zhu Zhuqing's Slender Waist, pulling her back into his embrace as he teased, "Looks like I'll have to hang a sign around my neck whenever I go out in the future: 'Beware of Fierce Cat, strictly forbidden to approach.' Otherwise, my Qing'er will scare all the Little Girls in Suotuo City to tears."
Zhu Zhuqing turned around and shot him a reproachful glare. The icy Killing Intent in her eyes vanished without a trace the instant it met Qian Mo's gaze, replaced by a faint flush of shyness. She retracted her claws and obediently returned behind Qian Mo, continuing to give him a shoulder massage with her boneless little hands.
"Sausages for sale! Sausages for sale! Not only do they taste good, they restore stamina too! Don't miss out if you're passing by!"
Just as the atmosphere reached the height of awkwardness, an extremely discordant shout came from deep in the village.
A Youth pushing a Small Cart ran out. He had a face full of beard, and his peach blossom eyes were spinning around. No matter how one looked at him, he gave off an utterly sleazy air.
Oscar had originally planned to make a fortune while there were so many people registering. Yet the moment he reached the Village Entrance, he was dumbfounded.
"Wocao, this... was this hit by a natural disaster? Or did the Dean sell the houses to pay off debts?" Oscar's mouth twitched as he looked at the Mess Everywhere.
At that moment, jolted by the shout, Tang San slowly woke up from his unconsciousness.
"Hiss—"
Tang San sucked in a sharp breath. Every bone in his body felt as though it had been run over by a heavy truck, especially his face, which was swollen so badly that he could not even open his eyes.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Qian Mo leisurely drinking tea while Zhu Zhuqing attended to him gently from behind. Meanwhile, he himself lay in the muddy ground like a dead dog, still covered in the hidden weapons he had just spat out.
The stark contrast caused Tang San's self-important self-esteem to collapse instantly, and a sense of humiliation surged through his heart Like a Tide.
"Want a sausage? You look pretty badly hurt." Oscar moved close to Tang San and eagerly took out a steaming hot sausage.
In order to show his sincerity, Oscar recited in public the Soul Incantation he was so proud of:
"I Have a Big Sausage!"
"Bleurgh—!"
Ning Rongrong had already been feeling wronged over having bumped into a wall just now. Upon hearing that incantation, coupled with Oscar's sleazy expression, she immediately dry-heaved. Her remaining beautiful fantasy about Shrek Academy completely shattered.
Tang San also frowned deeply. In his eyes, such a vulgar incantation was simply a disgrace to the Spirit Master World. Yet the hunger in his stomach and the severe pain throughout his body forced him to look toward that sausage.
Oscar then turned toward Qian Mo with a chuckle, hoping to curry favor with this big shot who casually threw out diamonds. "Young Master, would you like one too? My sausages have an excellent effect!"
Qian Mo set down his teacup, golden light flowing through his eyes.
From his perspective, the sausage was entwined with Oscar's slightly muddy Soul Power, along with traces of an aura of "personal body fluid" brought about by his Martial Soul Trait.
"A Food System Martial Soul filled with the smell of sweat and saliva?" Qian Mo frowned in disgust. With a casual wave of his hand, a gentle yet tyrannical burst of Soul Power sent the sausage flying several hundred meters away.
"Only certain people with a unique taste could stomach something like that. Take it away. Don't dirty my eyes."
Oscar awkwardly scratched his head, not daring to argue.
At that moment, Tang San struggled into a sitting position. He remembered what Yu Xiaogang had once taught him: "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Spirit Masters. Although Food System Martial Souls have Strange Incantations, their effects are real."
To demonstrate his "firm will" and show how different he was from a "prodigal son" like Qian Mo, Tang San endured his nausea and grabbed the remaining sausage from Oscar's hand, swallowing it in a few bites.
"Phew..." As the sausage entered his stomach, Tang San's complexion did improve somewhat.
He wiped the grease stain from the corner of the mouth, puffed out his chest, and spoke to Qian Mo with a righteous face. "The cultivation of a Spirit Master should not fuss over trivial matters. So long as it can increase strength, what does the incantation or appearance matter? Qian Mo, you place too much emphasis on flashy appearances. In the end, you cannot achieve greatness."
His words were impassioned and stirring, as if he had eaten some miracle pill while Qian Mo was the ignorant hick.
Qian Mo nearly burst out laughing when he heard that.
He casually took out a plate of Crystal Clear crystal pastries with a faint pleasant fragrance from his Storage Soul Tool. Pinching one between his fingers, he naturally stuffed it into Zhu Zhuqing's mouth.
"You even feel superior for eating garbage?" Qian Mo gave Tang San a sidelong glance, his tone calm. "Strong Persons adapt to their environment because it is a basic survival instinct. But true Strong Persons know how to change their environment."
He lightly patted Zhu Zhuqing's small hand and continued, "I have top-grade Immortal Herbs and the purest Auspicious Qi. Why should I wrong myself by eating that sort of... Pig food? Tang San, your so-called 'not fussing over trivial matters' is, in my eyes, nothing more than self-deception from a weak person forced to accept reality."
"You—!" Tang San was so furious that he nearly spat out another mouthful of Old Blood.
Just then, a series of heavy Footsteps sounded in the distance.
Dai Mubai was supported back by two Students, shuffling along like an oversized rice dumpling. The moment he appeared, he saw Zhu Zhuqing intimately feeding Qian Mo tea. Her gentle, water-like appearance was something he had never dared dream of.
"Pfft!"
The corners of Dai Mubai's eyes split open, blood seeping through the bandages. He wanted to roar, to rush forward and fight desperately, but the severe pain in his waist and the shadow of last night's crystal chandelier only made him grit his teeth and swallow all his grievances.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing!"
Dean Flender pushed up his damaged glasses. Looking at the ruins covering the ground and that pile of diamonds he had not even had time to warm in his hands, he took a deep breath and announced, "From today onward, all of you... are admitted!"
Although Tang San's character gave him some concerns, he endured it for the sake of that tenfold tuition.
"Now, everyone follow me into the village to be assigned dormitories!" Flender tried to establish the last shred of his authority as Dean, walking ahead with a stern face.
He had originally intended to separate Qian Mo from the ordinary Students, lest this great figure become unhappy and tear down the few remaining mud houses as well.
Ning Rongrong's eyes Spun Around as she suddenly moved close to Zhu Zhuqing, changing into a flattering expression. "Um... Sister Zhuqing, how about the two of us share a dormitory? I have lots of pretty clothes and jewelry that I can share with you."
She had a beautiful plan. As long as she won Zhu Zhuqing over, would she still have to worry about not finding a chance to approach Qian Mo?
Zhu Zhuqing stopped walking and glanced sideways at her, a trace of disdain flashing through her Cat Pupils.
"I'm not used to living with weak people."
That simple sentence nearly made Ning Rongrong explode on the spot.
Everyone arrived at the so-called "student dormitory" area.
It consisted of several houses built from mud bricks and rotten wood. The thatch on the roofs was sparse, and there were cracks as wide as fingers in the walls. Whenever the wind blew, they creaked as though they might collapse at any moment.
Qian Mo stopped in his tracks. Looking at the dilapidated building that was worse than a pigsty in Spirit Hall, a cold smile curved across his lips.
He turned around, his gaze shooting toward Flender like blades.
"Dean Flender, you intend to... let my wife live in a place like this?"
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