As a teacher at Shrek Academy, I'd never shown favoritism toward any of my students.
Whether it was Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, or you, Ning Rongrong.
I, Zhao Wuji, treated you all equally. I'd never shown any of you the slightest favoritism.
You said I failed to protect you?
We were up against the King of the Forest, the Titan Giant Ape! I could barely protect myself, okay?
But for your safety, I stood my ground as your teacher and bought you time to escape.
You were the one whose legs went weak with fear, Ning Rongrong. You couldn't even run. And now you're blaming me?
Zhao Wuji was furious, but dared not say a word. He avoided Ning Rongrong's gaze and looked away.
Ning Rongrong stood with her hands on her hips, smugly ready to unleash all the resentment she'd built up over this time on the people of Shrek Academy.
The Little Demoness was back.
Suddenly, Ning Fengzhi caught a crucial detail.
"Rongrong, did you say you encountered the Titan Giant Ape while Soul Hunting?!"
"Yes, Father. I nearly died at its hands."
Only then did Sword Douluo catch on to what they were saying.
"What? Rongrong encountered the Titan Giant Ape and still made it back unharmed? Is Zhao Wuji really that strong?"
Sword Douluo was confident he could defeat the Titan Giant Ape, but he didn't think he could get a whole group of Soul Grandmasters out safely.
"Was I wrong to blame Zhao Wuji? So what? If you have a problem, settle it with your fists!"
He'd come to Shrek Academy to stand up for Ning Rongrong.
Even if Ning Rongrong was in the wrong, you were definitely in the wrong too!
How could the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possibly be mistreated at some rundown academy like Shrek?
Ning Fengzhi was surprised. He'd assumed Zhao Wuji had escaped from the Titan Giant Ape with Ning Rongrong.
His expression immediately turned apologetic, and he hurried over to Zhao Wuji.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Zhao. Uncle Sword couldn't stand to see Rongrong suffer, so he acted rashly. Please don't take offense."
Watching Ning Fengzhi change his tune faster than the pages of a book, Zhao Wuji sneered inwardly.
Hmph. If I didn't know what happened with Flender, you might've fooled me. Ning Fengzhi, you really are worthy of being the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Zhao Wuji merely nodded coolly at Ning Fengzhi's appeasement, neither agreeing nor admitting anything.
Ning Fengzhi frowned in displeasure, but didn't let it show.
Seeing Zhao Wuji's expression, Ning Rongrong immediately mocked him. "Hmph! Zhao Wuji had almost nothing to do with my safe return. Father, you don't have to be so polite to him."
Ning Fengzhi was sharp-witted and understood what she meant at once.
Considering Shrek Academy's staff, only one person could have been capable of that.
Lan Minghua!
But Ning Rongrong disliked Lan Minghua even more.
He'd refused to take her as his disciple and instead accepted Meng Yiran, whose talent was inferior to hers.
The more Ning Rongrong thought about it, the angrier she got. She said to Sword Douluo Chen Xin, "Sword Grandpa, you have to teach Lan Minghua a good lesson for me. I begged him, and he still refused to take me as his disciple!"
Sword Douluo snorted. "Hmph! Rongrong is the most talented member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in this generation. He really doesn't know what's good for him!"
Though Lan Minghua had defeated Tang Hao, Sword Douluo didn't believe he could defeat him.
Ning Fengzhi said nothing, frowning in displeasure that Lan Minghua had refused to take Ning Rongrong as his disciple.
He knew how talented Ning Rongrong was and felt that she was more than qualified to become Lan Minghua's disciple.
Just then, a Giant Flying Sword appeared above Shrek Academy, with several people sitting on it.
They were Lan Minghua and his group, returning from the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Hold on tight! I'm landing!"
As soon as Lan Minghua's voice fell, the massive sword plunged straight down from the sky.
"Ah! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!"
Oscar's screams rang across Shrek Academy while they were still a long way off.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the sword plunged straight into the ground.
Lan Minghua landed steadily, holding Zhu Zhuqing in one hand and Meng Yiran in the other.
Oscar had no time to steady himself. He could only activate Indestructible Vajra Body and crash headfirst into the ground.
Wu Song drifted down gracefully, then grabbed Oscar by the legs and pulled him out of the earth.
Lan Minghua set Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran down, then stared in confusion at the injured Zhao Wuji and Flender.
"Old Zhao, what happened to you? Don't tell me you got hurt on the way back from the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Before Zhao Wuji could answer, Sword Douluo's voice rang out.
"I did that. What, you got a problem with it? I'll beat you up too!"
Lan Minghua looked puzzled at the provocation.
What's the deal, Sword Douluo? Did I offend you?
But seeing Ning Rongrong standing beside Sword Douluo with a smug look, Lan Minghua immediately figured out what had happened.
He couldn't help laughing in exasperation.
That Little Demoness really was something. I refused to take her as my disciple, and now she held a grudge against me?
Did she really think she was some kind of genius?
Lan Minghua hadn't thought much of Ning Rongrong before, but now he was even more certain that refusing to take her as his disciple had been the right choice.
Seeing the tension in the air, Ning Fengzhi stepped in to smooth things over. "Teacher, Uncle Sword is just angry. I hope you'll forgive him."
Ning Fengzhi had secretly investigated Lan Minghua.
The reports said he was an easygoing Titled Douluo with no airs about him.
Sword Douluo's actions would not only demonstrate the strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but also help win over Tang San, the young genius.
It was the perfect way to accomplish two things at once.
Otherwise, given his shrewd, business-minded nature, why would he let Sword Douluo provoke a Titled Douluo?
But Ning Fengzhi had miscalculated.
Lan Minghua was furious now. Very, very furious.
Until recently, he'd kept a low profile because his true strength wasn't all that great, and he'd relied on Experience Cards.
He'd tried to keep showing off to a minimum.
But now his overall strength was damn near that of a Level 98 Titled Douluo. Did they still think he was a pushover?
That anyone could come along and take a few swings at him?!
Lan Minghua gave a cold sneer and fixed Ning Fengzhi with a chilly stare. "What, does everyone think I'm a pushover? Do you all think I won't fight back, so you can just come up and take a few kicks at me?"
At his words, Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted sharply. An invisible pressure suddenly weighed down on him.
"Forgive you? Forgive your ass!"
Lan Minghua's words left everyone stunned.
In an instant, a terrifying aura rose from within him.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened, his gaze vacant as he stared at Lan Minghua in disbelief.
How could this be so completely different from the information he'd gathered?!
The next moment, Lan Minghua's aura vanished completely, and he seemed to return to his harmless self.
Yet the temperature around them seemed to drop to freezing.
Lan Minghua took one step and appeared before Ning Fengzhi as if by teleportation.
Ning Fengzhi might have been talented, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had capped his Soul Power at Level 79.
Faced with Lan Minghua's sudden appearance, he had no chance to react.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had made him—and it had brought him down.
"What—what are you going to do?!" Ning Fengzhi could no longer maintain his calm facade. Fear showed in his eyes.
Lan Minghua's face was cold as he abruptly reached out and clamped a hand around Ning Fengzhi's throat.
With only Level 79 Soul Power, Ning Fengzhi couldn't resist at all.
Before you continue