Heaven Dou Royal Academy

Early morning, outside Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Ning Rongrong, Qian Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the others were stopped outside by a young gate guard with a squint. Two tightly packed rows of other guards stood behind him.

"Who dares trespass on the grounds of the Royal Academy?" The squint-eyed guard was short, but his tone was anything but.

"Hello. We're here to enroll," Qian Yu said gently, stepping forward as the oldest among them.

"You lot?" The squint-eyed guard looked down his nose at their ragged, disheveled clothes and sneered.

They had just gone through two consecutive rounds of Shrek's entrance examinations and hadn't had a chance to change. No wonder the guard looked down on them.

"What's wrong with us? Even the Three Education Committee Members would have to treat me with respect," Ning Rongrong snapped.

She had the fiercest temper and couldn't stand people making snide remarks.

Now, the young lady's temper flared, and she immediately shot back at the squint-eyed guard.

"Get lost. Just look at your shabby selves. The Royal Academy is a place for noble young masters and ladies to study. You people weren't born for a life of luxury."

The squint-eyed guard was just as quick to mock them.

"You—you—you dare say that again..." Ning Rongrong might have had a young lady's temper, but she hadn't been toughened by life at the bottom. How could she win an argument with the guard?

"You want me to say it again? That'd make me lose face..." The squint-eyed guard didn't care to waste any more words and was about to drive them away.

After all, the academy was frequented by noble students. If he let Qian Yu and the others block the entrance, he would be neglecting his duty.

Just as the two sides were at loggerheads, an incongruously frivolous voice rang out.

"Who's making all that noise at the academy gates so early in the morning? A-Xie, are you even fit to be a gate guard?"

The speaker was a pampered young noble in lavish clothes, walking unsteadily with a deathly pale face.

"Ah, Your Highness Xue Beng! Please, come this way. I'll drive these people off right away." At the scolding, the squint-eyed guard jumped in fright.

The newcomer was none other than Xue Beng, the fourth prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The guard hurriedly shoved Qian Yu and the others again, clearly intent on driving them away.

But who were Qian Yu and the others? They were monsters even Shrek Academy had acknowledged. The squint-eyed guard pushed with all his might, yet they didn't budge an inch.

"Hm?" Xue Beng's attention was drawn to them.

Especially when he saw Xiao Wu's cuteness, Zhu Zhuqing's cool beauty, and Ning Rongrong's liveliness.

Drool slipped from Xue Beng's deathly pale face.

"Damn, what beauties." His eyes blazed with lust as he imagined pinning the three girls beneath him.

Xue Beng kicked the squint-eyed guard. "You blind fool, can't you see these beautiful young ladies are my friends? Move aside!"

With a lecherous grin, Xue Beng came to Xiao Wu and the others' rescue—though apparently not Qian Yu's.

"Yes, yes! I was wrong. My eyes must have been crooked—I didn't recognize Your Highness's friends. Please, come in." The kick made the squint-eyed guard jump in fright, and he hurriedly spoke to Xiao Wu and the others with a fawning smile.

Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and the others weren't children. How could they fail to see the lecherous look on Xue Beng's face?

"Who's your friend? Look at you—you look like a dying ghost. Go take a good look at yourself in a puddle before you try to claim ties to me."

Other people might fear Xue Beng, but Ning Rongrong certainly didn't.

As a treasured young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects, she had far stronger backing than this powerless, down-on-his-luck prince. She had no reason to fear him.

"Oh? You don't know when to appreciate a kindness, do you?" Xue Beng couldn't stand being publicly humiliated by Ning Rongrong. The academy was his playground, and aside from those with powerful backing, anyone who dared defy him usually vanished without a trace.

Xue Beng went straight for his Martial Soul. A Swan appeared, and three Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple—lit up as he prepared to attack Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong didn't flinch. She ducked behind Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance.

Xiao Wu understood at once and stepped forward.

Her first and Second Spirit Rings lit up, yellow and yellow.

She instantly unleashed her Second Spirit Skill, Charm.

Xue Beng stood frozen in place, held in a hard lock for a full five seconds.

After five seconds, Xue Beng regained control of his body, humiliation engulfing him.

"Ah! I'll pin you beneath me, then have people line up to use you! This is what happens when you cross me!"

"First Spirit Skill, Swan Pierce!" Xue Beng unleashed his Spirit Skill and charged at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu didn't dodge.

First Spirit Skill—Waist Bow.

Xue Beng's body bent into an exaggerated arc and crashed from one side to the other. With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the ground, his body twisted into a grotesque shape. Already frail, he promptly passed out.

The squint-eyed guard had never seen anything like this. He immediately ordered some of the guards to surround Xiao Wu and the others, while another group escorted the unconscious Xue Beng away for treatment. He went to find the academy's leadership.

A prince had been beaten up at his own academy. This was a serious matter.

The squint-eyed guard hated Qian Yu and the others, wishing he could kill them on the spot. But seeing how young they were, how powerful they were, and that their Spirit Rings had the optimal configuration, he chose the safest course and reported the incident.

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy dean's office.

The Three Education Committee Members—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—were sitting in the dean's office, worrying about the All-Continent Spirit Master Competition three years away. A middle-aged man sat opposite them.

"Qin Ming, I'm counting on you for the All-Continent Spirit Master Competition three years from now," Meng Shenji said to the man. Before he could answer, the squint-eyed guard burst in without knocking.

Meng Shenji, the chief education committee member, immediately barked, "Xie Yan, do you still want this job? Why are you rushing around in broad daylight? Have you no sense of decorum?"

"Huff, huff! This is bad, Three Education Committee Members! Xue Beng..." The squint-eyed guard panted heavily.

"Hmph. What's happened to that spoiled brat?" Meng Shenji already had a headache at the mention of Xue Beng.

"His Highness Xue Beng got into a fight and is unconscious."

"What?" The Three Education Committee Members all stood up.

They had assumed Xue Beng had bullied someone at the academy again. That happened often, and they always had to clean up after him, so they had grown numb to it.

But when they heard that Xue Beng had fought someone and been knocked unconscious, they immediately seized Xie Yan and flew to the academy gates, with Qin Ming right behind them.

"Three Education Committee Members, they're the ones who injured His Highness Xue Beng." The squint-eyed guard panted as he pointed at Ning Rongrong and the others.

"Who dared injure our student at the Royal Academy?" Meng Shenji followed the guard's finger with his gaze.

"Rongrong, it's you!" Meng Shenji immediately released Xie Yan, his eyes wide with shock, and flew over to Ning Rongrong.

"Hello, Uncle Meng." Ning Rongrong gave Meng Shenji a slight bow.

"Ah..." The squint-eyed guard was dumbfounded.

Meng Shenji didn't give him a chance to explain. He simply led Ning Rongrong and the others into the academy.