"Dad!" Ning Rongrong blushed and threw herself at Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Rongrong didn't answer.
But Ning Fengzhi already had his answer. He just kept grinning at the air like a fool. "Hahaha!"
The next day.
The Three Education Committee Members returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Qian Yu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and Xiao Wu.
Returning to Heaven Dou Royal Academy felt like waking from a dream to Qian Yu. Now he was once again so close to Qian Renxue.
Qian Yu really wanted to rush over to Qian Renxue, but he didn't know if she still remembered him as her big brother.
Time really was a wondrous thing.
Everyone returned to Heaven Dou Royal Second Team's training grounds.
Now Qian Yu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong's arrival had become another headache for Qin Ming.
The four newcomers' roles overlapped considerably with those of the original team members.
If the four of them joined the team, that meant the original four would have to become substitutes or even leave Heaven Dou Royal Second Team.
As the academy's gifted prodigies, how could they accept that?
The problem troubled Qian Yu too.
Qian Yu himself wasn't an issue.
But Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu were all weaker than the current members of Heaven Dou Royal Second Team.
They were still young, of course.
But while the three of them grew stronger, the other team members would be growing stronger too.
In the end, Qin Ming proposed a plan that seemed fair but was actually deeply flawed.
He gave Qian Yu, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing one year to raise their Soul Power.
If they could catch up with the others' Soul Power within that year,
then Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing would get the chance to become starting members.
Otherwise, they could only serve as substitutes for Heaven Dou Royal Second Team.
Qian Yu was dragged down with them and could only become a substitute as well.
Qian Yu should have been the strongest person on the team, yet he was being made a substitute instead.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu strongly opposed this.
Even Dugu Yan voiced her firm opposition in her capacity as vice-captain.
But Qin Ming, as their supervising teacher, overruled them by force. He claimed the main team needed time to work together and gave everyone just one year to improve. After a year, they would compete based on their Soul Power Levels for each position. Support System Soul Masters were exempt from fighting, while the others could battle as long as the gap between their Soul Power Levels was less than one major realm.
That meant Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong had to reach level 30 within a year. That was the bare minimum. Otherwise, they wouldn't even qualify to fight.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to invoke her status as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's heir and demand an explanation from the academy's education committee,
Qian Meng stopped them.
She also called Dugu Yan over.
Inside a sealed Mimicry Cultivation Ground at Heaven Dou Royal Academy,
Qian Yu, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Dugu Yan had gathered together.
"Qian Yu, what do you think? Qin Ming is obviously targeting us! He expects me to catch up to the original Heaven Dou Royal Second Team's Soul Power Levels in a year? That's a pipe dream!" Ning Rongrong grumbled angrily.
She'd already thought Shrek Academy was bad enough.
But she hadn't expected Qin Ming, a graduate of Shrek Academy, to be even worse.
"Yeah, Qian Yu. If it comes to it, I'll ask my grandfather to appeal to the academy's education committee and get them to extend the deadline to three years."
Dugu Yan also suggested this to Qian Yu.
"Exactly! If it comes to it, I'll have Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa come visit the academy. Let's see who's got the nerve to make all these demands of us."
Ning Rongrong got even more riled up after hearing Dugu Yan.
"Exactly! Even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form couldn't reach level 30 in a year!" Xiao Wu chimed in.
Of the three, her Soul Power Level was the lowest, so she was actually the most anxious.
"Yeah, reaching level 30 in a year is asking too much." Even Zhu Zhuqing, usually the quietest of them all, spoke up to complain.
That showed just how underhanded Qin Ming's proposal was.
"Mm, I understand how you all feel. Everyone, calm down."
"Qin Ming hates us because we offended Shrek Academy. That much is obvious now."
"Now he wants to use Soul Power Levels to keep us out of the competition."
"I can only say that his scheme is going to backfire." Qian Yu spoke calmly, his voice growing louder as he went on.
Everyone found Qian Yu's words strangely compelling.
Without even realizing it, they felt an urge to train hard.
"Fine! For this whole year, I won't sleep or rest until I get my Soul Power to level 30!" Ning Rongrong was the first to declare her resolve.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing followed suit.
"Hey, who said I wanted you to train day and night? That would only get half the results for twice the effort." Qian Yu helplessly patted his forehead.
"Uh. So that's not allowed either? Then come up with a solution! Or are you saying you have a way to raise our Soul Power quickly?" Ning Rongrong immediately caught the key point in his words.
Her question reminded the others too.
They all turned to look at Qian Yu in unison.
"Mm, I really do have a way to help you raise your Soul Power quickly."
"Rongrong, I even have a way to evolve your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
Seeing everyone's eyes fixed on him,
Qian Yu decided not to keep it to himself.
He turned to Ning Rongrong and spoke.
"What? Is that really true? Dad said that quickly raising Soul Power was something Evil Soul Masters did. Are you sure your method is harmless? And is what you said about evolving my Martial Soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda true?"
Ning Rongrong was breathing hard and was about to pounce on Qian Yu to demand answers. She looked ready to devour him.
"Rongrong, calm down. Let me finish first."
"First, my method of raising everyone's Soul Power is completely harmless. It has nothing to do with the methods of Evil Soul Masters."
"Second, evolving your Martial Soul is just an added benefit of the same method."
After saying that, Qian Yu turned his gaze to the others.
The girls were all staring at him with ravenous anticipation.
If they hadn't been around other people,
Qian Yu would have suspected they were all trying to seduce him with their looks.
"Then hurry up and tell us," Dugu Yan muttered impatiently.
"Exactly," Ning Rongrong said, putting on her rich young lady airs.
"Rongrong, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Sister Yanzi. You should all know how precious anything that can raise Soul Power Levels and evolve a Martial Soul is."
"Rongrong, your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Martial Soul hasn't evolved in ages. You should know how difficult it is to evolve one."
Qian Yu looked at Ning Rongrong.
"Mm." Ning Rongrong was impatient, but she answered cooperatively.
"We're classmates. If we put it more generously, we're teammates at best..." Qian Yu didn't spell it out.
But everyone understood at once.
That was true. Raising Soul Power and evolving a Martial Soul—
those were treasures dreamed of by every Soul Master on Douluo Continent.
How could someone just hand them out for nothing because of some so-called classmate or teammate relationship?
Before you continue