A Great Harvest

"Master, let me introduce you. This is Ning Rongrong, she is very talented."

Ning Rongrong felt wonderful being praised by Zhu Zhuqing like that; after all, what girl doesn't want to be complimented?

But Chen An was lost in thought.

Is it really a good idea to take this little demoness under his wing?

No, that's not right. Whether others even want to apprentice under him is a question in itself; he's hardly in a position to be picky. If she were truly willing, he wouldn't exactly object.

Recalling his own tenets, he suddenly felt he hadn't been thorough enough in implementing them.

"Ning Rongrong?"

Chen An called out. How could he not be familiar with this name? As one of the main cast members, she was the ultimate little demoness and the apple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's eye.

A girl spoiled rotten by Ning Fengzhi, known for being arrogant and willful.

Yet, his first impression of her right now was unexpectedly good.

"Yes, Senior. This humble one is indeed Ning Rongrong."

Ning Rongrong performed a proper, respectful bow, showing not a trace of that spoiled, overbearing demeanor.

In truth, Chen An had overlooked one point: he had just pinned a Spirit Saint to the ground and rubbed his face in the dirt.

This was a world where strength was respected, and given his spirit ring configuration, she was even doubting whether her Grandpa Bone and Grandpa Sword could defeat him. So, no matter how arrogant she had been before, she couldn't afford to put on airs right now.

She wasn't stupid; there was no benefit in offending someone, especially when she had thoughts of becoming his disciple.

"From the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Chen An's eyes flickered. It was better to pretend he didn't know.

He didn't want his disciple to think he was acting strangely and ruin his image.

"Y-yes, that's right."

Ning Rongrong didn't know why Chen An had brought up the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and she felt quite nervous. She hadn't even revealed her spirit, yet she had the distinct feeling of being seen through.

"Don't be nervous, I was just asking."

Seeing Ning Rongrong relax slightly, Chen An continued.

"Zhuqing asked you earlier, so now I will formally ask: are you willing to join our Phantom Star Academy?"

He tried his best to keep his smile gentle, hoping not to scare her.

But it seemed he had worried too much once again.

"Is that really okay? I'm willing, I'm willing!"

Ning Rongrong blinked, and after confirming she hadn't misheard, she spoke in a rush.

But her intentions didn't stop there.

So, she seized the opportunity to push further.

"Um, Teacher, may I apprentice under you?"

Chen An was slightly surprised; this girl was sharper than he had imagined.

However, he did indeed have thoughts of taking on more disciples.

"You may, but I have rules. The first is that you cannot be willful or bully your fellow disciples. Can you do that?"

Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue, not expecting her new master to understand her so well, but she still answered firmly.

"I can."

Seeing Ning Rongrong say this, he had no reason to be reserved, so he agreed.

"Very well, then you are officially my disciple."

After settling the matter with Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward.

"Master, what about Luo Xiaoshi..."

"Take him back to recover first. Don't worry about him; that brat has thick skin and sturdy flesh."

He glanced at Luo Xiaoshi lying on the ground and spoke indifferently.

The boy was truly fine; he had just passed out after taking a hard hit head-on.

He would just grab some herbs from the garden later, let him soak for a few days, and he would be as good as new.

"Alright, let's head back."

"Oh, right, Master, could you change the talisman? I'm not used to using this one."

"No problem."

At this moment, Ning Rongrong spoke up.

"Master, is this lady the Mistress?"

Lin Ran chimed in.

"I am merely hired to serve as a teacher; I cannot bear the title of your Mistress."

The group chatted amongst themselves as they led a crowd of prospective students toward Phantom Star Academy.

The entrance to Shrek was much quieter now, with only a sparse trickle of people compared to the bustling scene from earlier.

As Dai Mubai helped Flender up, he heard him faintly instructing Li Yusong to continue overseeing the enrollment.

Thus, Shrek was still accepting applicants.

"Hello, teacher, we would like to enroll."

Tang San and Xiao Wu remained steadfast in their decision to enter Shrek.

"Have you thought this through?"

Li Yusong looked at such promising seedlings and was deeply moved that they would choose Shrek without hesitation.

"San, aren't you leaving?"

Dai Mubai, having settled Flender, walked back out and saw Tang San, asking the question instinctively.

Tang San shook his head.

"I promised someone I would join Shrek, and besides, Xiao Wu doesn't really like that Contra."

He gave a brief explanation; in short, he had no reason to go to Phantom Star now, nor would he have any possibility of joining in the future.

Not to mention that Yu Xiaogang was included in the "Golden Iron Trio of Trash" title coined by Chen An; if he found out, he might continue to hold a grudge.

Furthermore, Chen An himself would never accept this student.

As for how Tang San viewed these trivial matters, or how the person hiding in the shadows viewed them, it was none of Chen An's concern.

By this time, Chen An had already led his team back to Phantom Star.

"Everyone, go over there for the assessment. Once you pass, you can pay the fees."

Phantom Star was far better now than it had been a year ago.

This applied to both the environment and its popularity.

The trio was busy recording, and it looked like they were overwhelmed, so after instructing the students, Chen An turned to Lin Ran.

"Teacher Lin, please take charge of the registration, and let them handle the assessments."

"Understood, Principal."

Ever since Lin Ran decided to follow Chen An, she had recognized her identity as a teacher and severed those inappropriate thoughts, feeling only gratitude that he had pulled her out of her predicament.

Moreover, one must maintain professional titles while working. Having come from a bureaucratic background, she understood this well.

She quickly coordinated with the trio and took on the responsibility of registration.

"Counting the people I brought back, there are about 240 in total; there should be around 200 left by the end."

Chen An roughly estimated the number of people present and then stopped worrying about it. After all, there were people overseeing the academy's assessment; as long as their spirit power reached level 13 and they answered a few simple questions, it didn't require his intervention.

Besides, he still had to go and assist Luo Xiaoshi.

However, before leaving, he instructed Zhu Zhuqing.

"Zhuqing, take Ning Rongrong to familiarize herself with the grounds, and explain the academy rules and regulations while you're at it."

"Understood."

Zhu Zhuqing replied and began showing Ning Rongrong around. An incident actually occurred: a female applicant accidentally bumped into them, and just as Ning Rongrong was about to display her arrogant young mistress attitude while the girl apologized, Zhu Zhuqing stopped her.

After the girl left, Ning Rongrong was silent for a moment before asking.

"Senior Sister, why did you stop me?"

"That girl should have passed the assessment; she will be a student of Phantom Star in the future."

As Zhu Zhuqing spoke, it was clear she truly regarded Phantom Star as her home.

"You are very similar to some princesses I knew in the past, and I don't believe you will fare well here unless you change."

Ning Rongrong bristled at these words, but remembering that the person before her was the senior disciple, she had to swallow her frustration.

"You can choose not to believe me. If you're willing, I recall that Master knows a bit of illusion arts; you can experience it for yourself and you'll understand."

Zhu Zhuqing was guiding Ning Rongrong.

Under normal circumstances, such rhetoric wouldn't have much effect.

But Ning Rongrong stared at Zhu Zhuqing for a long time, and after confirming that this senior sister also came from an extraordinary background, she actually believed it.

"Fine, then Senior Sister, can you accompany me to see Master?"