The room shared by Lin Huai and the others.
Knock, knock—
Someone knocked at the door.
Tian Yue got up and opened it.
"Sorry to bother you. We'd like to ask you a few things."
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing stood in the doorway.
"Come in. What do you want to ask?"
The two of them sat down across from Lin Huai.
Ning Rongrong spoke first:
"I can tell you how Dai Mubai and the others plan to deal with you, but I'd also like to get some information about you."
Just as he'd thought, Ning Rongrong was a little different from the one in the original story. She'd even learned how to get something for nothing.
Lin Huai rubbed his chin, then spread his hands.
"We don't mind. I already know everything there is to know about them."
"If they don't play by the rules when the time comes, we don't have to play by the rules either."
Ning Rongrong knew that Lin Huai held the initiative in this fight.
She couldn't use this approach to pry any information out of them.
So she came right out with it:
"Tang San noticed a loophole in your words. They plan to use it as an excuse to gang up on you, and they've chosen Miss Tian Yue as their opponent."
Though she'd known they would target her after Lin Huai showed off, Tian Yue was still furious. They were looking down on her!
Lin Huai rubbed Tian Yue's head, soothing her and telling her not to get angry.
"Now tell me what you want to know. I'll see what I can answer."
To her surprise, there was a silver lining after all. Ning Rongrong quickly asked:
"Nothing too detailed. Just tell us your Martial Souls and levels."
She was still too green.
Lin Huai feigned a frown, then sighed.
"Since two lovely young ladies came all this way to ask, I'll tell you about me and Sister Yue. Don't even think about learning anything about the others."
Ning Rongrong's face lit up.
Even learning a thing or two was better than nothing.
"I'm a Soul Ancestor now. Sister Yue's level is a little higher than mine."
"We both have just one Martial Soul, and we're both Power Attack System soul masters."
The two girls simply couldn't believe it. Lin Huai was about their age, yet he was already a Soul Ancestor?
But he had no reason to lie. And someone who could beat three Soul Elders and a Soul Grandmaster without even using a Soul Ring ought to have the strength of a Soul Ancestor.
Zhu Zhuqing remembered that Great Master Yu Gang had said Lin Huai possessed Twin Martial Souls, and blurted it out.
"Great Master said the Holy Son has Twin Martial Souls."
Hearing Yu Gang spout another classic, Lin Huai scoffed:
"Yu Gang?"
"He's a good-for-nothing, and his theories are riddled with holes. You didn't actually believe him, did you?"
Ning Rongrong hurried to distance herself from Yu Gang.
"Of course not. He couldn't even answer my questions. Why would we believe him?"
Then she looked back at Lin Huai, waiting for him to reveal more.
Seeing the hopeful look in both girls' eyes, Lin Huai smiled.
"I'll throw in a bonus. We'll all be taking part in this Soul Master Tournament."
When Lin Huai said no more, the two girls took their leave.
After Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing left,
Hu Liena looked at Lin Huai, who sat cross-legged in the living room deep in thought, her eyes shining.
The two girls headed for Shrek after leaving the hotel.
Along the way, Ning Rongrong tripped over a stone without noticing it. She had to lean on Zhu Zhuqing as they stumbled back to Shrek.
The two girls stopped outside Flender's office.
They could faintly hear someone saying something about "Little Sister Er Long" and "being so happy."
They knocked on the door.
Flender opened it with a calm expression.
"What brings you here? Is something wrong?"
Seeing that Ning Rongrong was injured, Zhu Zhuqing spoke first.
"Dean, Great Master gave Rongrong and me a few days off. We won't be coming back at night for the next few days, so we came to let you know."
Seeing Flender's troubled expression, Ning Rongrong dropped the decisive bombshell.
"We got some information from Lin Huai."
"Lin Huai is already a Soul Ancestor. That youngest sister of his should be one too, and her level might even be higher than his."
"Impossible!"
Flender's voice suddenly rose.
"I've never heard of a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor!"
Zhu Zhuqing asked calmly:
"Then does the dean think a Soul Elder beat three Soul Elders and a Soul Grandmaster without using a single Soul Ring?"
Flender's flailing hands froze. His voice came out hoarse.
"Are you saying Lin Huai did all of that yesterday by himself?"
Flender had always thought that Soul Saint had stepped in. He never imagined Lin Huai had done it all on his own.
Ignoring Flender, who stood stiff as a board, Ning Rongrong continued:
"Both of them have only one Martial Soul, and they're both Power Attack System soul masters."
"Now can we stay outside?"
Flender nodded dazedly. The two girls had already turned to leave when he suddenly asked:
"How did you get this information?"
He clearly remembered Ning Rongrong saying that she only knew Lin Huai's age and knew nothing else about him.
Ning Rongrong didn't want to answer, so she gestured for Zhu Zhuqing to respond.
"Rongrong traded something of value to get it from Lin Huai."
With that, she helped Ning Rongrong away from Shrek.
But in Flender's eyes, it meant something else entirely.
Clearly, Ning Rongrong had sacrificed herself, swallowing her humiliation and submitting to that lecher Lin Huai for Shrek's sake, in order to obtain the information.
Even though she was unwell, she'd still come in person to tell him.
He wiped away a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye.
"Don't worry, Ning Rongrong. Shrek will never forget your sacrifice."
If Ning Rongrong had known what Flender was thinking, she would've had Sword Bone Douluo kill him.
Flender hurried to the training grounds.
He saw Tang San and Dai Mubai locked in a fierce exchange, parts of their clothes already torn apart by Soul Power.
"Hold on a moment. I got some information!"
The two stopped fighting and lined up beside the other three.
"Boss Fu, what information did you get? You even interrupted my lesson."
Yu Gang walked over with his hands behind his back.
Flender carefully told them what Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had just said.
When they heard that Lin Huai and Tian Yue were both Soul Ancestors, and that Lin Huai had only one Martial Soul,
Yu Gang and the Five Monsters all shouted that it was impossible.
Yu Gang knew that the Angel Martial Soul came with Innate Level 20 Soul Power, so Lin Huai's level didn't surprise him. But Tang San and the others were geniuses themselves, and the news still left them shaken.
Yu Gang briefly explained the Angel Martial Soul's unusual qualities to them.
Everyone, Flender included, looked as if they'd learned something new.
They all assumed that the blade Lin Huai carried was a Soul Tool, and that Lin Huai and Tian Yue both had the Angel Martial Soul.
Tang San voiced his doubts.
"As expected of you, teacher. But were you just concerned that Lin Huai didn't have Twin Martial Souls?"
Yu Gang nodded, confirming Tang San's guess.
"Boss Fu, could this information be false?"
Flender heard his old friend doubt the information Ning Rongrong had exchanged her innocence to obtain, and replied solemnly:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The information has to be true!"
"Ning Rongrong made a huge sacrifice to get it from Lin Huai!"
Seeing that, Yu Gang said no more.
When Oscar heard that Ning Rongrong had made a huge sacrifice, the image of himself as a husband who couldn't perform once again involuntarily appeared in his mind.
No!!!
Flender dealt Oscar another crushing blow.
"She came to tell me just now, and Zhu Zhuqing had to support her as she left!"
The image in Oscar's mind grew even more vivid. It even reached the Ace Love part. He wanted to cry.
Why had Lin Huai treated Rongrong like that?
Why couldn't he have been a little gentler?
How much pain must Rongrong have been in!
"Dean! Where are Rongrong and the others?"
Flender was very pleased that Oscar had asked. It proved that the students were still quite fond of one another.
"I gave them a few days off. They've probably gone to Suotuo City by now."
Dai Mubai patted Oscar on the shoulder, his voice heavy.
"Xiao Ao, let's focus on training first. We can't let Ning Rongrong's sacrifice go to waste!"
Oscar closed his eyes and nodded with difficulty.
Before you continue