Ning Rongrong froze for a moment. "Do it myself? Back at the sect, the servants did everything for me."
"This is Shrek, not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Fu Wen glanced at her, then turned and walked away.
Ning Rongrong stood where she was, her fists clenched.
Fu Wen's tone was so irritating.
But what made her even angrier was—
she couldn't find a single thing to say in response.
That afternoon, on the training field.
Flender called the four children together.
"Starting today, your training schedules will be adjusted."
"Ning Rongrong just arrived, so let her take a few days to adjust."
"The rest of you will train as usual."
"Yes!"
Oscar and Ma Hongjun replied in unison.
Fu Wen nodded.
Ning Rongrong stood to one side, looking at the three of them with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Training?
How hard could it be?
"Ning Rongrong, your Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a support-type Martial Soul."
Flender looked at her. "Your main task is to support your teammates while improving your own Soul Power."
"With your First Soul Ring's boost, how many people can you enhance at once?"
"Three."
Ning Rongrong replied, "And the degree of enhancement depends on my Soul Power."
"Got it."
Flender nodded. "That's all for today. Just watch them for now."
Ning Rongrong frowned but said nothing.
On the training field, Oscar and Ma Hongjun began sparring.
Fu Wen stood off to the side, giving them pointers.
"Xiao Ao, your Flying Sausage is getting better and better, but your close-quarters combat is still too weak."
"Keep practicing. You'll pass once you can withstand three moves from Xiao Pang."
"Three moves?"
Oscar smiled wryly. "Brother Wen, do you really think I can withstand three moves?"
"If you can't, then keep practicing."
Fu Wen's expression remained blank. "Practice until you can."
Ma Hongjun grinned and threw a punch at Oscar.
Oscar hurriedly dodged, but he was half a beat too slow. The punch grazed his shoulder, making him grimace in pain.
"Too slow."
Fu Wen said, "Your reaction speed is even worse than Xiao Pang's."
"That's because Xiao Pang practices with you every day!"
Oscar protested.
"Then you have even more reason to practice."
Fu Wen didn't respond.
Standing to one side, Ning Rongrong watched the three of them, her expression shifting from disdain to curiosity.
Fu Wen looked about her age, but he spoke like an adult.
And Oscar and Ma Hongjun both listened to him.
"What are you looking at?"
Fu Wen suddenly turned and looked at Ning Rongrong.
She jumped, but quickly regained her composure.
"I'm watching you train."
"What have you learned?"
"You're... pretty serious about it."
Fu Wen glanced at her and said nothing more.
Ning Rongrong breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't know why, but facing this boy her own age always made her feel a kind of pressure she couldn't put into words.
It wasn't fear. It was... unease.
That evening, in the dining hall.
Shao Xin had prepared a table full of dishes, much more sumptuous than usual.
Flender sat at the head of the table and beckoned Ning Rongrong to sit down.
"Rongrong, this will be your food from now on."
"Thank you, Dean."
Ning Rongrong picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of braised pork in her mouth.
Then her eyes lit up.
"Delicious!"
"If you like it, eat some more."
Shao Xin cheerfully brought over another bowl of soup.
Ning Rongrong didn't hold back. She ate in big mouthfuls.
Oscar watched her and couldn't help laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
Ning Rongrong glared at him.
"Nothing."
Oscar hurriedly lowered his head and shoveled food into his mouth.
He couldn't very well upset the young lady on her very first day.
Ma Hongjun wasn't so cautious. He just asked, "Rongrong, what level is your Soul Power?"
"Level twelve."
Ning Rongrong replied, "I was born with level nine Soul Power. After absorbing my First Soul Ring, which was over four hundred years old, I went straight up two levels."
"Pretty talented, huh?"
Ma Hongjun said with a grin.
"Of course."
Ning Rongrong lifted her chin smugly.
"All right, all right. Stop showing off."
Flender rapped his knuckles on the table. "Level twelve makes you a genius in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but it's nothing special at Shrek Academy."
"Why don't you ask Fu Wen what level he is?"
Ning Rongrong looked at Fu Wen.
"Twenty-three."
Fu Wen didn't even raise his head.
Ning Rongrong's chopsticks stopped in midair.
Twenty-three?
His Soul Power was almost twice hers?
She had thought her talent was already excellent. She hadn't expected this quiet, taciturn boy to be even more powerful than her.
"How old are you?"
Ning Rongrong asked.
"Six. Not much older than you."
Fu Wen glanced at her. "So don't think you're all that impressive."
"Here, you're just an ordinary member of the group."
"Remember, there's always a sky beyond the sky and a person beyond the person."
Ning Rongrong tightened her grip on her chopsticks and said nothing.
This was the first time someone her own age had lectured her like this.
And she had nothing to say in response.
After dinner, Ning Rongrong offered to help wash the dishes.
Flender looked at her, somewhat surprised.
"No need. Shao Xin can handle it."
"I want to wash them."
Ning Rongrong's tone was firm.
Flender said no more and nodded.
Ning Rongrong carried the dishes into the kitchen. Shao Xin was busy at the stove.
"Uncle Shao, I'll wash the dishes."
Shao Xin froze for a moment, then smiled. "All right, go ahead."
Ning Rongrong rolled up her sleeves and put her hands into the basin.
The water was a little cold. She frowned but didn't pull her hands out.
She picked up a bowl and carefully scrubbed it with a cloth.
Her movements were clumsy, but she was serious about it.
Shao Xin watched from the side, quietly approving.
The child might be spoiled, but she wasn't bad at heart.
Fu Wen passed by the kitchen door and stopped when he saw Ning Rongrong washing dishes.
He watched for a moment, then turned and walked away.
Back in the dormitory, Ma Hongjun was tossing and turning on his bed.
"Brother Wen, do you think Ning Rongrong will be hard to get along with?"
"I don't know."
Fu Wen sat down on his bed. "But she's willing to wash dishes, so she's not completely clueless."
Ma Hongjun thought it over and decided that made sense.
"Good."
He rolled over and closed his eyes.
Fu Wen didn't sleep.
He was thinking about Ning Fengzhi's letter.
"Train her hard. Get rid of that young-lady attitude."
The Sect Master was determined to make his daughter suffer.
So be it.
Early the next morning, Flender called Ning Rongrong to the training field.
"Starting today, you'll train with the others."
"First task: running. Ten laps around the field."
"Ten laps?"
Ning Rongrong stared at the field, eyes wide.
The field wasn't very big, but ten laps would still be at least a mile or two.
"Not enough? Then make it twenty."
Flender's expression was blank.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and said nothing. She set off running.
The first lap was still fairly easy.
By the second, her breathing had grown labored.
By the third, her pace had slowed.
By the fourth, she had fallen far behind Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
By the fifth, she couldn't run anymore. She bent over, panting heavily.
"Can't run anymore?"
Flender walked over.
Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at him, her eyes slightly red.
But she bit her lip and didn't beg for mercy.
"If you can't run, walk. As long as you finish, it counts."
With that, Flender turned and walked away.
Ning Rongrong straightened up, took a deep breath, and kept running.
This time, she ran very slowly, but she didn't stop.
One lap, two laps, three laps...
By the time she finished the last lap, she was on the verge of collapsing.
But she didn't fall.
Fu Wen stood in the distance, watching Ning Rongrong, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
This young lady could take more than he'd expected.
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