Chu Qing smiled and ruffled Rongrong's hair. "I'm fine. I have my Rongrong to thank for helping me defeat that old bastard so smoothly!"
At the words "my Rongrong," Rongrong's cheeks instantly flushed. She didn't deny it, but changed the subject instead. "We should also thank Xiao Wu and Zhuqing. It wouldn't have been so easy to beat him otherwise."
Zhu Zhuqing wasn't one for many words. Her remark seemed to carry a deeper meaning. "It's nothing. Classmates should help each other."
Dai Mubai's face reddened. After all, he had started the trouble, yet Chu Qing had ended up cleaning up the mess.
Xiao Wu stared blankly at Chu Qing and Ning Rongrong standing together. A golden boy and a jade girl—they looked like a perfect pair. At some point, her small, fair hands had clenched tight, her nails digging into her flesh without her even realizing it.
Tang San wore a complicated expression, but in the end, he said nothing.
Ignoring Tang San and the others, Chu Qing said earnestly to Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, "I have you two to thank as well."
Zhu Zhuqing laughed freely. "It really was nothing. Besides, Brother Chu, your attack just now was pretty cool."
Seeing Chu Qing speak to her, Xiao Wu immediately brightened. Her tightly clenched hand relaxed naturally. "It was nothing."
Only then did Zhao Wuji, who should have arrived to break things up, finally show up. He looked at Ye Zhiqiu, who had been beaten to the brink of death, in surprise. "You did this?"
Everyone instinctively looked to Chu Qing, who accepted their attention without hesitation.
"Good lad!" Zhao Wuji said. "You really are one of our Shrek students! Leave the rest to me. I'll handle the negotiations!"
He then moved to treat Ye Zhiqiu, who was barely alive. After all, it wouldn't be good if someone died.
But a streak of black flame shot over, slicing through Ye Zhiqiu's throat in an instant.
Zhao Wuji stared in shock, then snapped, "What are you doing?! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble we'll be in if you just kill someone?"
Chu Qing replied coolly, "I wasn't the one who wanted to kill. He was. If I hadn't turned the tide, he would have killed every one of us."
Zhao Wuji's face darkened. He turned to look at Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others. Though they looked unwilling, they all nodded, confirming Chu Qing's words.
It was true. Without Chu Qing, they might not have survived. Ye Zhiqiu had gone mad and had already decided to kill them.
Zhao Wuji sighed. "Forget it. What's done is done. There's no point talking about it now." He then ushered everyone back to their rooms to rest. Before leaving, he gave Chu Qing one last, deep look.
So young, yet so decisive and ruthless. This boy had the makings of someone who could achieve great things.
The people from Canghui Academy didn't dare linger. They hurriedly fled the town.
What no one noticed was that the flame that had killed Ye Zhiqiu hadn't gone out. Instead, it slipped into his body and quietly wrapped itself around the five Soul Rings within him.
Before long, Ye Zhiqiu's five Soul Rings gradually faded from bright to dim, then vanished completely.
At the same time, Chu Qing's First Soul Ring changed from ordinary yellow to deep yellow, with even a hint of purple appearing along its edges.
As the Infernal Delicate Apricot's medicinal power continued to work, after he devoured and refined the Whale Rubber and broke through the three-year bottleneck, the Nihility Devouring Flame changed once more. After devouring a Soul Ring, it could actually increase its own Soul Ring's age...
That ball of flame just now had been a lesser flame Chu Qing had left behind.
The only cost was that devouring other people's Soul Rings caused the power of Karma Fire to multiply. But Chu Qing had only just broken through the bottleneck, so it wouldn't affect his cultivation in the short term.
Early the next morning, Chu Qing got up and heard Flender holding forth in the hall to Dai Mubai and the others. "As the saying goes, only mediocrities are afraid of causing trouble! Dai Mubai, you did the right thing! It's just a little Canghui Academy. If you provoke them, so be it!"
Disgust crossed Chu Qing's face. This absurd set of values was simply beyond his comprehension.
After seeing Chu Qing, Flender also changed his tune from his previous indifference and began praising him.
Chu Qing had nearly reached the end of his patience. At last, everyone had gathered, so he strode to the front of the group and set off for the Star Dou Great Forest.
He was considering whether he should leave Shrek Academy early. This place was truly absurd.
It was early morning. The air in the Star Dou Great Forest was damp, and every blade of grass was covered in glistening dewdrops. The whole forest brimmed with life.
Chu Qing released the Nihility Devouring Flame, sending out countless lesser flames to help him search the area as widely as possible.
He already had an idea for his third Soul Ring. The Nihility Devouring Flame's ability to devour space had many uses, both in actual combat and in negotiations. But without Ning Rongrong's help, he could only devour a tiny amount of space and move a short distance. So he planned to find a space-type Soul Beast to strengthen that aspect of its abilities.
Unfortunately, such a beast wouldn't be easy to find. Space-type Soul Beasts were rare to begin with, and the Star Dou Great Forest was enormous, so he could only rely on luck.
Chu Qing sighed, but there was nothing he could do. The Star Dou Great Forest was already one of the largest Soul Beast habitats on Douluo Continent. If he couldn't find one here, he'd have even less luck elsewhere.
By the time Oscar had obtained his third Soul Ring, dusk had fallen, but Chu Qing's search for a space-type Soul Beast had still come up empty.
After refining his third Soul Ring, Oscar had broken through to level 31. He smugly sought out Ning Rongrong to show off his disgusting third Soul Skill, his eyes drifting toward Chu Qing now and then, as if to flaunt his contempt.
Chu Qing couldn't be bothered with him. He merely told Rongrong to keep her distance from Oscar, then continued searching for the Soul Beast he wanted.
Xiao Wu stood outside the camp, gazing through the forest toward its depths. Everything here was so familiar to her.
Suddenly, a long cry rang out. A burst of fiery light flashed across the sky, illuminating the area as bright as day!
In the next instant, a massive, dark-colored talon swooped down. It was several meters across and seized Xiao Wu around the waist. Caught off guard, she tried to dodge, but some kind of poison on the talon instantly numbed her nerves. Her body went limp, and she passed out.
Chu Qing was standing outside the camp. As the talon swooped in, his gaze sharpened and he looked up. Above the dark talon was an enormous bird! Its body was entirely vermilion, and its outstretched wings spanned a full ten meters. Most unusual of all were its golden eyes. An aura of royalty radiated from its entire body.
Chu Qing's eyes narrowed. "Li Zhu!" It was really him!
The others had already been roused by the noise and came rushing out. They were all startled by the enormous bird. Seeing Xiao Wu in its talons, Tang San was beside himself with rage and rushed toward it, but the bird gave him no chance. It immediately beat its wings and soared into the sky.
Chu Qing was faster. He had already used his Soul Power to tear open a spatial rift. With a single flash, he grabbed hold of the bird's feathers!