All Spirit Rings Appear, Dai Mubai Falters

After some contemplation, Ning Rongrong spoke slowly:

"I seem to recall my father mentioning Qin Xuan. He is a personal disciple taken in by Bibi Dong and a peerless genius rarely seen in Spirit Hall in a century."

"Could it be that Zhu Zhuqing joined Spirit Hall Academy because of Qin Xuan?"

"Yes." Dai Mubai nodded slightly, the image of the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger flashing through his mind as he sighed:

"Qin Xuan's spirit seems to be a mutation of the White Tiger spirit. He is about our age, yet he has already broken through to the Spirit King realm."

"The most critical point is that his spirit ring configuration is simply heaven-defying..."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang became interested: "What is Qin Xuan's spirit ring configuration?"

"Two thousand-year spirit rings, three ten-thousand-year spirit rings!" No sooner had Dai Mubai finished speaking than the entire group gasped in unison.

Yu Xiaogang snapped back to reality, shocked beyond measure: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"The energy limit for a spirit master's first spirit ring is just over four hundred years. How could he absorb a thousand-year spirit ring? This defies all logic!"

"Mubai, did you see it wrong?"

"I'm not colorblind, how could I have seen it wrong!" Dai Mubai replied, his eyes filled with sorrow: "Qin Xuan's strength is terrifying. I held out for ten rounds against him before finally being defeated."

"Boss Dai, being able to hold out for ten rounds against such a person is a defeat you can be proud of!" Tang San comforted him.

"Mubai, what are Qin Xuan's spirit skills?" Yu Xiaogang continued to press.

"This..." Dai Mubai was momentarily speechless, then after a moment of hesitation, he said:

"My head hurts, I'm going back to rest."

With that, he clutched his head with one hand and walked toward the dormitory first.

In his heart, he was busy greeting every ancestor of this Grandmaster for eighteen generations.

He had never fought Qin Xuan at all; he was just running his mouth to show off in front of everyone.

Who would have thought this useless Grandmaster would be like a piece of dog-skin plaster, pestering him with endless questions.

Seeing Dai Mubai leave in such a hurry without directly answering Yu Xiaogang's question, anyone present who wasn't a fool could guess the truth.

As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong was blunt and didn't give this 'Boss Dai' any face at all.

"I think Boss Dai surrendered voluntarily without even fighting Qin Xuan!"

"Zhu Zhuqing is his fiancée, after all; Boss Dai really has no guts!"

"If it were me, even if I couldn't beat Qin Xuan, I'd make sure to peel a layer of skin off him!"

Ning Rongrong had only recently joined Shrek Academy and still had friction with the other five in daily life; their relationship had not yet reached the level of closeness seen later on.

The little princess's voice was loud, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet village.

Dai Mubai hadn't gone far and naturally heard her.

"Who are you saying has no guts?"

"Say that again if you dare!"

Roaring in anger, he released his spirit and strode toward Ning Rongrong.

"Enough!" Seeing this, Zhao Wuji hurriedly stepped in front of Ning Rongrong.

"Rongrong, you went a bit too far. Apologize to Mubai at once!" Flender pushed up his round-rimmed glasses and reminded her.

"Boss Dai was just trying to protect himself. If he had really fought Qin Xuan, he might have died in Spirit City," Tang San added.

Xiao Wu, Oscar, and the others also looked at Ning Rongrong with expressions of disgust.

Usually, this little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was spoiled, self-centered, and looked down upon the academy's crude conditions and rigorous training, so her relationship with the other students was not very good.

She had even been publicly reprimanded by Dean Flender for skipping class and being lazy, and was later blown away by Dai Mubai, suffering her first setback.

This was why Ning Rongrong didn't care about Dai Mubai's face and poked directly at his sore spot.

Although her words were harsh, she felt she hadn't said anything wrong.

And yet?

She had become the target of everyone's criticism!

"Heh..." Watching their hypocritical and ugly faces, Ning Rongrong sneered, her eyes turning red:

"Apologize?"

"Why should I apologize to Dai Mubai?"

"Now I see it clearly, you're all in this together!"

"Since you look down on me, this young lady doesn't care to stay in this dump of an academy any longer. Farewell!"

With that, she flicked her sleeves and turned to leave with long strides, never looking back.

Watching Ning Rongrong's retreating figure, no one stepped forward to stop her.

The atmosphere within Shrek Academy was quite peculiar these days.

Of the Shrek Seven Devils who should have been present, only five remained.

Tang San began to reflect on the words Ning Rongrong had spoken before her departure. Putting himself in Dai Mubai's shoes, he found that while her words were blunt, they were not without merit; there seemed to be nothing wrong with what she had said.

If it were Xiao Wu who had been abducted by Qin Xuan, he would risk his life to bring her back!

From this, it was clear that Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu were beyond reproach; he dared to sacrifice his life for his beloved, a level of resolve that Dai Mubai lacked entirely.

Furthermore, Dai Mubai was a coward at heart, having abandoned Zhu Zhuqing once before in Star Luo City, whereas Tang San had never once considered giving up on Xiao Wu.

"Getting lost was the right choice!"

"If Ning Rongrong hadn't left, I would have driven her out of Shrek Academy myself!"

Ignoring the strange looks from those around him, Dai Mubai turned and returned to his dormitory, slamming the door shut behind him.

Half a month later.

After a period of arduous training, Song Qingling and Xia Hui had both successfully broken through to the Spirit Elder rank.

Finding life at Spirit Hall Academy rather dull, the two women returned to the Purple Heaven Sect to assist Xia Lei with sect affairs.

Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, spent every day in the Mimicry Training Hall, practicing diligently from dawn until dusk.

She did not live in the Spirit Hall Academy dorms, but resided with Qin Xuan in the Emerald Spring Villas.

Living with Qin Xuan provided her with more than just a sense of security; the most crucial aspect was the opportunity to practice their spirit fusion skill.

Through their time together, Zhu Zhuqing discovered that the compatibility between her Nether Spirit Cat and his Nine Nether Evil God Tiger was even higher than that of the White Tiger spirit.

If they could achieve perfect fusion before the tournament, it would undoubtedly serve as an extra trump card.

At high noon.

Qin Xuan lay alone on the leather sofa, muttering to himself:

"As a spirit master's power increases, leveling up becomes increasingly difficult."

"My current spirit power is at level fifty-two, and I wonder if I can reach the level sixty bottleneck before the grand finals."

"Sigh... relying solely on Spirit Hall is not a long-term solution."

"In the future, that Tang San will have the backing of the Tang Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, and many other forces."

"To sever the Tang family's destiny, I must not only defeat Tang San but also crush them in every other aspect to prevent any resurgence."

"Once the grand finals conclude, it will be time for me to establish my own sect!"

"One that will endure forever, just like the Tang Sect, remaining on this continent even after ten thousand years!"