Hearing Han Xing's words, Ning Rongrong's face instantly turned bright red.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I don't know anything about that."
"I just heard about it, that's all. Heard of it, understand? Don't men always trick naïve girls?"
Watching Ning Rongrong argue her way out of it, Han Xing spread his hands. "Mm, right. You're right."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ning Rongrong widened her eyes.
"What do you mean, 'you're right'? It's true!"
At the sight of Ning Rongrong's flustered explanation, Jiang Zhu and the others couldn't help laughing.
Hearing them, Ning Rongrong finally realized Han Xing had been teasing her.
She gave a cold snort and stopped talking to him, then ran over to Zhu Zhuqing, who was standing some distance away.
As the two girls whispered to each other, Zhu Zhuqing cast a curious glance at Han Xing.
"Hey... Hey, Zhuqing, what are you looking at?"
Ning Rongrong waved a hand in front of Zhu Zhuqing, then followed her gaze. She immediately spotted Han Xing's face.
"Well, well. I never knew you had this side to you, Zhuqing," Ning Rongrong teased.
"I always thought you were the cool, aloof goddess type. I never imagined you'd go starry-eyed over a man."
"Tell me, what do you think Dai Mubai would say if he saw this? Just imagining it is fun."
A teasing lilt crept into Ning Rongrong's voice.
Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai had some history, even though it had happened half a year ago.
But Ning Rongrong was the Little Demoness. How could she really have forgotten about it?
"Don't talk nonsense." Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks reddened as she hurried to explain.
"I'm not going starry-eyed over him. I'm just curious about how he got so strong."
"Curious about his strength? That makes sense. That's more like you," Ning Rongrong said, accepting Zhu Zhuqing's explanation.
"But Xiao Wu said Han Xing has Innate Full Soul Power," Ning Rongrong mused.
"Han Xing's rapid cultivation must be because of his own talent."
Ning Rongrong grumbled, "It's strange, though. Notting Academy is such a godforsaken little place."
"Yet somehow, three Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power appeared there in the same year."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "If it were just Innate Full Soul Power, then Tang San and Xiao Wu have it too, and so does Oscar."
"But they're nowhere near as strong as Han Xing, are they?"
"Xiao Wu and Tang San are only level thirty-five, and Oscar is only level thirty-four."
Ning Rongrong furrowed her brow, clearly unable to make sense of it either.
"And how do you explain Han Xing having four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"Maybe he's so strong because he absorbed four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings." Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "That's impossible."
"An ordinary Soul Master couldn't absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their First or Second Soul Ring."
"And according to Tang San and the others, Han Xing's First Soul Ring used to be just a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, like ours."
"Don't tell me you're planning to go ask Han Xing how he got stronger?" Ning Rongrong's tone grew serious.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and said nothing.
Seeing her reaction, Ning Rongrong immediately understood what she was thinking.
"You're really planning to do that? I don't think Han Xing would tell you how he did it," Ning Rongrong said, exasperated.
"You and Han Xing are strangers. Why would he teach you how to get stronger?"
"Unless..." Ning Rongrong seemed to realize something and abruptly stopped.
"Unless what?" Zhu Zhuqing pressed.
"Nothing." Ning Rongrong shook her head. "That wouldn't work for you."
"Why wouldn't it?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"You and Dai Mubai are still engaged, so of course it wouldn't work," Ning Rongrong replied matter-of-factly.
"Even if this one-of-a-kind way to get stronger could be replicated, he'd only share it with someone he trusted."
"You and Han Xing don't even know each other, and you already have a fiancé. So there's no way you could do what I'm talking about."
By now, even Zhu Zhuqing, who was usually indifferent to matters between men and women, understood immediately.
So the method Ning Rongrong was talking about was becoming his partner.
"If that's the case, then you're right. It wouldn't work for me." Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
"But don't you have even the slightest interest, Rongrong? Four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, and reaching the Soul Ancestor realm at twelve..."
At that, Ning Rongrong pressed her lips together and didn't answer.
"So it's not just that my circumstances make it impossible," Zhu Zhuqing said with a smile.
Ning Rongrong had started to say something, then worried Zhu Zhuqing might truly throw caution to the wind for the sake of strength. She was getting possessive.
"But there's no need to worry. I don't see any hope right now, but I haven't reached the point where I have to throw caution to the wind."
"Besides, he might not even like me." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing put it that way, Ning Rongrong gave an awkward smile.
Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, "What are you afraid of? If you really like him, with your looks, talent, and background, I couldn't compete with you."
"Zhuqing, that's not what I meant." Ning Rongrong shook her head.
"I know. You're just curious, not in love with him, right?" Zhu Zhuqing said knowingly.
"Don't let my usual silence fool you. I grew up amid the struggles within the imperial family, after all."
"If you really want to pursue him, I can even give you some advice."
"The Zhu Family has plenty of records on how to make a man fall for you."
"Really?" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.
"But have you made up your mind?" Zhu Zhuqing asked in return.
"The methods recorded in my family's books... are a little... explicit, or maybe just too intimate."
"Then forget it. I'll try things my own way first." Ning Rongrong shook her head.
As the two girls talked, they were careful to keep their voices low, and no one noticed them.
Not even Han Xing had expected it.
While he was thinking about finding a CP to boost his popularity,
Ning Rongrong had already set her sights on him.
The meeting soon came to an end.
From that day on, Blue Tyrant Academy was officially renamed Shrek Academy.
The position of dean also passed from Liu Erlong to Flender.
But those were minor details.
What shocked the students most was that their head of instruction had become Yu Xiaogang, who was only level twenty-nine.
When they first heard the news, quite a few students voiced their doubts.
Blue Tyrant Academy had plenty of students in their twenties, and not a few in their thirties.
Putting someone in their twenties in charge of instructing and managing the students—wasn't that just leading them astray?
But with the former dean, Liu Erlong, firmly backing the decision, it was settled.