Shrek Academy, girls' dormitory.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm patch of light across the floor. Three beds stood side by side in the room, and the nightstands were piled high with the girls' little belongings. A faint scent of gardenias drifted through the air.
At that moment, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a golden chessboard shimmering in midair between them.
"Rongrong, hurry up! My Assassin lineup is almost complete!" Xiao Wu urged anxiously, her small fists clenched as she stared intently at the pieces moving across the board.
"Don't rush me, don't rush me. I'm thinking!" Ning Rongrong bit her lip, her finger hovering above the board as she hesitated. Several pieces from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were scattered across her board, and none of their synergy effects had activated.
Zhu Zhuqing sat to one side. Though her face was expressionless, her gaze followed the battle unfolding across the board.
On her board, several agile Assassin pieces had already slipped into the back row, lying in wait to strike the opposing commander as soon as the battle began.
"I'm ready!" Ning Rongrong finally made up her mind and placed a piece at the edge of the board.
"Then I'm starting!" Xiao Wu eagerly tapped the battle button.
The next moment, both sides' pieces sprang into action.
Xiao Wu's lineup centered on the Power Attack System. Several Spirit Master pieces charged forward aggressively, their blades flashing and clashing in a dazzling melee.
Zhu Zhuqing's Assassins, meanwhile, silently circled around the front lines and made straight for Xiao Wu's fragile back-row pieces.
Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect pieces provided a steady stream of buffs from the rear. Golden light flashed again and again, boosting the attack speed and Soul Power recovery of their allies on the front line.
All three sides clashed in a fierce battle.
In the end, Zhu Zhuqing's Assassin pieces triggered a critical hit at a crucial moment, cutting down Xiao Wu's main carry and sealing the victory.
"Ah, I lost again!" Xiao Wu wailed and flopped onto her back, looking utterly defeated.
"Zhuqing, you're way too good!" Ning Rongrong set down her pieces and looked at Zhu Zhuqing admiringly. "Your pieces aren't even as highly ranked as mine, so how did you win?"
"Positioning matters," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly. "You left too many openings in your back row."
"Did you hear that? Positioning matters!" Xiao Wu scrambled back to her feet and pointed at Ning Rongrong's nose. "Look at you! You always put the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect pieces on the outermost edge. You might as well be inviting someone to cut them down!"
"I... I only wanted to activate the synergy sooner!" Ning Rongrong pouted, still a little indignant, but she knew she was in the wrong, and her voice grew quieter and quieter.
As the three girls laughed and teased each other, a sudden fluttering of wings came from outside the window.
Ning Rongrong looked up. A pure white carrier pigeon had landed on the windowsill, a slender bamboo tube tied to its leg. Her eyes lit up. She quickly got up, went over, untied the tube, and took out the letter inside.
She unfolded the paper, and familiar handwriting came into view: it was a letter from her father, Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Rongrong quickly scanned the letter. Her expression shifted from curiosity to surprise, then from surprise to delight.
"What is it? What is it?" Xiao Wu leaned over, curiously craning her neck to look.
"Dad says... Mr. Yi Chen wants to take me as his disciple!" Ning Rongrong looked up, her bright eyes shining like stars. "He says Mr. Yi Chen thinks I have good potential and wants me as his student!"
"Really?!" Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and then she cheered along with her. "That's wonderful, Rongrong! You're going to become the disciple of a Titled Douluo!"
"Not just a Titled Douluo!" Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed with excitement, and her voice trembled. "Dad says Mr. Yi Chen is a Limit Douluo! A Level 99 one!"
"A Limit Douluo?!" Xiao Wu drew in a sharp breath. Even Zhu Zhuqing, who was usually so composed, widened her eyes slightly.
Though they were still young, they knew what a Limit Douluo meant. They stood at the very pinnacle of the entire Douluo Continent, legends among legends!
"Rongrong, you've made it!" Xiao Wu threw her arms around Ning Rongrong and excitedly shook her by the shoulders. "You're going to be a Limit Douluo's disciple! Who'll dare bully you now?"
"Hehe, of course!" Ning Rongrong grinned from ear to ear. But as she laughed, she suddenly thought of something and turned to her two close friends.
She let go of Xiao Wu and looked at them earnestly. "Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, would you like to... become his disciples with me?"
"Huh?" Xiao Wu froze. "Become his disciples together?"
"That's right!" Ning Rongrong nodded, her eyes shining brightly. "Mr. Yi Chen is so powerful. Taking one disciple is taking a disciple, and taking three is taking three! The three of us can go together. Then we can keep playing Golden Spatula together and train together too. Wouldn't that be great?"
Xiao Wu blinked. She was tempted, but still a little hesitant. "But... what if Mr. Yi Chen doesn't want to? He doesn't even know us..."
"Who says he doesn't know you?" Ning Rongrong smiled. "At the Star Dou Forest, didn't he give you both trial cards too? That means he remembers you! And..."
She lowered her voice and spoke mysteriously. "Dad said in his letter that Mr. Yi Chen is easygoing, not some stuffy old man. As long as we sincerely ask to become his disciples, he probably won't refuse."
Xiao Wu bit her lip and looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "What do you think, Zhuqing?"
Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment before answering slowly. "Mr. Yi Chen... is indeed very powerful. If we could become his disciples, it would help us a lot with our training."
"Then it's settled!" Ning Rongrong clapped her hands and cheered. "Wonderful! The three of us will go together!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Xiao Wu hurriedly stopped her. "Even if we want to go, shouldn't we ask Mr. Yi Chen first? What if he won't take us?"
"Isn't that easy?" Ning Rongrong grinned slyly and pulled the golden trial card from her robes. "Dad said this card can contact Mr. Yi Chen. Let's ask him right now!"
She infused the card with a wisp of Soul Power, and a soft golden glow spread across its surface. A moment later, a clear voice came from the card:
"Rongrong? What can I do for you?"
It was Yi Chen's voice.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "Mr. Yi Chen, my father told me you want to take me as your disciple. I... I'd be more than happy to, but I have one little favor to ask..."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Ning Rongrong glanced at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing beside her, gritted her teeth, and said, "My two good friends, Xiao Wu and Zhuqing, want to become your disciples too! Sir, could you... take all of us?"
After saying that, she held her breath nervously, waiting for his reply.
There was silence on the other end of the card for a few seconds.
Then came a soft chuckle:
"All three of you? Quite an appetite."
Ning Rongrong's heart leaped into her throat.
But then Yi Chen's voice came again, tinged with amusement and indulgence:
"Fine. Teaching one is teaching, and teaching three is teaching. But let me make one thing clear: once you become my disciples, you'll have to listen. Don't blame your master if you slack off or try to cut corners."
"Really?! That's wonderful!" Ning Rongrong nearly jumped for joy. "Thank you, sir! We'll be good and do as you say!"
"Mm. We'll discuss the details of the apprenticeship when you come to Spirit City. By the way..."
Yi Chen's tone suddenly turned playful. "Tell Xiao Wu and Zhuqing to practice their Golden Spatula too. When we meet again, I'll check all three of your homework. If anyone falls behind..."
He paused deliberately, then drawled out the final words:
"there'll be a punishment."
The light faded from the card, and the call ended.
The room fell silent for two seconds, and then—
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Three shrieks rang out at once. The girls threw their arms around one another, laughing and jumping for joy like three little rabbits let loose.
"We're going to be disciples of a Limit Douluo!"
"From now on, we'll be sisters in the same sect!"
"This is wonderful! Wonderful!"
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the three girls' smiling faces.
Thousands of miles away in Spirit City, Yi Chen set down the card in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
"Those three little girls... they're certainly interesting."
He stood and walked to the window, gazing at the clouds drifting across the distant sky as he murmured to himself:
"Looks like I'll have to prepare a proper welcome gift as their master."