Thinking of how close Ning Fengzhi and Flender were, Xia Yuan guessed that Ning Fengzhi most likely already knew Qin Ming had come from Shrek Academy.
Ning Rongrong's life at Heaven Dou Royal Academy might face further twists and turns after that.
But what did that have to do with Xia Yuan?
As long as it did not affect his ability to farm Empty Handed from Ning Rongrong, that was enough.
Xia Yuan looked at Ning Rongrong and said, "Ning Rongrong, I don't care what your identity was before or what kind of life you lived."
"Since you decided to train with me, then at least until your father's decision arrives, you must follow my rules."
"I'm different from Qin Ming. I won't make you run laps, nor will I hand out punishments on a whim."
"You can question my demands, but if you still refuse to accept them after I explain them, then I can only ask you to leave my training group."
"You're much easier to talk to than that Qin Ming." Ning Rongrong smiled brightly.
"You haven't left yet only because you're still thinking about having fun." Xia Yuan calmly laid bare Ning Rongrong's current mindset.
"But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This isn't some place for fun either."
"Either you train seriously, or you leave directly."
"Tch." Ning Rongrong curled her lips. "You don't look that old, yet you're this old-fashioned."
"I'll follow them, then."
Although Ning Rongrong still seemed to retain a somewhat playful mindset, Xia Yuan began considering a training method tailored to her, seeing as she had not entered Demon Pill mode.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was a gemstone-type Martial Soul, so the most suitable Mimetic Cultivation Environment was naturally a place filled with gemstones. There was no question about it.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy's facilities were among the finest in the empire, so it naturally had such an environment.
As the heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aside from secret techniques like the Distraction Control Method, Ning Rongrong's other cultivation methods had surely been refined generation after generation by the sect specifically for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.
After Xia Yuan asked Ning Rongrong a few questions, he formed an initial idea.
Setting Aromatic Silk Beauty aside, as a support Martial Soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda possessed supreme support abilities.
Moreover, the soul skills of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters were practically fixed, leaving them with no means of protecting themselves.
Thus, they generally required a team's cooperation.
Xia Yuan had no intention of pulling some stunt and turning Ning Rongrong from a support into a fighter.
If he had some kind of cheat that could do it, he might have given it a try, but he did not.
So the objective was clear: push Ning Rongrong's control precision to the limit, while training her tactical awareness and ability to integrate with a team.
Ning Rongrong had initially been somewhat absent-minded, but after Xia Yuan laid out her training targets, her expression began to change.
Her personality was somewhat like a Demon Pill, but she was not some utterly useless spoiled young lady. She was actually rather clever.
Just from hearing the training regimen Xia Yuan had given her, she had already connected it to some of the goals behind it.
I didn't expect you to actually have some real skill, Ning Rongrong secretly assessed.
After Ning Rongrong left, Dugu Yan asked, "Xia Yuan, are you really going to train her with us?"
"What if her father makes her go back later, or sends her back to Qin Ming? Wouldn't that mean she gets the training methods you came up with for free?"
"This is only the first step," Xia Yuan said.
"I don't think she can keep it up anyway." Dugu Yan gave a soft snort.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Sect Master, a letter has arrived from Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
A young man dressed in fitted white clothes knelt below, holding the letter high with both hands.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Could that little ancestor have caused trouble again?" Ning Fengzhi muttered to himself.
"Bring me the letter."
"Yes." The young man immediately rose and respectfully presented the letter with both hands.
Ning Fengzhi accepted the letter, unfolded it, and read it carefully.
Just then, two figures appeared in the main hall: Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
"Did something happen to Rongrong?" Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo asked almost simultaneously.
Ning Fengzhi shook the letter and said, "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, I've said it before—you spoil her too much."
"How could a letter from Heaven Dou Royal Academy mean that something happened to Rongrong?"
"It would already count as her being in a good mood if she didn't tear Heaven Dou Royal Academy apart."
"Then what happened? Tell us already!" Bone Douluo snapped, striding over.
After reading the letter's contents, Bone Douluo slapped the table and burst into laughter. "Hahaha..."
"Rongrong did well! She should never have let that Qin Ming bully her."
"Old Bone Dragon, what are you laughing so foolishly about?" Sword Douluo frowned and moved closer.
After reading its contents, Sword Douluo did not burst into wild laughter like Bone Douluo. Instead, he looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"Fengzhi, didn't you say that Qin Ming was definitely a good teacher?"
"Explain this to me. If he really was such a good teacher, why would Rongrong rather train with that brat named Xia Yuan?"
Ning Fengzhi furrowed his brows deeply. "That shouldn't be."
"We two old men would never willingly let even a single hair on Rongrong's head be harmed, yet you personally pushed her into a den of demons..."
Ning Fengzhi suddenly raised his head. "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone."
"The letter never explained what Qin Ming did to Rongrong. How can you be certain that Rongrong wasn't the one who did something wrong first?"
"I think you're the only person in the world who would first suspect whether his own daughter did something wrong instead of suspecting someone else." Sword Douluo could not be bothered to argue further.
"I have to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy and see Rongrong."
"What?" The first to object was not Ning Fengzhi, but Bone Douluo.
"If you go, then how am I supposed to go?"
"You? Of course you'll stay behind to guard the sect!" Sword Douluo gave Bone Douluo no face at all.
"Bullshit!" Bone Douluo became agitated. "You get to see Rongrong, but I don't?"
Watching Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo begin to quarrel, Ning Fengzhi irritably rubbed his brow.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo merely bickered as usual, so he was not worried that their argument would turn serious.
But... had he truly made a mistake?
No, he still needed to make a trip to Heaven Dou Royal Academy himself.
"Enough, Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone. Stop arguing."
He rose to his feet. "This time, Uncle Sword will go first. Uncle Bone, you can go see Rongrong next time."
Bone Douluo snorted and ignored him.
"At least you still have a conscience." Sword Douluo glanced at Ning Fengzhi.
Several days later, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Having received the news in advance, Meng Shenji, Ning Fengzhi, and Sword Douluo secretly observed the separate lessons being conducted by Xia Yuan and Qin Ming.
On Qin Ming's side, Yu Tianheng, Osler, and Shi Mo were undergoing limit training with weighted running.
Xia Yuan's side, however, had an entirely different atmosphere.
Shi Mo tempered his Martial Soul beneath a waterfall, Yu Feng melded with the wind atop a cliff, while Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan cultivated together with Xia Yuan.
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