Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge

Su Ge stared into Flender's eyes, then suddenly laughed.

When he'd fought Zhao Wuji earlier, he'd thought Shrek wasn't nearly as bad as he'd imagined.

But now it seemed he'd been giving it too much credit.

An academy that specifically recruited talented students had graduated only a handful.

And aside from those who couldn't graduate, quite a few had even died while hunting Soul Beasts.

How good could an academy like that really be?

Thinking this, Su Ge decided there was no point in wasting his breath. He took a badge from his storage ring.

Its purple-gold sheen glimmered with a hint of nobility in the faint night light!

The Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge!

This was a Soul Fighting badge from the Great Soul Arena's fifth rank!

Flender, Dai Mubai, and the others recognized the badge at a glance!

Su Ge had actually received it earlier, after the Great Soul Arena arranged for him to defeat a Soul King while only at Soul Elder rank, overcoming a two-rank gap. He'd been awarded the badge as an exception!

The badges for the lower ranks weren't all that concerned with a holder's overall strength. They relied more on the holder's relative strength.

And Su Ge, who had defeated a Soul King as a Soul Elder, was the best proof of relative strength!

So when Flender and the others understood what the badge meant, their expressions froze. The entire training ground fell silent!

"I said I don't think fighting in the Great Soul Arena would do me any good. Does Dean Flender understand now?"

Su Ge stood where he was, his voice carrying a faint pressure. An air of dominance, as if sweeping all before him, slowly unfurled from his body and spread through the night!

Flender's hand slowly clenched. Dai Mubai and the others looked tense, while Tang San glanced from side to side, caught in the middle and unsure what to do.

Only Xiao Wu seemed not to notice the change in the situation. With a look that said she was all too happy to watch the drama unfold, she kept her eyes fixed on Su Ge.

Just as Flender was beginning to find himself in an awkward position, Su Ge put the badge away and turned to leave the training ground.

"I'm going to check on Ning Rongrong. You all go ahead."

"I hope the lessons from now on can help improve my strength. Otherwise... I'll have to think carefully about whether Shrek Academy is really worth staying at."

With that, he left the others with his back and headed in the direction Ning Rongrong had gone.

As he left, the atmosphere gradually settled. Flender said nothing more, but his face, already as ugly as the sole of a shoe, darkened even further.

"Let's go!"

Seeing that the matter was over, the Shrek students followed after him, all breathing a sigh of relief.

Only Xiao Wu looked disappointed. She'd wanted to leave with Su Ge, but Tang San stopped her with a look.

Though she was a little unhappy, she also wanted to earn a Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge like Su Ge. In the end, she followed the others.

At the end of the group, Zhu Zhuqing watched Su Ge's silhouette disappear into the night. It was as if she'd suddenly found a way to become stronger. He was so powerful; perhaps he could help her even more!

She just didn't yet know how to convince Su Ge to help her, so she followed Flender out of the academy and headed toward Suotuo City.

Since he earned a Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge at the Great Soul Arena, that proves it's definitely worth going there!

With the goal of earning a Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge in mind, determination flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, and her steps through the night grew firmer!

Meanwhile, Su Ge followed the sound of Ning Rongrong's stifled sobs and found her crouched in a corner.

He didn't say anything. He only looked up as the dark clouds overhead gradually dispersed, revealing the moon they had hidden, which spilled silvery light over the earth.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ning Rongrong quickly wiped away her tears and looked back.

When she saw that it was Su Ge, surprise flickered in her eyes before turning to delight.

"Su Ge!"

At Ning Rongrong's call, he merely nodded to show that he'd heard her, then lay down on a large rock nearby and quietly waited for her to continue.

"Am I really the least talented student in the academy, just like the dean said?"

Su Ge glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was doubting herself, slowly tempering her temper and falling into thought. He knew this was exactly what Flender and Ning Fengzhi wanted to see.

"Do you know how many Soul Masters there are on the continent?"

"What do you mean?"

Ning Rongrong looked at Su Ge in confusion. His words sounded casual, yet they gradually helped her calm down.

"Fewer than a hundred thousand."

Su Ge didn't explain. He simply continued speaking as if to himself.

"And how many people are there on the continent? Far more than that."

"With Innate Soul Power at level nine, how many Soul Masters could only dream of having talent like yours?"

"Maybe Flender wasn't wrong, but you don't need to belittle yourself. After all, those Soul Masters who envy you—how many people envy them for possessing Soul Power at all?"

He laid out the reality and gave Ning Rongrong some perspective, steadying her wavering heart.

"But..."

"But there are so many people in the academy more talented than you, right?"

Su Ge propped himself up and looked at the confused Ning Rongrong.

"Then think about it: how much of your time and effort have you put into cultivating?"

"Flender wasn't wrong, but he wasn't entirely right, either."

"Your talent may not be the worst, but your current strength doesn't live up to it."

"Rather than saying you lack talent, it's more accurate to say you've wasted your own!"

Su Ge's words were soft, but to Ning Rongrong they rang like an alarm bell. They pulled her out of a hazy state, freeing her from her confusion and uncertainty.

She looked at Su Ge with a serious expression. Silvery moonlight gilded him, and a different kind of feeling gradually appeared in her eyes.

"Su Ge, thank you!"

"Don't mention it. I just hope you understand that although some of Flender's words may have been unpleasant, neither your strength nor your path of development will ever let you go toe-to-toe with him."

"So before you show your edge, make sure you think it through."

Su Ge rose to his feet and glanced toward Suotuo City. In the end, he said nothing more and prepared to leave and return to cultivation.

"Um... Su Ge?"

Ning Rongrong called softly. His steps came to a stop, and he turned his head to look back at her.

"Could I invite you... to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Su Ge wasn't surprised to hear this. He'd expected it. After all, as the heir to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong wasn't just a little devil with a temper.

In the original story, she'd also tried to recruit the people from Shrek. In the end, though, only Oscar had agreed.