Motherland Guga, Di Guga, Yan Shuang Guga

Flender arrived at Tang San's dormitory.

The moment he pushed open the door, a foul stench hit him.

"Cough, cough, cough!!"

Pinching his nose shut, he used Soul Power to blow the smell out of the room before walking in.

The moment he entered, his gaze fell upon the belt around Tang San's waist.

"Hmm?"

He strode over, frowned, and reached out to feel it twice.

The material and style seemed to be Xiaogang's.

Tang San instinctively covered the belt with both hands.

"Teacher, what are you doing? Stop touching it! Don't!"

"Don't move! Let me have a look!"

After confirming the marks on the inner side of the belt, Flender nodded.

Mm, it really was Xiaogang's.

"Tang San, who gave you this belt?"

"My teacher did."

"No wonder. Tang San, I am Flender, the headmaster of Shrek.

Rest and recover properly over the next few days. You can skip the assessment. Since you are Xiaogang's disciple, your abilities must be more than sufficient."

"You are Headmaster Flender? This is a letter my teacher asked me to give you."

Tang San tapped his belt twice and held out a letter.

Flender opened it, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Xiaogang was coming?!

Wonderful! There was also a student among the new arrivals with an External Martial Soul—one thousand of them, at that!

And he could even keep Ning Rongrong, that little ancestor, under control.

If Xiaogang taught him, he would definitely be able to develop his potential to the fullest!

When the time came, he would be won over by Xiaogang's theories and feel deeply grateful.

Not only would that make the team more harmonious, it might even bring in some gold!

At that thought, Flender's lips curled into a grin.

Looking at Tang San's injuries, he reminded him again:

"Rest well. Once your teacher arrives, you master and disciple can reunite."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Flender acknowledged him and turned to leave the dormitory.

Inside the villa.

Lin Xiao popped a pill into his mouth and began cultivating.

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu were not in much of a hurry. After taking their pills, they stayed nearby and played dress-up with Little Guga.

Zhu Zhuqing was somewhat puzzled.

"Rongrong, Xiao Wu, aren't you cultivating?"

Without looking up, Ning Rongrong fiddled with Little Guga's accessories as she replied:

"No need. I'm a support Soul Master, so I don't need to cultivate myself half to death. With Brother Lin Xiao around, I'd rather eat well, drink well, and have fun."

Xiao Wu, beside her, nodded repeatedly as well.

Ever since taking the pills, even without cultivating as hard, their levels had been shooting up.

They were improving even more than they had through diligent cultivation before, so they might as well play a little longer.

Still, she felt as though she had forgotten something. Something rather important...

What was it, exactly?

Forget it. If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it.

Zhu Zhuqing envied how relaxed the two of them were from the bottom of her heart.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke softly.

"Um, may I ask how you cultivate? If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."

"What's the big deal? Here, have this. Take one whenever you cultivate."

Ning Rongrong casually tossed over a bottle of pills.

The porcelain bottle traced an arc through the air, and Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly reached out to catch it.

She lowered her head to look at the bottle. A single character, "Soul," was pasted onto it.

"This... is for me?"

"Of course."

Ning Rongrong lowered her head again and continued pinning a little flower onto a Guga, speaking carelessly.

"Although a bottle of these pills is worth a fortune and impossible to buy on the market,

Brother Lin Xiao and I already have enough pills to eat them as meals if we want. Giving you one bottle is nothing."

Zhu Zhuqing clenched the porcelain bottle.

Warmth rose within her heart.

"Thank you, Rongrong."

"It's nothing. We're sisters."

Xiao Wu swayed her head as she said:

"Zhuqing, don't put so much pressure on yourself. Come play with us when you have time."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Lin Xiao, who sat cross-legged in meditation, then lowered her head to the bottle in her hand and nodded seriously.

Pulling out the stopper, she carefully counted them.

There were six pills inside, enough for six cultivation sessions.

She would remember this kindness.

She carefully put away the porcelain bottle, then placed one pill into her mouth.

She began cultivating.

Feeling the surging Soul Power within her body, Zhu Zhuqing shuddered in comfort.

Hiss... Soul Power was pouring into her body so quickly.

It was 40% faster than when she cultivated on her own before.

Was this the power of pills?

No wonder their levels were so high at such young ages.

She couldn't waste it. She had to cultivate as much as possible before the medicinal effects faded.

With that thought, she cast aside all distractions and meditated with all her strength.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing immediately bury herself in cultivation, Ning Rongrong couldn't help smacking her lips.

"Xiao Wu, aren't we being a little too useless? It feels like we're letting down Brother Lin Xiao's pills."

Xiao Wu propped up her chin, looking puzzled.

"Useless? No, aren't we fine? Just answer me this—are you happy?"

"Mm, I'm happy."

"Then that's all that matters. Think about it: what if one day we suddenly croak, but you haven't finished your pills and there are still so many fun things you haven't tried? Wouldn't that be a huge shame?"

With a reason to indulge herself freely, Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.

"That makes sense! Let's keep playing!"

By nighttime.

The two of them had also finished a round of cultivation.

Zhu Zhuqing placed the porcelain bottle of pills beneath her pillow, afraid she might lose it if she brought it outside.

Only then did she head downstairs to join everyone.

At that moment, Lin Xiao was picking his troops.

They definitely could not bring all the Gugas along, so he would choose three first. That would be just right for forming three two-person teams with the three girls.

"Gugas, we need three combat-type Gugas now. Step forward and volunteer."

"Guga! Boss! Pick me! I want to fight, Guga!"

"Boss, I want to go too, Guga."

"Oh, my friend, how could something as heroic as this leave me out?"

"Guga! Boss, I haven't even appeared yet! Let me get some screen time, Guga!"

"Damn it, it should be us! How many tens of thousands of words have we spent on the bench?! We want to show our faces, Guga!!"

The penguins chirped and squawked noisily without end.

They even formed groups and started fighting. No one knew where the dust had come from on the smooth floor, but a cloud of white smoke abruptly rose and wrapped around them.

The sounds of crackling combat rang out continuously from inside.

From time to time, all sorts of pots, bowls, and ladles flew out.

Ning Rongrong curiously poked the Daoist Gugas watching the show nearby.

"Aren't you going to compete for it?"

The Daoist Gugas swayed their heads and said:

"With one palm, we perceive the mysteries of creation; the tides of honor and disgrace lie within our sleeves.

Chasing profit in this mortal world is but an empty dream; the Great Dao is without desire and does not strive for precedence.

No matter how much they fight, their merits won't compare to ours~"

Another Daoist Guga stroked the fake beard stuck to his face.

"Exactly, exactly. With one glance, we determine cause and effect; with both hands, we alter fate. Charges into battle aren't suited to us."

Ning Rongrong gave them a thumbs-up.

Every time, they could say such mysterious things, and yet she always found them incredibly profound and had no way to refute them.

Lin Xiao sighed helplessly. Clearly, he had long since grown accustomed to this.

"Stop! Today, we'll pick three new faces."

All the Gugas stopped.

They remained in poses of kicking with their feet, sticking fingers into noses, pulling tails, and stomping toes.

"Click!"

With a neat, soft sound.

Every Guga immediately let go, quickly straightened up, and lined themselves into a tidy row. They stood ramrod straight, each one holding their head high and chest out.

Lin Xiao extended his index finger and pointed among them.

"Uh... I've decided on you three. The ones at the very front: Motherland Guga, Di Guga, Yan Shuang Guga!"

"Yeah!!"

Di Guga wiped away her nosebleed, looking smug.

The corners of Motherland Guga's mouth rose as red light shone excitedly from her eyes—mm... literally red light shining from her eyes.

Yan Shuang Guga pulled her hat down.