She Was Just Slow to Warm Up

Chen Ling clicked his tongue twice, somewhat amazed. "The effects of this Sword Intent are getting more and more incredible. The first level, Falsehood-Piercing, followed the path of attack, specializing in physical defense-breaking."

But this second level, Sever Delusions, had somehow added mental attacks too. With an effect like this, if the opponent had any mental hurdle at all, they would be left completely stunned on the spot.

Judging from what had just happened, it not only crushed weaker opponents through raw strength, but also threw a heart demon into the mix.

Chen Ling looked at Tang Hao's headless corpse on the ground, pondered for a moment, and decided to make the best use of it.

Although the rewards from killing Tang Hao had already made him rich beyond measure, wasting resources had never been his style.

Every Spirit Bone on Tang Hao's body was top-grade, all of them Ten-Thousand-Year Strength-Type Spirit Bones. In particular, the Inheritance Spirit Bone exclusive to the Clear Sky Sect was an astonishing eighty thousand years old.

He might not have any use for these things himself, but whether he used them to win people over later or saved them for those close to him to absorb, they would be excellent choices.

Having made up his mind, Chen Ling flicked his wrist. A brilliant silver gleam burst from the longsword in his hand and swept across Tang Hao's body like a streak of light.

In an instant, Tang Hao's fleshly body scattered into ash on the wind and vanished without a trace. Only several lustrous Spirit Bones remained, quietly floating upon the water's surface and glimmering with fragmented ripples of light.

Elsewhere, at Shrek Academy.

On the training grounds, everyone was diligently immersed in training, and the atmosphere was lively.

Without warning, Tang San's heart suddenly clenched. A sharp, twisting pain instantly swept through his entire body. His legs gave out, and he crashed to his knees, gasping rapidly as his face turned deathly pale.

Yu Xiaogang, standing nearby, felt his heart tighten. He hurried forward and supported him.

Having lost his manhood, he had nearly lost all hope for the future. Tang San was his last remaining hope, and nothing could happen to him.

"Teacher, I'm fine."

Cold sweat covered Tang San's forehead, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

That sudden pain had been extremely strange, like some vague resonance between those bound by blood. It felt as though something he cherished most in life had abruptly left him.

A terrifying thought suddenly sprang into his mind: Could something have happened to Father?

But the moment the thought surfaced, he forcibly suppressed it.

His father was a dignified Titled Douluo, unfathomably powerful and standing at the peak of the continent. How could he possibly fall so easily?

He had surely just been unsettled lately and was overthinking things.

He shook his head hard, forcibly driving away the panic in his heart, then pushed himself slowly to his feet.

One of the few thoughts left in his mind now was waiting for his father to arrive and rescue Xiao Wu.

At that thought, all the pain and anxiety in his heart turned into motivation.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing his physical discomfort and the gloom in his heart. He adjusted his stance and threw himself back into training, secretly swearing that one day, he would personally take revenge and wash away every humiliation.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon his head, dyeing his hair a vivid green.

Yu Xiaogang watched this scene and nodded approvingly.

Little San was simply too sentimental. He had truly feared that, after losing Xiao Wu, Tang San would never recover.

Only by keeping women out of one's heart could one's Soul Power cultivation advance by leaps and bounds.

Just like him. Whether Liu Erlong or Bibi Dong, they had merely been passing figures in his life. Now that he had lost the root of his troubles, he believed he would soon break through the bottleneck at level thirty.

The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more invigorated he became. He felt that he had grasped the true essence of Martial Soul cultivation. After the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, this was another entirely new enlightenment in his path of cultivation.

He could even clearly sense that his Soul Power, stagnant for years, had begun to stir restlessly. A breakthrough was close at hand.

Watching the master and disciple encourage each other as they trained, the others' expressions became somewhat strange.

Because of what had happened before, everyone at Shrek was now deliberately, or unconsciously, keeping their distance from the two of them.

Their friendship had never been that damn deep to begin with. At most, they were classmates who had endured hardship together. They were still far from the bond shared by the Shrek Seven Monsters in the original story.

And now that Xiao Wu was gone, the Seven Monsters would never come together again.

As for why they were distancing themselves from these two?

Naturally, it was because of that incident with Chen Ling. Although they had been the ones looking for trouble, Gangzi and Tang San had known full well that their opponent was a Soul Douluo, yet they had still provoked him relentlessly and nearly gotten everyone killed. No one had forgotten that.

On top of that, after Xiao Wu left, Tang San spent every day gloomy and despondent. His entire presence was low and oppressive, radiating an aloofness that warned strangers to stay away. Naturally, no one dared approach him carelessly.

Looking at Tang San in his current state, the last traces of Ning Rongrong's former admiration had long since shattered into dust. Her heart was now filled with regret.

She had not acted decisively enough back then, and now she regretted it beyond measure.

If heaven gave her another chance to start over, she would definitely go all out and show everyone what she could do.

Just as Ning Rongrong fantasized about becoming Chen Ling's sword sheath, giggling to herself, Oscar came over with an exquisitely packaged box of pastries in his hands. He rubbed his hands together and wore an eager, ingratiating smile.

"Rongrong, this is your favorite kind of cake. I made a special trip to Suotuo City early this morning just to buy it for you."

But Ning Rongrong could not even be bothered to lift her eyelids. Her tone was cold and distant as she casually replied with three words: "I won't eat it."

Oscar could only withdraw his hand awkwardly. With his head hanging in disappointment, he walked over to sit beside Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, looking dejected.

"Little Ao, I told you long ago. With this pathetic way of pestering and flattering her, you'll never win Ning Rongrong over." Dai Mubai draped an arm around Oscar's shoulders, a teasing smile on his lips and a smug look on his face.

He secretly felt pleased with himself. Zhu Zhuqing had accepted his apology gift yesterday, while Oscar had worked himself to the bone and still could not even give his gift away. The difference between them was obvious.

Dai Mubai had no idea, however, that Zhu Zhuqing had only accepted the gift because she could not be bothered dealing with his repeated pestering. She intended to throw it away afterward just to buy herself some peace and quiet.

"Big Brother Dai, you don't understand. Rongrong is just slow to warm up. She's different from other girls."

Oscar did not waver in the slightest. He immediately delivered that classic line, leaving Dai Mubai speechless.

What slow to warm up? She simply did not like him.

When the slow-to-warm-up goddess in his mind met someone she truly liked, she would not even need him to make the first move. She would book the room and get herself all cleaned up.

At that thought, Dai Mubai could not help licking his lips, and a restless heat rose within him.

He had not gone to see the lovely sisters in the city for several days. Although his fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing, was breathtakingly beautiful with a perfect figure, he could only look and not touch. Looking at plums could not quench thirst.

He quietly nudged Ma Hongjun beside him with his elbow and gave him a knowing look.

Ma Hongjun instantly understood. Just as he was about to respond in agreement, Flender's crisp assembly bell suddenly rang out above the training grounds.

Everyone looked toward Flender curiously, guessing why the dean had suddenly called them together.

Flender coughed twice to clear his throat, then spoke to everyone in a deep voice. "Pack up your personal belongings and supplies. In two days, we will set out for Heaven Dou City."

After paying to save his own life, Flender no longer had enough Gold Soul Coins to keep Shrek running. In the end, he decided to seek refuge with an old acquaintance.

Flender glanced at Yu Xiaogang again. Now that Xiaogang had become like this—

He should, probably, possibly have a chance now, right?