Ning Rongrong Gave In, but Still Talked Tough

By the time Ning Rongrong finished twenty laps, her legs had gone weak.

She leaned against a wooden post beside the field, her face pale and her forehead covered in sweat.

Oscar was no better off.

He sat on the ground, muttering that he should have kept his mouth shut.

Yuan Yu was doing all right.

At the end of the run, he had even been able to give Oscar a hand.

Flender stood beside the field, looking at Ning Rongrong.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

Ning Rongrong bit her lip.

She didn't want to admit it.

But she knew she had acted rashly today.

Flender didn't wait for her answer.

"You can be the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Outside the sect, you can keep throwing your tantrums, too."

"But if you want to stay at Shrek, you need to learn to be a teammate."

Ning Rongrong looked up.

"Why do I have to stay?"

Flender smiled.

"You can leave."

He said the three words softly.

That left Ning Rongrong speechless.

If Flender had begged her, she could have turned and walked away.

If Flender had feared the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she could have stood her ground.

But Flender wasn't afraid at all.

He genuinely thought she could leave.

Yuan Yu leaned nearby and suddenly spoke up.

"Dean, if she's leaving, she'll have to do it tomorrow."

Flender looked at him.

"Why?"

"It's dark."

Yuan Yu said earnestly, "Suotuo City is dangerous at night. If she goes missing and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect comes knocking, we can't afford to pay for that."

Flender fell silent for a moment.

"You have a point."

Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened with anger.

"Who asked you to pay for me?"

Yuan Yu looked at her.

"So are you still leaving?"

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, then turned her face away.

"No."

Oscar said quietly, "That's good."

Ning Rongrong glared at him.

Oscar immediately shut up.

Flender waved a hand.

"That's all for today. Formal training starts tomorrow."

Everyone dispersed.

Ning Rongrong had barely taken a few steps when her legs buckled, and she nearly fell.

Zhu Zhuqing reached out to steady her.

It was a quick, gentle motion.

Ning Rongrong froze.

Zhu Zhuqing let go.

"Watch your footing."

With that, she turned and left.

Ning Rongrong watched her go, feeling more conflicted than ever.

Zhao Wuji came over from the side just then.

"Don't rush off to eat."

Ning Rongrong's expression stiffened.

"We have to run again?"

"No running," Zhao Wuji said. "We'll do something simple instead."

He pointed to the middle of the field.

"Ten breaths. Dai Mubai will charge you from the front. Zhu Zhuqing will protect you. Yuan Yu can draw only one Rock Pattern and can't draw his blade. You decide when to give support."

Ning Rongrong almost said it wasn't fair.

But she swallowed the words.

Dai Mubai walked to the opposite side and summoned his White Tiger Martial Soul.

Zhu Zhuqing stood beside Ning Rongrong.

Yuan Yu used his scabbard to draw a dark-gold Rock Pattern on the ground.

"Don't be afraid. It's a little safer behind the line, but not forever."

Zhao Wuji raised a hand.

"Begin."

Dai Mubai charged forward.

Ning Rongrong went pale. Her first instinct was to retreat.

Zhu Zhuqing moved faster, stepping sideways to block the force of Dai Mubai's initial charge.

Only then did Ning Rongrong react.

"Seven Treasure Mantra, Second: Speed!"

Light settled over Zhu Zhuqing.

With the boost in speed, Zhu Zhuqing circled to Dai Mubai's side and tapped his shoulder with a claw.

Zhao Wuji called a halt.

"Too slow."

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth.

"Again."

The second time, her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda lit up the moment Dai Mubai moved.

Zhu Zhuqing's speed surged early, forcing Dai Mubai to change direction before he reached the Rock Pattern.

Only then did Zhao Wuji nod.

"Remember how that felt."

Ning Rongrong caught her breath and looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

"Thank you for earlier."

"You gave me speed, too," Zhu Zhuqing said.

Ning Rongrong paused.

Those words did more for her than Flender's lecture had.

At dinner that evening, everyone was quieter than they had been that morning.

Ma Hongjun gnawed on a steamed bun as he watched Ning Rongrong.

"You really finished all those laps?"

"Got a problem with that?" Ning Rongrong snapped.

Ma Hongjun hurriedly shook his head.

"No. I just think you're pretty tough."

Ning Rongrong paused.

She had thought Ma Hongjun was making fun of her.

But he sounded sincere.

She lowered her head and picked up some food.

"Thanks."

Ma Hongjun stared.

So did Oscar.

Xiao Wu couldn't resist stirring things up.

"Well, look at that. The little princess can say thank you."

Ning Rongrong looked up.

"Xiao Wu!"

Laughing, Xiao Wu ducked behind Tang San.

Tang San could only shake his head.

Yuan Yu sat to one side, slowly sipping his soup.

Shrek's food wasn't particularly good.

But the dining hall was lively.

It couldn't compare to the Spirit Hall's dining hall, and it was far plainer than the medicinal meals at the Worship Hall.

But here, people argued, snatched food from one another, and nearly came to blows over a piece of meat.

Yuan Yu found it rather entertaining.

After dinner, Flender called everyone to the field.

"Tomorrow night, we're going to the Soto Great Soul Arena."

Dai Mubai had clearly known already; his expression didn't change.

Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance.

"The Spirit Arena?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Flender nodded.

"One of the places where Soul Masters grow the fastest."

He looked at Yuan Yu.

"That includes you."

Yuan Yu raised an eyebrow.

"Dean, I'm level fifty-five."

"I know."

"That's why you're going to the Soul King Division," Flender said.

Oscar sucked in a breath.

"Dean, aren't you worried he'll tear the place apart?"

Flender's eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

"If he does, the Spirit Arena pays for the damage, not the academy."

Yuan Yu looked at him with newfound respect.

"Dean, you've really thought this through."

Flender pretended not to hear.

"Also, you'll be fighting Team Battles in the future. Yuan Yu's level is too high, so under the normal rules, he can't register for ordinary Team Battles with you for now."

Xiao Wu frowned.

"So he can't fight alongside us?"

Flender shook his head.

"It's not that he can't. We just can't throw him in without thinking."

Yuan Yu understood.

If he joined them, they would likely be matched against a team in the Soul King bracket.

Tang San and the others were only Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders right now.

Throwing them into a match like that wouldn't be training. It would be sending them to their deaths.

"I can start with Individual Soul Duels."

"We can talk about Team Battles when you need me," Yuan Yu said.

Ning Rongrong glanced at him.

She had expected Yuan Yu to be unhappy.

But he wasn't bothered at all.

Flender nodded.

"Sometimes, knowing when to sit out takes judgment, too."

Yuan Yu smiled.

"Dean, for once, you sound like a teacher."

Zhao Wuji coughed beside him.

"Yuan Yu."

Yuan Yu shut his mouth at once.

The marks on Zhao Wuji's face still hadn't completely faded.

Yuan Yu figured he'd better not provoke the teacher.

That night, Yuan Yu returned to his room.

The Sun Wheel Blade rested across his knees.

Five patterns glowed quietly along its length.

The sixth, the Rosy Cloud Pattern, remained dull and gray.

But earlier at the teahouse, the instant Ning Rongrong had raised her hand to release her Martial Soul, the Rosy Cloud Pattern had stirred.

Yuan Yu ran a hand over the blade.

"See into people's hearts?"

The blade gave no answer.

From outside the window came Ling Yuan's voice.

"Go to sleep."

Yuan Yu immediately set the blade down.

"Got it."

In the distance, the lights of Suotuo City glowed.

Tomorrow night, the Shrek Eight Monsters would enter the Great Soul Arena for the first time.

And Yuan Yu's name would appear on the registration list for Suotuo City's Soul King Division for the first time.