Ning Rongrong's grand ambition: Keep him!

It depended on how long the battle lasted!

In other words, once the battle began, the sooner it ended, the greater the reward.

The minimum was five thousand years. So could it reach six thousand, eight thousand, or even ten thousand years?

Sure enough, cheats like the system played by no rules.

The so-called common knowledge and shackles of the Soul Master World?

They crumbled to dust before the system.

If the system wanted, it could probably turn even a First Soul Ring into a hundred-thousand-year one, or a million-year one.

"Thanks, but I'll pay my own way."

Lin Xiao gave Ning Rongrong no chance to keep him.

If he let her do that, what would become of his pride?

Once he took on bounty missions at Spirit Hall, he could earn a fair bit of money too.

At the very least, he could afford good meals.

Ning Rongrong looked a little disappointed. "All right," she said softly.

But she was not discouraged.

Lin Xiao had refused her now. That did not mean he would keep refusing.

After they spent more time together, she was sure she could win his affection.

She was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and she was hardly bad-looking.

She could definitely attract Lin Xiao!

In an instant, she was brimming with fighting spirit.

[Ding! Ning Rongrong's affection +1. Current affection: 31!]

Another point of affection had appeared out of nowhere.

Still, knowing Ning Rongrong's weakness for a pretty face, it was easy enough to understand.

Good-looking people really did enjoy certain privileges with Ning Rongrong.

For someone who had caught her eye, raising her affection was even easier.

After dinner, Lin Xiao got up and headed back to his dorm.

Ning Rongrong put down her chopsticks and hurried after him.

Seeing that, Xiao Wu also rose to return to her dorm.

She shared a room with Ning Rongrong.

It was getting late, and time to rest.

Behind them, Tang San watched through gritted teeth.

Lin Xiao had barely left, and Xiao Wu was already following him?

Damn Lin Xiao. What spell had he cast on Xiao Wu?

Zhu Zhuqing also stood to leave. Dai Mubai tried to stop her.

"Zhuqing, let's talk—"

Before he could finish, a fierce killing intent flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

She pivoted and slipped past Dai Mubai's side.

Dai Mubai truly could not match the speed of an agility-type Soul Master.

By the time he turned, Zhu Zhuqing had already left the dining hall.

"Damn it!"

Dai Mubai slammed his fist into the table, leaving a dent, then stormed off.

He had wanted to talk to Zhu Zhuqing about their betrothal.

But it seemed she had a serious problem with him.

He needed to find a chance to get her to stay.

Only then could they talk properly.

"What's gotten into Boss Dai?"

Ma Hongjun jumped in fright.

Why was he throwing a fit at this hour?

Oscar chuckled. "Boss Dai's chasing a girl. Turns out she's pretty cold and won't give him a chance."

"He got turned down, so he's in a foul mood."

Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes. "What's there to be upset about?"

"Still, I reckon Boss Dai will win Zhu Zhuqing over in half a month at most."

"No girl he's set his sights on has ever escaped his clutches."

Hearing that, Tang San's heart tightened.

Dai Mubai looked like a wealthy young master, and he was handsome too.

Young, handsome, and rich—the whole package.

What would he do if Dai Mubai took an interest in Xiao Wu?

He had to tell Xiao Wu to keep her distance from Dai Mubai, just in case.

Lin Xiao alone was trouble enough.

If Dai Mubai joined the picture, Tang San might lose Xiao Wu at any moment.

Lin Xiao's dorm room was neat and tidy.

By the time he reached the door, Ning Rongrong had caught up.

She sneaked a glance inside.

Mm, a boy who kept things clean. I liked him even more!

"Lin Xiao, my room's next door. Come visit when you have time!"

Ning Rongrong spoke with a cheerful grin.

It was hard not to take that the wrong way.

The boys and girls did not share rooms, but their rooms really were close.

The two dorm rooms stood right beside each other.

That was simply how the academy had arranged things.

The academy grounds were fairly large, with plenty of rooms.

But most of those rooms had been left by the former villagers, and the academy used many of them for storage.

That left very few rooms for the students to live in.

"We can talk when there's time. It's late, so get some rest."

"There should be classes tomorrow. Don't be late."

After how Ning Rongrong had acted all day, Lin Xiao really could not bring himself to give her the cold shoulder.

She was warm toward him, after all—even if she was after his looks.

"Mm-hmm! I'll wake you up tomorrow."

Ning Rongrong was delighted.

She turned and went into the room next door.

Xiao Wu returned to the dorm just then as well.

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu! You came here with Lin Xiao. How much do you know about him?"

The moment Xiao Wu entered, Ning Rongrong grabbed her and started asking questions.

Xiao Wu scratched her head. "I don't know him that well either. We only met yesterday."

"How should I put it... He's a really nice person."

She told Ning Rongrong about their meeting the day before, leaving Ning Rongrong green with envy.

If she had met Lin Xiao a day earlier, she would have been the one closest to him.

Why had she not spent a little longer wandering around Suotuo City yesterday?

She had let such a good chance slip through her fingers.

"Then, Xiao Wu... do you like Lin Xiao?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

Xiao Wu was stunned.

Like him?

Thinking it over, she supposed she did like him quite a bit.

Lin Xiao was her friend!

They had only known each other a short while, but she felt good around him.

Apart from Tang San, who was like an older brother to her, Lin Xiao was the person closest to her—perhaps even closer than Grandmaster.

During her six years at Nording Academy, she had respected Yu Xiaogang.

But there was a reason for that.

Yu Xiaogang was Tang San's teacher, and he was a scholar.

For those reasons, she gave Yu Xiaogang the respect he was due.

But as for any other fondness?

There was practically none.

If not for Tang San, she would not have thought much of Yu Xiaogang at all.

She had long known some of the ideas in his so-called Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul theory.

She also knew some of those ideas were flat-out wrong.

She was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, after all.

Her memories from before had not vanished.

An ordinary human could hardly compare with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's knowledge.

Whenever Yu Xiaogang praised his theory to the skies, she simply listened for the amusement of it.

Ning Rongrong's eyes shone. Clenching her little fists, she declared, "Lin Xiao is so handsome! I like him, and I'm going to make him marry into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

Pfft!

Xiao Wu, who had just been about to drink some water, sprayed it out.

"A-are you serious?"

She never would have expected Ning Rongrong to say something so bold.

They had only met today, and she was already saying she liked him?

Was this what people called love at first sight?

"Well, I hope it works out."

Xiao Wu had no idea what to say. It was awkward.

"Of course it will. I'm going to make it happen."

Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Little did she know that Lin Xiao, next door, was utterly speechless.

The wooden building had poor soundproofing, and years of disrepair had only made it worse.

On top of that, Ning Rongrong had grown excited as she spoke.

So Lin Xiao heard every word clearly from his room.

Someone else would probably have given in by now.

She's beautiful, rich, and crazy about me. Who wouldn't like that?

Lin Xiao shook his head to himself.

Given her weakness for good looks, Ning Rongrong was probably just caught up in the novelty.

She might forget all about it before long.

For now, he was better off focusing on getting stronger and figuring out how to complete the mission to subdue Dai Mubai.

He needed to obtain his Second Soul Ring soon. His strength depended on it.