Battle Team Selection Tournament Begins

Battle Team Selection Tournament Begins

"That kid's got some nerve, hitting the young lady like that. Should we step in and give him a warning?"

The Dark Guards hidden in the shadows watched Ning Rongrong bawling her eyes out, inexplicable smiles at the corners of their mouths.

Another Dark Guard smiled as well. "Did you forget? The Sect Leader instructed us not to let the young lady return to the sect, and to protect her if she encounters danger."

"That's true. The young lady has been domineering in the sect for too long. The Sect Leader must have placed her here so Shi Quan could properly discipline her."

Shi Quan still showed restraint. The Vine Whip only caused Ning Rongrong pain when it struck her; it would not leave any real injuries. Still, the pain was enough to teach her a lesson.

Amid repeated sobs, Ning Rongrong completed an afternoon of cultivation.

After finishing the exhausting training—which felt especially humiliating to her—Ning Rongrong chose to run away for the second time. As expected, exhausted as she was, she walked for half a day only to return to where she had started. This made the already aggrieved Ning Rongrong break down even further, especially since she still had to climb several hundred steps back to the Dormitory in the Main Courtyard Area to rest.

Ning Rongrong could no longer hold herself together and began bawling again at the Foot of the Mountain of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Worn out from crying, Ning Rongrong fell asleep against the mountain wall.

Tap, tap, tap.

Shi Quan slowly approached Ning Rongrong. He had heard her crying earlier. Looking at her asleep from exhaustion, he helplessly raised a hand to press between his brows. Sigh, when all's said and done, she's only a ten-year-old child. Was I too harsh? Should I take it slow?

He had never been a teacher before, nor did he have children. Though he currently looked like a ten-year-old child, his actual mentality was already that of someone in his thirties. He rarely dealt with people his own apparent age, yet now he had to deal with ten-year-old Ning Rongrong every day. Shi Quan was genuinely a little frustrated. In his eyes, Ning Rongrong was far too young. Not only was she spoiled and arrogant, but she was also extremely childish. He truly did not want to manage her.

He had originally thought that once he taught her what needed teaching, that would be the end of it. She could cultivate however she pleased. If not for what happened today, he would never have been so stern with her.

"Sigh!"

Shi Quan sighed again, scooped the sleeping Ning Rongrong into his arms, and carried her into the forest used for Simulated Cultivation.

Inside the cabin.

Shi Quan gently placed Ning Rongrong on his bed. Looking at her tightly furrowed brows, he shook his head slightly, lifted a small portion of the clothing around her waist, and placed his hand over the Dantian at her lower abdomen.

Nine Yin and Nine Yang Inner Force slowly flowed into Ning Rongrong's body.

Her Physical Training that afternoon had been the most intense it had been in days. She had already been near her limit, then walked back and forth for so long afterward. If he did not help loosen and soothe her muscles and bones, she likely would not be able to get out of bed at all tomorrow.

Warm inner force poured into Ning Rongrong's body, guiding the Soul Power within her to circulate slowly. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, as though they had sensed some gentle presence. Her previously tense body seemed to sink into a sweet dream, and she fell into a deep sleep.

"A Quan, she's dreaming. Do you want to go in and take a look?" Xiao Meng's voice sounded in his mind.

"No." Shi Quan shook his head. He had no hobby of peeking into other people's thoughts.

His inner force eased Ning Rongrong's exhausted body. After tidying her clothes, Shi Quan stepped outside Shi Quan's Cabin, sat down cross-legged beneath the eaves, and gradually immersed himself in cultivation.

The Rising Sun climbed into the sky.

Only after the blazing sun had fully risen did Ning Rongrong slowly awaken inside the cabin. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, she abruptly sat up, then immediately realized where she was. This was Shi Quan's Cabin.

She looked around the cabin. It was empty, with no one else inside besides her. She instinctively checked her clothes. Though she was only ten years old, she understood quite a lot.

Only when she saw that her clothes were completely as they had been did she let out a breath of relief.

Remembering the grievances she had suffered yesterday, Ning Rongrong still looked indignant. Just as she was about to get out of bed and leave, she discovered that her body felt exceptionally light. Yesterday's exhaustion seemed to have been swept away completely, and she felt indescribably refreshed from head to toe.

"Hmph, don't think I'll forgive you just because you helped relieve my fatigue." Ning Rongrong proudly raised her chin. After getting out of bed, she noticed a breakfast wrapped in Oil Paper on the table.

Ning Rongrong gave it a disdainful glance and initially did not intend to eat it. But when she smelled the fragrance of porridge drifting from beneath the Oil Paper, her stomach growled traitorously.

She had trained for so long yesterday and skipped dinner. Her stomach was already growling with hunger. Now that she smelled the porridge, how could she possibly resist? She immediately tossed aside her previous thoughts, unwrapped the Oil Paper, and began wolfing it down.

Before long, she had eaten every last bit of the breakfast wrapped in the Oil Paper. Rubbing her round little belly, Ning Rongrong finally left the cabin in satisfaction.

The moment she stepped outside, Ning Rongrong saw Shi Quan quietly reading a book.

"Hmph! Don't think that being nice to me means what happened yesterday is over."

"Mm." Shi Quan responded calmly. "Make your own arrangements today. This afternoon, I'm going to take part in the Heaven Dou Battle Team Selection Tournament."

"Heaven Dou Battle Team Selection Tournament?" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "Is it fun? I want to go too."

"As you wish." Shi Quan's tone remained calm from beginning to end.

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly at Shi Quan's voice. She walked over to his side and said haughtily, "If you apologize to me, I can consider forgiving you a little."

"Looks like you still don't know what you did wrong." As he spoke, a pale blue light appeared in Shi Quan's hand.

Ning Rongrong instinctively took a step back and said angrily, "What did I do wrong? Those people called you that, so what was wrong with me asking you to teach them a lesson?"

Shi Quan asked evenly, "You didn't know how strong I was, yet you deliberately stirred things up and escalated the conflict, making me challenge all seven of them alone. Where did that leave me?"

Ning Rongrong snorted, unconvinced. "Even if you weren't their match, once I revealed my Martial Soul, they would naturally stop. Besides, weren't they no match for you anyway?"

"What am I to you? A friend? A teacher? Or an older brother who's only a few months older than you?" Shi Quan stood and looked Ning Rongrong directly in the eye. "No matter what I am, as your companion, you should never use a companion for such a joke. If we were outside, those few words of yours could have gotten not only your companion killed, but you as well. As a Support Spirit Master, do you not understand the importance of companions?"

Ning Rongrong's face reddened as she found herself unable to refute Shi Quan, because she understood what he meant.

"Even Uncle Ning has never claimed to be unmatched beneath heaven, and he has always treated me with great courtesy. You have a little talent and already think yourself above everyone else. The world is vast; there is always a higher heaven and someone greater. I haven't been to many places, but I have met two people with better talent than yours. Both possess Innate Full Soul Power, are my age, and have Soul Power Levels of at least twenty-three. Forget everyone else—do you think you can compare to me?"

Ning Rongrong swayed slightly, her face turning pale, but Shi Quan's forceful voice did not stop.

"It's good to have pride, but if you become self-righteous and blindly arrogant, you can only become a clown in others' eyes. Talent is the foremost condition for success, but character is also one of its necessary conditions."

Seeing Ning Rongrong nearly unable to breathe under the weight of his words, Shi Quan sighed faintly in his heart. His voice then returned to its earlier calmness. "Think it over properly."

Shi Quan bent down and sat again, continuing to read. Ning Rongrong looked at his back, biting her lips until they turned white, before turning and walking out of the forest.

"Hold the position, fulfill the duty. Ning Fengzhi, you really got the better end of this deal." Shi Quan glanced at Ning Rongrong as she left, then quickly returned his gaze to the book in his hands.

Afternoon.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy Main Campus, Soul Arena.

The spectator stands on one side of the Soul Arena were filled with students in identical goose-yellow uniforms, all of them students from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The annual Heaven Dou Battle Team Selection Tournament had begun again.

Most of those present had actually come just to watch the excitement and witness the prowess of the Heaven Dou Battle Team's geniuses.

In fact, aside from the first year, when the Heaven Dou Battle Team selection process was somewhat complicated,

the selection tournament in the following years was much simpler.

The academy would hold a new round of registration. Once applicants passed registration, they would be assigned candidates from the Heaven Dou Second Team as opponents according to their Martial Souls and cultivation paths.

These selections were only for Battle Spirit Masters. Support Spirit Masters did not need to fight; they would simply be assessed and compared based on the abilities of their Spirit Abilities, their enhancement effects, and other factors.

To join the Heaven Dou Battle Team, one first had to defeat a candidate from the Heaven Dou Second Team in the selection tournament and join the Heaven Dou Second Team. Only then would one have the chance to challenge the Heaven Dou Battle Team and join it.

Shi Quan's registration had already been arranged before the school term began. He only needed to compete when the selection tournament came around.

Upon arriving at the Candidate Waiting Area, Shi Quan looked around and found that there were pitifully few participants. Including him, there were only four people.

That was normal. Those who could enter the teams had fought their way up through the academy step by step. They all knew each other's strengths well. Unless someone had made obvious progress within the past year, these nobles would never embarrass themselves by stepping forward.

Seeing so few people, Shi Quan found it convenient. This way, he would not have to wait long. Once he entered the Heaven Dou Second Team, he could immediately challenge the members of the Heaven Dou Battle Team.