What Gu Yang had said was not wrong.
He had fought Zhao Wuji, and although the latter now looked utterly miserable, his injuries were actually just superficial wounds.
With Zhao Wuji's constitution, once medicine was applied, the wounds would scab over and heal in less than two days.
The injuries Tang Hao had left on Zhao Wuji, however, had stayed swollen for several days. Those were internal injuries.
Now, in a way, Zhao Wuji had traded a beating from him for a beating from Tang Hao.
After all, with Zhao Wuji in this state, surely Tang San would not have the nerve to fight him again?
If the two did not fight, Tang San would not get beaten up or bullied, and Tang Hao would not readily make a move.
The shock on Zhao Wuji's face slowly faded. He gave the smiling Gu Yang another long look and said, "As expected of a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. You really do have some ability. I, Old Zhao, misjudged you!"
"Ah, others would love to spend more time at the academy, but this brat wants such a long leave. Still, this makes things easier to explain to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. This isn't my fault, and it doesn't count as breaking the agreement. They still have to pay in full! Honestly, that Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect actually raised a monster like this in secret. Compared with the others, he's probably the real monster worthy of the name!" Watching Gu Yang converse with Zhao Wuji, Flender could only push up his glasses and speak with a wry smile.
"Dean, what about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? What payment in full? What are you talking about?" Oscar, whom Flender had hauled out of the center of the explosion and who now stood beside him, asked.
"Nothing. You misheard!" Flender patted Oscar on the shoulder and hastily denied it.
"But is he really the same age as us? He actually beat Teacher Zhao. That's just..." As Oscar looked toward Gu Yang, his face was filled with shock, and even a trace of admiration.
Next were Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. If they possessed such strength, they would not have been forced to leave their homes behind. They could have changed their own fates long ago.
"I want to take leave too!" Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, was still shouting.
Flender pushed up his glasses and declared righteously, "If you want to take leave, you'll have to defeat Old Zhao too. Even with Old Zhao injured now, as long as you can beat him, you can take as much leave as you want!"
Ning Rongrong was no match for Zhao Wuji.
"I don't care! If Gu Yang is taking leave, so am I! I'm an Auxiliary System Soul Master. How could I possibly defeat a Battle Soul Master?"
"If you can't do it, then stay at the academy and study properly. When you can work with your teammates to defeat Old Zhao, come talk to me about taking leave!"
Ning Rongrong was displeased. "Flender, who do you think you are? You're just a mere Soul Saint, and you think you can boss me around? At worst, I just won't attend this Shrek Academy!"
Flender smiled calmly. "What do you take Shrek Academy for? Somewhere you can come and go as you please? This is my territory. What I say goes!"
Ning Rongrong sneered. "Flender, I'd advise you to stay out of my business, or the consequences will be more than you can bear!"
"If I feared consequences, this academy wouldn't exist! Mubai, take this young lady back to the dormitory!"
"Yes, Dean." Others might fear the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but Dai Mubai did not. He immediately moved to take Ning Rongrong back to the dormitory.
"Gu Yang, aren't you going to do something? Are you just going to watch them keep me trapped here?" Ning Rongrong looked to Gu Yang for help.
Gu Yang had not expected Flender to be so fierce either. In the original story, he seemed to have driven Ning Rongrong away, but here he was directly standing his ground and forcing her to stay.
It looked like they had paid extra.
Gu Yang could only step forward and say, "Rongrong, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is an excellent Auxiliary System Martial Soul. I hope that one day, you can stand behind me and play the role an Auxiliary System Soul Master should, instead of following me around like a little tail and only knowing how to drag me off to play."
"Gu Yang, you..." Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Gu Yang to say such things to her.
Although being spoiled from childhood had left her with a somewhat poor disposition, she was not stupid. She now understood what Gu Yang meant, and for a moment, she did not know how to respond.
"But this place... how could this place compare with the sect? If I want to become stronger, I can go back to the sect."
"Weren't you the one who said this place could help people improve their strength? Besides, it's not as simple as you think. Every student here is no weaker than you."
"That boy and girl over there both reached rank twenty-nine Soul Power at twelve years old. They're not the least bit inferior to you." Gu Yang looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu, then turned toward Oscar. "And him. He's also an Auxiliary System Soul Master, and his Soul Power Level isn't low either. I'd guess his Innate Soul Power level is no worse than yours. If he had the sect's resources supporting him too, he probably would have left you far behind already!"
"But you're leaving me here all alone? I don't know anyone or anything here. Aren't you afraid my father will blame you?" Ning Rongrong had softened somewhat.
"Hold out your hand!"
Ning Rongrong obediently held out her palm. Gu Yang placed his right hand over it, and as the flesh of his right hand writhed, a small segment of finger bone squeezed out and fell into her palm.
"If something happens, you can contact me through this. Just tap it twice, and I'll come over."
"Really?" Ning Rongrong's face cleared like clouds giving way to sunshine.
She was one of the few people who knew about Gu Yang's Fifth Soul Skill. In particular, after Gu Yang had given Ning Fengzhi and Sword Bone Douluo bones from his Shikotsumyaku, Ning Rongrong had chased after him asking for one too, but Gu Yang simply would not give her one. Now, she had finally gotten her wish.
"Mm. But if I come over and find that you haven't made any progress at the academy, I won't indulge you. I won't waste any more time on you."
"Hmph, don't look down on me. I'll catch up to you sooner or later!" As she spoke, Ning Rongrong raised her little fist.
Watching Gu Yang persuade Ning Rongrong so easily, Flender kept blinking.
Wait, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wants to train its successor, and the best person to supervise her is right beside her, yet they went to all this trouble to send her to me?
Whatever. There's no reason to turn down money handed to me!
Only after helping Ning Rongrong get everything settled for her stay did Gu Yang leave Shrek Academy under her reluctant gaze.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The assembly hall.
"Gu Yang, didn't you accompany Rongrong to Shrek Academy? Why have you suddenly come back?" Ning Fengzhi asked in confusion after seeing Gu Yang return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect using the Flying Evil God Seal.
Sword Bone Douluo happened to be there as well, so Gu Yang explained why he had come.
"Uncle Ning, Grandpa, Grandpa Jian, Rongrong and I have passed Shrek Academy's assessment and successfully enrolled."
The three nodded lightly at this, unsurprised. With the pair's talent and strength, as well as the sect secretly smoothing the way and lending assistance, there was no reason they could not get into Shrek Academy.
"Brat, then why have you come back this time?" Bone Douluo asked.
"Grandpa, I took leave to come back this time because I have something important to bring back to the sect."
"Leave? That makes sense. You've just arrived in a new environment, so taking a couple of days off is normal. As for this important matter you mentioned, what is it?"
"Uncle Ning, Grandpa, Grandpa Jian, do you know of the Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Douluo?"
Hearing Gu Yang mention Clear Sky Douluo, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Bone Douluo all showed different expressions. In the end, Sword Douluo spoke:
"You mean Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect, don't you? Didn't he disappear from the continent after that incident? There hasn't been any news of him to this day."
At this point, all three were very curious as to why Gu Yang had suddenly brought up Tang Hao.
"Brat, why did you suddenly bring him up?"
"Grandpa, because I think I've found traces of him!"