Tang Feng chuckled. "Then join me. I can't finish all this anyway."
"Yes, please!" Ning Rongrong took the chopsticks without standing on ceremony.
Tang Feng casually beckoned a waiter over and ordered a few more signature dishes. "Another serving of each of these!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes darted, and she suddenly leaned closer, lowering her voice with the excitement of gossip. "Um... let me ask you something. You have to answer honestly."
"Go ahead."
"Are you... pursuing Zhu Zhuqing? I saw you come with her."
"Pfft-" Tang Feng sprayed out the clear soup he had just taken into his mouth and coughed from choking. "I'm not interested in women!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened in shock. Her chopsticks clattered onto the table, and her little mouth formed an O. "Y-you, you..."
"I'm not interested in men either!" Tang Feng nearly choked to death again and hastily added, his face darkening,
"What I mean is, I'm not letting anything distract me right now. I only want to improve my strength. All that romance would only slow down my leveling."
"Tch, I don't believe you." Ning Rongrong curled her lips and gracefully placed a piece of fish in her mouth. "I've noticed there's something off about the way you look at her."
Tang Feng looked utterly innocent. "That's just appreciation between friends, all right!"
Ning Rongrong said, "Yes, yes, just friends. But it's still appreciation, isn't it?"
Momentarily speechless, Tang Feng argued, "I simply felt sorry for what she's been through and paid her a little extra attention, that's all!"
He added inwardly, But she really does have a smoking-hot figure, outstanding looks, a strong personality, and she's quiet and polite... uh, I do sneak an extra glance sometimes.
But he would not think about such things now. Women will only slow down my hammer swings and staff strikes. Tang Feng felt a little admiration for Ning Rongrong's powers of observation. She truly was someone who had seen the wider world.
Afraid of giving himself away, Tang Feng quickly changed the subject. "Your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is pretty carefree, letting a favored daughter of heaven like you come out alone."
Ning Rongrong chuckled. "I snuck out!"
Tang Feng said dismissively, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has eyes all over the continent. Finding a Soul Grandmaster as conspicuous as you would be a piece of cake. Your father's handwritten letter is probably already sitting on your dean's desk!"
Ning Rongrong was dumbfounded. "Huh? No way!"
"You must be used to getting your own way at home. Your father couldn't do anything about you, so he tacitly allowed you to come out," Tang Feng analyzed unhurriedly,
"Then he told your dean to discipline you properly. There are definitely hidden guards nearby protecting you, too. Your father is using Shrek to cure that spoiled young lady temper of yours."
Ning Rongrong asked in some bewilderment, "Are you from some sect too? Why do you know so much? It's like nothing can get past you."
Tang Feng's thoughts could not quite keep up with her sudden turn. He answered vaguely, "Uh... you could say I'm an ally of yours!"
Afraid she would keep asking, he hurriedly said, "Eat up. Head back early when you're done and behave yourself during training, or your dean will definitely punish you."
Ning Rongrong curled her lips. "He wouldn't dare. I'm not afraid of him." Still, she picked up food faster.
They swept through the meal like a gale scattering clouds. Ning Rongrong patted her belly in satisfaction and winked playfully. "I owe you for this meal. Next time, it's my treat!"
After the meal, Ning Rongrong immediately returned to Shrek, but Tang Feng did not know whether she would continue completing her training assignment.
Tang Feng unhurriedly finished his last mouthful of soup. His gaze swept over several diners in the restaurant's corners who looked ordinary but had steady presences, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Tang Feng rose, paid the bill, and left the restaurant, making his way leisurely out of the city.
Reaching a deserted grove, Tang Feng checked his surroundings to confirm that no one had followed him. The dragon markings at his shoulder blades abruptly lit up.
"Flame Dragon Wings!"
A pair of crimson dragon wings, two zhang long, burst open, golden-red flame patterns flowing across them. Tang Feng leaped up, his figure streaking across the sky like a crimson meteor as he flew toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Star Dou Great Forest lay southeast of the Balak Kingdom, not far from Suotuo City-less than five hundred kilometers away-and was the best choice for Shrek students to obtain Soul Rings.
Flying slowly, Tang Feng reached the town on its outskirts in two hours. At the town entrance, he picked an ordinary hotel at random and checked into a room with a window, waiting for the Shrek group to arrive.
Night fell. Seven students stood solemnly in neat formation on Shrek Academy's training grounds.
Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing, who stood tall despite her icy expression, were all ready for their nighttime lesson.
Only Oscar and Ning Rongrong were breathing a little heavily, utterly exhausted.
Flender's hawklike gaze swept over them before finally settling on the two. "Oscar, did you two finish twenty laps?"
"Dean, I finished mine," Oscar answered, bracing himself.
"I asked about 'you two.'" Flender's voice suddenly turned cold.
Knowing she could not evade it, Ning Rongrong said, "Dean, I only ran ten laps. I'll definitely make up the rest tomorrow."
Flender said mildly, "Mm, good. You recognize your mistake. I hope you'll keep your word." Then his tone suddenly became stern. "But you left the academy without permission to shop and eat in Suotuo City, violating academy rules. Your punishment is another ten laps tomorrow. Do you have anything to say?"
Ning Rongrong's expression shifted slightly. "You were watching me?"
"I'm the dean. I'm responsible for the students." Flender's expression turned cold. "Either accept your punishment or leave now. If you want to stay here, you must prove your determination to do so."
Ning Rongrong recalled what Tang Feng had said at noon. Her father must have already contacted Flender; otherwise, Flender could not possibly have had the nerve to lecture her like this.
Not wanting to disgrace her sect, Ning Rongrong said, "I admit it, and I accept the punishment. But I went to meet someone-Tang Feng, the one pursuing Zhu Zhuqing. I went to ask for his guidance."
Tang Feng... mortified.
Zhu Zhuqing instantly flushed to the roots of her ears and immediately said, "Rongrong, don't talk nonsense. He's not."
Dai Mubai's face turned livid, though his expression eased somewhat when he heard Zhu Zhuqing's explanation.
Flender nodded in satisfaction. "Good. If something comes up, you can report it to the academy. We're doing this for your safety as well. Ning Rongrong and Oscar will stay at the academy and rest. Everyone else, follow me."
Flender lightly tapped the ground with his toes and swiftly headed out of the academy. Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing immediately followed.
Passing through the silent village, the group arrived in Suotuo City.
Flender led them before an oval building a hundred meters tall. "See that? That's your first lesson-the Soto Great Soul Arena."
They entered the lobby, and Flender continued, "The Great Soul Arena has eight badge ranks: iron, bronze, silver, gold, purple gold, sapphire, ruby, and diamond. One of your graduation requirements is to reach at least Silver Soul Fighter."
Flender glanced at Dai Mubai. "Dai Mubai, explain the Soul Fighting rules."
"An Iron Soul Fighter earns one point per win, ten points for a winning streak of more than five matches, and a hundred points for a winning streak of more than ten. Accumulate a hundred points to advance to Bronze Soul Fighter. A Bronze Soul Fighter earns ten points per win and advances to Silver Soul Fighter at a thousand points." Dai Mubai smiled bitterly. "I've fought fifty-six matches, with twenty-nine wins and twenty-seven losses, and I only have two points. The opponents here have a wealth of combat experience, and every match pairs you with someone holding the same badge rank."
Everyone listened attentively except Ma Hongjun, whose lecherous eyes darted all around, targeting the most distinctive parts of women's bodies as he repeatedly gulped.
Seeing Ma Hongjun's expression, a trace of helplessness flashed through Flender's eyes. He continued, "The Great Soul Arena has sparring matches and death matches. Each type is further divided into solo Soul Fighting, duo Soul Fighting, and team Soul Fighting.
"A death match can only end when one side dies. Unless there's a mortal feud, people generally won't choose a fight to the death.
"You only need to participate in sparring matches to exchange pointers. Killing blows are forbidden. But Soul Skills have no eyes, and injuries are commonplace. All right, you can go fill out the forms and register."
They began registering for Soul Fighting. A staff member took the five students' forms and tested their Soul Power Levels with a Soul Power crystal ball. Before long, each received an iron badge.
After registration came the match arrangements. Flender brought them to the sparring Soul Fighting Zone and gave them a few brief instructions. "You can sign up yourselves. You can only participate in one solo match a day, but you can enter multiple duo and team matches." Then he headed straight into the Soul Fighting Arena himself.
After some discussion, Tang San naturally paired up with Xiao Wu, while the others only signed up for solo matches.