On the way back to the academy, no one spoke.
Flender walked at the front, his back more hunched than usual. Yu Xiaogang followed behind him, expressionless, his steps still at his unhurried pace, but the knuckles of his fingers holding the battle record were slightly white. The seven children followed at the back, the line stretched out long and sparse, like a string of broken beads.
The night in Suotuo City was as noisy as ever. The sounds of gamblers smashing glasses drifted from the taverns along the street— the Nameless Team had unexpectedly defeated the Shrek Seven Devils tonight, and those who had bet on the wrong team were drowning their sorrows in alcohol. These sounds drifted into the group, but no one answered.
Back at the academy, Flender pushed open the door and went into his office without a word. The door wasn't closed, but no one followed him in.
After a while, Ma Hongjun was the first to break the silence. He plopped down on a bench in the lobby, his shoulders still trembling slightly—it was hard to tell whether from anger or from holding it in.
"That one who uses fire," he said through gritted teeth, "Who exactly is she? My Evil Fire is like paper in front of her. Mingdu Fire Attribute, so why is her fire able to overpower mine?"
No one answered.
Ma Hongjun felt increasingly frustrated. If only he could buy a pill that could compensate for the defects in his Martial Soul. He didn't know the name of that pill, but he knew it must exist.
Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and the thousand-year curse of the Nine Heart Begonia was lifted. These events are enough to prove that the Pill Pavilion definitely has pills that can make up for the defects of Martial Soul.
If others can fix their Martial Soul defects, why can't he fix his Evil Fire? If he had obtained that pill back then and fixed the backlash of his Evil Fire, his flames would definitely not be suppressed by others today.
The more Ma Hongjun thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved he became. Finally, he simply gave up, leaned back in his chair, and muttered, "If only I could have bought that pill back then."
Dai Mubai sat opposite him, his face gloomy. He hadn't said a word since leaving the stage—not because he had lost the match, but because of his fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing.
Throughout the entire battle, Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Stab and Lu Hanxiao's Cold Wind · Wing Slash were locked in combat for a full quarter of an hour, without Zhu Zhuqing ever glancing in his direction.
Dai Mubai understood that Zhu Zhuqing had no energy to spare during the battle, but he still couldn't suppress his Evil Fire. Hearing Ma Hongjun's complaints, he seemed to have found an outlet, coldly replying, "You blame the pills for losing? Why don't you blame yourself for not cultivating enough?"
These words came out of nowhere, but the tone was very aggressive. Ma Hongjun was taken aback by his retort, and his anger immediately shifted. "My cultivation is not up to par? You were suppressed by that Defense System today and couldn't even maintain the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and you think your cultivation is up to par? Aren't you frustrated?"
"This isn't the only thing that's frustrating me." Dai Mubai stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "I paid for the majority of the monthly pills, and Tang San made up the rest by selling his Hidden Weapon. We poured money in, and we still lost the competition—did I say anything?"
Ma Hongjun opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but swallowed the words back. He truly didn't know how they managed to scrape together the money for the pills each month. Dai Mubai had never mentioned it, nor had Tang San.
Dai Mubai didn't look at him again, turned around and walked towards the backyard. He paused for a moment as he passed Zhu Zhuqing, as if waiting for something.
Zhu Zhuqing simply sat in the corner, her hands clasped on her knees, her fingertips slightly white. Her face was expressionless, but there was a hint of suppressed pain in her eyes. From the moment she left until now, she hadn't looked up or spoken.
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and continued walking out.
Yu Xiaogang stood by the window, his back to everyone. Only after Dai Mubai's footsteps disappeared into the backyard did he slowly speak. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the quiet hall could hear him clearly.
"If we had been able to negotiate the elixir deal back then, we wouldn't be in such a passive position today."
He didn't name names, but everyone understood what he meant: Ning Rongrong is the young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, your family has connections with the Pill Pavilion, your father can obtain the Nurturing Grace and Supporting Splendor Pill, but you can't even help the academy get a few more high-grade pills.
Ning Rongrong stood in another corner of the hall, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda already retracted into her body, her hands clasped in front of her. Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, her fingers tightened slightly, then relaxed. She did not argue.
Her gaze swept across the hall, pausing briefly on Oscar. Oscar sat in the corner chair, clutching a few unfinished Sausage in his hand.
He opened his mouth as if to say something—this stirred a faint sense of anticipation in Ning Rongrong's heart, though she herself wasn't quite sure what she was anticipating. But in the end, Oscar simply lowered his head and silently put the Sausage into his Soul Tool.
That glimmer of hope vanished silently. Ning Rongrong withdrew her gaze, her eyes slightly moist, but she forcefully suppressed them again.
Was she wronged? A little. But not entirely—she had something else weighing on her mind. She knew who those seven masked people were, but she couldn't say.
At this moment, feeling lost and helpless, Ning Rongrong suddenly thought of her father. Her father, Ning Fengzhi, had been in charge of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for so many years, and had always remained calm and composed in the face of far more complex situations than this.
He had only been caught in the middle between the academy and his family a few times, and he already felt helpless. How could he possibly shoulder the responsibility of being the young sect leader?
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, forcing back the tears welling up in her eyes. When she looked up, her gaze fell directly on Tang San.
Tang San did not participate in this conversation.
He sat alone in the corner of the hall by the window, holding a Bone-Piercing Nail in his hand—the one that had been knocked off the stage earlier, which he had retrieved.
The tip of the Bone-Piercing Nail still bore the fine cracks caused by the impact of the Break the Surface at One Point, which he slowly rotated on his fingertip.
Tang San didn't dwell on the details of the battle just now. He had already thought through the breakdown of his Self-Created Soul Skill, the analysis of positioning and rhythm on the way back. At this moment, another thought occupied his mind.
He comes from the Tang Sect. The Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Purple Demon Eye, and Hundred Separations of Hidden Weapon —these unique skills are what he brought from another world. They are his greatest trump card and his deepest pride.
From Nuoding City to Suotuo City, he defeated countless opponents with a combination of Blue Silver Grass and Hidden Weapon; no one could replicate his fighting style.
But today, he encountered "Wolf" from the Nameless Team. Without any Tang Sect Secret Arts, he was just a native Douluo Continent Soul Master, through his own exploration and hard work, created a Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and a penetrating skill that was no less than the Mysterious Jade Hand.
Tang San found it hard to accept at first.
" Xiao San," Xiao Wu's voice came from the side, tinged with cautious unease, "Are you alright?"
Tang San did not answer, but slowly clenched the Bone-Piercing Nail into his palm.
After a while, Zhu Zhuqing stood up from the corner, pushed open the door to the hall, and walked out. She didn't speak to anyone, nor did she look back.
Dai Mubai stood in the backyard. When he saw her come out, his lips moved slightly. Zhu Zhuqing didn't look at him and walked straight back to her dormitory.
Ning Rongrong watched her figure disappear into the night. For some reason, the scene of her first visit to Suotuo City flashed into her mind. At that time, the Shrek Seven Devils had just obtained their Silver Soul Badge, and the seven of them took their first group photo at the entrance of the Soul Fighting Arena.
Ma Hongjun insisted on standing at the very front spreading his wings, Dai Mubai pushed him aside. Tang San laughed and broke up the fight, Xiao Wu clapped her hands on the side, Zhu Zhuqing rarely showed a smile, and Oscar chased after everyone with Sausage in hand, asking if they were hungry.
At that time, she thought the team would stay like this forever.
But now...
Ning Rongrong withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyes slightly. She knew in her heart that the Shrek Seven Devils were different from the moment the pill appeared.