In terms of Shrek Academy's combat assessment, is there a standard for support-type and combat-type Soul Masters? Of course, they are not held to the same standard.
In fact, even if a candidate does not last the duration of a stick of incense, if their performance is outstanding or their potential is extraordinary, the proctor will still find some high-emotional-intelligence reasons to pass them.
After all, a stick of incense... half an hour of combat time, with a limited combat area. As long as the gap in overall strength isn't too close, the Soul Power of Soul Masters at this stage cannot sustain such a long battle.
Thus, the so-called "lasting through a stick of incense" and "defeating Dai Mubai" are essentially no different.
Whether a hastily formed team can complete this task relies more on luck than on raw strength!
A team that happens to be well-combined clearly has a much greater advantage than a team with average compatibility.
These apparent conditions are often just a facade.
The real assessment depends on the proctor's personal judgment of the candidates.
However, the three boys clearly did not catch Zhao Wujie's eye.
Although they had also reached the Great Soul Master level at the age of twelve or thirteen, they only possessed Soul Power at levels twenty-one or twenty-two, and their Martial Souls and combat awareness were far from Shrek's stringent standards.
As for Ning Rongrong... she believed her combat performance was quite competent, but in Zhao Wujie's eyes, it was completely insufficient. However, just based on her Soul Power level as a Soul Elder, her combat performance was ordinary yet still exceeded the assessment baseline.
Of course, with Flender having informed him in advance that the little girl before him was actually the true financial backer of Shrek Academy, even if her performance was lacking, Zhao Wujie would still give her a pass.
After this, Ning Rongrong naturally went through the check-in process and became Xiao Wu's roommate.
From Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong confirmed the identities of the other remaining students and realized that since enrollment, the only one she hadn't interacted with was a student named Ma Hongjun.
To be honest, Ning Rongrong was quite curious about the relationship between Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Dai Mubai, especially since she had seen the two boys fighting over Xiao Wu.
However, as soon as she mentioned those two, Xiao Wu displayed a clear impatience, prompting Ning Rongrong to suppress her curiosity. From the little attitude Xiao Wu showed, it was evident that those two were likely just infatuated with her.
Just as Xiao Wu had someone bothering her, Ning Rongrong had her own bothersome presence.
Oscar, having learned of Ning Rongrong's enrollment, couldn't help but fawn over her.
However, unlike Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong actually enjoyed this feeling of being flattered and admired.
She maintained her gentle young lady facade, watching Oscar as he tried various ways to amuse her, much like watching a clown perform.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
And on this day, a scene similar to that of the original timeline unfolded.
After the running training ended, evening came.
"Oscar, have you all finished running twenty laps?" Flender's sharp gaze was fixed on Oscar.
Oscar coughed and nodded, saying, "Dean, I finished."
Flender snorted coldly, "I asked about you all, not just you."
Oscar turned to look at Ning Rongrong, who was also looking at him, her beautiful big eyes filled with an innocent expression.
What a joke, how could Ning Rongrong possibly comply with such a useless training? Not to mention her current impression of Shrek Academy was far worse than in the original timeline.
Facing Ning Rongrong's innocent gaze, Oscar gritted his teeth and nodded, "Yes, we all finished."
Flender smiled, but there was a chilling undertone to that smile, hinting at the anger beneath.
He reprimanded Oscar in a sarcastic manner, making him run another twenty laps, and then began to educate the rest, claiming that he was punishing them because Oscar had lied.
He then asked Ning Rongrong if she had completed twenty laps, and after she honestly replied, he directly revealed in front of Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others that not only had Ning Rongrong not participated in the running training, but she had also spent the day playing in Soto City.
He then delivered his classic statement.
"As the dean, I must be responsible for every student in the academy. If Oscar's lie was somewhat excusable because he didn't want you to be punished, then your mistakes are unforgivable. Leaving the academy without permission, disobeying the academy's arrangements, and having a senior lie for you—any one of these is not a mistake an excellent Soul Master should make. If this were on the battlefield, your only outcome would be military punishment, which is death."
Looking at Flender, who was using military discipline to pressure her, Ning Rongrong's lips curled slightly, a flash of disdain and contempt in her eyes, before she feigned confusion and grievance, frowning, "But this isn't a battlefield; it's just an academy!"
Flender nodded, "Indeed, this is just an academy, but it is my Shrek Academy. Now, I give you two choices. One, pack your things and leave immediately. You are not worthy to be a part of this place. The other, prove to me that you have the qualifications to stay here and the determination not to break the rules again."
In the original timeline, Ning Rongrong would have lost her temper and directly lashed out at Flender.
But after You Chen's guidance, Ning Rongrong had grown somewhat and could view herself and others from a more rational perspective.
More importantly...
She understood the respect that should be given to those stronger than herself.
For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Flender was still far from being a true powerhouse, but Ning Rongrong was also just a solitary support Soul Elder at this moment.
She wasn't afraid of Flender, but she also wouldn't deliberately offend or provoke him, as she had in the original timeline.
If she did that, it would only backfire.
However, respecting Flender's strength did not mean she had to respect his character.
At this moment, looking at Flender, who was using authority to oppress her, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but think of another person who had behaved similarly towards her.
Yet despite the similarity in behavior, she felt a strong aversion towards Flender, even reminiscing about You Chen.
Both used their power to pressure others, but the principles You Chen had taught her were far more convincing and acceptable than Flender's as a teacher.
'However, comparing such a person to Flender is somewhat excessive.'
Ning Rongrong thought to herself, and this inner mockery allowed her to view Flender with a more detached perspective, regaining her composure.
She took a deep breath, her strong will locking onto Flender as she questioned, "Dean Flender, I came to Shrek Academy to learn knowledge and to become stronger, not to follow your rules. Of course, if your training methods truly have some profound meaning that can better train me than those advanced academies, and you want me to follow your reasoning and your laws, I wouldn't mind. But... here's the problem: can you tell me what special significance there is in simply running? If it's just this kind of education, I would leave on my own without you needing to chase me away!"
Ning Rongrong's righteous and well-reasoned statement caught Flender off guard.
Flender's face turned pale as he scolded, "Sharp-tongued! Since you are a student, at the very least, you should have the heart to respect your teachers. How can you talk about learning knowledge! Running training is merely a test to determine your sincerity. If anyone could easily learn true knowledge, who would still hold knowledge in reverence!?"
He indeed knew he was relying on authority for CPU education, but so what?
Tang San silently nodded upon hearing Flender's words. The academy and sects were no different; without any contribution, how could one learn the inherited knowledge?
He completely forgot that in his previous life, he had secretly infiltrated the inner sect, crossing the boundaries between outer and inner disciples to steal the secrets of the Xuantian Treasure Record.
As for Ning Rongrong, she also recognized Flender's approach of "not easily imparting knowledge."
Although her intelligence had slightly improved, she had not yet reached the level where she could see that Flender was shifting concepts and changing the subject.
After all, many people in real life often get sidetracked during arguments, and those who originally stood on moral high ground often find it hard to argue against those shameless individuals.
But Ning Rongrong's greatest strength lay in—rather than self-justifying, she preferred to act willfully.
This strength had been further developed after being pointed out by You Chen.
She wouldn't feel guilty after hearing Flender's words; instead, she put on an innocent expression and questioned, "But as far as I know, that theoretical master named You Chen generously made his knowledge public, directly advancing the theory in the Soul Master world by at least a hundred years. Dean, are you implying that such a master does not respect knowledge? Also, if you think I don't respect you, then as long as you tell me the significance of this running training, I can apologize to you."
Flender's eyes widened, speechless.
He wanted to retort that You Chen was not a true theoretical master, and that his good brother Yu Xiaogang was the real theoretical master, but he knew that he wouldn't believe that himself.
He knew that You Chen had always been Yu Xiaogang's target, and belittling You Chen was also belittling Yu Xiaogang.
As for the significance of running training? He could indeed mention strengthening will and body, but looking at Ning Rongrong's innocent expression, he knew this little demoness must have set a trap for him to fall into!
Not having suppressed Ning Rongrong's spirit in one go, but instead being countered by her, he felt he had lost face in front of the students. If this continued, he might truly lose his authority! That would make leading the team difficult!
Thinking of this, Flender snorted coldly, "Ning Rongrong, your tongue is indeed sharp; I cannot argue with you. But my rules will not change because of you. Since you cannot adapt to the rules here, please leave. Shrek Academy does not welcome students like you who do not follow the rules."
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong pouted, "Are you trying to kick me out? Dean, if I truly did something wrong, I hope you can point it out clearly. If I am at fault, I will definitely correct it."
Ning Rongrong had already begun to entertain the idea of withdrawing from school, but at that moment, from a higher-dimensional perspective, she suddenly came up with an idea, and she spoke as such to verify it.
Flender did not expect that even at this point, Ning Rongrong would still be putting on an act.
His veins bulged, and he somewhat understood why Ning Fengzhi had specifically warned him that Ning Rongrong was not easy to deal with.
He had originally thought to provoke Ning Rongrong's anger to reveal her facade, thereby rallying the other students to educate her, but he did not expect that even now, Ning Rongrong could remain calm and counter him.
At one moment, Flender even had the thought of giving up, but the problem was... damn it, he had already spent a good portion of the funds Ning Fengzhi had allocated!
Although not being able to unveil the little demoness's facade was indeed a headache, it was still better than her running away.
Unlike the original timeline, Flender's intention to belittle and provoke Ning Rongrong was not to actually make her withdraw from school, but to temper her character. Otherwise, he wouldn't have arranged for Oscar to comfort her.
In the original timeline, Flender believed that Ning Rongrong's spoiled girl personality was not difficult to handle; he was confident he could keep her while also completing her initial taming.
But this Ning Rongrong was different.
This seemingly emotionally volatile Ning Rongrong gave Flender a feeling of being hard to see through, as if all her grievances and anger were merely a facade she had put on, making her very troublesome.
Thus, Flender snorted coldly, "Your mistake lies in your lack of respect for your elders! Ning Rongrong, do you think that just because you are a genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, you can look down on teachers from our small academy!?"
Ning Rongrong blinked, "I didn't! Dean, haven't I been reasoning with you all along? Does... reasoning not count as respect?"
"You disregard discipline, sneaking off to Soto City to play while everyone else is training. How could you possibly regard us or the academy!? Do you think this is respect!?"
Flender's face turned red with anger.
As soon as these words were spoken, the few students who had somewhat recognized Ning Rongrong's statements began to look at her with ambiguous expressions.
Flender noticed the change in attitude from Tang San and the others and felt quite pleased.
He knew very well that compared to a teacher's reprimand, the disapproval and hostility from peers could more effectively shake the still-student youths. He had done this in the original timeline.
Seeing the change in attitude from the Shrek students, who had been friendly towards him over the past two days, Ning Rongrong felt a sense of panic.
But fortunately, Flender's words did not catch Ning Rongrong off guard. Having had the experience of watching a play with You Chen, she knew that strong individuals had the ability to see through others, and her playful activities might not escape the academy teachers' eyes.
She had already prepared her counterarguments.
Ning Rongrong put on a face of grievance, struggling and gritting her teeth for several seconds before finally sighing, "Alright... it seems that if I don't reveal the truth today, you will all consider me the villain."
The truth?
Flender frowned, feeling something was off.
Ning Rongrong looked dejected, casting a mournful gaze at Flender, "This matter involves the secrets of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Dean, do you really want me to say it out loud here?"
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