"Dai Mubai, if you say one more word, I'll kill you!" Ning Rongrong roared angrily, her eyes red, pointing at Dai Mubai's nose.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Dai Mubai, slightly guilty, snorted coldly as he thought of Ning Rongrong's current predicament. "A phoenix that's lost its feathers isn't even as good as a chicken. And you're not even a phoenix."
"This is Shrek Academy, not the territory of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's little princess. So either stay put, or get lost. See if anyone will care for you!"
"Boss Dai..." Oscar tried to reason with him but felt helpless.
"Che." Dai Mubai sneered, pushing Ning Rongrong away and striding forward.
"You're nothing but a ladybug," Ning Rongrong stumbled, barely held up by Oscar, but a chill flickered in her eyes. "No wonder Zhuqing always looks down on you. Not only are you a coward, you can't keep your pants on."
"After you had your fun, and got yourself dirty, now you remember Zhuqing? That phony act of trying to please her is disgusting…"
Everyone fell silent.
The wound was opened again. Even though Zhu Zhuqing knew Ning Rongrong was using her words to stir up trouble, she couldn't hide the contempt in her cool gaze. She said coldly, "There's nothing between us…"
"What did you say?!" Dai Mubai's face turned crimson with rage.
Zhu Zhuqing ignored him.
With bloodshot eyes, Dai Mubai suddenly spun around and in a flash appeared in front of Ning Rongrong. His tall figure cast a shadow over her as he grabbed her by the throat.
"Say that again, you bitch!"
"I'll say it a hundred times. You're just a… trash." Ning Rongrong spat, her face turning blue, starting to suffocate.
Bang!
A cold gleam flashed. Dai Mubai's arm spasmed as he was struck by a hidden weapon. Reflexively, he let go and glanced over to see Tang San.
"San, don't meddle!"
Dai Mubai shouted in anger.
"Boss Dai, we're a team…" Tang San frowned. "Soon, we're competing in the continental tournament. With the team like this, how are we supposed to win?!"
...
The others remained silent at his words.
"Tang San is right!"
Not far away, Grandmaster walked over with his hands behind his back, looking quietly at the Shrek Seven Devils.
"Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong. Solitary confinement for one day, reflect on your actions…"
"As for the rest, extra training!"
"Do you want to be trampled under the feet of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Have you forgotten the humiliation we suffered the other day? We must take revenge—crush them completely, just like last time!" Yu Xiaogang shouted loudly.
"But, Grandmaster… under Su Lin's training, they say the other team's strength has been growing rapidly, and we…" Oscar hesitated.
Grandmaster's mouth twitched at this.
He glared coldly at Oscar.
If Su Wen is such a good teacher, does that make me useless?
He had poured everything into teaching, never holding back, personally designing special training plans for Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and the others, using unconventional methods like observing ants—training others find hard to understand…
If they still couldn't win, shouldn't they look for the fault in themselves?
Had they been diligent in their cultivation lately, following his teachings strictly?
Of course, he was also harboring a grudge. The day Su Lin publicly scolded him in front of so many people, calling him trash who would ruin his students, had wounded him deeply…
Just let my disciples defeat the Heaven Dou Royal team in the tournament, and my reputation will spread all over the continent with the help of Spirit Hall's publicity. Let everyone know—I'm not trash! Su Lin is the real fraud!
Oscar's expression turned strange.
"Besides, we have a secret weapon." Yu Xiaogang clapped his hands. A youth in a Blue Tyrant Academy uniform slowly walked in.
"Yu—Yu Tianheng?!"
The Seven Devils exclaimed in shock.
"Everyone, long time no see," Yu Tianheng greeted them with a smile.
"He'll serve as a substitute in this year's tournament," Grandmaster said with a faint smile.
"What?!!"
Everyone was shocked.
"You even poached the Heaven Dou Imperial Captain for us?" Ma Hongjun's small eyes went round as he started flattering, "As expected of Grandmaster, your connections are amazing…"
"With their captain gone, the Heaven Dou team is left to pick from the shorties. Now their best fighter has joined us; when our enemy weakens and we grow stronger, victory is within reach." Oscar grinned.
"Su Lin insulted Grandmaster, and those guys went along with it. I couldn't stand it, so I applied to quit…" Yu Tianheng explained.
"And him too!"
A hearty voice rang out. Flender and Qin Ming entered.
Flender introduced with a grin, "You must have met already, one of Shrek's monster graduates, now a Heaven Dou Royal Academy master teacher and Yu Tianheng's mentor…"
"I personally trained them, but Su Lin had the strength to force me out, and the academy staff sided with him, kicking me out," Qin Ming shrugged with a bright smile.
"Since Dean Flender invited me, I'm now a member of Shrek Academy…"
"Not only that—he knows the weaknesses of Dugu Yan and the others," Flender added, a sly grin on his lips.
"Of course, I raised them myself," Qin Ming sighed emotionally.
"Teacher, don't be sad… Who could've guessed they'd be so cold and ruthless? I was deceived too… Their faces were truly ugly to behold," Yu Tianheng comforted.
"It's alright. To see people's true nature is enough. Besides, I still have such a sensible student as you," Qin Ming smiled with relief.
...
The Seven Devils looked at each other.
Even the animosity between Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai was left aside for the moment.
"It's all because of that bastard Su Lin!" Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. "Everything started going wrong after we met him!"
"We'll crush them in the tournament!" Grandmaster shouted, seeing everyone united, a smile on his face.
"Crush them!" ×10
Only Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly.
Winning in this way, though…
Yet seeing everyone's spirits, she said nothing.
"By the way, Zhuqing, starting today, you and Dai Mubai must start practicing your Martial Soul Fusion Technique," Grandmaster said in a tone allowing no disobedience.
"I refuse!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyebrows knit in anger.
"Who'd want to work with that scumbag?"
...
Dai Mubai opened his mouth, his eyes flashing with delight.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's resistance only ignited his fervor. After all, practicing the Fusion Technique required intimate physical contact, and also demanded a high level of "chemistry"—wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
Time to win Zhu Zhuqing over…
Once she took his hand, he'd press harder and show his masculinity—wouldn't she fall for him?
Dai Mubai could almost not suppress his smirk.
This wasn't about personal desires. It was for the team!
Zhu Zhuqing, you can't withstand this kind of pressure, can you?
"Zhuqing, stop being difficult," Grandmaster said gently. "This tournament is crucial for us all. Have you forgotten Su Lin's public insult to Shrek?"
"The others don't have much room left to grow, but you and Mubai have great potential. Once you master the Fusion Technique, you'll be the team's trump card!"
"If you use it in the tournament, Su Lin's group won't know what hit them."
Grandmaster had already become immersed in visions of victory—standing over the Heaven Dou team, earning fame, and enacting revenge on Su Lin.
"Dream on! I'll never train with such scum!" Zhu Zhuqing shouted.
"Zhuqing, don't be childish." Flender frowned slightly.
"No matter how unreliable Mubai acts, he's still your fiancé. Men will mature… why reject him so forcefully?"
"Right, Zhuqing. The Martial Soul Fusion Technique is really important…" Tang San tried to persuade her.
"I said no!" Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes brimmed with tears. She glared coldly at the others—her so-called united classmates and teachers now all seemed to be forcing her, demanding her sacrifice, to fuse her martial soul with a scumbag.
In a flash, the girl's silhouette vanished into the distance.
"Sigh…"
Flender opened his mouth but stopped himself.
"Never mind her," Grandmaster snorted.
"For the sake of the team, if she wants to be self-indulgent and refuses to cooperate, just let her cool off for a few days—she'll come to her senses."
"Yeah, no sense of group honor…" Oscar sneered.
"Boss Dai's really handsome, actually…"
"Haha, I'll go try and persuade her," Dai Mubai pretended to be disappointed.
This only made the others comfort him instead.
As if he were the victim.
"That's enough, start training."
Grandmaster waved his hand and led everyone off to the training grounds.
…
In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—
"You're saying… the method of making soul tools?" Ning Fengzhi stared blankly at the blueprint in his hands. At first, he treated it casually—but the moment Su Wen explained it, he began to treat it as a treasure, holding it gingerly for fear of damaging it.
"This is just the most basic stuff," Su Wen nodded.
After some thought, he decided to spread the knowledge via the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Naturally, the clan would have a first-mover advantage, and even if it only became widespread after the Spirit Hall war, he didn't mind.
As for the learning process...
"Here."
Su Wen tossed a diamond ring to Ning Yuan, beside Ning Fengzhi. Caught off guard, Ning Yuan scrambled to catch it in shock.
"This contains the entire forging process..."
"Wear it, pour in soul power, yes, like that…"
Watching Ning Yuan follow instructions, expression blank, Su Wen smiled.
"Of course, this is just a basic forging method—for levels one to seven. Even with this ring guiding them step by step, it'll be difficult for total beginners. So, prepare yourselves."
That's right.
The ring was designed by the "model worker" Big-Eye himself.
Just like the secret realm for evil soul masters in Sea God Pavilion, it recorded Su Wen's forging process for levels one through seven, from core carving to shaping the metal shell, all from a first-person view.
"Within ten years, master it," Su Wen said.
"After ten years, release it to the whole continent."
...
Ning Fengzhi was stunned.
He clearly didn't understand Su Wen's true intent.
"Of course, what gets leaked is just the basics. Anything your clan develops later is your business, not mine," Su Wen smiled.
"Yes!" Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up—what a tremendous opportunity!
It meant that the clan could take the lead for at least ten years!
Ning Yuan finally snapped out of his daze, deeply shocked.
Such miraculous skills...
No wonder his father had insisted he respect Su Wen.
Though weaker in strength, with his inherited intelligence, Ning Yuan quickly realized the potential of soul tools.
"As for the order…" Ning Fengzhi hesitated.
"The same as before," Su Wen smiled.
"This, this, this…" Ning Fengzhi could barely speak—this generosity toward his clan was too much!
Giving soul tools for free, along with designs—ten years wouldn't even allow the clan to set up a real production line, but this batch of weapons meant they'd have no worries for years.
Could it be...
Was he their future son-in-law?
"Well then, I'll take my leave," Su Wen smiled at Ning Yuan. "Till we meet again."
"Till we meet again!"
Ning Yuan, flattered and excited, nodded respectfully.
Once Su Wen's figure faded, joy flickered at the edge of his lips.
Recognition from Mr. Su Lin…
"What a kid…" Ning Fengzhi shook his head. Sword Douluo Chen Xin at his side was also surprised; he hadn't expected the "monster" Su Wen to look upon Ning Yuan so favorably. Could they have misjudged him after all?
If nothing else, he'd just retire and try to avoid trouble.
Bone Douluo had been much quieter recently, too—after learning of Rongrong's stance, he'd been downcast for a while.
…
In Star Dou Great Forest
Osler moved through the forest like a ghost, scouting the way ahead. With his forty-fourth rank power and half-step ultimate wind, he could retreat even if he met a soul beast of several thousand years.
Yu Feng flew above, scouting for soul beasts from the air.
The team advanced in order.
Their goal this time: to help Ye Lingling gain her fourth soul ring. She was the last to reach Soul Ancestor, not for lack of talent, but because she was the youngest and her support-type spirit was the hardest to advance.
Reaching rank forty at age seventeen was already impressive.
"Hehe, teacher, the tournament is in ten days, shouldn't we have some special training?" Shi Mo scratched his head with a big silly grin.
…