"This—"
Flandre hesitated, and after a moment of silence, looked at Ning Rongrong and said, "Your situation is different from Zhu Zhuqing's. If you don't live in the academy, it will affect your cultivation speed."
Ning Rongrong snorted coldly, disdainfully saying, "Flandre, don't try that on me. I can cultivate well living outside."
Flandre's expression immediately turned cold. He said, "As the dean, I am responsible for every student in the academy. Zhu Zhuqing did indeed win just now, but what does that have to do with you?"
"With the strength she just demonstrated, even without your assistance, she could still win."
Ning Rongrong frowned and coldly replied, "Flandre, who do you think you are? Just a mere Soul Saint. It is the academy's honor that I can study at Shrek Academy. What right do you have to lecture me?"
As soon as she said this, all the students and teachers present turned pale. None of them expected this seemingly gentle little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to have such a stubborn and arrogant personality.
Ning Rongrong paid no attention to others' looks and continued on her own: "I've only been here two days. Yesterday you tried to bully Su Xiaoqi, and today it's me and Zhu Qing's turn. But the laughable thing is, in the end, it's you who got beaten."
"Bully?" Flandre sneered, "If you consider normal sparring between students as bullying, then I can only say you don't belong here. You should go back to your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and continue living your little princess life, and never set foot outside its gates."
"I, Flandre, may be just a minor Soul Saint, but even if your father met me alone outside, he wouldn't dare speak to me like that. Without the protection of partners, any ordinary Soul Master can single-handedly kill auxiliary-type soul masters like you."
"Take the recent match for example—if Tang San and Xiao Wu truly intended to kill you, do you think Zhu Zhuqing alone could protect you?"
"I'm telling you, the only possible outcome is this: you and Zhu Zhuqing would exhaust your soul power and be killed together, and the reason for all this is because you, Ning Rongrong, are a burden."
"You're talking nonsense." Ning Rongrong's chest heaved violently in anger. Although Flandre's words were harsh, they weren't baseless, so for a moment she was at a loss for how to respond.
"Still too inexperienced, huh."
Su Xiaoqi shook his head silently as he looked at Ning Rongrong's current state, but he didn't rush to speak. He wanted to wait for Flandre to finish his speech before stepping in.
"Talking nonsense?" Flandre sneered. He pointed to Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar, one by one, and, like in the original story, explained their conditions to Ning Rongrong.
"As for Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing, I won't say much. Their future achievements will far surpass yours."
"Regarding Su Xiaoqi, although he doesn't have soul power, I believe he has been diligently training himself. You don't seriously think an ordinary person could punch Dai Mubai and injure him, or withstand several punches from Teacher Zhao, do you?"
"Ning Rongrong, I dare say this here: if it weren't for your identity as the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you'd be nothing. No one would tolerate your annoying habits."
Ning Rongrong stood there dazed. Every word Flandre said stabbed her heart like a sharp sword. She never imagined that Oscar, whom she looked down upon, actually had innate full soul power, completely shattering her proudest belief.
Her face turned paler and paler, and suddenly she burst into tears. Just as she turned to run outside, Su Xiaoqi grabbed her.
"Crying already? I still like seeing your rebellious side just now."
Su Xiaoqi's voice was like a lifeline, giving Ning Rongrong a last glimmer of hope. She clung tightly to him, crying, "Su Xiaoqi, they bullied me."
"Uh, can you let me go first?"
Su Xiaoqi was panicking. At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's body emitted terrifying killing intent.
"Oh, okay." Feeling the killing aura as well, Ning Rongrong quickly let go of Su Xiaoqi. Without even wiping her tears, she hurriedly looked at Zhu Zhuqing and said, "Zhuqing, I didn't mean it."
Zhu Zhuqing snorted coldly and shot Su Xiaoqi a fierce glare. If it weren't for him stirring up trouble, she would have already clawed his face.
She still hadn't forgiven Su Xiaoqi for ignoring her just now, and now he was hugging another girl in front of her. Later, she definitely had to teach him a lesson, or else he might really become the next Sakata Gintoki.
Su Xiaoqi gave a sheepish smile toward Zhu Zhuqing, then looked at Ning Rongrong and said, "Is your pride really so easily shattered? What if I told you everything Dean Flandre said just now was bluffing? Would you still be like this?"
Ning Rongrong stared blankly at Su Xiaoqi, completely confused now.
The faint smug smile that had appeared on Flandre's face instantly vanished. He looked at Su Xiaoqi and said, "Kid, don't spout nonsense here. Today's class is over. You and Zhu Zhuqing can go. Be here at 7 pm for the meeting."
Su Xiaoqi smiled and said, "No rush. Our bet hasn't been settled yet. Also, I think Dean Flandre's words just now were somewhat improper. They easily hurt a young soul."
Flandre frowned. "What's improper about what I said? Even Ning Rongrong didn't refute it."
Su Xiaoqi said, "Then I'll share my personal views about Ning Rongrong. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me."
"According to Dean Flandre, Oscar is an innate full soul power food-type soul master, but he is only level 29 at age 14."
"I don't know Ning Rongrong's innate soul power level, but she was already level 26 at age 12."
"The two differ by two years in age, but only three levels in soul power. Does Dean Flandre really think Ning Rongrong won't reach level 29 by age 14?"
"You have to know this is the famous Shrek Academy. If Ning Rongrong were truly to fail her training, it wouldn't be her fault."
"As for Oscar replacing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's position among auxiliary soul masters, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."
"Although I personally really like Oscar's sausages, the reason the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has become one of the top three sects and survived to this day is because most soul masters on this continent recognize them. Otherwise, they would have long been replaced by other auxiliary soul masters."
"Finally, I want to say Ning Rongrong's role in Shrek Academy is unique and irreplaceable."
"She does need protection in battles, but the help she provides other soul masters is the most obvious. Just think—without Ning Rongrong's support, how could anyone dare attempt cross-level challenges?"
"I recall an unwritten rule on the continent: when two sides clash, if there is a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile soul master among the enemy, they must be taken out first. Doesn't this indirectly prove the importance of this type of soul master on the battlefield?"
"I can say this—if Ning Rongrong dies on the battlefield, the rest will likely follow."
After hearing this, Ning Rongrong's eyes regained their luster. She looked at Su Xiaoqi affectionately and said, "My innate soul power is level 9. From now on, if you want to know anything about me, I will tell you."
"I won't listen to others, but I will definitely listen to you."