Chapter 82: Qin Shuang
After Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo left, Yang Xiong let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived. That night, while Yang Xiong was meditating, someone suddenly appeared in his room. It was Sword Douluo, and judging by his expression, which was as cold as frost, things didn't seem to be going well.
The next morning, when the class began, everyone was surprised to see Yang Xiong. He looked absolutely miserable, limping and bruised, as though he had been beaten up.
However, in addition to the usual Shrek teachers and students, there was a new girl present for the training.
This girl was around 1.75 meters tall, noticeably taller than Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu. She had an hourglass figure and was very beautiful, though she appeared a bit stronger in build than Ning Rongrong. Her attire gave off an "older sister" vibe.
Everyone was puzzled by her presence, as Shrek usually trained in a group of eight. How had an extra person of their age shown up?
Ning Rongrong, however, was pleasantly surprised. "Shuangshuang, what are you doing here?"
The girl, who had previously maintained a neutral expression, seemed happy upon seeing Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, I'm also here to attend Tiandou Royal Academy."
Flender cleared his throat. "I need to announce two things this morning. First, after discussions with the three members of the Academic Committee, we have officially become the second team of Tiandou Royal Academy. Our team is named Tiandou Royal Academy Shrek Battle Team. This means that, for the upcoming Advanced Soul Master Tournament in a year and a half, we'll be competing as the second team."
"You should all know that your opponents will be very strong, so you need to train hard. No one can afford to slack off."
The crowd cheered. As Soul Masters, everyone wanted to prove themselves, and the full name of the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition," was a grand event that brought together young elite Soul Masters from all over the Douluo Continent. As long as they performed well, they would gain recognition across the continent.
Flender continued, "Second, to participate in the Soul Master Tournament, we need seven main players and four substitutes. After our selection and recommendations, we've added a new substitute player. Of course, this applies to all of you eight. You still need to compete for the main spots. If your strength is insufficient, you might end up as substitutes."
The group didn't look discouraged. On the contrary, they were all eager, since everyone present had high talent and worked hard. They were all confident in their abilities.
Flender turned to the new girl. "Let me introduce her. This is our new substitute member, her name is Qin Shuang. From now on, we'll train together, and I hope everyone gets along well."
"Qin Shuang, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Since the morning assembly, the boys had been staring at the new girl, mainly because she was so stunning. Her "older sister" vibe was a killer to young boys like them.
Qin Shuang stood up. "Hello everyone, my name is Qin Shuang, I'm twelve years old, and I'm a 27th-level power-type battle soul master with the martial soul Great Strength King Kong Bear."
Except for Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong, no one knew anything about Qin Shuang.
In fact, Qin Shuang had grown up in the same class as Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong. She had been the only student in their class with innate soul power at level seven.
When they graduated, Qin Shuang's soul power had already reached the peak of level 25, making her one of the highest-ranked students after Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong.
Qin Shuang had lost both parents at a young age and was raised by the sect. She had always trained diligently, and it was Yang Xiong who had suggested to Ning Fengzhi that she be sent to Tiandou Royal Academy.
Originally, Ning Fengzhi hadn't planned on sending Qin Shuang to Tiandou Royal Academy. Talented individuals raised by the sect were supposed to be the backbone of the sect's future, and they were usually placed in Seven Treasure Academy.
After Yang Xiong's suggestion, Ning Fengzhi had agreed and personally contacted Flender. Otherwise, Flender and the others would never have accepted anyone into their team without careful consideration.
On the Douluo Continent, the number of female Soul Masters was significantly lower than male Soul Masters. Some exceptionally talented female Soul Masters were considered very precious. This was particularly true for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where direct descendants' partners had to be battle Soul Masters. Ning Fengzhi had clearly placed great importance on Qin Shuang.
In the eyes of Flender and the other teachers, the upcoming Soul Master Tournament was merely a training exercise for all the students. While the Shrek students had good fighting abilities, their soul power levels were still too low for an actual high-level Soul Master academy's battle team.
What they were more focused on was the next Soul Master Tournament, where everyone would be around twenty years old. With the talent and hard work of the current students, they should all be at Soul Master rank, and some may even reach Soul King.
Qin Shuang, who was the same age as Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong, had great talent and strength. With her current abilities, she could certainly reach Soul Master rank in the next tournament, which was one of the reasons Flender and the others had agreed to bring her in.
Flender had specifically arranged a match between Qin Shuang and Zhu Zhuqing. Although Qin Shuang lost in the end, her performance was still impressive.
The two were around the same age, and their match was closely contested. It took over ten minutes for Qin Shuang to lose, which showed that her main disadvantage was in battle experience.
After the morning training, Yang Xiong patted Oscar on the shoulder. "Oscar, I've got her for you. It took me a lot of effort, so now it's up to you to work hard."
Oscar was overjoyed. "Brother Xiong, I won't let you down."
Yang Xiong sighed helplessly. Although Qin Shuang and Ning Rongrong were classmates, she was another kind of oddity in their class.
Although she was a girl, her character was very tough. She usually appeared cold and aloof, and except for Ning Rongrong, she didn't interact much with the others. Many boys who had shown interest in her had been beaten up by her.
Unexpectedly, Tiandou Royal Academy had originally arranged a separate dormitory for Qin Shuang, but she chose to move into Ning Rongrong's small villa instead. Every time Yang Xiong wanted to spend time alone with Ning Rongrong, he was met with Qin Shuang's fierce glare.
Yang Xiong sighed helplessly. He had made all these plans, but somehow ended up bringing trouble to himself.
After Oscar had pursued Qin Shuang for several days, he was eventually beaten up by her, and came to Yang Xiong to complain.
"Brother Xiong, is Qin Shuang too difficult to deal with? She won't even talk to us boys, except for a few girls. It seems like she has no interest in finding a boyfriend."
Yang Xiong patted Oscar's shoulder. "Oscar, you're not that young anymore. What kind of partner do you want in the future?"
Oscar thought for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of lecherousness. "Well, Brother Xiong, I'm not asking for much. I just want a prettier one."
Yang Xiong gave Oscar a knock on the head. "Look at you. I brought her here for you, and I expect you to be serious about it. If you just want an ordinary girlfriend, there are plenty of beautiful girls at Tiandou Royal Academy. I heard Ma Hongjun is about to hook up with a beautiful girl."
"But I think you should think longer term. You're a food system Soul Master, so your partner should ideally be a battle Soul Master, and one who's very strong. That way, whether you're out training or just living, at least someone will protect you."
"The most important thing is, you should want your future partner to grow with you. Qin Shuang has innate soul power at level seven, and with her talent, she could reach Soul Sage or even Title Douluo in the future. You wouldn't want a partner who's weaker than you, would you?"
Oscar hesitated for a moment before speaking. "But yesterday when I talked to Qin Shuang, she said she wants to find a boy who's stronger than her."
Yang Xiong sized Oscar up, shaking his head. "Oscar, it seems like you still lack some experience. Strong girls will admire strong people. If you want to pursue her, you'll need to make yourself stronger."
Oscar was puzzled. "But I'm just a food system Soul Master with no combat power. How can I compare to her?"
Yang Xiong smiled slightly. "Actually, I have a way to give you combat power, but it's a little too early for you. When you reach the fifth or even sixth ring, I'll tell you."
"Before that, you need to train hard and improve your soul power, and also strengthen your body."
"Also, you should know that I've created the Spiral Technique. Every Soul Master can learn it, and if you're strong enough in the future, I'll teach it to you."
Oscar was a bit confused. "Brother Xiong, why don't you just teach me the Spiral Technique now? That way, I'll have combat power."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "The Spiral Technique isn't that simple. It involves many details, especially high requirements for mental power, and you need to practice other secret techniques as well. I can't teach you until you reach the Soul King level. Haven't you seen that I haven't even taught it to Rongrong yet?"
Oscar: ...
After Oscar left, Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. He truly considered Oscar a friend, or else he wouldn't have helped him so much. Especially this time, bringing Qin Shuang to Tiandou Royal Academy, it was clear that both Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were reluctant to part with her.
In fact, of all the people in Shrek, Yang Xiong had the closest relationship with Oscar. No matter the time, Yang Xiong, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong had formed a small circle.
Oscar was not only talented but also quite smart. He could understand things with just a little hint, and most importantly, he had a good character.
Originally, Yang Xiong had a more straightforward personality, always considering his actions carefully and not liking to interact much with others. Oscar, however, was more refined, and their personalities complemented each other.
When Ning Rongrong found out that Yang Xiong was planning to introduce Qin Shuang to Oscar, this little devil almost flipped the walls.
"How dare you, Yang Xiong, try to set up my good sister? Don't you know that Shuangshuang is very strong? You're pushing her into a fire pit!"
Yang Xiong laughed. "If Oscar wasn't so outstanding, I wouldn't bother with this. What do you think of Oscar?"
Ning Rongrong rubbed her chin, thinking for a long time before speaking. "Big Sausage Uncle is good in many ways, but he's just a food system Soul Master, and his soul skills are too... disgusting. Especially the way he looks at those pretty female students, it's so sleazy."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but pinch Ning Rongrong's small ear. "You've been with Oscar for so long, and you still don't understand his character? In terms of talent, effort, and even mindset, he's much stronger than those young disciples from our sect. Not to mention, in terms of looks, he's one of the rare handsome men among Soul Masters."
"You and Qin Shuang are good friends, so you should think more about her. Oscar has a 90% chance of becoming a rare food system Title Douluo."
Ning Rongrong pouted. "You think too much. I feel like you're being unfair to Shuangshuang. It seems like both Oscar and Shuangshuang have fallen into your trap."
Yang Xiong thought for a while and couldn't help but sigh. "A trap? Maybe this is the best choice for them."
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10