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Ning Tianchen glanced at Tang San and said in a neutral tone, "Tang San, do you even believe your own words? Or do you think I'm deaf?"
"Step aside. Today, I'll see just how much courage Dai Mubai has to lay a hand on Rongrong!"
With a flick of his wrist, the Seven Kill Sword martial soul returned to his hand.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar stood firmly behind Ning Tianchen, both activating their martial souls simultaneously.
For Oscar, although he had spent a lot of time with Dai Mubai, he hadn't been spared from being bullied by him. As for Ning Tianchen, though they had only known each other for a few days, during today's spirit battle, the latter had placed complete trust in him, giving him unprecedented respect.
As he had said—good brothers shared both hardships and blessings!
"Little Ao, you—"
In the end, Dai Mubai didn't have the guts to make a move.
Recalling the scene from the entrance exam, Ning Tianchen had forced Zhao Wuji to reveal his true martial soul form. If it were him, how could he possibly stand a chance against Ning Tianchen?
The earlier threats he had made to Ning Rongrong were only because he thought the latter wasn't around.
"Hmph, freshmen thinking they can overturn the world—how amusing," Dai Mubai sneered inwardly as he walked toward Soto City.
Needless to say, tonight's venting spot had shifted to the red-light district.
"Hmph, at a time like this, instead of reflecting on his mistakes, he goes to such places. Truly beyond redemption," Xiao Wu muttered softly in disapproval.
Tang San looked toward Ning Tianchen and sighed deeply. "Ning Tianchen, why are you fanning the flames here?"
Ning Tianchen glanced at him and snorted. "Tang San, drop your schemes. The tactic of suppressing one while elevating another should never be used on Rongrong. Today, for Xiao Wu's sake, I won't hold it against you—but don't count on the same leniency in the future!"
With that, he led Ning Rongrong and Oscar into the academy with confident strides.
In the original timeline, Tang San had first suppressed Ning Rongrong to stabilize the morale of the others. Later, during the Spirit Beast Town incident, he spoke up for her, completely winning her loyalty.
It had to be said—Tang San was truly skilled at manipulating people's hearts.
Xiao Wu came to Tang San's side and whispered, "Third Brother, why did you defend that lecherous tiger? That guy is utterly hopeless. When faced with tough opponents, he's nothing but a coward who doesn't even have the courage to fight back."
Tang San let out a long sigh. "I only wanted to prevent the situation from escalating further. If Rongrong brings up the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it will push Zhu Zhuqing and Mubai to a complete break. Both Principal Flender and our teacher have said that we're a team—a team that can trust each other with our backs turned."
Xiao Wu pouted, unconvinced. "Third Brother, Rongrong wasn't wrong either. Zhu Zhuqing already wants to dissolve her engagement with that lecherous tiger."
"Besides, that lecherous tiger isn't a good person either. I remember we only need seven people for the spirit battles. Why not kick him out? The six of us plus one more would be enough. After all, he's already offended everyone."
Tang San gave her an affectionate look. "Xiao Wu, let's not discuss this any further. Tomorrow, let the principal handle it."
"We've officially started school now. Our next goal is to quickly break through to level thirty."
On the other side, Ning Rongrong sat on a rock at the edge of the large training ground, visibly angry.
"That lecherous tiger has infuriated me! Big brother Tianchen, let's take Zhu Zhuqing and Oscar and return to the sect together. Who cares about this stupid Shrek Academy—let whoever wants to stay remain here."
She had completely lost hope in this place.
What kind of academy could produce someone like Dai Mubai?
And then there was Tang San, whose sense of fairness was completely skewed. She had even invited him to share a carriage with her once.
"Rongrong, isn't this the place you wanted to come to? If you go back now, aren't you afraid Uncle Ning will send us to the Tian Dou Imperial Academy?" Ning Tianchen asked with a smile.
If he didn't ensure that Tang San lost the opportunity to gain the Eight Spider Leg Bone Soul Ring, his heart wouldn't rest easy.
"This…" Ning Rongrong was momentarily speechless.
Ning Tianchen continued, "Let's stay for another six months at most. If Shrek Academy hasn't changed by then, we'll return to the sect together."
"Alright. Big brother Tianchen, if you hadn't rushed back just now, I really don't know what I would've done." As she spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Ning Tianchen moved closer and pulled her into his arms. "Rongrong, even if you're forced to apologize, when I return, I'll make Tang San and Dai Mubai kneel before you and apologize for an entire day and night."
"Big brother Tianchen is the best!" Ning Rongrong leaned into his chest.
After a moment, Ning Tianchen spoke. "It's already late at night. Go back and rest early—we have class tomorrow."
"Okay."
The two parted ways.
Back in the dormitory, Ning Rongrong exchanged words with Xiao Wu for a while.
Zhu Zhuqing expressed guilt over Ning Rongrong's ordeal, while Xiao Wu was simply angry and apologized for Tang San's behavior.
Since they were all classmates, Ning Rongrong naturally didn't hold any grudges against them.
Later, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong chose to meditate instead of sleeping.
Xiao Wu, as a transformed spirit beast, didn't need to work hard in the early stages of cultivation. Her rate of progress wasn't much slower than that of a genius with full innate soul power who trained diligently.
Thus, she chose to enjoy a good night's sleep.
…
"Tianchen brother, how did you break through the level thirty bottleneck back then? I've been stuck at level twenty-nine for some time now and can't seem to find the breakthrough," Oscar asked dejectedly.
For a genius with full innate soul power, level twenty-nine shouldn't pose a bottleneck, yet he couldn't advance.
Ning Tianchen, of course, knew the reason.
Breaking through soul power levels required the soul master's own insights.
During Shrek Academy's instruction of Oscar, they mostly had him practice running and rarely focused on cultivating his martial soul.
Lacking personal insight, he needed to draw from the experiences of others. Food-type soul masters were rare, and since Oscar wasn't from a prominent family, he had no prior experience to rely on.
As for Shao Xin, he was purely a background character. Before Shrek Academy merged with Bluebora Academy, he hardly participated in teaching, offering very little guidance to Oscar.
After searching his mind for a moment, Ning Tianchen spoke. "You shouldn't rush right now. Instead, calmly focus on cultivating your soul power."
"There's something you might not know."
A soul master's cultivation speed would double when training in a location that resonated with their martial soul's attributes. The simulated training fields in advanced soul master academies were based on this principle.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon occupied Thunder Gorge—not only to raise spirit beasts but also because it was an excellent training ground for them.
"So, I suggest you go to the kitchen. Your cultivation speed there will increase significantly."
Based on the original timeline's progression, Oscar would advance tomorrow morning. It seemed that he was only one step away from breaking through.
Sending him to the kitchen to cultivate would greatly reduce the time needed for the breakthrough.
"I vaguely remember Teacher Shao Xin mentioning this once—I must've forgotten. Good brother, thank you for reminding me."
After expressing his gratitude, Oscar hurried toward the kitchen under the cover of night.
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