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As expected, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were thoroughly beaten by Ye Zhiqiu.
Had Zhao Wuji not intervened in time, the two might have faced life-threatening injuries.
After all, Ye Zhiqiu had been seething with anger. Unable to vent his frustration on a behemoth like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he unleashed his full fury on the two unknown brats without restraint.
Because of his excessive force, Ye Zhiqiu's fate turned out far worse than it had in the original timeline.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were members of Shrek Academy—beating them was equivalent to slapping Shrek Academy in the face. Naturally, Zhao Wuji didn't hold back either. He shattered Ye Zhiqiu's turtle shell and tore off one of his arms!
Inside the hotel, Zhao Wuji dragged the bruised and battered Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, berating them continuously.
Hearing the commotion, the other six members of Shrek Academy stepped out of their rooms.
Seeing Ning Tianchen and Tang San, Dai Mubai cursed loudly, "Why did you abandon us during the fight? We're supposed to be a team, yet you left me and Fatso behind!"
"Mubai, don't you realize the problem lies with yourself?" Tang San couldn't help but interject.
The current eight members of Shrek Academy had no chance of uniting, so he abandoned his impractical fantasies.
How to unite Dai Mubai would have to wait until Yu Xiaogang arrived at the academy.
Ning Rongrong shot him a disdainful glance, said nothing, and turned back into the room to continue discussing matters related to joining the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect with Zhu Zhuqing.
"Go back to sleep—you're already embarrassing enough," Zhao Wuji snapped at him. "And the rest of you, go back to your rooms. We'll set out early tomorrow morning."
…
"Rongrong, what are you two talking about?" Xiao Wu, seeing them whispering intently, couldn't resist interrupting with a question.
Ning Rongrong had initially planned to recruit Xiao Wu into the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, but Ning Tianchen had vetoed the idea.
Xiao Wu was a transformed spirit beast. If she entered the sect, Chen Xin and Gu Rong would surely notice something amiss.
Moreover, she was already earmarked as Tang Hao's future daughter-in-law and a disciple of the Hao Tian Sect—it was completely impossible to recruit her.
Besides, the seemingly harmless Tang San of today was only so because Yu Xiaogang wasn't around. Once Yu Xiaogang arrived, who knew what Tang San might become?
Husband and wife follow each other's lead—Xiao Wu would inevitably side with Tang San.
In the end, they were merely passing acquaintances.
"It's nothing, Xiao Wu. Go rest first. I'm just exchanging some cultivation experiences with Zhu Zhuqing," Ning Rongrong replied.
Xiao Wu didn't think much of it and went straight to her room, collapsing onto the bed to sleep.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing was hesitating.
Joining the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect meant completely severing ties with her past. Her decision to come here in search of Dai Mubai proved that deep down, she still harbored fantasies of becoming empress.
The position of empress was supreme—a dream many women would strive for, even if their chances were as slim as one in ten thousand. For Zhu Zhuqing, who had a fifty percent chance, the allure was even greater.
"Rongrong, give me some time to think it over. I'll give you my answer in a few days," Zhu Zhuqing finally said.
Ning Rongrong knew this matter couldn't be rushed, so she didn't press further.
In another room, Ning Tianchen was also trying to recruit Oscar.
"Tianchen brother, are you serious? The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is really willing to treat me as an inner disciple and cultivate me?" Oscar asked excitedly, grabbing Ning Tianchen's hand for confirmation.
Not all inner disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were surnamed Ning. Talented external martial soul masters or auxiliary-type soul masters also had the opportunity to become inner disciples.
Oscar was the continent's only food-type soul master with innate full soul power. Within ten thousand years, no one's talent could surpass his.
"That's right. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's cultivation of its inner disciples is undoubtedly among the best on the continent. Compared to the Spirit Hall, resources within the sect don't require competition. You only need to focus on improving your strength using those resources—all other matters will be taken care of for you."
The wealth of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, distributed evenly among its disciples, amounted to one hundred thousand gold soul coins per person. Aside from management-related positions, there was almost no internal competition.
On the other hand, though the Spirit Hall was large and powerful, it had too many soul masters. When resources were divided among them, each person received only a little over a hundred gold soul coins. Thus, competition was necessary to obtain more resources.
Of course, in Ning Tianchen's view, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect operated with a landlord mentality. Over time, it would inevitably be eliminated by the changing times. Unfortunately, he currently had no way to change the sect's existing model.
After several exchanges, Oscar felt that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was truly his destined home and immediately expressed his loyalty. "Tianchen brother, I'm willing to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Could you introduce me to Elder Ning? I'd like to meet the continent's top auxiliary-type soul master."
Ning Tianchen patted his shoulder and reassured him, "No problem. Uncle Ning is kind and approachable—you don't need to worry. As for your treatment within the sect, I've only mentioned part of it. There's more that Uncle Ning will personally explain to you."
After a pause, he asked, "Oscar, I heard you came to Shrek Academy at a very young age. If you leave, what about Principal Flender and the others?"
While he genuinely wanted to recruit Oscar, he didn't want Oscar to become someone who disregarded loyalty and righteousness.
Today, he could leave Flender in pursuit of a better life. Tomorrow, he could similarly abandon the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect for another sect.
After Oscar's explanation, Ning Tianchen finally understood the situation.
When Oscar was around ten years old, he was selling sausages in Soto City when Flender noticed him and brought him to Shrek Academy.
Over the years, his food and lodging were provided by the academy.
With his cultivation as a Great Soul Master, he received a monthly stipend of ten gold soul coins. Unlike Ma Hongjun, who spent his money on red-light districts, Oscar saved every coin.
Though Flender had shown him favor, Oscar never neglected to pay his tuition and meal fees annually.
Their relationship was purely that of teacher and student—not master and disciple.
Thus, leaving Shrek Academy wouldn't pose much resistance for him.
After some thought, Ning Tianchen said, "When we leave, I'll let you know. At that time, you can come with us."
Once Oscar joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Flender would have no reason to stop him.
…
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, everyone gathered at the hotel entrance.
Ning Rongrong gave Ning Tianchen a slight shake of her head, signaling that she hadn't convinced Zhu Zhuqing the previous night.
Ning Tianchen had already anticipated this outcome.
After pondering for a moment, he deduced Zhu Zhuqing's thoughts.
When the time was ripe, he would find an opportunity to approach her again—there might still be a chance to sway her.
The bruises on Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's faces had faded somewhat.
Last night, Dai Mubai had hired a healing-type soul master to treat them.
The results seemed satisfactory.
Zhao Wuji cracked his wrists and sternly scanned the group, issuing a warning:
"All of you are here now. There are some things I don't want to repeat. If I discover anyone deliberately lagging behind or sabotaging others, don't blame me for being harsh."
"If there are no objections, let's move out now!"
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