On the small path encircling the village.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar ran side by side.
She didn't particularly dislike this physical training; Flender's words did make a lot of sense.
But the length of this lap was starting to wear her out.
She hadn't even eaten much breakfast!
Besides, there was that annoying guy next to her, constantly staring at her.
"Rongrong, are you hungry? Do you want some Sausage?"
"I have a big Sausage!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong clutching her stomach, Oscar immediately seized the opportunity, chanting a lewd spirit power incantation, and a Sausage instantly appeared in his hand, which he offered to Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong glanced at him, her eyes full of disdain.
"Get your disgusting stuff away from me, or Miss will beat you to death!"
"Hmph! Seven Treasure is famous, second only to speed!"
Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in her hand, and a streak of light attached itself to her delicate feet.
"Rongrong!"
In Oscar's bewildered gaze, she darted off towards Soto City in a flash.
Above Oscar's head, there was a black dot.
Flender flapped his wings, a slight smile on his lips; things were indeed unfolding as he had predicted.
"Oscar, you'll have to run twenty more laps then."
...
Night fell.
The seven Shrek Academy students stood on the training ground once more.
Ma Hongjun looked refreshed, while Dai Mubai's face was ashen.
Tang San's gaze swept around, a bit strange; all day today, besides the Dean, he hadn't seen any other teachers!
The others were also in high Spirits, but only Oscar was soaking wet and looked rather disheveled.
Flender glanced at Ning Rongrong, then fixed his gaze on Oscar, beginning his second step of the plan.
"Oscar, have you all finished running?"
Oscar panted, turning his head to look at Ning Rongrong, who was whispering with Xiao Wu.
"Dean, I'm finished!"
"I asked if you all finished! Not just you!"
Flender raised his voice, a hint of anger in his tone.
"We all finished!" Oscar gritted his teeth, still choosing to help Ning Rongrong out.
"Haha... Very good! Very good indeed! Your Spirit of camaraderie truly moves me. Since that's the case, you can go run twenty more laps. This time, I will have sealed your spirit power!"
Flender walked up to him, patted his shoulder, a smile on his face.
"Dean, why is this? Didn't Little Ao and the others finish running?" Tang San looked at the scene with confusion.
"Oh? Ning Rongrong, tell Tang San, did you finish running?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing someone call her, Ning Rongrong finally ended her conversation with Xiao Wu.
"No! I was too hungry, I didn't want to run!" Ning Rongrong spoke truthfully; she disdained lying.
"So you ran off to Soto City to gorge yourself and then spent the entire afternoon shopping on Commercial Street?"
Flender's anger was unconcealed; his voice suddenly became heavy and stern as he roared at Ning Rongrong!
"What is your crime!"
"Hey! Why are you shouting so loudly? I just wanted to eat a full meal, what crime have I committed?"
Flender's face turned cold. Under the night, even his eyes behind his glasses were tinged with a hint of gloom.
"Impudent! This is my Academy! Not only did you fail to follow my assigned task, but you also made your senior lie for you, causing him to be punished!"
"Your behavior of deceiving your superiors and subordinates, and abandoning your post, if it were in the military, would be an unforgivable crime, enough for you to die many times over!"
Facing Flender's overreaction, Ning Rongrong didn't humor him.
"No? Are you sick! Which eye saw me make Oscar lie? Wasn't it him being nosy? Besides, what kind of military camp is this?"
"If this were truly a military camp, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and those who go out whoring would have been beheaded long ago! And you too, I even saw you give that dead Fatty money for prostitution this afternoon!"
"Hmph! If you want to frame Miss, save your breath!"
Ning Rongrong snorted coldly. Having already been forewarned by Ye Qiu, she had already sensed that something was amiss.
This difficult task, from the very beginning, was aimed at her!
Being intelligent and quick-witted since childhood, she quickly understood.
Trying to bluff her? In your next life!
Her title of Little Devil Girl wasn't for nothing! (PS: I feel that the Little Devil Girl's combat power in the original work was too low, not worthy of this title.)
Hearing Ning Rongrong's rebuttal, Tang San and the others looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to remain unfazed even when facing a Spirit Saint.
Only Dai Mubai's face grew even gloomier, Zhu Zhuqing's contemptuous gaze making him seethe with rage!
"Impudent!"
Flender was also somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected her, pampered as she was, to be so sharp-tongued!
But it didn't matter, moving directly to the third step was also fine.
"At the very least, they will carry out the tasks I assign to the end, unlike you who refuses to be disciplined!"
"Mubai, go throw her things out of the dormitory!"
"Alright!" Dai Mubai responded, already annoyed, he was about to take action.
"How dare you! You are merely a Spirit Saint! If you dare let him touch my things, see if I don't tear down your Academy!"
Swish! Just as Xiao Wu was about to act, a black shadow moved even faster than her, blocking Dai Mubai's path.
"Get out of the way!" Dai Mubai coldly shouted.
His only response was a cat's meow; Zhu Zhuqing had already undergone Spirit possession!
Flender frowned, not expecting Ning Rongrong's popularity to be unexpectedly good.
His original intention wasn't to drive Ning Rongrong away, so he could only continue with his script.
"That's right! I am just a Spirit Saint, but I am also the Dean of Shrek Academy! I have the right to decide whether students stay or leave!"
"I cannot teach a student like you; you are not qualified to stay here!"
"Puhaha, are you confused? As the owner of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Spirit, why do you say I'm not qualified to be here?"
Ning Rongrong was almost amused to anger. Her ability to stay here wasn't already through layers of screening?
Tang San, with his better eyesight, suddenly noticed a cunning smile playing on Flender's lips, hidden in the darkness.
Very good, the conversation was proceeding exactly as he had envisioned.
His goal was almost achieved!
"Why? Because you are the worst among these seven! You will only bring shame to your number one support system Spirit, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
Flender's voice was resonant, his words sounding very convincing.
Ning Rongrong frowned.
She suddenly recalled Ye Qiu once asking her what to do if someone deliberately belittled her.
Remembering his words whispered in her ear as he held her close.
Ning Rongrong felt much more at ease, her expression relaxed, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
"You should know how much my Spirit can contribute on the battlefield, right? So tell me, why am I the worst? Why would I bring shame to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Spirit?"
"Haha... It seems you still haven't given up! Then I'll tell you now!"
Flender smiled triumphantly.
"Do you think your number one support Spirit is very strong? But with a personality like yours, would anyone be willing to protect you? If you were on the battlefield, as a support, you would be the enemy's primary target, and you would be the first to die!"
Ning Rongrong paused, suddenly wanting to laugh.
But before she could, Flender continued, pointing at Dai Mubai.
"I don't need to say much about Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. Before they arrived, Dai Mubai, who possesses the White Tiger Spirit, was the youngest Spirit Elder in Shrek Academy's history. Can you break through to Spirit Elder at thirteen years old?"
"You were also present for Tang San and Zhao Wuji's battle, weren't you? He is the same age as you, but his spirit power is much higher, and his combat power is unparalleled!"
Flender's finger then moved from Tang San to Ma Hongjun, pointing at each of them!
"And Ma Hongjun, the quality of his mutated Spirit is absolutely no worse than your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. In this regard alone, few people on the continent can compare to him! Even if he has to divert his attention to suppress his defect, his spirit power is no lower than yours!"
Flender stopped, his gaze sharp as a torch.
"How about it? Do you think you can surpass any of them?"
Tang San and the others listened blankly to Flender's words, their gazes also turning towards Ning Rongrong, their eyes filled with scrutiny.
"Haha... What about Oscar? Why did you leave him out?"
Ning Rongrong calmly pointed at Oscar, who had already recovered.
She was very calm! So calm that Flender was somewhat surprised.
He had expected Ning Rongrong to immediately retort, and then he would throw out Oscar, his trump card.
That way, he could shatter her pride in one fell swoop.
Suppressing the unease in his heart, the arrow was already on the string!
Flender scoffed.
"Have you ever heard of a support system with innate full spirit power?"
"Are you trying to say that Oscar is the one with innate full spirit power?"
Ning Rongrong's expression finally changed, looking at Oscar in the distance with surprise.
"Exactly!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's changing expression, a hint of joy flashed in Flender's eyes.
It seemed this trump card was indeed potent enough.
Only by suppressing her in the support Domain she prided herself on could he completely shatter her pitiful, stubbornly maintained pride.
Flender patted Oscar's shoulder, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Let me tell you this! Oscar is an unprecedented existence, and his future achievements are limitless. Given time to develop, he might even replace the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's position among support system Spirit Masters!"
"Pfft ha ha ha…"
Hearing Flender's words, Ning Rongrong really couldn't hold back.
She laughed so hard her waist couldn't straighten.
So, the joke Ye Qiu told about someone being able to surpass the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was actually real!
"Rongrong, are you alright?" Xiao Wu quickly walked over and helped her up.
"What are you laughing at?" Flender frowned, a strong sense of unease suddenly welling up in his heart.
"I'm laughing because you're talking nonsense!"
Ning Rongrong's voice was laced with mockery, a sneer on her lips.
"Oh? Do you think everything I said is wrong?" Flender's unease deepened. This was completely different from the scene he had imagined!
"Whether what you said is right or wrong, let Miss explain it to you!"
Ning Rongrong smoothed the strands of hair falling by her ear, looking at Flender with a confident expression.
First, she extended her index finger and pointed at Dai Mubai!
"First, let's talk about Dai Mubai! Breaking through to Spirit Elder at thirteen, that's really nothing special! Xiao Wu and Zhuqing can do it, and I can definitely do it too! As for why… I don't want to explain!"
Without giving Flender a chance to speak, she continued to point at Tang San.
"Perhaps Tang San's combat power is indeed incredibly strong, but his Spirit is a fatal flaw. A mere Blue Silver Grass, his upper limit has actually already been determined."
"And then there's your direct disciple, that Fatty. Is it interesting to deceive yourself?" Ning Rongrong looked at Flender mockingly.
"In my opinion, this Fatty will be the first to die! He won't even need to go to the battlefield. How long do you think he can suppress his evil fire? I'm afraid as his cultivation increases, he's bound to explode and die sooner or later!"
Flender's expression suddenly froze. Tang San and the others also looked at Ma Hongjun in surprise. They hadn't even thought of that point.
"And then there's Oscar! He's just a commoner Spirit Master. Even if it's true, as you said, that his potential is enough to replace the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, without others' protection… who knows what accident might happen to him someday!"
Ning Rongrong's smile was chilling, disdainful and condescending!
She once told Ye Qiu that becoming a qualified Miss was no joke; she had truly studied with Ning Fengzhi for a period of time!
Hearing her words,
Oscar's face turned pale, and Flender's expression also became unsightly.
He hadn't expected this little girl to already possess some of the demeanor and mindset of a person in power.
Ignoring their expressions, Ning Rongrong continued.
"What's more, he simply doesn't have that ability! Oscar is 14 years old and only at rank 29. I'm only 12 now, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's amplification is a proportional value that increases with spirit power. He wants to replace my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School by himself? Can he guarantee that all his descendants will have innate full spirit power? That's simply wishful thinking!"
"Furthermore, that I would bring shame to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? That's also nonsense!"
Ning Rongrong suddenly puffed out her small chest, a hint of pride on her face, her eyes occasionally drifting towards Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu's direction.
"Ye Qiu said that Miss is a genius. I have innate full spirit power at rank nine, making me the most talented person in our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's history, and I will also be the next Sect Master of one of the Upper Three Sects, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School!"
"Ye Qiu?" Flender looked at her strangely, not knowing who this person was.
Dai Mubai, however, clenched his fists directly, his eyes fixed on Zhu Zhuqing, whose expression showed a slight fluctuation.
So that wild man was called Ye Qiu!?
Tang San also trembled, looking at Xiao Wu beside him, seeing the envy in her eyes.
A burning killing intent ignited in his heart!
This child, Ye Qiu! He must be killed!
"The most, most, most ridiculous thing is that you actually said I have no one to protect me?"
A sweet smile appeared on Ning Rongrong's face, her green eyes suddenly became much brighter, and her voice softened.
"Perhaps that was true before, but since he appeared, what you said no longer exists. Ye Qiu is stronger than any of you! He will definitely protect me well! You don't need to worry about this."
After saying this, Ning Rongrong put away her infatuated expression and turned to look at Flender.
"Alright, I'm done. What do you think of what I said? Am I really the worst among the seven of us?"
"With my status, for me to come here to study, it should be Shrek's honor."
"You're simply being unreasonable! What Ye Qiu… I've never heard of this person! And my Shrek doesn't care for a Miss like you!"
Flender was somewhat exasperated out of shame.
His conclusions had been easily dismantled by this girl!
Without crushing her pride, the subsequent steps became irrelevant.
"Haha… If I'm being unreasonable? Aren't you also a liar? The youngest Elder of Spirit Hall, and someone whose status is only below the Supreme Pontiff!?"
"Bah!"
"As the Miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I've never heard of such a person. Your trickery is quite something, like an old sow wearing a bra, one trick after another!"
Ning Rongrong was completely unafraid and retorted directly.
Tang San and the others were greatly astonished, not expecting Ning Rongrong to dare say such words!
"Enough! If you don't want to stay, you can leave early! Our Shrek Academy doesn't welcome you!"
Flender roared, his aura becoming violent. If he hadn't been mindful of Ning Rongrong's identity, he probably would have made a move!
Facing the enraged Flender, Ning Rongrong, contrary to expectations, calmed down.
The tension dissipated directly, like a well-behaved student listening to earnest teachings.
"Actually, Dean, there's no need to intentionally suppress me like this. If the training you arrange is truly reasonable, Rongrong will naturally complete it on time!"
"I understand your painstaking efforts for me! I'm sure my father will also be glad that I have a teacher like you! What I said just now was indeed a bit extreme, and I can apologize to you!"
Ning Rongrong bowed slightly to Flender to express her apology.
However, she emphasized the word 'father' when she spoke it!
She had learned the principle of giving a sweet date after a stick quite well.
"You!" Flender was stunned, his aura vanishing into thin air.
His previous actions seemed to have become a joke!
He hadn't expected Ning Rongrong not to be the spoiled, unruly, and unmanageable person he had thought.
His little schemes had already been seen through by this clever little girl!
Flender gritted his teeth. Without a doubt, he cared about his reputation!
He couldn't just let Ning Rongrong go like this!
But the mention of Ning Fengzhi by Ning Rongrong clearly carried a hint of threat.
Flender's expression constantly changed, fluctuating between dark and bright. Finally, he took a deep breath and decided to throw the decision to others.
"You six, raise your hands if you agree to let Ning Rongrong stay!"
Flender quietly looked at the other six, a bitter smile on his lips.
Heh, he couldn't bring himself to expel her, nor could he bring himself to keep her.
So, letting these students decide should be fine, right?
Even if they really made Ning Rongrong leave, would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School really bother with a few children?
If Ning Rongrong didn't leave, it wouldn't affect anything either. His original intention wasn't to force Ning Rongrong away!
Hearing his reply, Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up!
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing immediately raised their hands without hesitation, followed by Tang San and Oscar, who hesitated for a moment.
Finally, even Ma Hongjun wanted to raise his hand, but after seeing Dai Mubai's gloomy face, he gave up.
The reason he wanted to raise his hand was simply because he felt that Flender didn't want Ning Rongrong to leave either.
But the result seemed to be the same whether he participated or not, so he simply stayed with Dai Mubai!
"Four to two!" Flender calmly looked at the result. "Since that's the case, then you can stay!"
"Thank you, Dean!"
"No need, you should thank them instead. In the future, you will become an inseparable team!"
Flender stood with his hands behind his back, not forgetting his most fundamental goal.
To make the team more cohesive and perfect…
But Dai Mubai's reaction made him discover a new problem!
"Then thank you all!"
Ning Rongrong giggled, as if she had won a battle, looking at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
Since both of them were still here, she didn't want to leave!
"Alright, today's farce should end!" Flender spoke with a hint of weariness.
"Follow me! I'll take you for tonight's training!"
Extra update, large chapter.
Five thousand four hundred words.
Explosive update of ten thousand words, wishing everyone a pleasant life!
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