The clearing, which moments before had been a stage for a world-altering business deal, now returned to the simple intimacy of a family reunion. With the weighty matters concluded, Ning Fengzhi's gaze softened as he looked upon his daughter, the sharp edge of the sect leader replaced by the gentle concern of a father.
"Rongrong, my dear," he began, his voice warm. "Tell me honestly, how have you been living here at this Shrek Academy? The environment is… lacking. Are you certain you wish to continue staying here? You can always return to the sect with us. No one would fault you."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin snorted, his sharp gaze sweeping over the shabby huts in the distance. "Hmph. Lacking is an understatement, Fengzhi. This place is a hovel. She should come home."
Ning Rongrong, however, just shook her head, a stubborn glint in her eyes. "No, Daddy. It's true that this place is terrible compared to home. But I'm going to stay."
"But why?" Bone Douluo Gu Rong asked, his voice a dry rustle of concern. "What is here that you cannot find at home?"
Ning Rongrong's lips curled into a disdainful sneer as she thought of some of her new classmates. "The teachers here are mostly arrogant fools, especially that 'Grandmaster'," she said, spitting the title out like a bad taste. "But the students… they're unexpectedly talented. Though some of them," she added, her voice dripping with contempt, "are absolute degenerates."
"There's Oscar, the one with the sausage spirit, and that fatso Ma Hongjun. And then there's Dai Mubai," she said his name with particular venom. "They're utterly promiscuous. It seems like they'd look at any girl between the age of six and sixty with the same lecherous eyes. They're disgusting."
The casual disgust in her voice sent a chill down her father's spine. Ning Fengzhi's expression hardened, and a cold, protective fury flashed in the eyes of the two Titled Douluos.
"Rongrong," Chen Xin said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "You should be careful around those three. If any of them dare to lay a hand on you, you use the weapons that boy gave you. Do not hesitate. Aim to cripple."
"Uncle Sword is right," Ning Fengzhi added, his gentle demeanor gone, replaced by the cold authority of a sect leader. "Your safety is most important." In his mind, a decision was already made. 'The moment I return, I will dispatch Elder Shi and Elder Li. Two Spirit Douluos. They should be stationed in the Suotuo City and watch over Rongrong in secret. If anyone dares to harm a single hair on her head, they will vanish without a trace.'
Ning Rongrong nodded, appreciating their concern. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face. She thought about telling them, about revealing the vile threat Dai Mubai had made against her life. The words were on the tip of her tongue.
'If I tell them, Daddy and my grandpas will flay him alive. They'll subject him to a torture worse than death before finally killing him.' The thought was satisfying, but it felt… incomplete. It would be their revenge, not hers.
'Zhang Tian said he had a plan,' she remembered, his calm, confident voice echoing in her mind. 'He promised to make Dai Mubai suffer in the worst way possible. His revenge will be more thorough, more… personal.' Her trust in Zhang Tian was absolute. She would let him handle it.
So, she kept the secret locked away. "Don't worry," she said brightly. "I have another friend here, besides Zhang Tian. Her name is Zhu Zhuqing. She's strong and very serious. We look out for each other."
Satisfied for the moment, the trio decided to take a short tour of the academy with their princess, their powerful presence turning the shabby grounds into a royal court. As they walked, they inevitably ran into the rest of the student body, who had been drawn out by the lingering aura of power.
Dean Flender, seeing the three legendary figures approaching, felt his legs go weak. He practically sprinted forward, bowing deeply. "Sect Master Ning! Sword Douluo! Bone Douluo! An honor! A great honor to have you visit our humble academy!" Zhao Wuji and the other teachers quickly followed suit, their expressions a mixture of awe and terror.
Only Yu Xiaogang remained aloof, offering a stiff, almost imperceptible nod, as if greeting equals, an act of arrogance that the two Titled Douluos noted with cold amusement.
The Shrek students gathered behind their teachers, their eyes wide. Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar stared at the visitors, feeling the immense, suffocating pressure of their spirit power. Zhu Zhuqing, standing slightly apart, simply observed.
As Xiao Wu stepped forward, a subtle message flowed from Chen Xin to Ning Fengzhi. 'Fengzhi, the girl with the scorpion braid. That's her. The hundred-thousand-year-old beast.'
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered towards Xiao Wu for a fraction of a second, his expression unchanging, but he logged the information. 'Interesting. So, this is Tang Hao's target.'
Xiao Wu, completely unaware that her secret had been so easily pierced, felt a wave of relief wash over her. 'Phew. They're not looking at me. They don't know. I'm safe.'
Ning Fengzhi addressed Flender, his voice polite but carrying the weight of his station. "Dean Flender, we merely came to visit our Rongrong today. We also concluded a most… fruitful discussion with young friend Zhang Tian regarding some of his inventions."
The mention of the deal made Tang San's eyes narrow. He could not let this opportunity pass. He could not allow Zhang Tian to monopolize the attention and resources of such a powerful sect.
Stepping forward, his expression proud and confident, he spoke up, his voice clear and strong. "Sect Master Ning, if you are interested in unique weapons, perhaps you would be interested in mine as well."
Ning Fengzhi raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh? And what weapons might those be, young man?"
Tang San's chest puffed out slightly. This was his moment to shine, to display the superiority of the Tang Sect's legacy. He reached into his Twenty-Four Moonlight Bridges and, with a series of practiced, flashy movements, produced his creations.
"This," he announced, holding up a small, intricate device strapped to his wrist, "is the Silent Sleeve Dart. Capable of firing poisoned needles silently and unexpectedly."
He then brought out a larger, more complex crossbow. "And this is the Godly Zhuge Crossbow. It does not need to be reset manually. It can fire forty-eight crossbow bolts in a single, rapid barrage before needing to be reloaded. Its power is enough to threaten a Four-Ringed Spirit Ancestor."
He continued, showcasing a Tense Back Flower Adornment Crossbow, explaining its mechanics and firing a few demonstration shots into a nearby tree, the bolts sinking deep into the wood with a series of satisfying thwumps.
His classmates stared in awe. Even the teachers were impressed.
"Such intricate mechanisms!" Flender breathed. "Little San, you are truly a genius of mechanics!"
Yu Xiaogang allowed a rare, smug smile to touch his lips. 'As expected of my disciple. His talents are multifaceted. This is true genius, not the crude, explosive tools of that other boy.'
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong examined the weapons. They were indeed impressive. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the mechanisms clever. They were less powerful, less brutally effective than Zhang Tian's firearms, but they possessed an elegance and subtlety that was remarkable.
"A fine craft indeed, young man," Ning Fengzhi said, a genuine note of appreciation in his voice. "I am interested. Would you be willing to sell the blueprints for these weapons to my sect?"
The question was a test. And it was one Tang San immediately failed.
His proud expression turned ugly. "Sect Master Ning," he said stiffly, a tone of self-righteous refusal in his voice. "The blueprints are the secret legacy of my sect. They cannot be given to outsiders. However," he offered, as if it were a great concession, "I can craft them for you. Your sect will provide the necessary rare materials, and I will personally handle the final, crucial assembly."
Ning Fengzhi's smile faded. He frowned, his polite interest replaced by a cool, business-like dismissal. He shook his head.
"Then I am afraid we cannot conduct this trade," he said simply. "Our sect requires the ability to produce such tools for all our disciples. Relying on a single craftsman, no matter how skilled, is inefficient. We will be focusing our resources on developing the weapons based on the designs provided by young friend Zhang Tian."
Tang San felt a hot flush of anger and humiliation. Rejected. And for what? For those crude, loud, artless firearms? He saw it as a personal insult, a dismissal of the centuries of genius that had gone into the Tang Sect's designs. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain silent as he put his precious hidden weapons away, his heart simmering with resentment.
Ning Fengzhi's attention had already moved on. He turned back to Flender. "Dean Flender, while visiting my daughter, I couldn't help but notice the… austerity of your academy. The conditions are quite poor."
Flender had the grace to look embarrassed. "We are… perpetually short on funds, Sect Master."
"I see," Ning Fengzhi said with a magnanimous smile. "My Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect would be happy to help. Consider it an investment in my daughter's education. We will fund the construction of a new training facility for your academy."
Flender's jaw dropped. "Sect Master, you… you are too generous!"
"It will include a dedicated Gem-type Simulation Field," Ning Fengzhi continued, "to help Rongrong cultivate her Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Pagoda. And," he added, with a glance towards Zhu Zhuqing, "a Dark-attribute Simulation Field for her friend, Miss Zhuqing."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group. "We will also provide a regular supply of high-grade medicinal herbs for recovery baths, and the finest, most nutritious food to aid in their physical development."
A wave of excitement went through the Shrek students. This was a fortune falling from the sky!
"However," Ning Fengzhi added, his voice turning sharp and absolute, "let me be perfectly clear. These resources—the simulation fields, the medicinal baths, the high-grade food—are for the exclusive use of my daughter, Ning Rongrong, her friend Zhang Tian, and her friend Zhu Zhuqing. No one else is to touch them without my daughter's explicit permission. Am I understood, Dean Flender?"
The warning was a blade of ice. Flender nodded quickly, sweat beading on his brow. "Perfectly, Sect Master! Perfectly understood!"
The other students could only stare, their initial excitement turning to a bitter, burning envy. Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, Xiao Wu… they were excluded. They could only look on as a world of luxury and accelerated cultivation was handed to the other three.
Yu Xiaogang's face was a thundercloud. 'What?! This is unacceptable! These resources would be far better spent on Little San, the true core of this team! To waste them on a support type, a reckless boy, and that cold girl who still isn't helping with team unity… preposterous!'
He said nothing, but a plan was already forming in his manipulative mind. He would find a way. He would approach Ning Rongrong, appeal to her sense of teamwork, her "duty" to the collective, and convince her to share. He was certain he could make her see reason.
With his pronouncements made and his power displayed, Ning Fengzhi, along with the two Titled Douluos, prepared to depart. After a final, loving farewell to their princess, they soared into the sky, vanishing into the distance.
That night, the academy was abuzz with the day's events. But in their secluded clearing, a different kind of work was underway. Ning Rongrong, her heart still soaring from her father's visit and the validation of her choices, found Zhang Tian already deep in his training routine. Even though it was late, she didn't hesitate. She immediately joined him.
"Alright," he said, pausing his own practice as she approached. "We'll continue your spirit power control training for a while longer tonight. But be ready for tomorrow. We're going back to physical conditioning. And it's going to be much harder."
Ning Rongrong, who would have complained about such a prospect just a few days ago, now met his gaze with a look of fierce, unwavering determination. "I'm ready," she said, her voice firm. She would not let him down. She would become strong enough to stand by his side.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon