The night that the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect's resources arrived was the night the schism at Shrek Academy solidified from a subtle crack into a gaping chasm. It was a division that could be seen, smelled, and tasted in the very air of the dining hall.
On one side of the large wooden table sat the Shrek Six, their faces grim, their spoons scraping listlessly against bowls filled with a bland, greyish porridge. It was, according to the Grandmaster's strict dietary regimen, a perfectly balanced meal designed for optimal nutrient absorption and physical recovery. It was also completely, utterly tasteless. The texture was gluey, the flavor non-existent. It was sustenance, not food.
On the other side of the table, a world away in culinary delight, sat Zhang Tian, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Before them was a feast.
A steaming platter of roasted spirit beast meat, its skin crispy and glistening, filled the air with a rich, savory aroma. There was a vibrant salad of crisp, fresh vegetables drizzled with a light, fragrant dressing. A pot of fragrant, fluffy white rice. A tureen of thick, nourishing soup, and even a small plate of delicate, fruit-filled pastries for dessert. This was the high-grade, nutritious food supplied by the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, prepared by a chef they had also dispatched to the academy.
The contrast was brutal, a tangible representation of the two different worlds now coexisting in the same shabby space.
Dai Mubai's handsome face was a thundercloud of resentment. He chewed his tasteless porridge with a furious grinding of his jaw, his gaze constantly flicking towards the other side of the table. He wasn't just angry about the food. His eyes were locked on Zhu Zhuqing.
She sat next to Zhang Tian, eating her delicious meal with a quiet, focused grace. Dai Mubai watched them, a toxic brew of jealousy and rage churning in his gut.
'Look at her,' he thought, his inner voice a venomous snarl. 'Sitting with him. Laughing at something he said. She's my fiancée! She should be sitting with me, supporting me! Instead, she's over there with that… that pretty boy. He's humiliating me. Cuckolding me in front of everyone!'
The others on his side of the table were equally miserable. Ma Hongjun looked longingly at the roasted meat, a line of drool threatening to escape the corner of his mouth. Oscar sighed dramatically, lamenting his fate. Tang San and Xiao Wu ate their porridge without complaint, their discipline unwavering, but even they couldn't help but inhale the delicious aromas drifting from the other side of the table with a hint of envy.
When the meal was finally over, the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, who had been observing the tense dinner with a dispassionate, analytical gaze, finally made his move. He stood up, his expression as stiff and unreadable as ever.
"Rongrong," he said, his use of her familiar name sounding jarringly out of place, as if a machine were attempting to mimic warmth. "A word, if you please. After you are finished."
Ning Rongrong raised a delicate eyebrow but nodded. After wiping her lips with a silk napkin, she excused herself from her friends and followed the Grandmaster out of the tense dining hall, leaving a trail of curious and worried glances in her wake.
They stood outside, under the cold light of the stars. Yu Xiaogang did not beat around the bush. He went straight to the heart of the matter, his tone that of a superior imparting unquestionable wisdom.
"I have observed the new facilities your sect has so generously provided," he began, his voice a flat monotone. "The simulation fields and the medicinal bath facilities will be of great use in accelerating the cultivation of our students."
He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "As the guiding hand of this team, I have devised a new, more intensive training regimen that will push every student to their absolute limits. However, such training will inevitably lead to muscle fatigue and internal strain. The high-quality medicinal baths your father has arranged will be crucial for their recovery, allowing them to endure this intensified training and grow stronger at a much faster rate."
He turned his bespectacled gaze upon her, his expression one of profound, logical certainty. "Therefore, for the sake of the team's overall strength, for the glory we will achieve in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Grand Tournament, it is imperative that all students have access to these recovery facilities. As a core member of this team, it is your duty to think of the collective. You should share."
His words were eloquent, his logic framed in the unassailable language of teamwork and the greater good. He was confident that the young, impressionable girl would see the wisdom in his words and agree.
Ning Rongrong stared at him for a long moment. Then, a slow, cold sneer spread across her beautiful face.
"Grandmaster," she said, her voice dripping with a saccharine sweetness that was more insulting than any shout. "Your concern for your students is truly… touching."
She let the sarcasm hang in the air for a beat. "Fine. I can agree to let some of them use the baths."
Yu Xiaogang's expression remained impassive, but he felt a flicker of triumph. His methods, as always, were effective.
"However," Ning Rongrong continued, her sweet tone turning to ice. "I will allow Tang San and his little sister Xiao Wu to use the facilities. They seem decent enough."
Her eyes narrowed, the sneer returning in full force. "But as for that sausage-selling pervert Oscar, that fatso Ma Hongjun, and especially," she spat the name like poison, "that cowardly degenerate Dai Mubai… they can forget it. They are not to set a single foot in my bathhouse. Ever."
The Grandmaster's face twitched, a crack in his emotionless facade. "Rongrong," he said, his voice taking on a faintly chiding tone. "You must not let personal feelings interfere with team dynamics. They are your classmates. Your teammates. You should not hold onto such a grudge for so long. For the team to function..."
"Grandmaster," Ning Rongrong cut him off, her voice now completely devoid of emotion, as cold and hard as a diamond. "If you continue to speak, I will find it very difficult to allow even Tang San and Xiao Wu to enjoy the medicinal baths. Do you understand?"
The threat was absolute. It was a checkmate.
Yu Xiaogang stared at her, a silent fury brewing behind his placid expression. He wanted to reprimand her, to lecture her on respect and duty, to break her stubborn pride. But he knew, with a certainty that infuriated him, that he was powerless. The resources were hers, a gift from her father. He had no authority here.
He could only choose to secure the benefit for his prized disciple. The others were secondary.
He gave a stiff, almost imperceptible nod. The conversation was over. He turned and walked away without another word, his pride wounded, his plans disrupted.
'It seems Flender will have to spend some of his own secret funds,' Yu Xiaogang thought, his mind already working on a contingency. 'A separate, inferior bathhouse for the other three. It will have to suffice. The most important thing is that Little San will have access to the best resources. That is all that matters.'
Ning Rongrong watched him go, a triumphant smirk on her face. She turned and walked back towards her friends, feeling lighter than she had in days.
She found Zhang Tian and Zhu Zhuqing waiting for her near the newly constructed simulation fields. Zhu Zhuqing's usual cold expression had softened into one of genuine gratitude.
"Rongrong," she said, her voice soft. "Thank you. For asking your father to build this Dark-attribute field for me. You didn't have to do that."
Ning Rongrong just waved a dismissive hand, a bright, happy smile on her face. "Of course I did! You're my friend! It's only natural! Besides," she added, bumping her shoulder playfully against Zhuqing's, "I want you to get stronger quickly! The stronger you are, the better it will be!"
Their moment of friendship was a warm bubble in the cool night. Zhang Tian suggested they take a walk, a quiet stroll to enjoy the soft, cold breeze that was sweeping through the grounds.
As they walked along a moonlit path, a figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking their way. It was Dai Mubai. His face was a mask of cold fury, his evil eyes blazing.
"Zhuqing!" he shouted, his voice loud and accusatory. "You shouldn't be roaming around with other men at night! It is not appropriate!" He let the words hang in the air, a clear, possessive implication in his tone.
Before any of the three could react, more figures appeared behind Dai Mubai. It was Tang San, Xiao Wu, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun. They had clearly followed him, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and a pre-emptive readiness to support their senior student.
Zhang Tian simply stared at Dai Mubai, his expression one of bored amusement. "If you wish to exert some authority over Zhuqing," he said, his voice calm and level, "perhaps you should focus on getting stronger first. Because at this moment, you are, for all intents and purposes, a dead man walking."
He took a casual step forward. "Tell me, Dai Mubai, how long do you think you have to live before your elder brother comes for you? Five years? Ten? Or will it be sooner?"
The words struck Dai Mubai like a physical blow. His face turned an ugly shade of purple. "This is a matter between me and Zhuqing!" he roared, pointing a trembling finger at Zhang Tian. "You are an outsider! You have no right to intervene!"
A slow, chilling smile spread across Zhang Tian's lips. "An outsider? That's interesting. I consider Zhuqing to be a very good friend. If even I, her friend, am an 'outsider'… then what does that make you, her estranged, coward degenerate fiancé who ran away and left her behind while enjoying his life here in this place? Not just that…You are someone whom she clearly despises so I doubt you have any authority or right to be involved with her."
The logic was a blade that gutted Dai Mubai's argument completely.
Enraged beyond reason, his mind stripped of all logic, Dai Mubai fell back on the only thing he had left: a challenge.
"You!" he snarled at Zhang Tian. "I challenge you to a spar! Right here, right now! No external weapons! Just our spirits! If you lose, you will stay away from Zhuqing forever! If you win… then I will not bother you two again!"
Zhang Tian raised a single, elegant eyebrow. He turned his gaze away from the sputtering prince and looked directly at Zhu Zhuqing, his expression one of genuine, polite inquiry.
"Zhuqing," he asked, his voice calm, "what do you think of this? Is your fiancé really putting you up as a prize in a duel? Should I go and beat him up for you?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, which had been cold, now burned with a furious, white-hot fire. She stared at Dai Mubai, her expression one of utter, profound disgust. In that moment, her last, lingering shred of hope that he could change, that he could be a worthy partner, evaporated completely.
He wasn't just a degenerate. He was no different from Ma Hongjun. He saw women not as people, but as resources, as objects to be won and possessed.
She turned her burning gaze to Zhang Tian, and her expression softened, pleading. "Beat him," she said, her voice a low, intense whisper. "Please." Then, a flicker of worry entered her eyes. "But… be careful. Give up if it gets too dangerous. His Martial Spirit is a top-tier beast spirit, and his cultivation is ten levels higher than yours."
A gentle, reassuring smile touched Zhang Tian's lips. He reached out and gently rubbed her head, his touch warm and comforting. "It will be alright," he said softly.
He then turned his casual gaze back to the fuming prince. "I accept."
In his Spiritual Sea, Ah Yin, who had remained a quiet observer for a few weeks, finally spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it carried the cold, absolute authority of an empress.
'Crush him, Zhang Tian,' she commanded. 'If you need my help, I will lend you my power.'
'There's no need for that, Ah Yin,' Zhang Tian projected back, his mind a placid lake of confidence. 'To beat a coward like this… I don't need any help at all.'
~~
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