Another month bled away into the annals of time at Shrek Academy, a month of sweat, secrets, and a steadily deepening schism that had cleaved the student body in two.
For the Treasure Silver Civet team, it was a month of explosive growth. Zhang Tian, fueled by a nightly torrent of power from his domain and refined by the peerless Mysterious Heaven Skill, felt the bottleneck of his spirit power shatter. He had smoothly broken through to Level 28.
Their dominance in the Great Spirit Arena had become the stuff of local legend. Once a week, the three masked figures would appear, and once a week, they would leave another trio of aspiring Spirit Grandmasters broken and bewildered in their wake.
They had fought four more times, extending their undefeated streak to a staggering five consecutive victories.
Their Iron Badges now pulsed with fifteen points.
Their teamwork had evolved from a well-rehearsed plan into a fluid, instinctive dance of death.
Zhu Zhuqing was a terror on the stage. The self-created skills Zhang Tian had helped her develop were now second nature.
She moved like a phantom, a blur of black cloth and shredding claws, her attacks a seamless flow of pounces, spins, and silent, shadow-like steps. She was no longer just an assassin; she was a predator who owned the battlefield.
Ning Rongrong's progress was less flashy but no less profound. Her evasive skills had become a work of art.
She could now lead agility-type opponents on a merry chase, her movements a frustrating, unpredictable ballet that made her almost impossible to pin down.
In the privacy of their training, she had finally passed the initial, brutal stage of offensive spirit power control.
She could now reinforce her fists with enough power to crack solid stone, though she had yet to find the confidence or the opportunity to use this shocking skill in an actual battle.
More importantly, the creative, game-like training Zhang Tian had designed for her spirit control had borne miraculous fruit.
She had broken through the bottleneck that had stymied her for years, officially reaching the Four Aperture Constant Heart level of her clan's secret art.
It was a pity she couldn't fully utilize it yet; the technique allowed her to simultaneously apply two different buffs to four separate targets, but her team only had three members. Still, the leap in her control was immense.
Compared to the meteoric rise of the two girls, Zhang Tian's presence in the arena remained deliberately low-key.
He was the anchor, the quiet controller who would manifest a shield here, a binding vine there, always doing just enough to ensure their victory without revealing the true, terrifying depths of his own power.
Their physical training continued unabated, and the results were starkly visible in their toned muscles and seemingly limitless stamina.
The early morning cultivation of the Purple Demon Eye had become a cherished ritual, a secret that bound them together, their perception of the world growing sharper with every sunrise.
But the most significant development of the month was not one that could be measured in spirit ranks or arena victories.
It was a secret, hidden in the quiet darkness of the night, a bond of intimacy forged in stolen moments and shared pleasure.
Ever since that first, explosive night in the hotel, the relationship between Zhang Tian and Zhu Zhuqing had blossomed into a full-blown clandestine affair. The initial, hesitant exploration had given way to a deep, passionate intimacy.
Their nights were a thrilling, dangerous game. Zhu Zhuqing, sharing a room with the increasingly suspicious but still oblivious Ning Rongrong, had perfected the art of the midnight escape.
"I'm going to the Dark-Attribute field for some extra cultivation, Rongrong," she'd say, her voice a cool, convincing lie. "Don't wait up for me."
Then, under the cloak of darkness, she would move. Her Hell Civet spirit made her a ghost. She would slip from her window, a silent shadow flitting across the moonlit grounds, her movements making no sound, leaving no trace.
The boys' dormitory was a fortress of snoring youths, but she moved through it like a phantom, scaling the outer wall to his second-floor window and slipping inside without a whisper.
Theirs was a passion that left its mark. Zhu Zhuqing had become paranoid about bathing with Ning Rongrong, a ritual they had once enjoyed together.
She couldn't risk her friend seeing the faint, purplish love bites that now adorned the pale, perfect skin of her large breasts, or the hickeys that sometimes bloomed on the tender skin of her inner thighs
She had barely managed to pass off a particularly vicious mark on her neck as a mosquito bite, an excuse that had earned her a skeptical, narrowed-eyed look from her best friend.
Zhang Tian's own athletic body was not immune, often sporting the faint, sharp imprints of her teeth on his shoulder or the scratch marks of her passion on his back.
Her skill in pleasuring him had grown with a speed that both shocked and delighted him. What had started as clumsy, inexperienced attempts had blossomed into a confident, intuitive mastery of his body.
If not for her talented mouth, her pillowy tits, and the recent, thrilling discovery of using her soft, plump thighs to bring him to climax, he knew he would have long since lost his control and taken her completely.
The same was true for her. The raw, desperate hunger he saw in her eyes some nights was a testament to her own burgeoning needs.
If not for his skilled fingers and talented tongue, which could drive her to screaming, mind-shattering orgasms, she would have undoubtedly thrown herself at him, begging him to bury his dick deep inside her.
Their shared baths, a regular occurrence now whenever they visited the city, had become a hotbed of hedonistic exploration. She had grown to love the feeling of soaping his hard, athletic body, her hands deliberately using her large, heavy breasts to lather his chest and back, a move that never failed to drive him wild.
In turn, he would "help" her wash, his hands roaming her curvaceous body with a possessive familiarity, his fingers often finding their way between her legs, bringing her to a quick, shuddering climax under the hot, steaming spray of the shower.
Their secret encounters had escalated from twice a week to a near-nightly necessity, a shared addiction that neither of them had any desire to break. They had done everything a couple could do, stopping just short of the final, irreversible act of penetration.
"Mmmph… Zhang Tian…"
Zhu Zhuqing's soft moan was a familiar, welcome sound in the darkness of his room. She was straddling his lap, her back pressed against his chest, while he sat comfortably on a chair.
His hard, thick dick was nestled snugly between the soft, warm globes of her ass, a position they had both grown to love. His hands were free to roam, cupping and squeezing her large breasts, his thumbs teasing her erect nipples.
"Rongrong almost caught me tonight," she whispered, a thrill of danger in her voice as she tilted her head back, giving him better access to her neck. "She asked why I smelled so much like you when I came back from 'cultivating' this morning."
He chuckled, his lips pressing a series of soft kisses against her pulse point. "And what did you tell her?"
"I told her we must be using the same brand of soap," she replied, a giggle in her voice. "I don't think she believed me."
She fell silent for a moment, her body relaxing into his embrace. "She loves you, you know," she said softly. "A lot. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you." A flicker of guilt crossed her beautiful face. "I… I feel terrible for lying to her. If she knew what we were doing… she would be so angry. With both of us."
She turned in his lap, straddling him properly now, her knees on either side of his hips. Her expression was serious, pleading. "You have to become intimate with her too, Zhang Tian. Soon. And then… then you have to convince her to accept me. To share you. I'll do anything. Even if her family insists I become your concubine, I'll accept it. As long as I can be with you."
He looked at her, at the genuine desperation in her dark eyes, and his heart ached for her. He pulled her close, kissing her deeply. "You will never be a concubine, Zhuqing," he said firmly when they broke apart. "You will be my wife. Just as Rongrong will be. I will marry you both, officially. But for that to happen, I need to be strong enough that no one, not even the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, can dare to question my decisions."
He kissed her again, his hands resuming their delightful exploration of her breasts. "As for Rongrong… leave her to me. But not yet. I want her to grow a little more. After she gets her fourth spirit ring, her body will mature. Right now, she is a sweet, adorable girl. I want to enjoy this pure, sweet romance with her for a little while longer. To hold her hand, to walk with her. The time for what we have… it will come for her too."
Zhu Zhuqing let out a soft, contented moan as his fingers found her nipple and twisted it gently. "Mmm… yes… right there…" She leaned in, her voice a seductive whisper. "So you want sweet romance with her, but with me… you do all these embarrassing, perverted things."
She giggled, a low, throaty sound. "Was it really because of this body? Is that why you made me wear that waitress uniform, two sizes too small, so my stomach was showing and my tits were about to spill out? Just so you could play your little game of a wealthy merchant forcing himself on his poor, innocent waitress?"
He grinned, a wicked light in his blue eyes as he squeezed her breasts. "Your curves are a crime against the self-control of all men, Zhuqing. And yes," he admitted without a shred of shame, "seeing you in that tight little skirt, serving me food… it was one of the hottest things I've ever seen. Besides," he added, his voice dropping to a low growl as he pinched her nipples, "you're the one who started this, that night in the hotel. If you hadn't made a move, I would have behaved myself."
"Mmmph! Ahh!" she moaned loudly as he twisted her nipples harder. A deep blush spread across her cheeks. "I'm… I'm glad I did," she gasped. "Because I love this. I love helping you with your… pent-up lust. I wouldn't trade it for any sweet romance."
"Good," he growled, his lust now fully stoked. "Because I need your help right now." He shifted his hips, his erection pressing insistently against the soft mound of her pussy through their clothes. "Your thighs, Zhuqing. I want them."
She blushed but nodded eagerly. She slid off his lap and knelt before him, taking his thick, hard dick in her hands. She positioned it carefully between her soft, plump thighs and began to squeeze them together, her hips moving in a slow, grinding rhythm that made him groan with pleasure. She leaned forward, capturing his lips in a deep, passionate kiss as she worked him, her body a willing instrument for his release.
A few days later, their routine was interrupted by the arrival of a familiar, distinguished figure. An elder from the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, bearing a letter sealed with the sect master's personal crest.
Zhang Tian took the letter, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. 'It's been two months since I met with Sect Master Ning,' he thought. 'Has he succeeded? Did he manage to bring the Breaking Clan into his fold?'
He broke the seal and began to read, with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing peering over his shoulder, their heads close together.
"My dear young friend Zhang Tian," the letter began, written in Ning Fengzhi's elegant, flowing script. "I hope this letter finds you and my daughter well. I trust your training continues to progress smoothly. If you require any further resources, please do not hesitate to inform the elder who delivered this. He has been instructed to fulfill any reasonable request."
Ning Rongrong beamed, her chest puffing out with pride as her father's words praised her. "I have heard reports of your team's exploits in the Great Spirit Arena. Five consecutive victories! And I hear that my dear Rongrong's reputation as a peerless support master is growing. Her evasive skills and tactical acumen are becoming the talk of not just among the Suotuo City but also in my Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect. I am a very proud father."
The letter then turned to more serious matters. "As for the matter we discussed, I have news. After two long months of difficult negotiations, I am pleased to inform you that the Breaking Clan has officially agreed to become a subsidiary clan of our Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect. The price was high—promises of protection, assistance with spirit ring hunts, and even a few of our spare spirit bones—but they have accepted. While they will remain in Rising Dragon City for the time being, a branch of our sect has been established there to facilitate our new alliance."
"He did it!" Ning Rongrong gasped, her eyes wide with shock and admiration for her father's political skill.
The letter continued. "The Breaking Clan has already begun the process of concocting the pills we discussed, using the materials I provided. As for the knowledge you seek—their complete compendium of herbs and their alchemy methods—it is now within our grasp. I would like to formally invite you to come along with my dear daughter Rongrong, and your friend Miss Zhuqing, to visit us in Heaven Dou City. We can finalize our exchange there. You can provide us with the blueprints for your magnificent weapons, and I will hand over the legacy of the Breaking Clan."
After reading the final lines, Zhang Tian folded the letter, a deep sense of satisfaction settling over him. "Your father is inviting us to Heaven Dou City," he said to Ning Rongrong. "I think we should depart in a month's time."
"A month? Perfect!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "Oh, you'll love Heaven Dou City! It makes Suotuo look like a shabby little town! I'll show you all the best places! The food, the shops, the Grand Theatre! It will be so much fun!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the academy, a different kind of progress was being made. The Shrek Five, under the relentless, copied training regimen of the Grandmaster, were being forged in the fires of pain and gravity.
Zhang Tian had, of course, noticed them mimicking his methods. He wasn't angry. He just found it… pitiful.
'Yu Xiaogang is like a child copying an answer without understanding the question,' he thought one afternoon, as he watched them from a distance. Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu, both power-attack types, were being forced to run through a clumsy agility course.
'He doesn't understand that training must be tailored. A power attacker needs drills to enhance their explosive force and their ability to draw aggro, not to learn how to run away. That Fatty, with his slow speed, is wasting his time. And Oscar should be practicing aerial evasion with his sausages, not stumbling around on the ground. Only Tang San seems to be adapting the training to his own needs, using it to refine his control. The others are just… suffering for no reason.'
He shook his head and turned away. It was not his problem. His own methods were evolving, becoming more complex, and he had long since taken his training with the girls to more secluded locations, far from the prying eyes of the Grandmaster, and under the discreet protection of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect's hidden guardians.
Yu Xiaogang, oblivious to this silent critique, was pleased with his students' progress. Their physical bodies were undeniably stronger. He deemed their foundational training complete. It was time for the next phase.
"Your task now," he announced to his five weary students, "is to go to the Great Spirit Arena. You will fight as a team of five. Your goal is to achieve the rank of Silver Spirit Badge before the end of the year. The battles will hone your coordination and expose you to a variety of opponents. It is the perfect crucible to forge you into a true team."
He had, of course, heard about the Treasure Silver Civet's rising fame. He had not yet witnessed one of their matches, but he was certain that his own, more numerous and "properly" trained team would quickly surpass them.
The five-on-five battles would be a different world from the simple three-on-three skirmishes. His team had a proper tank, ranged support, and multiple damage dealers. It was a superior composition.
Over the next month, Zhang Tian's team continued their own arena battles, maintaining their once-a-week schedule. They fought four more matches, and they won four more times. Their victory streak now stood at a perfect nine.
Their Iron Badges were glowing, their point total at a respectable eighty-five. One more win, and the bonus for a ten-win streak would push them over the one-hundred-point threshold, earning them their Bronze Badges.
They decided to fight that final match before their departure for Heaven Dou City.
Due to their undefeated record and their mysterious, masked personas, their match was moved from the smaller side arenas to the grand Main Spirit Arena. It was a place of honor, where the stakes were higher, the crowds were larger, and the bets were astronomical.
That night, as the Treasure Silver Civet team made their way to the main stage, they were unaware that they had a very specific audience. In a private viewing box, overlooking the massive, brightly lit arena, sat the entire faculty and student body of Shrek Academy.
"Let's see for ourselves what makes this team so special," Yu Xiaogang had said, his tone one of academic curiosity, though a hint of competitive analysis burned in his eyes.
The Treasure Silver Civet team stepped onto the stage, their masked forms bathed in the brilliant glow of the arena lights.
Zhang Tian, in his crimson mask, stood with his usual calm.
Ning Rongrong, in her silver mask, waved playfully to the cheering crowd. And Zhu Zhuqing, in her black cat mask, was a vision of deadly, sensual power.
Her tight, black leather battle suit, a new gift from Ning Rongrong, clung to her body like a second skin, highlighting every breathtaking curve, her magnificent breasts threatening to spill from the low-cut neckline.
Even through the masks, their charisma was undeniable.
The fight began, and what followed was a display of combat prowess that left the Shrek contingent speechless.
Their opponents were a well-regarded team, but against the Treasure Silver Civet, they were children.
Ning Rongrong was a ghost. She moved with an ethereal, unpredictable grace, her opponent, a dedicated agility-type Spirit Grandmaster, completely unable to land a single hit.
She wasn't just dodging; she was playing with him, a contemptuous smile on her lips that was visible even through her mask.
The lessons of the past two months had transformed her from a vulnerable target into an untouchable phantom.
Dai Mubai watched from the viewing box, his face turning an ugly shade of green. The girl he had dismissed, the support master he had tried to eliminate, was now displaying a level of evasive skill that he knew, with a sickening certainty, he himself could not replicate.
But it was Zhu Zhuqing who stole the show. With Ning Rongrong's thirty percent buff to her strength and agility, she was a goddess of speed.
She didn't just fight her opponents; she dismantled them.
She took on all three of them at once, a black blur of motion that was everywhere at once. Her self-created skills flowed together in a seamless, deadly dance. She was a phantom pouncing, a shadow stepping, a reaping claw that cleared the field.
Her power was terrifying. Her speed was blinding. And her body… her body was a weapon in itself. Every leap, every spin, every kick highlighted the raw, sexual power of her form.
The tight leather strained against her large breasts and curvaceous ass, a sight that had half the men in the arena roaring with appreciation.
Dai Mubai felt a surge of possessive rage so intense it made him dizzy.
That was his fiancée, his woman, displaying her power, for the world to see. And she had become this strong under the guidance of another man.
He looked at her, at her breathtaking beauty and her terrifying strength, and for the first time, a genuine seed of fear took root in his heart. If they were to fight now, even with his spirit rank advantage… he wasn't sure he could win. Especially not if she had Rongrong's support.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun were equally cowed. "Gods," Oscar breathed. "She could take me out before I could even swallow my first sausage."
"I think… I think she could beat me in five moves," Ma Hongjun admitted, a rare note of genuine fear in his voice.
The teachers were silent, their faces grim. Yu Xiaogang's frown was a deep canyon in his stiff face. He saw the flawless coordination, the creative application of skills, the sheer, overwhelming power. His own team, with their rigid formations and predictable attacks, looked like amateurs in comparison.
Tang San, however, was not intimidated. He was ignited. He watched Zhang Tian, who stood at the back, his arms crossed, a silent conductor orchestrating this symphony of destruction. He knew. He knew that this incredible display was all because of him.
'His combat prowess is on a whole another level,' Tang San thought, his fists clenching. 'I must fight him. One on one. No teams, no support. Just me and him. My Tang Sect skills against his strange methods. My hidden weapons against his firearms. I have to know. I have to prove that my path, the legacy of the Tang Sect, is superior.'
The decision was made. The moment they returned to the academy, he would issue the challenge. A true battle, with no holds barred. He would settle this rivalry, once and for 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