Zhu Zhuqing's breath hitched as she stared at Ning Rongrong, her heart hammered against her ribs, a mixture of disbelief and genuine terror warring in her eyes.
Not only had this spoiled young mistress dared to belittle a Spirit Saint, their Dean Flender, whose cultivation base of Level 78 was a monumental achievement that would make him an honored guest amongst even the most powerful Noble Houses, but she had actually injured him!
Flender, a veteran Spirit Master of the highest order, was still gingerly holding his right shoulder, the sleeve of his once pristine robe now slightly singed and blackened from the attack.
Before he could even react, the sudden, sweeping bind of the "Hainawa", as she called it, had constricted him, forcing him to drop his guard.
She then followed it with an attack, the speed and sheer piercing force of the incantation she called "Byakurai" had been terrifyingly precise.
If Flender did not break free from the binding and used his Spirit Power to shield himself, he wouldn't just suffer minor injuries.
Those spirit skills, which Flender was sure are Self-Created Spirit Skills, possessed capabilities far beyond what a typical auxiliary Spirit Master should be capable of.
Is the foundation of Seven Treasure Sect really this deep? They possessed such a powerful self-created skills that they even passed it down to their heiress?
The other students were frozen.
Tang San's eyes were wide, the Blue Silver Grass spirit in his body trembling subconsciously at the sheer destructive potential he had just witnessed.
Xiao Wu looked utterly stunned, her hands covering her mouth.
Ma Hongjun's trademark arrogance had completely evaporated, replaced by a look of profound shock.
Dai Mubai looked pale. He was the eldest and strongest, yet he knew with cold certainty that he would not have been able to react any better than Flender.
Flender, his face a complex mixture of humiliation, anger, and stark fear, stared at the haughty, arrogant Ning Rongrong.
The girl had just publicly demonstrated power that completely belied her age and Spirit Master role, and in doing so, had completely humiliated him.
He mentally cursed his own foolish pride. Why, why did he think provoking this devil in a doll's body was a good idea?
He had been utterly humiliated. He, the legendary 'Four-Eyed Owl', an apex predator in the Spirit Master world, had been injured and mocked by a mere twelve-year-old girl.
And the worst part? If he tried to retaliate or even seek justice, he was absolutely certain that the power behind her, the Seven Treasure Sect, would not just destroy him, but would utterly annihilate his beloved Shrek Academy and everyone in it.
He could only swallow this bitter, agonizing pill.
He adjusted his glasses, forcing his expression into one of strained composure.
Just as the tension in the dusty courtyard reached its breaking point, a loud, cheerful call shattered the silence.
"Rongrong!"
Flender whipped his head around. He saw a boy, seemingly around twelve years old, with bright, unruly orange hair and earnest brown eyes, suddenly running towards them from the direction of the academy gate.
He was dressed in simple, but neat, dark clothes.
Flender's forced composure broke.
What in the nine hells?! He roared internally.
Why did a random, completely unauthorized kid just appear in the middle of a restricted academy grounds?!
Where are the gate guards?! Are those staffs I hired just for show?! As Spirit Emperors and Spirit Kings, they should be ashamed of themselves!
Before Flender could properly unleash his wrath on his absent staff, his attention was pulled back to the sight before him.
Ning Rongrong's eyes, which had been narrowed with condescending arrogance just moments before, widened in genuine shock.
Then, in an instant that defied belief, her entire demeanor shifted.
The proud, imperious face melted away, replaced by an expression of bright, cheerful innocence, radiating a pure, guileless joy.
"Kazui!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed, her voice losing its sharp edge and gaining a childlike lilt as the orange-haired boy, Kazui, launched himself at her in a warm hug.
"I'm so glad! You can finally go outside the Soul Society!" she chirped, hugging him back tightly. "Did your father or mother finally let you out?"
Kazui broke the hug, looking down with a slightly embarrassed flush.
"No, actually," he mumbled, scuffing the dirt with his shoe. "I... I sort of snuck out of my home."
Ning Rongrong giggled, a sound that made the rest of the Shrek students stare in utter bewilderment. "Oh, you're so naughty! But I snuck out also, so we're the same!"
Kazui chuckled at that, the tension in his shoulders easing.
He then turned his attention to Flender, his brown eyes focusing on the singed shoulder and the Dean's haggard expression.
"But, Rongrong," he asked, tilting his head with innocent concern, "What happened to him? And why did you fire a Kido? That was actually how I managed to find you—I felt the release of reiatsu from this place."
Ning Rongrong blinked, then nodded brightly. "Oh! Well, if that's the case, I'm glad I used Kido!"
She then pointed a dismissive finger at Flender. "And don't worry about him, Kazui. He's a 'mighty' Spirit Saint after all. It's nothing he can't handle."
The emphasis she put on 'mighty' was dripping with sarcasm that only Kazui seemed oblivious to.
"Instead of that," she continued, grabbing his hand excitedly, "What did you plan to do, now that you're out? If there's nothing, you can stay here with me and be a student like me! It'll be so much fun!"
Kazui tilted his head again, turning his gaze toward the imposing figure of Flender, whom he logically assumed was a teacher or the head of the place due to his sheer strength.
"Can I?" he asked Flender, his voice polite and hopeful.
Flender, suddenly put on the spot and desperate to regain some shred of authority and dignity while not incurring the wrath of Ning Rongrong's terrifying network, put his hands behind his back, forcing a posture that looked mysterious and profound.
"Hmph," he grunted, adjusting his glasses. "Shrek Academy only accepts 'monsters.' We demand excellence that borders on the unnatural."
He gave Kazui a piercing look, completely unaware of the irony of lecturing the boy on 'monsters' while standing next to the girl who had just soundly injured him.
"If you are not at least Level 25 at the age of twelve, then even if Ning Rongrong is backing you, I won't let you enter this academy."
Kazui simply nodded, his expression completely unfazed by the Dean's bombast.
He raised his hand, and with a soft flash, two spirit rings materialized and spun around his body.
The first was a bright yellow hue.
The second was also a bright yellow hue.
"Oh," Kazui said innocently, completely missing the collective gasp that erupted from the Shrek Seven Devils. "There's no problem then, Mr. Teacher. I am Level 29, a Spirit Grandmaster."
Flender's jaw fell open, his eyes practically bugging out of his face as he stared at the boy's two hundred-year spirit rings.
Level 29 at age twelve!
The boy was completely qualified to join and be hailed as a monster!
He coughed, "Well, since that's the case. Just pay the ten gold coin enrollment fee and I'll handle your enrollment."
"Oh," Kazui nodded and was about to reach out to his space ring when Rongrong raised her hand to stop him.
"No need, I'll pay." Ning Rongrong extended her arm, and the ring on her finger flickered for a moment before ten gold coins appeared on her palm. "Here you go."
Flender took the gold coins, feeling envious that this kid was actually able to make the young heiress of such a powerful sect to pay for him.
"Let's go Kazui," Ning Rongrong grabbed Kazui's hand, "You can stay in my room, just like in the old days!"
"Okay." Kazui grinned.
Flender blinked, before turning towards the two kids and warned them, "Hey! Boys aren't allowed in the girls' dorm! Obey the rules!"
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes, "Nonsense! I'll pay you a hundred gold to let him stay with me. Besides, he won't go to other rooms, just mine."
Flender immediately looked righteous, "Rules are made to be broken. As a Spirit Master, if you are afraid to break the rules, then how are you different from ordinary people?"
Ning Rongrong stared at him with a disdainful look, but completely ignored him and walked away with Kazui, leaving behind Flender and the others.