Chapter 52: Great Soaring Spirit Arena

"Ugh!"

Flender was temporarily at a loss for words, but he still managed to say, "Didn't she escape unhurt? You could say you've already had your revenge, why not let go of the grudge?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Flender with eyes full of utter mockery. As expected of someone who would take in students like these; truly, he was shameless.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong both frowned, secretly wondering if they should leave this academy. What kind of people were these?

Without bothering to answer Flender further, Zhu Zhuqing turned and left Shrek Academy directly, and Flender found himself unable to stop her.

"Dean, I want to make her pay!" Dai Mubai said with intense resentment.

"Alright, Mubai, she has already left, and it wouldn't look good for me to stop a young girl. Let's consider this matter closed for now! Go down and rest to recover your strength first!" Flender waved his hand, and Ma Hongjun immediately helped Dai Mubai back to the dormitory.

Flender then looked at the remaining students. His gaze fell upon Ning Rongrong, filled with amazement; along the way, Zhao Wuji had already told him that the girl before him was a monster among monsters.

Noticing her distant gaze, Flender coughed lightly a few times and said, "You are all monsters. Since you have come to our Shrek Academy, that fact alone proves it. Training begins right now!"

Flender led the group along the path and announced, "This is the first trial of your training—physical stamina! It tests your endurance! Run twenty laps around the village first! Remember, using soul power is strictly forbidden!"

Oscar's face turned instantly pale with despair. As a food-type auxiliary soul master, this kind of training was his absolute nightmare.

However, the Dean had taught them that for an auxiliary soul master in battle, the most important thing was to protect oneself from being attacked.

Ning Rongrong looked unimpressed. Was this the training? She had started physical endurance training before she was even six years old. Running twenty laps around the village was nothing! It was completely incomparable to the training Ling霄 had put her through!

At this thought, Ning Rongrong's eyes dimmed, and she thought to herself, *You big bad guy, where are you? Why haven't you come to see me for so long? Could it really be that you won't appear until I become a Titled Douluo?*

Ning Rongrong looked somewhat absent-minded. Ever since she last saw Ling霄 three years ago, he had vanished completely.

She had asked her father, but he refused to tell her anything. In a fit of anger, she had run away from home all by herself!

"Rongrong, training is starting!" Xiao Wu noticed that Ning Rongrong seemed distracted and stepped forward to shake her gently.

Ning Rongrong snapped back to reality, nodded, and the group began running around the village.

After ten laps, Oscar was already out of breath and lacking physical strength, while Ning Rongrong and the other two girls maintained their composure, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

By the fifteenth lap, Oscar was feeling dizzy. Every step now felt agonizingly difficult, as if heavy weights were tied to his legs. Even Tang San was beginning to struggle, gradually falling behind the two girls.

Yet Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu ran as if they were only just starting. Their speed hadn't dropped at all, and they had already lapped Tang San and Oscar twice.

Soaring in the sky above, Flender couldn't help but be astonished. He hadn't expected the two girls to have such incredible stamina; twenty laps seemed to pose zero difficulty for them whatsoever.

Soon, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu finished their run and stood in place, waiting for Oscar and Tang San. Finally, just as the two girls were growing bored, Tang San half-carried Oscar across the finish line to complete the task.

Flender landed on the ground, looking at the girls with satisfaction, though his expression quickly darkened into a frown.

"The two of you finishing the task so quickly is commendable, but you forgot about team spirit. In this regard, Tang San did a wonderful job. In a team, members should help one another. But you only cared about yourselves, and that is a very bad attitude!" Flender criticized.

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong retorted directly, "It's just that they aren't capable enough. I've been training since I was a child, pushing myself to the point of fainting from exhaustion just to reach this level of strength. If they can't do it, it's because they didn't work hard enough when they were young. What right do you have to lecture only us?"

Xiao Wu nodded in agreement. At Notting Academy, she had been a well-known fanatic of cultivation, frequently pushing herself until she collapsed onto her bed, barely conscious.

"Ahem!" Flender coughed awkwardly and said, "Unity is extremely important in a team. You cannot abandon your teammates. Your individual strengths are indeed formidable, but now you are part of a collective with the other students. You need to learn how to cooperate as a team!"

"How are we supposed to cooperate in this kind of training?" Ning Rongrong asked. "Are we supposed to drag those two along while we run?"

Ugh!

Flender didn't know how to respond. He couldn't very well make two young girls drag two boys along as they ran.

If he actually dared to do that, there was a strong chance the two girls would simply walk out of Shrek Academy right then and there—a prospect that would break his heart terribly!

"It doesn't mean you have to do that. It just means you should foster closer ties among yourselves. For example, waiting for them along the way and offering a bit of encouragement would be acceptable!" Flender advised coaxingly.

"Fine whatever! We'll try it next time!" Ning Rongrong waved her hand, mostly just wanting to put an end to the lecture.

Sigh!

Flender shook his head. Such rebellious personalities needed serious correction, but how?

Flender felt a headache coming on. These monster-level talents were unlike anyone else; they simply hadn't encountered setbacks yet!

Besides, Ning Rongrong belonged to the Seven Treasure Glass Sect. If he offended her, who knew if the sect's two Titled Douluo would come looking for trouble?

It was better to focus on training for now; everything else could be dealt with later!

"Ahem, I can see you are all exhausted today. Go rest now, and we'll resume training tomorrow. Tomorrow is when the real training begins, so make sure to get a good night's sleep. I'll be leaving now, assemble here again tomorrow morning!"

With that, Flender made a swift exit. This was primarily directed at Tang San and Oscar; Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu showed no signs of tiredness whatsoever, and staying any longer would have been far too awkward.

"You should go rest! I'll come wake you up tomorrow morning! Tang San, hurry up and help Oscar back," Zhao Wuji said.

"Xiao San, sorry to trouble you," Oscar said, looking slightly embarrassed, though he was truly too exhausted to walk unaided.

"We're classmates, helping each other is only right."

Tang San then looked at Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, saying, "Big Sister Wu, in the same academy, you really ought to learn how to cooperate. What the two of you did today was indeed a bit excessive."

"Tang San, cooperation depends on who you're cooperating with. Look at what those two were like just now," Xiao Wu said with displeasure.

"But we are in the same team. Team members should help and understand one another," Tang San argued.

"Then go help and understand your good teammates," Xiao Wu said casually, not caring in the least what Tang San thought. After all, she had no special relationship with Tang San; so what if they came from the same academy?

A trace of displeasure flashed across Tang San's eyes. In his view, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun hadn't done anything wrong—it was completely natural for a man to be furious after being humiliated by his fiancée, and Ma Hongjun was equally pitiable, suffering from the torment of his innate evil fire. Why couldn't Xiao Wu let it go?

Still, he said nothing more. Having experienced this incident, he now saw through Xiao Wu; she turned out to be someone completely devoid of tolerance, so there was no need to cultivate a close relationship with her in the future.

Tang San supported Oscar as they slowly walked back toward the wooden cabins, while Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong decided to continue their training.

"Rongrong, do you still have energy?" Xiao Wu asked, stretching her limbs.

"Of course, I've still got plenty of stamina left!" Ning Rongrong replied.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed someone with a small frame like yours could be so strong!"

"I've been training since I was little. Wuji, aren't you the same?"

"That's true. Well then, let's keep going and see who's better!" Xiao Wu's competitive spirit was ignited; she wanted to know how she stacked up against Ning Rongrong.

"Alright!" Ning Rongrong thought for a moment before nodding. She then reached around her waist and untied a pouch.

The pouch dropped to the ground with a dull thud.

Before Xiao Wu's astonished eyes, Ning Rongrong proceeded to unstrap the heavy iron plates tied to her limbs. When they hit the ground, they stirred up a small cloud of dust.

"Rongrong, were you wearing all these things while running today?"

Looking at the heavy burdens on the ground, Xiao Wu swallowed hard. Reaching out to lift one of the heavy objects, she felt a wave of shock wash over her.

All these items combined weighed well over five hundred catties—something she herself could never have managed.

"Mm!"

Ning Rongrong nodded and said, "I guessed yesterday that today might involve physical training, so I already reduced some of the weight. Originally, it was supposed to be eight hundred catties!"

"Eight hundred catties!"

Hearing this, Xiao Wu felt her heart skip a beat. Having consumed the Water of Life and trained diligently for so long, her own physical strength maxed out at around five hundred catties.

If she had been strapped with such heavy weights, she might not have collapsed from exhaustion after twenty laps, but she would have been utterly drained, wishing for nothing more than to collapse onto her bed and never move again.

"Rongrong, how on earth did you train? You're an auxiliary soul master; surely this kind of training wasn't taught by your family?" Xiao Wu asked.

Ning Rongrong was slightly startled before replying, "Indeed not. My father would never bear to let me suffer through such hardship. All of this is because of that big bad guy."

Mentioning the big bad guy, Ning Rongrong clenched her fists, gnashing her teeth as her beautiful eyes filled with grievance.

Heaven knew how she had survived that initial period; it had truly been a living hell.

"To make such a cute girl suffer so much hardship... sounds like a big bad guy indeed!" Xiao Wu nodded in deep agreement. She couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of torment Ning Rongrong must have endured to attain such strength—it was definitely far more grueling than her own experiences.

"No, no, no!"

Hearing Xiao Wu call him that, Ning Rongrong hurriedly waved her hands and said, "The big bad guy did it for my own good. If it weren't for him, I would just be an ordinary soul master who needs everyone else's protection."

"Besides, the big bad guy was only strict when it came to training. He was usually so good to me—he would look after me when I was tired, and he'd even cook delicious meals for me personally! The food the big bad guy makes is simply the most delicious in the entire world!" Ning Rongrong said, her eyes suffused with shyness.

"Oh?" Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes slightly, detecting unusual undertones in Ning Rongrong's reaction.

"Rongrong, so where is this big bad guy now?"

"The big bad guy left!" Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's eyes dimmed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slowly sat down on the ground.

"Ah!" Seeing Ning Rongrong like this, Xiao Wu panicked.

"Rongrong, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up something that makes you sad," Xiao Wu apologized hurriedly.

"It's alright, Xiao Wu. I know you didn't mean to. It's just that I miss the big bad guy so much, and I couldn't control my emotions!" Ning Rongrong said softly.

"Rongrong, you're in love with that big bad guy, aren't you?"

Ning Rongrong's body trembled slightly. After a brief pause, she murmured, "Actually, I hated the big bad guy at first. On his very first day at the Seven Treasure Glass Sect, I gave him a hard time on purpose."

"On the second day, my training started. Driven by pride and unwilling to admit defeat, I stubbornly competed against the big bad guy until I finally collapsed from exhaustion. When I woke up, I still resented him a bit. But when my maid told me that the big bad guy had prepared a medicinal bath specifically to help me recover, my impression of him improved somewhat."

As Ning Rongrong recounted those painful days, Xiao Wu could tell how arduous it had been, yet she could also hear the lingering fondness in Ning Rongrong's voice.

"The big bad guy stayed by my side every single day back then. Whenever training ended, he would have delicious food ready. When I awakened my martial soul, he was right there with me."

"He was so good to me, and he meant everything to me. But then he left. Although he came back a few times afterwards, he never stayed for long. Ever since he left three years ago, he hasn't come back even once. That's why I ran away from home!" Ning Rongrong trailed off into silence.

"Rongrong, don't worry. Since that big bad guy helped you become stronger, he must care about you deeply. Maybe he was just delayed by some important matter!" Xiao Wu comforted her, sensing that Ning Rongrong loved that big bad guy just as deeply as she loved Ling霄.

"I know! That's why I have to work hard to become stronger, so I can become a Titled Douluo as soon as possible!" Ning Rongrong said, standing up with a renewed spark of determination in her eyes.

"Me too! Let's work hard together!" Xiao Wu echoed.

"Mm!" Ning Rongrong nodded.

The two girls resumed their training, running until the sun set, drenched in sweat and utterly spent, before finally returning to their respective rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, Zhao Wuji's figure appeared in the open clearing, where Ning Rongrong and the others were already waiting.

However, the team was clearly divided into two separate factions: Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu stood together on one side, while the rest of the group stood on the other.

Watching the sullen-faced Dai Mubai, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but shake his head. This team had split apart before formal training had even properly begun; what on earth was he supposed to do next?

At that moment, Flender arrived as well, addressing the group with a stern voice: "Today, your real training begins! Follow me!"