Meanwhile, the female leads checked their respective diaries. If they remembered correctly, today was the day for the seven-day soul power boost.
[Ding! Today is the seven-day soul power boost, all female leads should check their rewards!]
Boom!
In the next moment, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all felt their soul power increase. Ning Rongrong's soul power level, in particular, rose from 34 to 35.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's increase, Xiao Wu smiled and said, "Congratulations, Rongrong."
Ning Rongrong smiled back at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, clearly happy with her soul power boost. Now, her level matched Zhu Zhuqing's!
However, she knew that with Zhu Zhuqing's dedication, it wouldn't be long before Zhuqing leveled up again. She had to work hard to keep up!
On Seagod Island...
Initially, Bo Saixi hadn't paid much attention to the system's promise of a soul power increase. However, when the system delivered the boost, she was astonished!
She had received a soul power increase of one-thousandth. Though this percentage seemed small, considering her base level of 99, the amount of soul power gained was substantial.
She never expected this so-called system to truly increase her soul power. For so long, her power had been stagnant no matter how hard she trained. Every time she cultivated, it felt like there was an impenetrable barrier blocking her progress. But now...
She could only admit it felt amazing!
With the system's help, could she finally break through to Level 100 and become a god?
However, after thinking it over, her eyes dimmed. Becoming a god was likely impossible for her. She was the High Priestess of Seagod Island, tied to the duties bestowed upon her by the Seagod. Her immense power was a gift from the Seagod himself, but it came with the price of never being able to ascend to godhood. She couldn't defy the will of the Seagod.
Bo Saixi had long suspected that her stagnation was due to the Seagod's limitations. The fact that this system could surpass even those restrictions to grant her an increase in soul power was terrifying.
This system was undoubtedly a force greater than even the gods!
The surge in Bo Saixi's soul power was so intense that the Seven Pillar Guardians of Seagod Island felt it, causing them to exchange wry smiles. Tonight, their High Priestess was making quite a commotion.
Once again, they gathered outside the Seagod Temple and asked, "High Priestess, is everything alright?"
Bo Saixi quickly restrained her soul power and, after calming herself, replied, "Nothing to worry about. I just had a moment of enlightenment, which led to a slight increase in my soul power."
The Seven Pillar Guardians were thrilled by her response. As far as they knew, their High Priestess had been at the peak of Level 99 for a long time without any growth. For her to make progress now... Could this mean there was hope for her to reach Level 100 and become a god?
Reaching Level 100 and ascending to godhood was something of legend, but maybe their High Priestess could achieve it!
Soon, Bo Saixi's voice echoed from within the temple: "Alright, return to your training."
The seven guardians respectfully answered, "Yes, High Priestess!" and departed.
Bo Saixi continued reading the diary, knowing the rewards weren't for her, but still curious to see what came next.
[Ding! Today, the female leads mentioned by the host are: Xiao Wu (13 times), Zhu Zhuqing (27 times), Ning Rongrong (45 times), Bibi Dong (once)]
[The female lead mentioned the most today is Ning Rongrong. She has been awarded a significant increase in spiritual power!]
Bo Saixi looked at the diary's contents and speculated. Since these names were listed, it meant these individuals also had access to the diary. She didn't know Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, or Ning Rongrong, but seeing Bibi Dong's name surprised her. The current Supreme Pontiff of the Spirit Hall was also a diary holder, and likely had been for some time. She wondered how much Bibi Dong's strength had grown.
Previously, Bo Saixi could only see the contents Su Ming wrote in the diary, and the mention of rewards for female leads appeared briefly before disappearing. So she hadn't known this information until now.
Bo Saixi mused to herself, "This is becoming more interesting... The power of this diary is truly immense!"
However, she was also aware that the rewards likely had nothing to do with her. After all, she didn't know when Su Ming would come to Seagod Island—if he ever did. Even if he did, it wouldn't be for years.
For now, Bo Saixi resolved to just keep reading the diary for her seven-day soul power boosts. For her, that alone was already a great benefit.
Back at Shrek Academy, in the girls' dormitory...
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing knew that this time, Ning Rongrong had received the reward. They both turned to look at her.
Ning Rongrong frowned slightly and said, "This time, I received a boost to my spiritual power. I feel like it's not very useful for me though, since I don't really need high spiritual power."
Xiao Wu chimed in, "Rongrong, boosting your spiritual power isn't a bad thing. Who knows? It might come in handy one day!"
Ning Rongrong thought about it and nodded. Although she didn't know how to use her spiritual power right now, it could be useful in the future. And besides, this was a reward she got for free—she had no right to complain. Others would envy her for receiving such a prize!
With the day's rewards distributed, the three girls retired to their rooms to sleep.
Ever since they got the diary, they had developed a habit of staying up until after midnight, only to wake up early to train. It was exhausting but rewarding at the same time.
Meanwhile, outside Shrek Academy, Gu Rong stood guard, ever watchful.
He hadn't forgotten how his little princess had nearly been harmed today. If Su Ming hadn't intervened, Gu Rong would've stepped in himself to beat Dai Mubai within an inch of his life. The fact that Dai was the third prince of the Star Luo Empire wouldn't have stopped him—Dai was nothing more than a runaway dog.
If the Star Luo Emperor sought justice, Gu Rong would have no problem offering compensation. With the Clear Sky School in hiding, the Star Luo Empire didn't dare push too hard anyway.
Shortly after, Flender returned to the academy with Ma Hongjun.
After they parted ways, Gu Rong appeared before Flender.
Surprised to see the Bone Douluo from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan standing before him at this hour, Flender awkwardly smiled and bowed slightly. "Ah, Bone Douluo, to what do I owe this late-night visit?"
Inwardly, Flender suspected that this had something to do with Ning Rongrong.
Gu Rong's raspy voice rang out, "You know that Rongrong is the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, don't you?"
Flender immediately sensed something was wrong from Gu Rong's tone. Could it be that the morning incident, where Ning Rongrong was made to run laps, had been exposed?
Surely making her run laps wouldn't be enough to warrant a visit from one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's titled Douluo, right?
Feeling uneasy, Flender replied nervously, "Yes, Your Eminence, I am aware that Ning Rongrong is the daughter of Sect Master Ning."
Gu Rong smirked. "Oh? Since you know, then this will be easy."
"Let's settle the score, shall we?"
Flender's heart sank. He forced an awkward smile and said, "Your Eminence, surely there's been a misunderstanding. I only asked Ning Rongrong to run twenty laps around the village for some physical training. She wasn't alone—her classmates ran with her..."
It was a relief that Su Ming and the others had accompanied Ning Rongrong that morning. Otherwise, Flender's explanation might not have sufficed. Thankfully, the task had been completed without incident.
However, Gu Rong hadn't anticipated this admission. "Twenty laps around the village?" He quickly scanned the village with his spiritual power, noting its considerable size. Forcing his little princess to run twenty laps? Was this a joke?
Gu Rong's expression darkened further. Was this how they welcomed his little princess on her first day?
Running was supposed to help build endurance, and Ning Rongrong had done it regularly in the sect, but never this much! And, frankly, it wasn't that useful for someone like her.
Originally, Gu Rong had planned to merely warn Flender about keeping Dai Mubai in check, given his responsibility as the academy's student. But now, Gu Rong was in no mood to let this go lightly. He didn't care what Flender's intentions were that morning—he would find out from Rongrong herself soon enough.
Gu Rong extended his right hand, pressing down. Instantly, the pressure of a titled Douluo enveloped Flender.
Flender didn't dare resist. He knew that any attempt to fight back would only worsen his situation. He could neither fight nor flee from a titled Douluo.
"Your Eminence, there must be some misunderstanding..."
Gu Rong's voice was cold and foreboding. "You know perfectly well if this is a misunderstanding. And let's not forget that tonight, my little princess was nearly struck by your student, Dai Mubai. Consider this a warning: you'd better control him. I don't care if he's the third prince of Star Luo Empire—I will kill him if necessary. He's nothing but a stray dog."
"Considering these two incidents, me coming to settle things with you isn't unreasonable, is it? You're the dean of Shrek Academy, and my little princess has come to study here. Instead of taking care of her, you've made things difficult. Neither her father nor her two grandfathers would treat her this way—what gives you the right?!"
Flender felt the pressure weighing heavier and heavier on him. He knew Gu Rong's reputation for being fiercely protective, and it was best not to resist.
Moreover, why had Dai Mubai acted so recklessly? Didn't Flender instruct him to bring Su Ming and the others back safely? How had things escalated to the point where Ning Rongrong was nearly harmed?
Flender's expression turned grim. Did Dai Mubai truly believe his royal status gave him the right to act arrogantly toward Ning Rongrong? Tomorrow, he would get to the bottom of what had happened after they left the arena.
Ignoring Flender's pleas for mercy, Gu Rong proceeded to teach him a painful lesson. Flender couldn't resist and endured the beating, his face full of frustration.
The next morning, Flender summoned Dai Mubai to his office while the others were left to their own training.
As soon as Dai Mubai entered the room, he was shocked. "Dean, what happened to your face?!"
Flender snorted angrily, "Don't ask me what happened. You should be telling me what went down last night! I told you to bring everyone back to the academy—how did you end up clashing with Ning Rongrong?"
Seeing Flender's obvious anger and suspecting that his injuries might be connected to the previous night's events, Dai Mubai didn't dare lie and recounted everything that had happened.
"Fortunately, Su Ming was there to defuse the situation. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here right now. You'd either be dead or severely crippled, and your royal family wouldn't be able to do anything for you. They'd ask for compensation, but what good would that do?"
Dai Mubai paled at the implication. "Dean, are you saying that your injuries were caused by a strong member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? Was that expert present last night?"
Flender shot Dai Mubai a sharp look. "If it were anyone else, it might be explainable. But last night, it was none other than Bone Douluo, one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan! He's extremely protective of Ning Rongrong, and I'm guessing Sect Master Ning sent him to keep an eye on her. You'd better lay low for a while and apologize to Ning Rongrong. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."
Cold sweat ran down Dai Mubai's back. He hadn't expected that Bone Douluo had witnessed his clash with Ning Rongrong. It was well known that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's sect master and the two titled Douluo adored Ning Rongrong. If Su Ming hadn't intervened last night...
Did that mean Su Ming had saved his life?
After all, he had been the first to attack, and the Star Luo Empire wouldn't have had any grounds to defend him. In fact, they might not have defended him at all!
His resentment toward Su Ming lessened, but little did he know, Su Ming didn't care in the slightest about Dai Mubai's thoughts. Su Ming would show no mercy to anyone who threatened him or those he cared about.
Meanwhile, as Flender and Dai Mubai were having their conversation...
On the training ground, Su Ming suddenly sensed a disturbance in space. Instinctively, he positioned Xiao Wu behind him and shouted, "Be careful! A powerful enemy is approaching!"
Everyone's eyes turned in the same direction, their expressions tense. But Ning Rongrong quickly recognized the soul power signature and called out joyfully, "Grandpa Gu, what are you doing here?!"
From the distorted space in front of them, an armored middle-aged man emerged—though, in reality, Bone Douluo Gu Rong was well over a hundred years old.
Su Ming's expression became serious. Why was Gu Rong suddenly here? This wasn't in line with the original story!
In a low voice, Su Ming whispered to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, he's a titled Douluo. Quickly hide your aura. The effect of the concealment talisman is still active, so he shouldn't be able to sense you. But if he does, I'll hold him off while you use teleportation to escape to the Star Dou Forest. Do you understand?"
Xiao Wu's heart warmed at Su Ming's concern. She whispered back, "Don't worry, Brother. I won't be discovered!"
Thanks to the system's aura-concealing ability, she wasn't worried about a titled Douluo identifying her as a 100,000-year-old soul beast.
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