Even though Xiao Wu had the system's skills to protect her, seeing Su Ming so nervous about her didn't make her feel awkward. On the contrary, it made her heart warm. It showed how much Su Ming truly cared for her.
As soon as Gu Rong appeared, Ning Rongrong excitedly ran into his arms. Gu Rong immediately spread his arms wide to catch her, hugging her tightly.
Ning Rongrong beamed with joy as she looked at Gu Rong, "Grandpa Gu, what brings you here?"
Gu Rong gently patted her head, his face full of affection. "You sneaked out, didn't you? If I hadn't come to check on you, I wouldn't have known if you got bullied."
Ning Rongrong pouted playfully, "Grandpa Gu, with my strength, how could you not know I snuck out? I thought everything would be fine."
Gu Rong gave her a stern look. "Tell me what happened yesterday. I already gave that old fool Flender a good beating, so he shouldn't cause you any more trouble."
Hearing this from afar, Su Ming silently gave Gu Rong a thumbs-up in his heart. Well done! Flender deserved that for purposely creating a situation where Oscar would be alone with Ning Rongrong and assigning her an impossible task.
Under those circumstances, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to enhance wouldn't help her recover her stamina, forcing her to rely on Oscar's sausages. If she refused to eat them, she'd fail the task, giving Flender an excuse to "temper" her personality.
Gu Rong then used a spatial transfer to take Ning Rongrong aside to hear the full story in detail.
After a short while, they returned to the academy's training ground.
Ning Rongrong ran over to Su Ming and, full of excitement, introduced him, "Su Ming, this is one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Bone Douluo. He's one of my grandfathers who dotes on me the most!"
Gu Rong immediately interjected, "Rongrong, what do you mean 'one of'? There's no 'one of'—I'm the one who dotes on you the most. Sword Douluo is nothing!"
Ning Rongrong sighed inwardly. She knew her grandpa Gu liked to compete with Sword Douluo over who cared for her the most. What could she do but go along with it? Smiling, she said, "Alright, alright, Grandpa Gu loves me the most!"
Hearing this, Gu Rong finally nodded in satisfaction.
Su Ming, standing nearby, looked at Gu Rong with a strange expression. Such a powerful man was acting like a child in front of Ning Rongrong. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.
It was clear Gu Rong truly spoiled Ning Rongrong.
Then, Ning Rongrong turned to Gu Rong and said, "Grandpa Gu, this is Su Ming. He's the one who helped me yesterday. He's really strong and talented!"
Gu Rong glanced at Su Ming, and his previously serious face softened into a smile. "Kid, you did well. If you hadn't acted yesterday, Rongrong would have been in trouble."
"But even if you hadn't stepped in, I would have. And if I had to, Dai Mubai wouldn't have walked away unharmed—I'd have half-crippled him."
The Star Luo royal family wouldn't have been able to say a word against it.
As he spoke, a faint murderous aura emanated from Gu Rong, showing how truly angry he had been.
Su Ming, remaining calm, bowed slightly. "You're too kind, Senior. I just felt that what Rongrong said yesterday was right, so I couldn't let Dai Mubai harm her."
Gu Rong was pleased with Su Ming's humble yet confident attitude. However, he was a bit irked—this kid's words sounded a bit too perfect. If Su Ming claimed he had no interest in Rongrong, Gu Rong wouldn't believe him for a second!
Before Dai Mubai had even made a move, Gu Rong had sensed the faintest trace of soul power surrounding Dai Mubai's feet—clearly Su Ming's precautionary measure.
Plus, Gu Rong could tell that Ning Rongrong had already developed feelings for Su Ming. He suspected that before long, his precious little princess might fall for this boy.
With Su Ming's behavior being so upstanding, Gu Rong had no grounds to lash out. It was frustrating!
Gu Rong then turned his gaze to Oscar, his voice cold. "You must be Oscar. Let me warn you—keep your thoughts to yourself and stay away from my Rongrong. I know why your dean paired you with her for that morning run."
"Because of that, I already gave your dean a beating. You'd better not have any foolish ideas. You're just a food-type soul master!"
Oscar, feeling the overwhelming pressure from Gu Rong, turned pale and could only nod stiffly in response.
Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji, sensing the presence of a titled Douluo on the academy grounds, hurried over with a troubled expression. Why had there been two titled Douluo showing up in as many days?
Just the other night, after he had finished assessing the new students, Tang Hao had appeared out of nowhere and beaten him up. Though Tang Hao hadn't used any soul skills, his Clear Sky Hammer alone had left Zhao Wuji battered and bruised. His face was still swollen from the ordeal!
He had planned to lay low for a few days after losing face in front of the students and then being thrashed by Tang Hao. But now another titled Douluo had arrived, forcing him to investigate.
The students noticed Zhao Wuji's bruised face and were shocked. What had happened to their teacher in just one day?
But Zhao Wuji had no time to worry about that. He rushed to Gu Rong, offering a respectful bow. "So it's Bone Douluo, Your Eminence. Is there something we can help you with?"
Gu Rong snorted, "My little princess is here studying. Shouldn't I come to see if she's being mistreated? This has nothing to do with you. Step aside."
Faced with Gu Rong's blunt response, Zhao Wuji didn't dare argue and obediently moved aside.
Since Flender had been the one leading the group to the Soto Great Spirit Arena, Zhao Wuji wasn't aware of what had transpired. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seemed so calm.
Seeing Zhao Wuji in such a state, Su Ming couldn't help but feel disdain. He had the urge to mock him. Zhao Wuji had often said that a spirit master who didn't cause trouble wasn't a good spirit master.
Yet, here he was, meek as a lamb before a titled Douluo. Where was his bravado now? In reality, Zhao Wuji was a typical bully—only brave when facing weaker opponents. Why wasn't he standing up to the titled Douluo?
If he tried to fight one, a titled Douluo would probably scatter his ashes!
Ignoring Zhao Wuji, Gu Rong turned back to Su Ming. "Kid, I admire you. Your talent and strength are commendable. How about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
Faced with Gu Rong's invitation, Su Ming wasn't too surprised. He was well aware of his own strength, and he knew that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan lacked talented soul masters outside of the auxiliary category.
This was the reason why Ning Fengzhi, in the original story, had been eager to recruit talented soul masters, particularly Tang San. However, after learning of Tang San's ties to the Clear Sky Sect, he could only choose to befriend him.
Unfortunately, despite siding with Tang San, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was nearly wiped out by the Spirit Hall. In the end, their two Titled Douluo were killed, and Ning Fengzhi's investment was a massive failure.
Sensing Su Ming's hesitation, Ning Rongrong tugged at Gu Rong's arm and said, "Come on, Grandpa Gu, why don't you head back to the clan for now? You being a Titled Douluo here makes everyone nervous. Su Ming's still young, he won't want to join a clan so soon—he'd probably prefer a few years of freedom first!"
Gu Rong sighed in resignation. He worried that if he didn't recruit Su Ming now, he might not get another chance. But he also realized he was being a bit hasty, so he said, "Su Ming, our clan will always welcome you. If you decide to join, just let Rongrong know. I hope by the next time we meet, you'll have made up your mind. If you do join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, all our resources will be at your disposal."
Su Ming responded politely, "Thank you, Bone Douluo. I'll give it careful thought."
Inwardly, Su Ming was relieved that Ning Rongrong had helped him out. It would have been awkward to reject Gu Rong outright, especially since Titled Douluo have their pride.
Su Ming had no intention of joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Though they had many resources, they couldn't compare to the Spirit Hall. Plus, with the system's help, Su Ming didn't need external resources—most ordinary resources were of no use to him.
He planned to join the Spirit Hall in the future, mainly because of its far-reaching influence over both soul masters and commoners across the continent. The Spirit Hall, in many ways, represented the common people, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, despite recruiting talents and addressing injustices, ultimately represented the nobility. Su Ming, being a commoner himself, didn't find that appealing.
With the system backing him, Su Ming felt it was his duty to not only grow strong but to help those suffering across the continent. His goal was to use his power to better the lives of the commoners.
Seeing that Su Ming wasn't ready to join, Gu Rong didn't push the matter further. After all, Su Ming had helped Rongrong, and she clearly had feelings for him. Gu Rong couldn't act too forcefully.
However, he was still determined to recruit Su Ming. From what he had seen, Su Ming's talent was exceptional, and his mastery of soul power was precise beyond his years. He would need to return to discuss with Ning Fengzhi and Dustheart how to win Su Ming over. They couldn't afford to let the Spirit Hall snatch him up. With Rongrong around, Gu Rong felt more confident that Su Ming wouldn't join the Spirit Hall, at least for now.
After bidding farewell to Rongrong, Gu Rong swiftly returned to the clan.
The rest of the group breathed a sigh of relief—having a Titled Douluo around was incredibly intimidating.
Oscar, having been warned by Gu Rong, felt a wave of disappointment. His chances of pursuing Ning Rongrong were gone, while Su Ming had gained Gu Rong's favor and even received an invitation.
But Oscar knew deep down that his hopes had always been slim. As a food-type soul master, his chances with Ning Rongrong were never great. He reflected on the previous night when he and Tang San had sided with Dai Mubai in an effort to persuade Su Ming. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, thinking they were simply classmates helping each other. But in Ning Rongrong's eyes, it must have looked like he was taking Dai Mubai's side. This likely sealed his fate with her.
Ning Rongrong had likely told Gu Rong everything that happened, leading to Gu Rong's stern warning earlier.
Zhao Wuji then spoke up, "For the next few days, you'll be practicing on your own. Once Oscar reaches level thirty, we'll head to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul rings for Tang San and Oscar."
Before leaving, Zhao Wuji glanced meaningfully at Tang San. He hadn't expected Tang San to be the son of that person, and it had caused him a lot of trouble.
If Zhao Wuji had known that Tang Hao had been nearby during the entrance test, he would never have bullied the students so arrogantly. Now, not only had he been embarrassed in front of the students, but he had also been beaten by Tang Hao later that same night.
A few days later, early in the morning, Oscar excitedly ran to the training grounds and announced to Flender, "Dean, I've reached level thirty!"
Flender laughed heartily, "Well done, Oscar! For a food-type soul master to reach level thirty at your age is no small feat—there are very few like you on the entire continent."
He then addressed everyone, "Since Oscar has reached level thirty, get ready today. Tomorrow morning, Zhao Wuji will lead you to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul beasts."
"Let me be clear—hunting soul beasts is dangerous. You'll need to work together to kill the beasts you need for your rings. Your teacher, Zhao Wuji, will only intervene if you're in uncontrollable danger or if your lives are at risk. Understood?"
Everyone responded, "Understood, Dean!"
Tang San could hardly contain his excitement. He was finally about to acquire his third soul ring. Once he absorbed it, his strength would skyrocket!
Meanwhile, Su Ming privately scoffed. The students of Shrek Academy were all geniuses, yet Flender insisted on this self-reliance nonsense. By the time they're in real danger, would Zhao Wuji even be able to get there in time? His martial spirit wasn't exactly known for speed.
Of all the Shrek graduates, only Qin Ming had become somewhat famous. Most of the others either died or achieved very little.
Flender was all talk. When the academy opened, he had bragged about producing the youngest elder in the Spirit Hall, but no such elder ever appeared. Su Ming guessed the so-called elder was probably Yu Xiaogang, who had once been in the Spirit Hall. Given his connection with Bibi Dong, he might have received an honorary elder title, though it was likely devoid of real power. Even if he didn't hold such a title, Bibi Dong wouldn't have contradicted the claim.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT