Su Ming affectionately patted Xiao Wu's bunny ears and said, "This life-saving item won't do much for you, but it's an invaluable treasure for Rongrong."
He then smiled slyly at Xiao Wu, "If you want a reward, I'll give you one later—just for you!"
As he spoke, his gaze at Xiao Wu took on a mischievous glint.
Since they were on break now, Su Ming thought it wouldn't be a problem to spend some time training with Xiao Wu privately later. After all, the training area was well-protected with thick wooden walls, and Ah Yin was there to keep watch. No one would catch them.
Despite the subtle meaning behind his words, Ning Rongrong didn't pick up on it. She innocently assumed that Su Ming meant he would give Xiao Wu a special gift later. However, Xiao Wu quickly caught on to the hidden meaning behind Su Ming's words. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she realized what kind of "reward" he was hinting at.
Unable to say anything with Ning Rongrong right there, Xiao Wu pouted and shot Su Ming a playful glare.
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong was confused. "Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Xiao Wu quickly composed herself, "It's nothing. Let's go, Rongrong. I'm starving."
As they entered the cafeteria, they were surprised to find that the menu had drastically improved. There were big chicken legs, nourishing dishes, and of course, Xiao Wu's favorite—carrots.
Soon after, they spotted Zhu Zhuqing, who had already arrived. The three girls sat together, and Ning Rongrong quietly asked, "Zhuqing, what's with the fancy food today?"
It wasn't that Ning Rongrong was unfamiliar with such meals—they were common in her clan. But at Shrek Academy, where resources were limited, it was surprising to see such lavish food. It felt as if the sun had risen in the west. Why was the academy spending money like this all of a sudden?
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, signaling she didn't know either.
At that moment, Master Yu Xiaogang, dressed in a chef's uniform, walked out with a smile and said, "Children, enjoy the meal. From now on, this will be the standard for your meals. That miser Flender doesn't understand how important proper nutrition is for soul masters! The meals before were nowhere near enough for you all."
Flender, knowing he couldn't bear to see the cost, had stayed away from the cafeteria. If he had heard Yu Xiaogang, he would've been heartbroken. After all, these meals weren't coming out of Xiaogang's pocket—Flender was the one feeling the pinch. And it wasn't like the students didn't receive stipends from the Spirit Hall. If they wanted extra food, they could've gone to town for it themselves!
Flender imagined gold soul coins flying out of his pockets as he sighed in despair.
Xiao Wu leaned toward Su Ming and whispered, "Su Ming-ge, do you know what's going on here?"
Su Ming thought for a moment before quietly replying, "While it's likely that Master is doing this for our health, I suspect it's mainly for Tang San's sake. We're just benefitting from it because Tang San is his disciple, and Master would never let him go without."
"Of course, this is just a guess. I can't exactly ask Master about it, and he'd never admit it anyway."
Though Su Ming played it off as speculation, Xiao Wu found his reasoning convincing. After all, knowing Flender's stingy nature, it was hard to believe he would suddenly splurge on lavish meals. The real reason was likely Yu Xiaogang, wanting to ensure his beloved disciple was well-fed.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang turned toward Su Ming and the others with a smile. "Rongrong, Su Ming, make sure you eat well. If there's anything lacking, I'll ask Flender to provide more nutritious food for you!"
Though Yu Xiaogang's gesture seemed kind, the trio didn't think much of it. After all, providing proper meals was the academy's responsibility. With such strict admission requirements and no other training equipment, the least they could do was feed them well. They felt it was only fair.
Su Ming, however, couldn't help but wonder if Yu Xiaogang's newfound generosity was part of a ploy to build rapport and eventually ask for Lingbo Weibu. He laughed inwardly. If that was the case, he had another thing coming!
Before long, lunch ended, and Ning Rongrong prepared to leave for her clan, packing her belongings into a storage soul tool.
At that moment, Su Ming handed her a small item and said, "This is a life-saving soul tool called the Reverse Invincible Shield. It's an absolute defense soul tool that can trap any soul master below the rank of Soul Douluo for a quarter of an hour."
"If you find yourself in danger, use this. It will buy you time to escape. Of course, I hope you never need to use it."
Ning Rongrong was deeply moved upon hearing this. A soul tool like this must be incredibly rare. She had never heard of such a thing existing on the Douluo Continent!
Su Ming silently chuckled to himself. This item was from a future version of the Douluo Continent, where soul tool technology was far more advanced. In the current era, the development of soul tools was still in its infancy, with soul masters relying primarily on their abilities. He wondered how far soul tool technology had progressed in the Sun and Moon Continent by now.
If anyone asked about the soul tool later, he would simply say it was something he came across by chance. And if he had to, he might even reveal the existence of another continent. For now, though, keeping an air of mystery didn't hurt.
As Su Ming was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a soft body press against him. Looking down, he saw Ning Rongrong hugging him tightly.
Inwardly, Su Ming smiled to himself. Was this an unexpected bonus? All he wanted to do was give her a life-saving tool—he hadn't expected such a response.
Feeling Ning Rongrong's warmth, Su Ming was filled with emotion. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong's face flushed bright red, even her earlobes were tinted with embarrassment.
This time, her gesture wasn't like the impulsive kiss she gave him before. Now, she was fully aware of what she was doing—it was an intentional act. For the first time, she was getting this close to someone who wasn't a family member. But she didn't mind. She had started to realize that her feelings for Su Ming were more complicated than simple friendship.
As she hugged Su Ming, she couldn't help but think about how warm and safe his embrace felt. At that moment, the relationship between them had undeniably crossed the boundary of friendship.
It seemed that Su Ming and Ning Rongrong's relationship had grown to be somewhere between friends and more than that, just shy of becoming lovers. Fortunately, Xiao Wu hadn't interrupted them and turned into a third wheel. If she had, Ning Rongrong probably wouldn't have dared to make such a bold move, and she might have even been teased by Xiao Wu later on.
After a brief moment, the two separated. Still feeling shy, Ning Rongrong quickly said, "I'm off now, wait for my good news!" Then, without even looking at Su Ming, she turned and ran off.
"Let's go, Xiao Wu. Rongrong's already left!" Although there was no one around, Su Ming said this as if speaking to someone.
Suddenly, the air around them rippled, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Wu appeared in front of Su Ming, pouting playfully. "Hmph! Even though I tried to hide, Su Ming-ge still found me!"
Although Xiao Wu wanted to give Su Ming and Rongrong some alone time, she never said she wouldn't peek from a distance. Now, when Rongrong returned, she could tease her properly. It was payback for all the times Rongrong had teased her.
Ning Rongrong's departure to her clan was something Zhu Zhuqing knew about, but she didn't follow along. She had simply bid her farewell back at the dorm.
Ning Rongrong didn't tell Zhu Zhuqing the real reason for her return, as she hadn't succeeded in her mission yet. She figured she'd tell her once she came back.
Zhu Zhuqing simply thought that Ning Rongrong was returning home to visit her family. However, she did ask how Master and the others would react if they found out Ning Rongrong had gone back to her clan instead of staying to learn Lingbo Weibu from Su Ming. Ning Rongrong reassured her not to worry, as Su Ming would handle everything. Then, she briefly explained the events of the morning to Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing quickly understood. The three of them were quite mischievous, and Su Ming, in particular, had a streak of cunning in him. He was a little bit devious!
That afternoon, Su Ming returned to his usual spot to continue his second-stage training for Sage Mode. Xiao Wu followed along out of curiosity.
Initially, Su Ming suggested Xiao Wu could return to her own training since he could handle the next stage alone. But Xiao Wu was too curious about Su Ming's training to leave, so she decided to stay and watch.
After satisfying her curiosity about the second stage of Su Ming's training, she could meditate and cultivate her soul power right there.
Without explaining much, Su Ming used his spirit power to create a long pillar that stood tall in the air. Xiao Wu glanced at the pillar and noticed that the top was pointed. She wondered why.
Without a word, Su Ming gathered his spirit power in his feet and leaped to the top of the pillar. Once he found his balance, he summoned a thick rectangular wooden board and placed it on the tip of the pillar, sitting down cross-legged on top of it.
Su Ming was imitating the training that the Toad Sage had used to teach Naruto. Sitting high up in the air would help him feel more attuned to nature's energy. However, Su Ming wouldn't have as much trouble as Naruto did, since their strength and environments were completely different.
Initially, Su Ming wobbled a bit as he tried to balance on the wooden board, though he didn't fall off. Eventually, he steadied himself.
As the Toad Sage had said, inner peace was key. To truly absorb nature's energy and harmonize with it, Su Ming had to calm his mind, like a serene lake with no ripples.
Xiao Wu watched him for a while, unable to see what Su Ming was trying to accomplish. After calling out to him several times with no response, she noticed that Su Ming had become completely still—no longer wobbling at all. Even the slightest movements had ceased. She figured he had likely achieved success with this stage of his training.
Su Ming had, in fact, calmed his mind and entered a meditative state. He began carefully absorbing the nature energy that flowed around him, cautiously drawing it into his body and trying to harmonize it with his own spiritual and soul energy.
During this initial attempt, small frog-like bumps appeared on his skin, but they were still under control. This gave Su Ming a sense of excitement—he was making progress. He felt that, with more time, he might achieve a perfect Sage Mode like Naruto.
The training continued until evening. By then, faint traces of the sage markings had appeared around Su Ming's eyes. Though he hadn't yet achieved perfect Sage Mode, he had reached a level similar to that of Jiraiya, with only minor imperfections in the form of some frog-like bumps on his skin.
Considering it was just one afternoon of practice, Su Ming felt it was impressive progress. One more day of training should bring him much closer to mastery.
Entering Sage Mode, Su Ming could feel his physical abilities improve significantly, though he wasn't sure by how much yet. The most noticeable change was how attuned he felt to the world around him. It was as if he had merged with nature itself. He could tell that his soul techniques would be several times more powerful while in this state, though he'd have to test them to know exactly how much stronger they were.
He decided to wait until he mastered the perfect Sage Mode before conducting any tests. There was no rush.
With that, Su Ming jumped down from the pillar, still in his incomplete Sage Mode. Xiao Wu, seeing this, smiled and said, "Ge, did you succeed? I saw it! While you were training, a bunch of birds flew around you, and some even landed on you! They weren't scared of you at all. Congratulations!"
Su Ming smiled back, "Not quite yet. I'd say I'm about 80-90% of the way there. I still have a few frog-like bumps on my skin, which means my three energies aren't perfectly balanced yet. Once I achieve that, I'll reach the perfect Sage Mode."
"Let's head for dinner," Su Ming said as he released his Sage Mode.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, eager to return to her clan, had asked her secret protectors to reveal themselves. Some of them were flying-type soul masters, so Ning Rongrong requested that they take turns flying her back to the clan as quickly as possible, using her martial soul to assist along the way.
Whenever they approached a city, they'd land to restore their spirit power before continuing their journey.
Because of this, Ning Rongrong had already covered half the distance back to her clan in just half a day. If it weren't for the dangers of traveling at night, she would've pushed on further!
Back at the academy, Su Ming and Xiao Wu arrived at the dining hall. Master Yu Xiaogang noticed that Ning Rongrong wasn't with them, which seemed odd to him.
Feeling uneasy, he asked, "Su Ming, where's Rongrong? Why didn't she come to dinner with you?"
extra chapters for today , also i shortened the name of the title .....support me in patreon, link -patreon.com/Shadow_D_X , i uploaded up to 310 chapters in patreon out of 657 will do the rest soon, will do more asap, so join..
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