Capítulo 20: Chapter 20: The Emperor’s New Clothes
Hearing Meng Bei's casual assessment of Yu Tianheng's strength, the Shrek Academy team's morale surged. They were now brimming with confidence about their upcoming match against the Emperor Team.
After all, if the Emperor Team's captain, Yu Tianheng, was so easily defeated by Meng Bei, didn't that imply the rest of the Emperor Team would be even weaker?
Meng Bei alone was enough to take down the Emperor Team's captain. Besides Meng Bei, Shrek Academy had two other powerhouses—Dai Mubai and Tang San—both of whom were equally formidable.
With this logic in mind, the Shrek members concluded that they would effortlessly crush the Emperor Team.
To them, Meng Bei was undeniably strong, but not overwhelmingly so.
His third spirit skill, Freezing Ray, was an unexpected and powerful long-range attack. However, they believed close combat was his weakness.
In their view, Tang San and Dai Mubai, when going all out, could rival Meng Bei's overall strength.
What they didn't realize was that Meng Bei's Martial Spirit Evolution had enhanced all aspects of his abilities, including close combat. His melee combat prowess was as formidable as his ranged attacks.
The Shrek team's misconception stemmed from two factors:
Meng Bei rarely sparred seriously with them.
He had deliberately concealed the fact that his physique was exceptionally powerful, never showcasing his full strength in melee combat.
(Well, except for his nighttime "matches" with Xiao Wu.)
In truth, the Shrek members had vastly underestimated Meng Bei's strength.
This led them to similarly underestimate Yu Tianheng.
Meng Bei was more than happy to let this misunderstanding persist.
Only by underestimating Yu Tianheng's capabilities would the Shrek team feel secure in accepting the match against the Emperor Team.
And only by doing so would Meng Bei have the chance to complete his system's mission.
"Am I being too devious?" Meng Bei thought.
"Not at all."
After all, everything he said was true: Yu Tianheng really couldn't withstand two of his Freezing Rays, and Tang San, if he used all his hidden weapons, could indeed defeat Yu Tianheng with ease.
Meng Bei reasoned that the misunderstanding arose from the Shrek members' own flawed interpretation, not from any deliberate misleading on his part.
Furthermore, he rationalized, this experience would teach the Shrek team not to underestimate future opponents. Wasn't that a valuable lesson he was helping them learn?
With this self-justification, Meng Bei felt even more at ease.
The meeting ended with Flender making the final decision: Shrek Academy would accept the challenge against the Emperor Team.
To ensure fairness, Flender forbade any Shrek members from interacting with the Emperor Team before the match, fearing that Qin Ming, the Emperor Team's leader, might go easy on them if he discovered Shrek was involved.
After the meeting, Zhu Zhuqing approached Meng Bei for some special training.
This was a discovery the two had made during their doubles matches at the Spirit Arena.
Meng Bei's second spirit skill, Freezing Wind, created an icy gale across the battlefield, capable of slowing, freezing, and enhancing ice-type abilities.
Over time, Zhu Zhuqing realized that training within the Freezing Wind significantly boosted her speed—far more than her usual training regimen.
As a result, she often sought out Meng Bei to use the skill for her speed drills.
But today, Meng Bei had to decline.
"Sorry, Zhuqing. I already promised to spend the day with Rongrong..."
As he spoke, Ning Rongrong ran over and clasped Meng Bei's arm.
Zhu Zhuqing froze, her eyes widening in surprise.
"You two... could it be...?"
"We're together now!" Ning Rongrong declared, her brows arching proudly as she clung to Meng Bei, as though staking her claim.
She was wary of Zhu Zhuqing.
Despite being the youngest of the group, Zhu Zhuqing's physical development far outpaced both Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu. Her frequent training sessions and partnership with Meng Bei naturally made Ning Rongrong feel a sense of rivalry.
Zhu Zhuqing, however, hadn't given the matter much thought.
She was more surprised than anything else.
Not long ago, Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong had seemed to be at odds. How had they silently reconciled and gotten together?
Seeing their sweet interactions, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
She admired their relationship.
Compared to Dai Mubai, Meng Bei seemed superior in both looks and strength.
But for Zhu Zhuqing, the pressures of royal conflicts weighed heavily on her. She prioritized training and gaining power, leaving no room for romantic pursuits.
After learning that Meng Bei wouldn't be available for training, Zhu Zhuqing headed off alone to continue her drills.
Today was effectively a date for Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong.
They had initially planned to visit the city, but plans changed when they stepped out of Shrek Academy and felt the gentle breeze across the fields.
The wind rustled through the leaves, lifting the hem of Ning Rongrong's dress.
She decided they would stay in the countryside and fly kites instead.
Since they hadn't brought a kite, nor wanted to travel back to town to buy one, they sought out other Shrek members to borrow one.
Dai Mubai: Didn't play with kites.
Zhu Zhuqing: Busy training.
Xiao Wu: Had no kite but boasted a long scorpion braid. Meng Bei joked about using it as a kite later that night.
Tang San: Suggested building a flying hidden weapon to glide on the wind and kill enemies—a proposal Meng Bei promptly rejected.
Finally, they found Oscar, who unearthed an old kite from his belongings.
Oscar's gaze was complex as he handed the kite over. While he harbored feelings for Ning Rongrong, her radiant joy made him swallow his emotions and lend the kite silently.
With the kite in hand, Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong ventured into the fields.
The kite soared with the wind, accompanied by their laughter.
They ran, chased, and played until exhaustion claimed them. Resting on the grass, Ning Rongrong nestled happily in Meng Bei's arms, unbothered by the dirt staining her expensive pleated skirt.
Meng Bei gently adjusted her skirt, his actions purely considerate.
(After all, she wore leggings, courtesy of a system reward: the Emperor's New Clothes.)
This advanced soul tool offered robust protection while appearing indistinguishable from ordinary clothing.
Yet, it had another intriguing feature…
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