Chapter 103: Not Yet Rank 30, Already 50 Years Old, Yearning Heartbroken Red
"Rongrong! Why are you here?"
Oscar spotted Ning Rongrong at a glance, his face instantly lighting up with surprise.
The rest of Shrek also felt caught off guard.
No one expected to run into Ning Rongrong, who had withdrawn from the academy for quite some time, in a place like this.
And together with Zhu Zhuqing, no less.
"I ran into danger before, and thanks to Zhuqing saving my life, I've been sticking with her ever since."
Ning Rongrong chuckled. "What about you guys? Why aren't you in Suo Tuo City?"
"This…"
Oscar subconsciously looked toward Flender.
"Ahem, for our long-term development, we're planning to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Flender cleared his throat. "Rongrong, do you want to return to Shrek and come to Heaven Dou City with us?"
"Forget it. I'll just stick with Zhuqing."
Ning Rongrong glanced at the calm and indifferent Zhu Zhuqing beside her and hugged her arm tightly.
"This student, Zhu Zhuqing, would you consider joining our Shrek?"
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his tone carrying a trace of self-assured sincerity.
"We have quite a few renowned teachers who provide one-on-one guidance, which would greatly benefit your growth."
"If you participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament in the future, you will surely achieve excellent results."
"Renowned teachers?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Yu Xiaogang with some hesitation.
She had seen this person once before but hadn't paid much attention.
His aura didn't seem particularly strong either. Could it be that he was a hidden expert?
She couldn't help but ask,
"May I ask who you are?"
"Let me introduce—"
Flender said loudly, "This is the one who proposed the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, hailed as the strongest in martial soul theory and the wisest Soul Master, respectfully known as Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang."
"That would be me."
Yu Xiaogang straightened his back slightly.
"Oh wow, actually called Grandmaster—that sounds pretty impressive!"
In her spiritual sea, Bai Lu suppressed a laugh and said,
"Why don't you ask him what rank and age he is now?"
Zhu Zhuqing was already curious, so she immediately asked,
"May I ask, Grandmaster, what is your current soul power rank and your age?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened. After a long pause, he finally forced out,
"Rank 29, over fifty years old."
"As expected of a Grandmaster!"
Zhu Zhuqing instantly showed respect and, without thinking, repeated Bai Lu's words:
"I didn't expect that, with such low soul power, not even rank thirty, your age has already broken through fifty!"
"Pfft—!"
Several suppressed laughs sounded at once.
Yu Xiaogang's face instantly darkened as he glared angrily toward the source of the laughter.
Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun all looked around as if nothing had happened.
"Zhu Zhuqing, you are not allowed to insult my teacher!"
Tang San stepped forward, his gaze cold.
"I didn't insult him; I was just stating facts."
Zhu Zhuqing remained calm.
Tang San said sternly,
"Apologize to my teacher!"
"If apologizing makes you feel better…"
Zhu Zhuqing said sincerely, "Then I'm sorry."
"You!"
Yu Xiaogang trembled with anger, flicked his sleeve, and said coldly,
"Enough! With your arrogant and unruly nature, you are not worthy of our guidance."
"Oh."
Zhu Zhuqing gave him a cold glance, then turned and pulled Ning Rongrong forward.
"Wait!"
Tang San looked at her carefree back, suddenly recalling the scene of being utterly crushed last time. A surge of frustration rushed to his head.
He stepped forward heavily and shouted in a deep voice,
"Zhu Zhuqing, I challenge you. Do you dare accept?"
"No. You're not my opponent. None of you are."
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze calmly swept over Tang San and the others.
Things were no longer the same as before. She was now a rank 60 quasi–Soul Emperor.
Her physical body was powerful, and her spirit was unyielding.
Not to mention Tang San alone; even if all of them attacked together, she was confident she could defeat them all.
"I admit you're strong, but if I go all out, I may not be your opponent!"
Tang San's expression darkened, his tone growing firmer.
As long as he could use hidden weapons, he was invincible!
After all, when he went all out with hidden weapons, he had managed to hold out for more than an incense stick's time against Zhao Wuji, who was a Soul Saint!
Could it be that Zhu Zhuqing was even stronger than Zhao Wuji?
'Don't make your sister kitty laugh.'
If Bai Lu could hear his thoughts, she would definitely say that.
"Oh, perhaps."
Zhu Zhuqing showed little interest in fighting Tang San.
After all, the only two self-created soul skills on him that could be replicated had already been copied by Bai Lu.
"Wait! Don't refuse so quickly."
Bai Lu's voice suddenly sounded in Zhu Zhuqing's mind, suggesting.
"Since he insists on challenging you, why not make a bet and give him a chance to prove himself?"
"Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
She looked at Tang San and spoke slowly, "We can make a bet…"
"What kind of bet?"
Tang San immediately asked, his palm tightening slightly.
He had always had a strong gambling nature. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to bet against Zhao Wuji before reaching rank 30 that he could last an incense stick's time against him.
It's just that… he only had a few hundred gold soul coins on him.
The most valuable things he had, aside from the Twenty-Four Moonlight Bridges, were various hidden weapons.
"All four of you attack together. Use any methods you want. As long as you can force me to summon my martial soul, you win. Otherwise, I win."
Zhu Zhuqing said calmly as she looked at Tang San.
"All four of us?!"
"Any methods?!"
"Force you to use your martial soul?"
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dai Mubai couldn't sit still.
They admitted that Zhuqing was strong—extremely strong!
Especially Dai Mubai, who had been brutally defeated by her multiple times before.
But so what?
"You're not even planning to use your martial soul. Who are you looking down on?"
Ma Hongjun shouted.
"Zhuqing, I admit you're strong, but don't think having a strong physique makes you unbeatable!"
Dai Mubai's expression was complicated as he said in a deep voice,
"In a Soul Master battle, summoning your martial soul or not makes a huge difference. You're being too overconfident!"
"Exactly!"
Oscar nodded in agreement. "Without summoning your martial soul, your physique weakens a lot, and you can't use soul skills either… Even if you're a Soul King, you might not be our match!"
"…"
Ning Rongrong said nothing, quietly enjoying the show.
Her bright, round eyes sparkled with amusement.
She knew very well that Zhuqing could even defeat a Titled Douluo. Whether she used her martial soul or not made no difference against these few.
"That's right."
Zhu Zhuqing's tone carried unquestionable confidence:
"If you win, I'll give you one hundred thousand gold soul coins, plus this…"
With a flick of her hand, she took out a white flower shaped like a peony.
Several of its petals were blood-red, with no leaves, and beneath the stem was a pitch-black stone.
"Yearning Heartbroken Red?!"
Tang San's eyes widened in shock, and he cried out in disbelief.
"What is that?"
Yu Xiaogang asked in confusion.
He prided himself on unmatched knowledge, yet he had never heard of such a thing.
—
End of Chapter