Chapter 254: The Test

Once these words were spoken, everyone present was taken aback.

Then, Flender let out a cold snort and said, "Are you kidding me? An Auxiliary System Soul Master going into battle? The most important task of an Auxiliary System Soul Master is to support their partners during battle, and under their partners' protection, do their best to protect themselves!"

"And as for your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, don't you know how powerful your auxiliary martial soul is? Why abandon the root to pursue the tip and insist on becoming a Battle Soul Master?"

"Then there is no meaning in me coming here." Immediately, Ning Rongrong's eyes were filled with disappointment as she spoke.

If the goal was to become a powerful and qualified Auxiliary System Soul Master, then why would she need to come to this Shrek Academy?

Could it be that Shrek Academy, where the teachers are almost all Battle Soul Masters, would know better than their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—which is full of powerful Auxiliary System Soul Masters—how to teach her to become a powerful Auxiliary System Soul Master?

Don't make me laugh.

Never mind teaching Ning Rongrong how to become a powerful Auxiliary System Soul Master; even if it were teaching her how to become a powerful Battle Soul Master, Shrek Academy is inferior to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Could it be that Flender or Zhao Wuji is more formidable than Sword or Bone?

In the original story, Ning Fengzhi let Ning Rongrong come to Shrek Academy to study, but it was actually to temper her arrogant personality and bad temper; but when it came to what she was taught, in the end, wasn't it still the Distraction Control and the Ring Fusion technique of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Shrek Academy at most, because Tang San happened to be there, gave Ning Rongrong an Immortal Herb and subsequent opportunities.

To put it bluntly, Shrek Academy is worth nothing; without Tang San, what they could teach Ning Rongrong would probably just be that running training that made people laugh at the beginning.

So the question arises, is running training... something that can only be done at Shrek Academy?

In any case, Ning Rongrong now felt somewhat disappointed with Shrek Academy and immediately wanted to leave.

Flender and Dai Mubai were speechless regarding her, and Oscar at this moment also couldn't quite see what Ning Rongrong was thinking.

As Auxiliary System Soul Masters, they only need to learn how to save their own lives and assist their teammates; why be so obsessed with having to go into battle?

Xiao Wu at this time recalled what Ning Rongrong had once said and asked, "Rongrong... could it be that your brother changed from an Auxiliary System Soul Master into a Battle Soul Master?"

Ning Rongrong nodded and said with some dejection, "That's right, my brother relied on his own strength to change from an Auxiliary System Soul Master like me into a Battle Soul Master..."

Suddenly, once these words were out, everyone else present was astonished.

Flender also reacted immediately and said, "Could it be... that your brother is that... peerless genius of Heaven Dou City..."

He had naturally heard of Ning Feiliu's great name; it was said that three peerless geniuses had emerged in Heaven Dou City over the past few years.

One is the young clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, whose talent, cultivation, and combat power are all quite astonishing; not only is he invincible among his peers, but he also has the potential to succeed the Thunder Douluo in the future.

And the granddaughter of the current Poison Douluo, whose martial soul inherited the Poison Douluo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul, with the power of her toxins surpassing all other Poison Soul Masters of her generation.

Her talent is even more astonishing; she broke through to Soul Ancestor at fourteen, and in the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament the year before last, at the age of seventeen, she led the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy to defeat a host of powerful enemies, losing in the end only to the formidable Spirit Hall Academy, which possessed numerous peak Soul Ancestors.

It is said that after the tournament ended, she broke through to the Soul King realm at the age of eighteen, becoming the second youngest in the younger generation on the continent to break through to the Soul King realm.

As for the youngest to break through to the Soul King realm...

It is the last of those three peerless geniuses, the third son of the current Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, who broke through to Soul King at fifteen!

Moreover, his combat power is unparalleled; not only was he invincible among his peers during his Soul Elder period, but he also achieved the feat of challenging those of higher ranks.

His martial soul is also extremely unique, being the Crescent Moon Divine Weapon series of martial souls derived from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's hereditary martial soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda; he has five different martial souls, and each has different effects and different combinations of soul skills.

In short, he is extraordinarily powerful, making the younger generation of Heaven Dou City all submit and fall for him.

Could it be... that this peerless genius is... Ning Rongrong's...

"Yes." Ning Rongrong nodded and then said, "So I want to be like my San Ge and become a Battle Soul Master, but I just want to prove... that I can also change, but since you all..."

Her eyes were filled with disappointment, and she turned to leave.

However, Flender immediately snorted coldly and said pretentiously, "Are you going to give up so easily?"

"But your academy has no way, right?" Ning Rongrong paused her steps and said dejectedly.

"I tell you, our academy might not have a way for the moment, but I have a close friend whose research on martial souls is extremely outstanding." Flender took a deep breath and said solemnly, "He definitely has a way to make you like your brother!"

"Really?" A glimmer of hope immediately appeared in Ning Rongrong's eyes again.

"I completely believe he can do it." Flender truly had confidence in Yu Xiaogang, and he immediately held his head high and said.

Ning Rongrong turned around immediately, holding onto a final shred of hope as she stayed.

But just then, Flender said, "However, my Shrek Academy is not a place you can come and go as you please; since you have decided to stay... you must first accept a test!"

"First become a qualified Auxiliary System Soul Master; if you aren't even qualified to be an Auxiliary System Soul Master, how can you be qualified to be a Battle Soul Master!"

Flender had made up his mind; he had to give Ning Rongrong a show of force first so that it would be easier to control her later.

He immediately said to Ning Rongrong and Oscar—

"As an Auxiliary System Soul Master, running away is a necessary quality; an Auxiliary System Soul Master who cannot run away is not a good Soul Master. And what does running away require? It requires physical strength. Although as Soul Masters, you have your own soul power to assist you, and your physical fitness is stronger than that of ordinary people, the enemies you might face are the opponent's Battle Soul Masters. Therefore, as an Auxiliary System Soul Master, you also need to train your physical strength. At a critical moment, perhaps if you can run one step further, you might survive."

After his nonsensical long-winded speech, he continued to say to Oscar and Ning Rongrong, "Your test is to undergo physical training. At the same time, this is also your lesson for today, Xiao Ao! All of you! From now on, run forty laps around the entire village; if you haven't returned before lunch... Ning Rongrong, you can leave our Shrek Academy! You may use your own martial souls to assist... but you cannot use soul power! Now, set off! Oscar is responsible for leading the way."

Forty laps?!

Ning Rongrong bit her lip; she estimated the number of laps based on the size of the village where Shrek Academy was located.

If it were only twenty laps, her physical fitness from her usual boxing practice was decent enough that she could have carried through with physical strength, but this was forty laps...

This was somewhat difficult.

But in order to stay, she had to do it!

Thus, she immediately gritted her teeth and was the first to start running.

"Xiao Ao! Why aren't you going yet! Otherwise, don't even think about eating lunch today!" Flender said to Oscar, who was standing to the side with a bitter face.

"Yes... Dean." Oscar gritted his teeth and rushed forward as well.

Just like that, Ning Rongrong and Oscar began to run hard; Ning Rongrong didn't speak, just silently gritted her teeth and ran forward.

Oscar looked at the hardworking Ning Rongrong and was somewhat dazed.

He hadn't expected... that such a girl would really be so serious and hardworking. He had thought she would at least... cheat a little and use soul power.

However, Ning Rongrong didn't even use her martial soul and just kept running hard like that.

Gradually, Ning Rongrong's breathing became heavier, and this was only their thirteenth lap...

Ning Rongrong's physical fitness was actually quite good, so she hadn't given up yet and was still persisting.

The fourteenth lap...

The fifteenth lap...

However, every lap of running that followed felt as if it were doubling the burden.

Oscar could barely take it anymore, so...

"I have a Big Sausage!" He immediately used his first soul skill to create two sausages, then he came before Ning Rongrong and handed her a sausage.

"Eat some of my sausage first to recover your strength..." Oscar said earnestly.

"Th... thank you..." Ning Rongrong's face was pale at this moment, and she replied in a rather pitiful manner.

Then she slowed down slightly, took Oscar's sausage, and swallowed it quickly, because... time was running out.

There was no time for her to eat this sausage slowly; she had to quicken her pace.

But she also knew that if she sped up too early and exhausted her physical strength, she would not be able to complete the trial later.

Especially since she was doing this using pure physical strength.

"Let's work hard together." Seeing Ning Rongrong like this, Oscar gathered his courage and said to her, "You will stay; I believe you can definitely stay!"

He did not believe the Dean was truly so heartless as to expel a genius Spirit Master with such great talent and such a hardworking nature just because she failed to complete the trial.

"Ma... many thanks, let's work hard together." Ning Rongrong also responded politely.

Then they began to run again.

The twentieth lap began... Ning Rongrong's face was even paler, and Oscar was also struggling to hold on; after all, this was effectively his usual training limit.

But they had no other choice and continued to persist.

However, time passed bit by bit, and the sun was about to climb to the middle of the sky.

Yet they were still short of the final... eight laps! "I must... stay... I cannot give up just like this..." Ning Rongrong was exhausted to the extreme at this moment, and only this thought remained in her mind.

But... but... time was running out, and just running like this... she would still fail the trial in the end.

"No..." Ning Rongrong bit her lip, and then a thought suddenly flashed through her somewhat overloaded brain...

"If I use soul power here... Flender might not necessarily know, the only thing is..." She had just looked at Oscar.

Oscar was looking at her at this moment, smiling as he said, "Rongrong... let's use our soul power; I won't tell the Dean."

He had been completely won over by Ning Rongrong; such a girl... if she were really forced to quit by the Dean's outrageous and bizarre trial, then it would be the Dean who was in the wrong.

So... he chose to help Ning Rongrong conceal this matter.

"Thank you... Oscar... truly, thank you." Ning Rongrong said with some gratitude at this moment.

A few minutes later.

Flender stood expressionless where he was before, watching the pale-faced Oscar and Ning Rongrong supporting each other as they finally succeeded in returning before him.

Besides Flender, there were others present, including Tang San, Xiao Wu, and teachers like Zhao Wuji.

"Dean... we succeeded." Oscar took the lead in showing a strained smile to Flender and said.

Ning Rongrong was also holding her waist, but she was the first to take two water bags out of her Soul Guidance Device, first handing one to Oscar before drinking from her own.

"Thank you..." Oscar felt a warmth in his heart, said this to Ning Rongrong, and then began to drink.

However, just at this moment...

"Oscar, you finished forty laps? You didn't use soul power?" Flender's gaze gave people a sharp feeling, making one afraid to meet his eyes.

Oscar's expression immediately became somewhat unnatural, but he still nodded and showed a strained smile. He said: "Dean, we finished."

Oscar gritted his teeth, nodded, and said: "Yes, we both finished."

Flender smiled; if Tang San were to evaluate his smile, then the word "insidious" would be most appropriate.

"Very good, Oscar, I didn't expect you to have such a spirit of camaraderie. Come here." Flender pointed to the spot in front of him.

A bitter smile appeared on Oscar's face; he first looked nervously at the pale-faced Ning Rongrong to the side, then strode to stand before Flender.

Flender's right hand slowly lifted and patted lightly on Oscar's shoulder, "I admire your spirit of camaraderie. Since that is the case, you go run another twenty laps and let me see just how deep your camaraderie goes. If you don't finish, you don't eat. I have already sealed your soul power; do not attempt to undo it. Go."

Oscar said nothing, only sighed, and just as he intended to go run again.

"Wait... Dean..." Ning Rongrong stood out; she was looking down.

Then she suddenly looked up and said, "It was I who suggested cheating; in the end... we had no choice but to use soul power to finish the last eight laps... it has nothing to do with him."

Oscar looked at Ning Rongrong, deeply moved in his heart.

At this moment, Ning Rongrong actually chose to speak up for him.

The girl before him was truly beautiful, gentle, and kind in his heart at this moment.

He felt his heartbeat suddenly grow loud... that was the sound of his heart being moved.

"What did I say! You cannot use soul power! At most, you can only use your martial soul abilities and soul skills to assist." Flender snorted coldly, "If you cannot even complete the trial of an Auxiliary System Spirit Master, how can you talk about becoming a Battle Soul Master."

"But... what does this have to do with becoming a Battle Soul Master? A Spirit Master is meant to use their own soul power to fight; could it be that if one has soul power, one shouldn't use it, and should instead use one's own original strength?" Ning Rongrong finally couldn't help but ask.

(End of chapter)