Chapter 40: ChallengeThe roar of the crowd in the Main Spirit Arena was a tidal wave of sound, a testament to the brutal, elegant efficiency with which the Treasure Silver Civet had dismantled their opponents. The victory was absolute, their tenth in a row.
After the fight, they were escorted to a private administrative office, a quiet, opulent room away from the clamor of the masses. An impeccably dressed official, his face a mask of professional respect, approached them.
"Congratulations on your tenth consecutive victory," he said with a formal bow. "As per the rules of the Great Spirit Arena, you have earned the right to be promoted."
He presented them with three new badges, each one crafted from polished bronze, heavier and more substantial than the simple iron ones they had held before. "Please return your Iron Spirit Badges. Your new Bronze Spirit Badges have been credited with a total of one hundred and ninety-five points. One hundred for your ten-win streak, and ninety-five accumulated from your victories. A remarkable achievement."
They accepted their new badges, a tangible symbol of their progress. As they walked out of the arena and back into the vibrant, chaotic streets of Suotuo City, the adrenaline of the fight gave way to a giddy sense of triumph.
"We did it!" Ning Rongrong cheered, linking her arms through both Zhang Tian's and Zhu Zhuqing's. "Bronze! I can't believe it! We should celebrate! A huge celebration! What should we eat? That place with the spicy fish hotpot? Or the one with the honey-glazed spirit beast ribs? Oh! I know, let's go see that new play at the Grand Theatre first!"
Her excited chatter was a bright, happy melody in the cool night air. But as they rounded a corner, their path was suddenly blocked.
Standing before them, their forms illuminated by the glowing street lamps, was the entire Shrek contingent. Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Zhao Wuji stood at the front, their expressions grim and unreadable. Behind them were Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Xiao Wu, their faces a complex tapestry of envy, resentment, and grudging respect.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression immediately turned to one of glacial indifference. She simply stared at them, her posture radiating a cold, unapproachable aura.
Ning Rongrong's happy smile faltered, replaced by a deep frown. "What do they want now?" she muttered, her voice laced with annoyance.
Zhang Tian stepped forward slightly, his own face a mask of polite neutrality. "Grandmaster. Dean Flender," he greeted them with a slight nod. "Is there something you need from us?"
It was not the Grandmaster who answered. Tang San took a step forward, his expression hard, his eyes burning with a competitive fire that was almost palpable.
"Zhang Tian," he said, his voice sharp and direct, leaving no room for pleasantries. "I want a fight. One-on-one. Just you and me."
He saw the flicker of surprise in the eyes of his teachers and teammates, who had not been privy to this decision. "It will be no holds barred," Tang San continued, his gaze unwavering. "I will use my mechanical weapons. You will use yours. A true battle of skill and ingenuity. No interference."
Zhang Tian considered the challenge for a long moment. He saw the desperate need for validation in Tang San's eyes, the burning desire to prove the superiority of his Tang Sect legacy. A fight was inevitable. It was better to have it now, on his own terms.
"I accept," he said simply. "Tomorrow afternoon. In the woods just outside the academy."
"Deal," Tang San replied, a grim smile touching his lips.
With the challenge set, Flender and Yu Xiaogang began to herd their students away. But Dai Mubai broke from the group. He walked directly to Zhu Zhuqing, his face a mask of pained sincerity.
"Zhuqing," he began, his voice low and earnest. "I… I've been training. Harder than I ever have in my life. I haven't even looked at another woman in these past two months. Please… give me another chance. We need to work together if we're going to survive."
Zhu Zhuqing just stared at him, her expression unchanging. Then, in a blur of motion, she moved.
"Hell Civet, Possess!"
She was a black phantom, her speed so incredible that Dai Mubai didn't even have time to react. Before he could even summon his own spirit, he felt something cold and sharp press against the soft skin of his throat.
Zhu Zhuqing stood before him, her hand raised, the obsidian-black claws of her Hell Civet spirit resting a hair's breadth from his jugular vein.
"Your training," she said, her voice a low, contemptuous whisper, "has been useless."
She retracted her claws, her disgust plain to see. "You're too late, Dai Mubai. I am no longer counting on you for anything. I will defeat my sister and your brother on my own terms. And after that, I will have the Emperor himself annul our pathetic marriage contract. Then, I will be free to live my life with Zhang Tian and Rongrong."
Dai Mubai's face paled, then flushed with a deep, furious red. "My father will never cancel our engagement!" he snarled.
"Oh, really?"
Ning Rongrong stepped forward, a haughty, dismissive snort escaping her lips. "I'm very curious, Dai Mubai. Will your father, the great Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, really dare to antagonize my Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect? Will he truly force this marriage when Zhuqing is under the official protection of my clan?"
Dai Mubai's anger faltered, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. "You underestimate the power of the Star Luo Empire," he blustered.
Ning Rongrong just laughed, a sound like tinkling, condescending bells. "And you, you brainless tiger, completely underestimate the power of my sect. The Clear Sky Sect is in hiding. That makes my Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect the undisputed number one sect in the world. We have two Titled Douluos, both of them Super Douluos. And we now have the Breaking Clan as our subsidiary, further strengthening our foundation. So tell me," she leaned in, her eyes sparkling with malice, "will your empire, with its aging Spirit Douluos, really dare to go to war with us over a single, useless, spare prince like you?"
The logic was a blade that gutted him, leaving him speechless and humiliated. He could only stand there, trembling with impotent rage, as the trio turned their backs on him and walked away into the night.
Their celebration that night was even more lavish than the last. They dined on the most expensive dishes, drank the finest wine, and laughed until their sides ached.
Later, in their opulent hotel suite, the familiar, comfortable routine began. Ning Rongrong, her cheeks flushed from the wine, was the first to succumb to sleep, her soft snores a gentle rhythm in the quiet room.
The moment she was asleep, the atmosphere shifted.
Zhang Tian looked at Zhu Zhuqing, a silent question in his eyes.
She answered with a slow, seductive smile.
He carried her into the bathroom, their movements practiced, silent.
The moment the door clicked shut, he pressed her against it, his mouth crashing down on hers. Their clothes seemed to melt away, discarded in a heap on the marble floor as their naked bodies pressed together.
The night was a symphony of slick skin, hot water, and muffled moans. He laid her down on the floor of the massive shower, the steaming water cascading over them. He knelt between her legs, his tongue finding her clit with an expert's precision, driving her to a series of screaming, leg-trembling orgasms.
In return, she later took his hard, thick dick deep down her throat, her actions showing practiced skill that drove him to the brink of madness.
He came with a roar, his seed flooding her mouth.
They didn't stop. He sat on the shower bench, pulling her onto his lap, and she rode his fingers, her wet pussy grinding against his hand as he played with her tits, his mouth latched onto her nipple.
The night was a blur of passion, a desperate, hedonistic exploration of every inch of each other's bodies.
Later, clean and utterly spent, they crept back into the bedroom and slid into the massive bed. He lay in the middle, and with a soft, contented sigh, he wrapped an arm around each of the sleeping girls, pulling their warm bodies close.
He held Ning Rongrong's slender waist and Zhu Zhuqing's curvaceous buttocks, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The first rays of dawn brought with them a soft, gentle consciousness. Ning Rongrong awoke not to the cold emptiness of her bed, but to the firm, comforting warmth of Zhang Tian's arm wrapped around her waist. She was snuggled against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. A deep, sweet warmth spread through her chest.
She didn't move. She just lay there, savoring the feeling, her heart fluttering like a trapped bird. She noticed his other arm was wrapped around Zhu Zhuqing, who was sleeping peacefully on his other side.
She didn't feel a pang of jealousy. Only a quiet, happy acceptance. 'He's so wonderful,' she thought, a sleepy, contented smile on her face. 'Of course Zhuqing would love him too. I want my best friend to be happy.' As the heiress of a great clan, the idea of sharing a man was not a foreign or distasteful concept. In fact, the thought of sharing Zhang Tian with her best friend… it felt strangely right.
An hour later, Zhang Tian's own eyes fluttered open. He found himself in the delightful position of being sandwiched between two beautiful, sleeping women. He smiled. He gently caressed the soft skin of Ning Rongrong's waist. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead," he whispered. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then another to her cheek.
Her eyes opened, and she beamed at him, her face a picture of pure, simple happiness. "Good morning," she chirped. She then looked over at the still-sleeping Zhu Zhuqing. "You should wake her up the same way," she suggested, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Are you sure?" he asked, a teasing smile on his own lips.
"I'm sure," she nodded.
He leaned over and began his gentle assault. He trailed his fingers lightly over the bare skin of Zhu Zhuqing's midriff, where her pajama top had ridden up. She let out a soft, sleepy moan. He then kissed her forehead, then her cheek.
Her dark eyes fluttered open. She saw his face, so close to hers, and then she saw Ning Rongrong, awake and smiling at them from his other side. A jolt of panic shot through her, but seeing the open, happy expression on Rongrong's face, her fear immediately subsided, replaced by a warm, relieved blush.
"Time to get ready, you two," Zhang Tian said, sitting up. "We have a fight to attend. And then, a city to visit."
As they made their way back to the academy, a quiet conversation took place in Zhang Tian's spiritual sea.
'You're going to fight him now,' Ah Yin's voice was a low, cold hum of anticipation. 'That imposter.'
'I am,' he confirmed.
'Injure him,' she commanded, her voice filled with a mother's vengeful fury. 'Make him bleed. Make him suffer for what he did to my son. For me.'
'Don't worry, Ah Yin,' Zhang Tian chuckled, a sound that held no humor, only a chilling promise. 'I intend to.'
They arrived at the designated clearing in the woods. The entire Shrek contingent was already there, a silent, grim-faced audience. Tang San stood in the center, his expression a mask of cold focus.
Dai Mubai stood behind him, his eyes burning with a hateful light. "Cripple him, Xiao San," he whispered, his voice a low, venomous hiss. "I don't care how you do it. Just make him suffer."
"That was my plan all along," Tang San replied, his own voice equally cold. After all, Tang San knew that if he let this Zhang Tian grow as smoothly he has been till now, he would be a great threat to not just him but to the Tang Sect he would establish in the future.
Just as the two combatants were about to take their positions, two new figures flickered into existence at the edge of the clearing.
They were the two Spirit Douluo elders from the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, Shi and Li. They stood silently, their immense auras a subtle but clear warning.
Ning Rongrong had, as a precaution, informed them of the "no-holds-barred" duel. They were here to ensure that no matter what the outcome, the teachers of Shrek Academy would not dare to intervene or lay a hand on Zhang Tian.
The stage was set. The audience was in place. The silent guardians stood watch.
Zhang Tian and Tang San stepped forward, facing each other across the clearing. A silent, electric tension crackled in the air between them. This was more than a spar. This was a battle for dominance.