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"Alright, I'll do it!"
After a moment of hesitation, Ning Rongrong decided she couldn't reject her sisters' heartfelt intentions. She was determined to run these twenty laps!
What else could she do when her sisters had already said so much?
Run away? Hmph~, does this young lady not care about her dignity?
Subsequently, under the encouraging gazes of her two sisters and with the Light Lion's innate skill, "Blessing," enhancing her, Ning Rongrong ate one of Oscar's recovery sausages and began her second lap around the village.
It was somewhat disappointing but also expected—Little Bai's Blessing skill couldn't stack with the amplification effects of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's skills.
Xiao Wu felt a bit disheartened by this. If Ning Rongrong's amplification skills could stack with Little Bai's Blessing, it would have significantly boosted her combat power.
'Something seems off here!'
Standing on the roof of his dormitory and office, Flender looked into the distance at Ning Rongrong, who was still running outside the village. A trace of doubt flickered in his eyes.
Hadn't Sect Leader Ning written in his letter that this girl was arrogant and unruly, a true little witch, and asked him to discipline her accordingly?
He had intentionally made things difficult for her, yet she obediently followed through. She didn't seem as bad as Sect Leader Ning described.
Could it be that Sect Leader Ning was being modest?
Hmm, that wasn't impossible!
After all, someone like Sect Leader Ning wouldn't need to boast to a small fry like him about how excellent his daughter was.
What Flender didn't realize was that Ning Rongrong's character was exactly as described in Ning Fengzhi's letter—perhaps even worse.
The reason she was behaving herself now was simply because she couldn't bear to lose face or let her newly acquainted sisters look down on her.
Ning Rongrong being a little witch was undeniable, but it was also true that her personality was incredibly proud, and she cared deeply about the honor of her sect.
As the young mistress of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she didn't want to be looked down upon, especially not by her close friends.
---
Night fell.
On the training ground of Shrek Academy, Flender gazed at the seven students within the academy.
His gaze toward Ning Rongrong, in particular, was filled with satisfaction.
Twenty laps, nearly sixty miles—a daunting challenge for an auxiliary-type Soul Grandmaster—but Ning Rongrong completed them in full, and before noon, no less.
After reviewing everyone, Flender spoke: "Oscar, Ning Rongrong, step forward!"
Immediately, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, standing tall and proud, stepped forward.
"Your performance today was very impressive; I'm quite satisfied, especially with you, Ning Rongrong. Truly worthy of being a genius nurtured by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!"
Flender lavished praise without reservation.
After all, compliments were free, and they might slightly reduce the resentment the two children harbored toward him.
Indeed, twenty laps and sixty miles were a tremendous challenge for two second-ring support soul masters.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong stood even straighter, her chest puffed out with pride.
One of the greatest joys of a little witch was hearing praise—especially sincere praise based on merit rather than flattery due to her status.
"Alright, you don't need to participate in tonight's evening class. You can go back and rest."
Waving his hand, Flender indicated that tonight's class was irrelevant to them.
"Principal Flender, I'd like to watch too!"
The moment Flender finished speaking, Ning Rongrong piped up.
She had already asked Xiao Wu what the evening class entailed. Staying in the academy was boring, so why not tag along to the Great Spirit Arena and watch the excitement?
"It's up to you. If you want to follow, just come along. Let's go!"
With a grand wave of his hand, Flender led the way toward Suotuo City.
The Suotuo Great Spirit Arena was bustling as usual. This time, not only did Ning Rongrong come along, but Oscar, the food-system soul master, joined as well.
Upon entering the arena, Flender's money-hungry eyes immediately turned to Chu Chengzhou.
In Flender's eyes, Chu Chengzhou was a problematic student but also his golden goose.
Whenever Chu Chengzhou participated in spirit battles, there was no need to think twice—just bet everything he had and wait to collect the winnings.
This fellow, even before advancing to the three-ring Soul Elder level, had defeated a five-thousand-year-old Fire Phoenix. Now, having advanced to the three-ring Soul Elder stage, his opponents were at most Level 39 Soul Elders. Unless he deliberately threw the match, victory was guaranteed.
Moreover, unlike before, when Chu Chengzhou's soul power was at the Level 29 Soul Grandmaster stage, making his advantage obvious, now, at Level 34 Soul Elder, his soul power advantage was non-existent. The odds of betting on his victory, though not high, certainly weren't low either.
"Principal Flender, stop looking at me like that. I'm not planning to battle for now."
Flender's intense gaze made Chu Chengzhou uneasy, prompting him to speak up promptly.
Before spirit battles, soul power levels were tested. Even with his black-grade mastery techniques, he couldn't hide his soul power level from the crystal used for testing.
Five months ago, he was just a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster, but now he is a Level 34 Soul Elder, not far from the 35th level.
A five-level increase in soul power over five months, excluding the natural boost from the third soul ring, meant an increase of more than three minor levels.
Such a significant leap was bound to raise eyebrows. If someone became suspicious and tried to force him to reveal nonexistent spirit bones, that wouldn't be good.
For this reason, Chu Chengzhou hadn't participated in any spirit battles at the Great Spirit Arena in recent months.
"You're not coming again?"
Flender's face fell. Why was this golden goose so hard to catch?
"Don't say that~ Senior Chu, Xiao Ao and I are waiting for you to make a move!"
Ma Hongjun, beside him, grew anxious and quickly interjected.
Black Horse Club was the highest-end club in Suotuo City, and the expenses weren't cheap. After frequent visits, Ma Hongjun's wallet visibly shrank.
He had planned to ride the coattails of Chu Chengzhou's victories at the Great Spirit Arena to make some quick cash. But if Chu Chengzhou refused to play, how could that work?
Having experienced the enthusiastic service of Black Horse Club's ladies, Ma Hongjun had no intention of returning to being a "common phoenix."
"Huh~, don't pressure me like this. Not only me, but Xiao Wu also doesn't plan to battle spirits recently.
If you want to make money, you can bet on Dai Mubai. He's a silver-ranked spirit battler and can compete on the main spirit platform.
Although Dai Mubai isn't as strong as me, he's still a capable three-ring Soul Elder. Generally speaking, he wins more often than he loses. As long as you don't bet too big at once, you're sure to win."
Chu Chengzhou pointed to Dai Mubai, who had come along.
Though he disliked Dai Mubai, it was undeniable that at Level 37 Soul Elder, Dai Mubai wasn't weak. Though he wasn't undefeated in three-ring spirit battles, winning seven or eight out of ten matches was a certainty.
Unlike the original story, perhaps due to the pressure from Chu Chengzhou, Dai Mubai's soul power level hadn't changed, but his record at the Great Spirit Arena had improved significantly.
There was no other reason—after being humiliated by Chu Chengzhou, he vented his anger by bullying other competitors at the arena.
In short, Dai Mubai needed to release his pent-up frustration.
"Aw~!"
Ma Hongjun let out a helpless sigh.
Though betting on Dai Mubai generally resulted in wins, there was still the risk of losing everything if the wrong bet was placed. That wasn't like Chu Chengzhou—betting everything in one go and waiting to collect the winnings.
Later, Dai Mubai went to register for the competition, Xiao Wu took Zhu Zhuqing to register for their spirit badges, and Chu Chengzhou, feeling the urge to relieve himself, headed toward the restroom.
"Fatty, is Senior Chu really that good at spirit battles?"
Glancing at Chu Chengzhou's retreating figure, Ning Rongrong curiously asked Ma Hongjun.
"That's right! You might not know this, but several months ago, when Senior Chu was still a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster, he won consecutive matches at the Great Spirit Arena. Every time, Xiao Ao and I bet everything we had on Senior Chu's victory.
Including bets on Xiao Wu's victories, our fortunes multiplied several times in just a few days."
Recalling his "glorious achievements," Ma Hongjun proudly boasted.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong blinked, her expression skeptical.
If she remembered correctly, Senior Chu was now a Level 34 Soul Elder. So Ma Hongjun was saying that just a few months ago, he was a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster? Such a leap?
"Fatty, when was this?"
"Uh… about five months ago?"
After thinking for a moment, Ma Hongjun replied.
'Five months?'
Ning Rongrong raised an eyebrow. It seemed there was some incredible secret here!
Within an hour, the group from Shrek Academy gathered at the entrance of the Great Spirit Arena.
Today's spirit battles went smoothly. Except for Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu, who didn't participate, and Ning Rongrong and Oscar, who were auxiliary soul masters, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing all achieved victories in their individual spirit battles.
Afterward, the group of eight split into three groups and left the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena.
Only Flender returned directly to Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar headed to the Black Horse Club. Though their destination was the same, Ma Hongjun and Oscar walked together, while Dai Mubai was subtly excluded.
One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers unless one is male and the other female. With Chu Chengzhou around, they naturally kept their distance from their former leader, Dai Mubai.
As for Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, they planned to explore the night market in Suotuo City.
And Chu Chengzhou? Of course, he was their protector~!
The night market in Suotuo City was bustling, a place where one could easily lose track of time—at least for Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
As they wandered, the four inadvertently arrived at the entrance of the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild.
Thinking for a moment, Chu Chengzhou said to the three: "Xiao Wu, I need to order some things. Do you want to come in and take a look?"
On his AFK panel, his Forging skill would reach Black-Tier in a month.
Yellow and Purple-Tier forging corresponded to the later world's Thousand-forging level, so logically, Black-Tier forging should correspond to Spirit-forging.
Spirit-forged metal could be absorbed into a soul master's body. At that time, Chu Chengzhou planned to craft Spirit-forged armor and upgrade his Heavy Silver bow. It was time to order rare metals.
After all, rare metals in this era were truly scarce. The Suotuo City branch of the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild might not have the rare metals he needed, so it was best to place an advance order.
"The Seven Treasures Merchant Guild? Rongrong, isn't this your sect's business?"
Examining the plaque hanging at the entrance of the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild, Xiao Wu turned to Ning Rongrong.
"Mmhm, in the Tian Dou Empire and its subordinate kingdoms and duchies, any city of moderate size has a branch of our Seven Treasures Merchant Guild.
Senior Chu, you want to buy something? Don't worry, I'll make sure they give you a discount!"
Ning Rongrong puffed out her chest confidently.
"Is that so? Then thank you, Rongrong!"
Chu Chengzhou didn't refuse Ning Rongrong's kindness.
A discount wasn't free—it was nothing to refuse. Besides, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was wealthy and had started as a mining business. They wouldn't miss out on this small profit.
"Welcome!"
As soon as the four entered the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild, a uniformed saleswoman greeted them.
"Call your manager over!"
Ning Rongrong summoned her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul and instructed the saleswoman.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul and the two soul rings glowing around her, the saleswoman's pupils contracted.
"Miss Ning, please wait a moment. Please take a seat while I fetch the manager."
The guild was named after the Seven Treasures. As an employee, how could the saleswoman not recognize the unique Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul of the sect?
Moreover, Ning Rongrong, despite her young age, was already a two-ring Soul Grandmaster. In the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she must be a talented member of the Ning family, holding a position of importance. The saleswoman dared not show any negligence and immediately ushered the four to sit on the sofas in the lobby.
Not letting Chu Chengzhou and the others wait long, the saleswoman soon returned with a slightly portly middle-aged man.
Seeing Ning Rongrong sitting on the sofa in the lobby, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before rushing forward.
"Your servant Wang Fugui greets Young Miss!"
Wang Fugui bowed respectfully to Ning Rongrong.
This was the young mistress of their boss. As a subordinate, even if he forgot what his deceased parents looked like, he couldn't forget the young mistress!
'Young Miss?'
Hearing this, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were a bit surprised.
Addressing someone as "Miss Ning" and "Young Miss" were different concepts.
The former was a polite, generic term, while the latter was a respectful title.
"Hehe~, my father is the sect leader of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!"
Ning Rongrong shyly smiled.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing: "…"
What was it like to have a little rich friend?
Well, the two didn't dwell on it too much.
After all, in the world of Douluo Continent, strength was king. Wealth was far less important than personal power. As long as one had enough shiny gold coins, anything extra was just clouds.
"Manager Wang, my senior wants to buy some things."
Ning Rongrong pointed to Chu Chengzhou and addressed Wang Fugui.
"May I ask for your honorable surname and what you wish to purchase?"
Wang Fugui asked Chu Chengzhou.
"My surname is Chu. Manager Wang, I want to buy some rare metals. Do you have any samples I could see?"
Chu Chengzhou didn't know much about rare metals, and the names of rare metals in the future might differ in this era. He planned to first examine the samples and then choose materials for crafting Spirit-forged armor and a powerful bow based on their properties.
That's right—Chu Chengzhou no longer planned to upgrade his Thousand-forged Heavy Silver bow to a Spirit-forged version.
After acquiring the Fire Phoenix summon, he could convert his soul power into fire and condense fire-attribute soul power arrows.
Thus, rare metals that amplified fire-attribute soul power were undoubtedly better suited for crafting a powerful bow than Heavy Silver.
"Rare metals? Young Master Chu, please wait a moment. I'll have someone bring them out!"
Wang Fugui immediately turned and gave instructions to the nearby saleswoman.
After about ten minutes, the saleswoman returned, pushing a cart laden with various square-shaped metal ingot samples, each about an inch in size and of different colors.
"Young Master Chu, these are all the types of rare metals we sell."
Wang Fugui pointed to the various metal ingot samples on the cart.
"Thank you, Manager Wang. I'll take a look myself!"
Nodding, Chu Chengzhou stepped forward to examine them one by one.
There were many types of rare metals on the cart, most of which Chu Chengzhou didn't recognize.
But that didn't matter. Perhaps normal blacksmiths in the future would struggle with unfamiliar metals, leading to noticeable mistakes or even failed forgings.
However, he wasn't a normal blacksmith—he was cheating. He only needed to select materials that met his requirements.
Even if he didn't recognize the metal, aside from a few that required specific soul power cultivation or had poor base material quality unsuitable for high-level forging, his perfect mastery of various forging skills allowed him to forge all metals to their corresponding levels.
After examining them, Chu Chengzhou picked out two metal ingots.
One sample was blue with no attribute classification, while the other was fiery red and emitted a scorching heat.
The blue metal enhanced soul power, while the red metal specifically amplified fire-attribute soul power. Moreover, when it came to amplifying fire-attribute soul power, the red metal was more effective than the blue one.
The effect of enhancing soul power was easy to understand—it didn't increase the total amount of soul power but rather improved its quality.
For example, why was the attack power of a hundred-year-old first soul skill from a one-ring soul master far weaker than that of a Title Douluo?
Apart from differences in martial soul quality, the most important factor was that a Title Douluo's soul power quality far exceeded that of a one-ring soul master.
"Manager Wang, what are these two types of metals?"
Holding the two metal ingots, Chu Chengzhou asked Wang Fugui.
"The blue one is called Blue Coppertite, commonly found in large copper mines. The red one is called Sunfire Iron, a rare metal mined from deep within volcanoes."
Taking a moment to recall the information, Wang Fugui explained.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect originated from mining, and as a notable subordinate, Wang Fugui had a basic understanding of the sect's products.
Hearing these names, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow. It seemed these two rare metals also existed in the later world of Douluo Continent?
Was it possible that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, as the continent's largest mine owner, had named these rare metals?
"What are the prices?"
Without dwelling on the names, Chu Chengzhou asked.
"This..."
Wang Fugui couldn't help but glance at Ning Rongrong sitting nearby.
Chu Chengzhou had come with the young mistress, so setting a price was tricky!
The guild had its rules. Selling too cheaply would break those rules unless the young mistress personally intervened.
But selling at the original price would disregard her dignity.
What kind of treatment was this? Classmates coming to support your business, and you don't offer any discounts?
"Manager Wang, don't look at Ning Rongrong. Just charge whatever your original price is—I'm not short on money."
Seeing Wang Fugui's hesitation, Chu Chengzhou said.
"Senior Chu, if you're just buying metals, I'll decide—consider them a gift!"
At this moment, Ning Rongrong interjected.
Initially, she didn't know what Chu Chengzhou wanted to buy and only promised a discount. After all, many items sold by the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild had costs and were expensive, such as high-capacity storage soul devices and spirit bones.
Considering this, she hadn't dared to guarantee anything.
But since Chu Chengzhou wanted rare metals, there was no question—they were free.
As the daughter of the continent's largest mine owner, even though rare metals were expensive, they were essentially just stones dug up from her family's mines. How could she charge for them?
You're slapping my face, Ning Rongrong!
It was like being the son of a coal tycoon—if a classmate came to visit and asked to buy a few pieces of coal to burn, would you dare charge them?
"Free? No, that won't do. You're running a business—I can't just take them for free."
Chu Chengzhou shook his head. He wasn't short on gold coins and didn't want to owe Ning Rongrong a favor, even though he already considered her part of his fish pond.
"Senior Chu, don't embarrass me.
These are just some metals. Our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul has treasure-finding abilities. We have plenty of these, even more than we can sell.
Besides, although rare metals are expensive, their actual cost isn't much. Don't worry about it."
Ning Rongrong shook her head firmly.
"But I'm ordering quite a lot."
"No problem, Senior Chu, take as much as you want!"
Ning Rongrong waved dismissively.
We're classmates, and you're the boyfriend of my close friend. Even if you're not quite a close friend yet, you're still a friend.
Since you're a friend, take as much as you can. My family has plenty of these!
"Alright then, Rongrong, thank you! Manager Wang, I want 300 pounds of Blue Coppertite and 100 pounds of Sunfire Iron."
No longer refusing Ning Rongrong's kindness, Chu Chengzhou reported the numbers to Wang Fugui.
Blue Coppertite and Sunfire Iron had much lower densities than Heavy Silver. Even after removing impurities and undergoing spirit forging, which would shrink their volume significantly, 300 pounds of Blue Coppertite would be enough to craft Spirit-forged armor for both himself and Xiao Wu.
As for the 100 pounds of Sunfire Iron—it was clearly for crafting a powerful fire-attribute bow.
As for owing Ning Rongrong a favor? That could be dealt with later.
"Young Master Chu, Blue Coppertite is abundant, and we have stock here. However, Sunfire Iron is extremely rare and needs to be shipped from the headquarters in Tiandou City. It will take about half a month."
Wang Fugui said somewhat apologetically.
"No problem. Once you have it, send someone to notify me, or deliver it to Shrek Academy outside the city."
Before reaching the Spirit-forging level, Chu Chengzhou wouldn't start crafting anyway. Whether it arrived early or late made no difference.
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