Douluo Continent: On Becoming a God Through Science

Wow~

Ning Rongrong covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes sparkling slightly: "Are you all this amazing? Then Shrek Academy must be quite extraordinary to be able to cultivate geniuses like you?"

Oscar, meeting Ning Rongrong's admiring and expectant gaze, recalled the environment of Shrek Academy, which was like a backward mountain village, and was momentarily speechless.

Looking at Ning Rongrong's attire and demeanor, and imagining what such a young lady would look like in Shrek Academy, he felt she was completely out of place.

But ultimately, the desire for beauty prevailed.

"Yes, of course!"

Oscar's eyes darted around, and he said seriously, "Miss Ning, our Shrek Academy has no fewer than one Soul Saint teacher, including a Food-type Soul Saint! Most importantly, unlike those other academies, Shrek's admissions are strict, and the number of students is small, so almost every student has the opportunity to receive one-on-one guidance from these powerful figures!"

Oscar's explanation was so well-reasoned that even Ning Rongrong was somewhat taken aback.

Although she had even been personally taught by a Title Douluo, she was still very clear that a Soul Saint was already considered a top-tier expert in the Douluo Continent. Ordinary intermediate academies rarely even had a Soul Saint, while Shrek Academy had multiple Soul Saints teaching them, which was indeed a very high level of expertise.

"That amazing?"

Ning Rongrong showed interest, then hesitated, saying, "Actually, I've been debating which academy I should go to..."

Oscar's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

If Ning Rongrong could study at Shrek Academy, wouldn't she have the advantage of being close to the source?

"Shrek Academy is about to start recruiting students. If you're interested, I can take you around the academy and let you meet those Soul Saint teachers. What do you say?"

"Oh? I can't accept that."

"It's alright, it's alright. They're also struggling to find teachers—oh, I mean, several teachers are very eager to cultivate talent. Miss Ning, they'll be overjoyed if you come!"

"In that case, I'll trouble you."

"Hehe, no trouble at all."

Overjoyed, Oscar completely forgot about the environment of Shrek Academy, focusing all his attention on bringing Ning Rongrong there.

Ning Rongrong looked at Oscar, who was grinning foolishly, and felt a slight disdain for this ordinary man who was completely manipulated by her.

She was the one who wanted to visit Shrek Academy, but now it seems like Oscar has taken the initiative to invite her.

'This guy probably feels quite accomplished!'

Ning Rongrong chuckled inwardly.

In short, both sides maintained a pleasant mood and headed towards Shrek Academy together.

then……

Ning Rongrong's cheerful mood quickly turned sour.

"Is this...is this the Shrek Academy you described, with its strong faculty and excellent teaching conditions?"

Her smiling mask was unusually stiff, and her facial muscles twitched slightly.

Looking at the college buildings that seemed to stand in the middle of nowhere, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but wonder: 'Could a school like this really have a high level of teaching quality?'

"Cough cough."

Oscar then remembered his initial thought. Indeed, for a rich young lady like him, Shrek's mere appearance made him seem unreliable and difficult to get along with.

"Since she's already here, she's not going to just turn around and run away, is she?"

Oscar, thinking of his Soul Saint teachers, finally mustered some confidence and said to Ning Rongrong, "Although their appearance is a bit rough, their skills are absolutely top-notch!"

Even though Oscar appeared confident, Ning Rongrong still found it difficult to believe him without question.

Seeing Ning Rongrong's state, Tang San thought of Yu Xiaogang, who had also been questioned, and frowned, saying, "Oscar, if she's unwilling, don't force her. We only accept monsters here, and she might not be able to pass the test."

Ning Rongrong's forehead suddenly creased into a grid shape as she glanced at Tang San.

Compared to the handsome Oscar, Ning Rongrong wasn't particularly interested in Tang San, who looked like a simple country boy.

This appearance doesn't look like that of a genius student.

Originally, Ning Rongrong would never have backed down like this, given Ning Fengzhi's firm demands.

Now, however, a new thought has arisen: I must give this country boy a good slap in the face!

Moreover... Ning Rongrong also thought, perhaps Oscar really wasn't lying?

Just like those parents and children who were deceived at Shrek Academy in the past, even though the academy doesn't look like much on the outside, it might actually be really good inside.

Ning Rongrong remained silent, but Oscar couldn't stand by and watch the girl he had his eye on be ridiculed. She already felt cheated, and this provocation might drive her away. Tang San had Xiao Wu to fawn over, but Oscar didn't even have anyone to fawn over at Shrek Academy!

He quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Oh, Miss Ning, Tang San's mouth is a bit foul, but that's because one of his real teachers is at the academy, which is why he reacted so strongly. Don't take it to heart."

Ning Rongrong simply smiled and said, "I don't mind."

Looking at Ning Rongrong's poised and confident demeanor, Oscar felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart: "This personality, this aura—this is the woman I've been searching for!"

Then he glared at Tang San fiercely.

The three arrived at the main gate of Shrek Academy, where a male teacher, who was also working as a gatekeeper, was dozing off at a table.

"Hey, Teacher Li! Is the dean here today?" Oscar greeted him with a grin.

Li Yusong yawned, glanced at Ning Rongrong's unfamiliar face, and then looked at Oscar's excited expression. He already understood the gist of it, but still said, "What? It's Oscar. The dean isn't out today. Is there something you need?"

Oscar scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "My friend here wants to visit Shrek Academy, so I was just asking."

"Alright, go in."

She was just an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, so Li Yusong casually chose to let her go.

As the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Upon entering the academy, Ning Rongrong found it resembled a wasteland, and after walking for quite some time without seeing a single person, she had already lost most of her patience.

"Dad sent me to this desolate and impoverished place? No way! He can't send me to school in a place like this!"

But she still maintained the demeanor of a gentle, wealthy young lady, feigning curiosity as she asked, "Oscar, we've been walking for so long, and apart from that teacher at the gate, we haven't encountered anyone else. Where are the other students from Shrek Academy?"

"Well……"

Oscar was finally taken aback.

He stopped, gave an awkward laugh, scratched his cheek, and said, "Including Tang San and me, there are only five students in the academy right now. So it's normal that we haven't seen anyone."

"Five!?"

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Ning Rongrong still couldn't help but cry out.

She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and complain, "With so few students, how do you maintain your income? How has Shrek Academy managed to stay afloat all this time?"

At this point, Ning Rongrong was too lazy to keep pretending.

"snort!"

Finally, Tang San couldn't stand it any longer. He probably knew that Oscar wouldn't speak loudly in front of this girl, so he stepped forward and said proudly, "Our academy values ​​quality over quantity. We would rather have none than accept the unqualified. No matter when, even if Shrek Academy closes down, we will never accept trash. We only accept monsters."

Do you know what the graduation requirements are for this academy? We're neither an intermediate nor an advanced Soul Master academy. Our requirements are different from theirs. We only accept students under thirteen years old, and they must be exceptionally talented. The graduation requirement is to be above level forty, and specifically above level forty before the age of twenty, reaching the Soul Grandmaster level to graduate.

That's why there are fewer students than teachers. But what's wrong with that? In the Douluo Continent, strength is paramount. It's better to cultivate only a few powerful individuals capable of shaping the world than a group of weaklings!

As Tang San spoke, he seemed to immerse himself in the story, his tone growing increasingly excited. He said, "In the past twenty years, the academy has admitted sixty-two students, but only fourteen have actually graduated. Yet, after leaving the academy, every one of these fourteen has become a figure of worldwide renown. The most outstanding among them is now the youngest elder in the Spirit Hall, second only to the Pope in authority!"

He looked at Ning Rongrong with disdain and said, "I'm very fortunate to be here."

Already too lazy to pretend, Ning Rongrong, who simply wanted to avoid coming to Shrek Academy altogether, was about to organize her thoughts in rebuttal when...

"Hahaha. This kid sounds so proud, he can't actually believe this kind of propaganda, can he? The Spirit Hall does have elders, and even has a special Elder Hall! But those who can bear the title of elder are all powerhouses at the Title Douluo level! And according to this kid, the age limit for enrollment is thirteen, and the academy has been open for twenty years, which means that student became a Title Douluo in his early thirties?"

"You know, the current official age record for a Title Douluo in Douluo Continent is over a decade ago, when the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao, was 44! Most importantly, now that student has become a Title Douluo and an elder of the Spirit Hall, why doesn't he give back to his alma mater? Why leave this place in such a dilapidated and desolate state?"

The sudden sound in her ear made Ning Rongrong's expression change drastically. She turned her head sharply and saw a tall, slender man standing there.

Most importantly, the man's face was a blur. Although one could feel that one could see his face, one could not say whether he was beautiful or ugly, and could not recall his specific appearance at all.

Normally, if you can't see a person's face, you can't determine their identity.

But when a face becomes so blurry that it can no longer be remembered, it becomes another extremely obvious feature!

Ning Rongrong immediately realized the newcomer's identity, her eyes widened, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Beast Soul!?"

"Beast Soul? Is that what you people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School call me? That's a pretty good nickname."

You Chen nodded slightly, indicating his approval of the title.

Seeing this unsurprisingly powerful figure, who was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of this world, appear beside her, Ning Rongrong felt as if she were still in a dream.

She had considered the other party her number one enemy not long ago when she was browsing the Beast Soul Shop, but now that the other party was actually in front of her, she couldn't care less about those little thoughts and couldn't help but feel nervous.

For a moment, Ning Rongrong forgot the anger she felt from Tang San's words, and asked hesitantly and curiously, "How did you end up here?"

You Chen blinked: "I'd like to ask you that. What's the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School doing alone in the Beast Soul Merchant Guild's shop? Could it be... that she's thinking of gathering intelligence or something?"

Ning Rongrong blushed instantly.

Getting caught red-handed while inspecting a competitor's business was an embarrassing experience Ning Rongrong had never had before.

"Oh, you actually guessed right?"

You Chen laughed and said, "Just kidding, what enemy situation? Aren't our two merchant guilds business partners now? After all, I work for the Beast Soul Merchant Guild. I was just idly checking things out in my shop when I happened to see you wandering around. Coincidentally, I've been in Soto City for quite a while and I know a bit about Shrek Academy's reputation. That young man wanted to lure you in, and as a business partner, I can't just watch my ally's daughter get tricked without knowing why."

The truth is quite the opposite.

The starlight avatar that appeared here was left behind to monitor Tang San's movements.

However, for a powerful figure like You Chen, most of his time is actually spent comprehending and studying various techniques and mysteries, and monitoring is only a small part of his attention.

After all, it's just monitoring one person, so it doesn't require much effort.

However, the mental energy detection within a certain range remains constantly enabled.

This led to the discovery of Ning Rongrong's existence.

After a quick calculation, it was almost time for Shrek Academy's enrollment season. Although it was a little earlier than the original timeline, it wasn't surprising that some butterfly effects would occur because of my appearance.

If there's anything in Douluo Continent worth specifically grinding for as a first-blood reward, the "Shrek Seven Devils" group is definitely one of them.

As a supergroup that has spanned tens of thousands of years of history in the Douluo Continent, its destiny power is naturally not weak.

However, You Chen has already taken Tang San's first blood reward, the number one chosen one of destiny, and Xiao Wu probably won't keep it either. As for Zhu Zhuqing, she's involved in some of his plans for the Star Luo Empire, so she won't be left to Shrek Academy...

Therefore, the value of the Shrek Seven Devils has inevitably plummeted.

You Chen was already quite busy with his projects, such as Perfect Realm, Stardust Power, Domain Power... He had temporarily put all of these aside to focus on the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Force, let alone opening a new field.

For You Chen, it's better to hold on for a while longer, wait for these newbies to grow a bit more, and then harvest them when the rewards are better.

Although the participants are expected to be very different from those in the original work, and their strength will drop significantly due to the absence of the Immortal Herb, it shouldn't be any worse than the team rewards for the Royal Fighting Team... right?

In short, for You Chen, it was just as important as it was for Tang San—an event that was both important and unimportant.

The main reason is that Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing have probably already run away, so there's no need for Ning Rongrong to leave them behind for him.

Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was his intended subordinate, and since he happened to run into them, it wouldn't hurt to stir up some trouble along the way.

Seeing how friendly You Chen was, as if he had come purely out of concern for her, and remembering that You Chen had only scared her a little before and had not really hurt her, Ning Rongrong lowered her guard a bit.

Then, she realized that although she and You Chen had been talking, Tang San and Oscar hadn't reacted at all and had instead abandoned her and left.

You Chen noticed Ning Rongrong's confusion and said with a faint smile, "Don't look. In their eyes, your silence and lack of reaction are practically the same as being persuaded by that kid named Tang San."

You Chen pointed to his face and said, "It's about the same principle as when you look at me."

Ning Rongrong felt a surge of anger when she thought about how she appeared to be completely unassailable in the eyes of Tang San and the other man.

It's similar to the frustration of being insulted and having the other person abruptly end the conversation before you even have a chance to retort.

"Senior Beast Soul, why...why did you suddenly appear and scare me..."

Ning Rongrong was ultimately a little afraid of You Chen, and in the end she just muttered, "No matter what, let me talk back to that little bastard before I come out..."

Seeing that Ning Rongrong was not frightened at all by his amazing illusion, You Chen felt somewhat unsatisfied.

But... never mind.

You Chen glanced at Ning Rongrong and said, "Isn't your goal to refute them? Then isn't the information I just gave you the best material for your counterattack?"

With that, You Chen grinned mischievously, "You want to see them speechless, don't you?"

Ning Rongrong looked at You Chen. Although she still couldn't confirm his appearance, she could accurately recognize his expression as always.

However, Ning Rongrong, a mere Soul Master, had no way of knowing just how magical and amazing this strange feeling was, or how much technology it involved.

She sensed a kindred spirit in You Chen's somewhat wicked expression, and her eyes lit up immediately: "Senior Beast Soul, what you said before, was it all true?"

Although Ning Rongrong had received a good education, she was still only a twelve-year-old girl. She knew the power of the Spirit Hall, but she couldn't remember all the details clearly and firmly.

Otherwise, in the original timeline, Flander's boastful and flawed GG-like statement wouldn't have been so difficult to see through.

Even if the elders were only Soul Douluo or even just Soul Saints, none of the most outstanding graduates of Shrek Academy at that time could meet such conditions.

"It's not the kind of division like a main hall and branch halls. The Spirit Hall also has different institutions within it. The three highest institutions are the Hall of Offerings, the Pope's Hall, and the Elder Hall. There is also a Douluo Hall in name, but that's just a tomb for burying the titles of Title Douluos after they die. Of the three institutions, the Hall of Offerings is the most transcendent, while the Pope's Hall and the Elder Hall are only about equal in power. After all, to be on par with the Pope, one must at least be a Soul Douluo powerhouse, right? Of course, the Spirit Hall is a huge force with countless powerful individuals, so the Elder Hall is full of Title Douluos."

You Chen calmly analyzed the situation for Ning Rongrong.

"this……"

Ning Rongrong keenly sensed something, her eyes widening in surprise. "The elders are all at least Title Douluo, so the even higher-ranking retainers shouldn't be any worse, right? Doesn't that mean that even if the Hall of Retainers and the Hall of Elders each only have five people, the Spirit Hall would still have ten Title Douluos?! Is the Spirit Hall that powerful? Weren't they said there were only about twenty Title Douluos on the entire continent? Isn't that almost half?"

"You're quick-witted, aren't you? That's pretty much it." You Chen nodded with a smile.

Ning Rongrong's breath hitched, and she was somewhat speechless.

Although she knew that the Spirit Hall was very strong, she had always felt that the three upper sects were actually about the same.

But looking at it this way, how is it evenly matched? Even if the three major sects combined, they wouldn't be enough to fend off the Spirit Hall!

"Haha, you're just a minor, you don't need to worry about this."

You Chen patted Ning Rongrong's head very naturally and laughed, "Your father and both grandfathers know about this situation, and they're not worried. Why are you so anxious?"

"Don't hit my head!"

Ning Rongrong angrily slapped You Chen's hand away and glared at him.

After You Chen gave her a thorough analysis, Ning Rongrong discovered during their brief time together that You Chen wasn't as scary as she had imagined; in fact, he was quite easy to talk to, so she gradually relaxed a bit.

She turned her head and jogged to catch up with Tang San and his companion, who had been walking several steps ahead.

Although Ning Rongrong was no longer as reserved, it did not mean that she had completely let down her guard against You Chen.

It's impossible to betray one's father's decision just because of You Chen's words.

Although Ning Rongrong is very free and uninhibited in front of Ning Fengzhi, she still has great respect for her father in her heart.

She was often willful in private, but she never acted out of character or diminished her father's authority in front of others.

If her father knew that she had gone against her own decision because of a few words from a business ally or rival, he would be very sad.

With that thought in mind, Ning Rongrong followed Tang San and the others.

You Chen's sudden revelation shocked Ning Rongrong. After he revealed such a startling fact, she couldn't help but lose interest in arguing with Tang San, and her previous emotions dissipated in an instant.

Seeing this, You Chen showed no emotion, but followed along with interest.

Cultivation always requires relaxation; a balance between tension and rest is the key.

Yuxing is a rare treat that shouldn't be missed.

"What's going on?"

Unbeknownst to them, the group had arrived at a martial arts arena. Ning Rongrong had just merged with the illusion of herself created by You Chen when she realized that something was amiss in the atmosphere.

Two unfamiliar figures appeared at the scene.

One was a girl with an ethereal temperament wielding a scorpion-tail whip. Although she had not yet fully unleashed her power, she already possessed an alluring beauty that even Ning Rongrong found stunning at first glance.

The other was a tall, handsome, blond young man with a sinister aura and double pupils in his eyes.

They all seemed to be Shrek students, but the atmosphere was far from harmonious; in fact, it was quite tense.

You Chen crossed his arms, watching the scene unfold. He glanced at Tang San, whose face was filled with barely concealed anger, and commented indifferently, "It's nothing, just a normal scene of jealousy and rivalry."

With only a few students, they managed to create a scene of jealousy and rivalry. It just goes to show how lazy the teachers at Shrek Academy are. (End of Chapter)