Douluo Continent: The Phoenix God Returns

Chapter 19 The True Colors of a Witch

Tang San said to Dai Mubai, "Brother Dai, we are all new here. Please tell us about the rules and courses in the academy."

Dai Mubai forced himself to pull his attention away from Zhu Zhuqing and gave a general overview of the academy's rules. Just as he took a sip of water, a clanging sound came from outside.

"This is the bell signaling the dean's call for us. Fatty, you take them directly to the main playground, I'll go get Zhuqing."

Watching his departing figure, Ma Hongjun muttered, "Boss Dai seems to have changed a bit. I've never seen him care about a woman this much before."

Ning Rongrong chuckled and said, "How old are you? Still calling yourself a woman."

Ma Hongjun snorted and said proudly, "Although I'm not very old, I've had my share of women. Let's go, the dean doesn't like people being late."

When the five arrived at the large playground, a sleepy-eyed Oscar was already there, eating a sausage he had made himself. Oscar's appearance had changed drastically, mainly because his beard was gone. When Tang San saw him, he almost didn't recognize him. Oscar, who had shaved his beard, looked completely different.

Ma Hongjun exclaimed in surprise, "You actually shaved!"

Oscar glanced at the fat man and said in a soft voice, "Hey, who's this ugly guy?"

Fatty and Oscar made a ruckus until Flander arrived, at which point they immediately quieted down. It was the first day of school, so as usual, they collected tuition fees. After briefly explaining Shrek's rules, Flander looked at Oscar and Ning Rongrong and told them to run twenty laps around the village to hone their escape skills.

Flander waved his hand and said, "The rest of you can go and rest. Remember, get yourself into peak condition before dark. Don't blame me for not warning you. The teaching at this academy is different from other places; you may even face danger."

Zhu Zhuqing left without looking back, and Dai Mubai didn't chase after her this time. Ma Hongjun also disappeared very quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

After everyone left, Ning Rongrong felt that as a support-type Soul Master, she didn't need to cultivate like this at all. She even made her and Oscar run twenty laps around the village, each lap being at least three kilometers. After arguing with Oscar, she disappeared without a trace.

As night fell, Flander, the four-eyed cat owl and dean of Shrek Academy, stood on the large playground, looking at all eight students in front of him. Dai Mubai, Li Ye, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing, who had a cool and neat expression, were all ready for class that night, and they were all in high spirits.

Flander first looked at Oscar, his gaze sharp, and asked, "Oscar, have you finished twenty laps?"

Oscar coughed, nodded, and said, "Dean, I'm done running."

Flanders scoffed. "I'm asking you all, not you."

Oscar turned to Ning Rongrong, gritted his teeth, and said, "Yes, we finished the race."

Flander smiled and beckoned, "Very good, Oscar, you have a very friendly spirit, come here."

Oscar gave a wry smile, walked up to Flander, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I've sealed your soul power. Go run twenty more laps. You're not allowed to eat until you finish."

Oscar didn't say anything, just nodded silently, and turned to run outside.

Flander looked at Ning Rongrong. "Tell me, have you finished the lessons I assigned this morning?"

Ning Rongrong honestly shook her head and said, "No, it's too far, and I'm hungry. I can't keep going."

Flanders scoffed. "So you went to Soto City by yourself, had a big meal, strolled around the shopping street, and only came back to find Oscar when you had just one last lap left, right?"

Ning Rongrong widened her beautiful eyes. "You're spying on me?"

Then Flander began his lecture to Ning Rongrong. In Ye Li's opinion, if Flander hadn't had the letter written to him by Ning Rongrong's father, he wouldn't have dared to criticize Ning Rongrong. Now that he had the authority, he could say whatever he wanted and scold whatever he wanted.

Ning Rongrong stood there in a daze. Every word Flander said felt like a sharp sword piercing her heart, shattering her pride. Ning Rongrong looked pale and suddenly burst into tears, turning around and running towards her dormitory.

Looking at the smile on Flander's face, Dai Mubai tentatively asked, "Dean, should I go help her pack her things?"

Flanders glared at him and said, "Do you really want this girl to leave? Ning Rongrong may be a bit spoiled, but she's not a bad person at heart. Let her figure it out herself. Go and call Oscar back, and tell him I've exempted him from punishment."

"Oh," Dai Mubai replied, then turned to find Oscar.

After speaking with Dai Mubai, Flander looked at Ye Li and said, "Go and comfort Ning Rongrong, and tell her that you two are going to be partners."

"Yes," Ye Li said respectfully, but in her heart she thought, "So I'm the biggest victim of injustice."

Flander then looked at Tang San and the others, and said, "Once Dai Mubai returns, we'll set off and begin your first lesson."

Flander put his hands behind his back. "Alright, get ready to go. You're about to begin your first lesson at Shrek. Each of you will complete your own course independently. Don't blame me for not warning you beforehand, if you don't do well, you'll be lucky to escape with your lives."

Dai Mubai returned quickly and nodded to Flander.

Flander waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Follow me." With that, he lightly leaped off the ground, heading towards the outside of the academy.

The girls' dormitory and the boys' dormitory are actually very close to each other. Because it is in a village, there is no particularly clear division of areas. The houses are all the same wooden houses, without any special features.

Ye Li gently knocked on the door and said, "Rongrong, are you there?"

The door was quickly pulled open, and Ning Rongrong looked up at Li Ye with her red and swollen eyes, her expression pitiful. "Did you come here to pack my things?"

Ye Li chuckled softly, "What, you really want to leave?"

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. "No, I want to stay." How could Ning Rongrong accept being so discouraged? She also wanted to prove that Flander was wrong, that she was the undisputed genius, not the weakest one.

Ye Li then said, "Since you've chosen to stay, you should really change your mindset."

Ning Rongrong snorted, "What's the point of changing? You've all seen my true personality anyway, so I might as well stop pretending."

Ning Rongrong showed no sign of remorse, and Ye Li guessed what she was thinking but didn't say anything.

"Haven't had dinner yet? I'll take you to get something to eat. Since you're staying, register a duo at the Grand Soul Arena tomorrow and participate in the 2v2 Soul Battle competition," Ye Li said casually.

"A Soul Fighting Competition?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously. She had watched many Soul Fighting Competitions before, but had never participated in one.

Ye Li then added, "These are the graduation requirements for Shrek Academy; you must obtain the Silver Battle Soul Badge."

Ning Rongrong couldn't help but say, "Isn't this too unfair to support-type Soul Masters?"

Ye Li said, "Just team up with me, it'll be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables."

Ning Rongrong seemed to have thought of something and said somewhat shyly, "Then you have to protect me."

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Oscar was already sitting there eating and drinking heartily. When he saw Ning Rongrong, he immediately looked a little embarrassed, as he had just heard about Ning Rongrong's fierceness from Dai Mubai.

Ning Rongrong remained calm, sat down, picked up a piece of bread, and ate it in small bites.

Oscar pulled Ye Li to his side and whispered, "Xiao Ye, did Ning Rongrong really get into a fight with the dean just now?"

Ye Li nodded, but Oscar's expression turned sour.

Oscar sighed, "It seems this time it's still not the love I'm looking for."

Ye Li seemed to have thought of something and said, "Xiao Ao, don't you have a girlfriend you find acceptable?"

Oscar looked at Ye Li speechlessly and said, "No."

"I'll introduce you to a pretty girl, do you want her?" Ye Li whispered in Oscar's ear.

Oscar immediately grabbed Ye Li's arm, his eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Li Ye, it's a pity you're a man, otherwise I would definitely marry you!"

"Alright, alright, trust me, I'll definitely give you a sweet and soft girlfriend." Ye Li said, then thought of Hu Liena: "Senior sister, you won't blame me, will you?"

Actually, Ye Li also had his own selfish motives. He just looked down on Tang San and the others, which was not wrong. He would try his best to become friends with those people he could.

.........

(End of this chapter)