Dugu Yan had no interest in fighting a battle with no chance of victory.
She understood Ning Rongrong's combat prowess better than anyone present.
Why would she volunteer to get beaten up?
With Dugu Yan leading the way, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er also slowly raised their hands. Shui Bing'er spoke up, "My sister and I won't participate either."
"Then count me and Lingling in too. We also won't—"
Before Ning Tian could finish, Ning Rongrong cut him off.
"Lingling doesn't have to participate, but Second Brother, I hope you can properly 'guide' me. There's still so much I need to learn."
Ning Rongrong deliberately emphasized the word "guide."
Ning Tian: "..."
Guide? Guide my ass!
You were already a Soul King over two years ago! And is that really a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
All those things you've done in the sect—do you think I'm blind?!
That's what he thought, but Ning Tian didn't dare say it out loud.
Thus, the participants for the match were:
Yu Hairou, Shen Liuyu, Gu Qingbo, Qiu Ruoshui, and a resentful-looking 47th-ranked Soul Ancestor, Ning Tian.
Aside from Ning Tian, the other four were all members of the original Tian Shui Academy team from the source material.
Apart from Yu Hairou, who was a 41st-ranked Soul Ancestor, the other three had all reached the 39th rank—one level higher than in the original story.
In Ning Rongrong's opinion, there was a chance these former Tian Shui Academy members could all break through to the Soul Ancestor level during the tournament.
An entire team of Soul Ancestors!
That would be comparable to the original Shrek Academy team.
But now, she wondered—what kind of team would Shrek Academy send from the Balak Kingdom? There were rumors that the Clear Sky Sect was involved too. She didn't know if that was true.
"Are you sure about this?" Yu Hairou asked, her voice tinged with concern. "You're taking on all five of us alone?"
It felt almost like a joke. Even if she was stronger than them, how could a support-type Soul Master fight five people at once? Four battle-type Soul Masters plus a 47th-ranked Ning Tian from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—this lineup was essentially equivalent to all four of them reaching mid-tier Soul Ancestor strength.
"Don't overthink it. Just go all out." Since there was no choice, Ning Tian could only brace himself and address his teammates.
"Ning Tian, that's your sister!" Gu Qingbo couldn't help but comment. "Won't you feel bad if she gets hurt?"
This guy had zero sense of chivalry. She didn't understand why Ye Lingling was so close to him.
Could it be, as the rumors said, that they had some kind of Martial Soul Resonance?
Maybe even a potential Martial Soul Fusion Skill?
"Don't let her harmless appearance fool you," Ning Tian said. "Ning Rongrong's talent far surpasses mine. Over two years ago, she was already a Soul King."
"And according to my elder brother, she was definitely not just an ordinary support-type Soul King."
"Two and a half years ago… a Soul King?" The four girls exchanged stunned glances.
"That's right." Seeing that Ning Rongrong wasn't stopping him, Ning Tian relaxed slightly and continued, "So go all out. Otherwise, we don't stand a chance."
"Ning Tian, didn't you say your sister is six years younger than you? Did I remember that wrong?" Yu Hairou's expression was one of sheer disbelief.
"Yeah, that's correct." Ning Tian nodded.
The four girls fell into silence once more.
"No need to guess anymore." Dugu Yan's voice cut through the quiet. "Even if all of us fought together, we wouldn't be a match for Rongrong."
"I can tell you this—I'm currently a 67th-ranked Soul Emperor. And Rongrong is even stronger than me."
"A… Soul Emperor?!"
Yu Hairou and the others were dumbfounded.
How could people of similar age be so ridiculously overpowered?
Especially Ning Rongrong. Did her father, Ning Fengzhi, even know how monstrous she was?
Weren't Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas supposed to max out at seven levels?!
Compared to the four Glazed Academy students, Ye Lingling and the others remained much calmer. Whether they had witnessed it themselves or heard from their elders, they already had a rough idea of Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan's strength.
But since the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had never officially announced it, they had pretended not to know.
"Actually, there's no need to overthink this," Ning Rongrong said with a smile. "Since we're going to fight, let's begin."
"As the captain, I'd also like to assess your abilities."
"Alright!" Yu Hairou gritted her teeth.
As the spectators cleared the training field, Ning Rongrong stood quietly on one side while Yu Hairou and the others took their positions opposite her.
"Seven Treasures shine, Glazed Tile emerges!"
Ning Tian immediately summoned his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, stacking four buffs on everyone.
As a 47th-ranked Soul Ancestor with four soul rings, he could provide a 50% boost to all attributes.
"Hmm, Soul Elders are still capped at 39th rank for soul rings, but their physical stats have reached Soul Ancestor levels." Ning Rongrong observed with interest.
Her casual attitude provoked the competitive spirit of the younger girls (except Yu Hairou). They unleashed their full power, their yellow, yellow, and purple soul rings rising.
Yu Hairou took a deep breath and activated her martial soul.
Four soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—appeared.
"Martial Soul Avatar—Coral Gar!"
As the strongest among them and the only Soul Ancestor, her power soared to a terrifying 46th rank under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's enhancement.
"Go all out. There's no point in holding back."
Against a Soul Emperor—or possibly even a Soul Sage—like Ning Rongrong, any attempt at strategy would just look foolish. Their best option was to display their full strength.
"Understood!"
The three Soul Elders charged forward simultaneously, activating their third soul skills.
As former students of Tian Shui Academy (now Glazed Academy), they specialized in extreme-flow cultivation, particularly in Shui Bing'er's ice-based direction.
In an instant, the temperature around Ning Rongrong plummeted, and light snow began to fall.
"Not bad!" Ning Rongrong sidestepped, effortlessly dodging the first attack.
The second and third strikes followed in quick succession, but each time, Ning Rongrong evaded with uncanny precision—as if she could see attacks coming from behind her.
"What's going on?" Yu Hairou frowned.
She knew the gap was huge, but Ning Rongrong hadn't even summoned her martial soul or released any pressure. Yet she dodged everything effortlessly.
She even reached out to touch the ice, but not a single frost formed on her hand.
After several minutes of relentless assault, the three Soul Elders were panting heavily.
Ning Rongrong flicked her wrist toward them, and the swirling frost transformed into a small whirlwind that sent them flying seven or eight meters away.
"Now's my chance!" Yu Hairou's eyes narrowed as she gathered all her remaining soul energy.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Coral Palm!"
She leaped into the air, her palm coated in a layer of frost as she executed a palm strike descending from the heavens.
Ning Rongrong didn't move. She simply stood there.
"Dodge!" Yu Hairou panicked, realizing Ning Rongrong truly wasn't going to evade.
This was her strongest fourth soul skill. If it hit an unguarded support-type Soul Master…
The consequences would be—
But what happened next made her eyes widen in shock.
Just as the icy palm was about to strike Ning Rongrong, an intense wave of heat erupted around her.
The frozen palm visibly melted at an alarming speed.
"No way…?"
Ning Rongrong grabbed Yu Hairou's wrist and lightly pressed two fingers against her neck.
"Checkmate."
"I… I lose." Yu Hairou took a moment to process her defeat. She had expected to lose, but not this easily.
Logically, even a Soul Emperor support-type Soul Master shouldn't have much combat ability.
The other three girls picked themselves up and approached Ning Rongrong, their expressions now tinged with awe.
"It's fine. We're teammates now. You'll improve with time."
Ning Rongrong's gaze shifted.
In the distance, Ning Tian was walking over as if nothing had happened.
Ning Rongrong vanished with a "whoosh."
Ten seconds later, a bruised and swollen Ning Tian appeared before the group.
"Ow! You hit me so hard!" Ning Tian whined.
"Don't worry, I'll heal you."
With that, Ning Rongrong summoned her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. She didn't deliberately display it, simply letting it rest in her palm.
But the soul rings circling the pagoda made everyone freeze.
Even those who had seen it before were stunned.
"All… All black soul rings?!"
The four Glazed Academy girls who had just fought Ning Rongrong stared wide-eyed, as if they'd seen a ghost.
They didn't understand the significance of the seventh golden soul ring, but six black soul rings?
What kind of monster could possess soul rings of that caliber?