The first step in cultivating the Seven Treasure Golden Bell Shield was to absorb qi and temper the body. This required learning the correct methods of breathing and spirit power circulation to allow the body to retain qi.
The second step was to open acupoints and clear the meridians, invigorate the blood to temper the body, and condense the Golden Bell Qi. This step required using spirit power to open all the meridians in the body. Condensing the first stream of Golden Bell Qi marked the entry level of mastery. Opening all the body's major acupoints and condensing the second stream of Golden Bell Qi signified a minor level of achievement.
In the period that followed, Su Ran created a strict training regimen for Ning Rongrong:
[5-7 AM: Wake up, wash, prepare breakfast, drink beast blood to nourish her own, and perform morning exercises to warm up.]
[7-9 AM: Feel the first rays of the morning sun, practice the horse stance and strike the training posts under the sunlight.]
[9-11 AM: Morning class. Learn the essentials of the Seven Treasure Golden Bell Shield from Teacher Su Ran in the classroom, studying human meridians, various acupoints, and so on.]
[11 AM - 3 PM: For lunch, consume spirit beast meat. Practice breathing exercises to absorb the pure yang energy of the midday sun, using the intense qi to temper the body and the yang energy to refine the pagoda.]
[3-5 PM: Normal spirit power cultivation.]
[5-7 PM: Absorb the qi of the setting sun, refine the Golden Bell. Run ten kilometers at an increasing pace with incrementally added weights starting from thirty catties.]
[7-9 PM: After dinner, bathe in a medicinal bath of beast blood.]
[11 PM - 1 AM: Absorb the essence of the moon, purify the body, and meditate.]
[...]
The usually tranquil Taoyuan Academy became much livelier with Ning Rongrong's presence.
Soon, a month had passed.
Under Su Ran's meticulous guidance, Ning Rongrong had successfully condensed her first stream of Golden Bell Qi and was beginning to connect the major acupoints throughout her body.
The system rewards were issued accordingly:
[Su Ran]
[Martial Soul: Divine Peach Blossom Branch]
[Shared Disciple Martial Soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda (Shares all of disciple's spirit abilities)]
[Shared Disciple's Ultimate Technique: Seven Treasure Golden Bell Shield. Disciple Ning Rongrong has condensed the first stream of Golden Bell Qi. Host is rewarded with a 100-year increase to all Spirit Rings.]
[First Spirit Ability: Illusory Branch — An illusion skill, 550 years → 650 years]
[Second Spirit Ability: Dream Peach Sword — Summons a peach branch sword from a dream-like paradise, capable of piercing souls and slaying foes, 1100 years → 1200 years]
[Third Spirit Ability: Crimson Snowstorm — Peach blossom branches form a chaotic flurry of flying blades, 3900 years → 4000 years]
[Fourth Spirit Ability: Crimson Moon's Splendor — A Peach Immortal dances under a scarlet moon... causing a massive explosion, 11,000 → 11,100 years]
[Fifth Spirit Ability: Thousand Blazing Peach Slashes — Unleashes hundreds of Peach Immortal Slashes in an instant... 22,000 years → 22,100 years]
[Sixth Spirit Ability: Nine Luminaries Peach Blossom Sword — Combines the power of the nine luminaries... 44,000 years → 44,100 years]
[Seventh Spirit Ability: Mortal Dust True Body, 77,000 years → 77,100 years]
After a month of recovery at Shrek Academy, Teacher Li Yusong was finally able to walk again. Dai Mubai's injuries had also mostly healed.
Upon learning that Li Yusong and Dai Mubai had lost to the teacher and student of Taoyuan Academy respectively, Zhao Wuji, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun were astonished. Teacher Li Yusong, while not the strongest at Shrek, was a bona fide Spirit Emperor. He had few rivals in all of Soto City. And Boss Dai was the strongest student at Shrek Academy! His White Tiger Martial Soul was incredibly powerful. How could he have been defeated by another tiger? It seemed impossible.
In the evening, as the sun was setting, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others were leaning on the fence at the entrance of Shrek Academy. They stared blankly at Ning Rongrong, who was running with weight packs strapped to her body, sweat glistening on her skin.
"Is this Taoyuan Academy a Spirit Master academy or a martial arts dojo?"
"Why do they make her run outside every day? What's the use of that?"
"That poor girl. I remember a half-month ago, she was so fair-skinned and beautiful. Now her skin has turned a wheat color."
"It really pains me to see. I even saw her running while crying the other day. She had to get back up and continue training even after collapsing from exhaustion."
"The teacher at that Taoyuan Academy really has no compassion for a lady. To put such a beautiful girl through such harsh training... Pretty girls should be kept indoors and nurtured like a support cannon, hehehe~"
Watching Ning Rongrong sweat, Ma Hongjun had a pig-like expression on his face. He took a deep breath, as if he could smell her fragrance on the air, and looked completely intoxicated.
Suddenly, he vaulted over the fence and blocked the path of Ning Rongrong, who was about to head back into Taoyuan Academy.
Ning Rongrong wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the little fatty in front of her with confusion. "Can I help you?"
"My name is Ma Hongjun. I'm a student from Shrek Academy next door. You've probably heard of me, right? I've been watching you for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"No," Ning Rongrong refused flatly.
"Why not? Big bro has plenty of boyfriend power. I'll treat you really well. I'll give you everything I have and won't let you suffer. Look at you, suffering every day at Taoyuan Academy. Be my woman. Come to Shrek, and I'll make sure you live a good life," Ma Hongjun said with a lecherous grin, having decided that being shameless was the best approach.
"Are you sick? Get out of my way. I have to go back and cook for my teacher," Ning Rongrong said, shooting him a disgusted look. Is this guy a psycho? Who wants to be your woman? I don't even know you!
"Cook? What kind of teacher is that? Making his students cook for him? How shameless!" Ma Hongjun spat with contempt. "Come home with me. I'll give you my sausage to eat and make sure you're well-fed."
"Get lost." Ning Rongrong's face darkened. This person was disgusting.
"Hey! Don't go! You're so pretty, but at Taoyuan Academy, you're exposed to the wind and sun every day, and you even have to do laundry and cook. Don't you think this academy is exploiting you?" Ma Hongjun said with a smirk, chasing after her as she tried to walk away. "And I heard you're a support-type Spirit Master. They're training a support-type like a power-attack type. I can't even watch anymore. Is your teacher even human? Making a support-type do physical training?"
A flash of anger appeared on Ning Rongrong's face. "I'm warning you, if you insult my teacher again or continue to harass me, I won't be polite!" After a month of training and learning, she now knew that Teacher Su Ran had real substance and had come to regard him as someone very dear to her. After all, Teacher Su Ran was the man who was going to open her acupoints and temper her body!
"Hahaha! Little Ao, did you hear that? She's going to be 'not polite' to me. A support-type Spirit Master," Ma Hongjun said, patting his own cheek with a laugh. "Go ahead, be 'not polite' to me. Hitting is affection, and scolding is love. After you hit and scold me, you can be my girlfriend."
"Fatty, stop messing around. Let her go back," Oscar advised.
"Messing around? I'm genuinely looking for a girlfriend! I don't have one right now, so are you going to help me suppress my evil fire? Or are you going to ask Little San to give me Xiao Wu? You guys scared away my Cuihua, and not only did you not compensate me with a new girlfriend, but now you won't even let me find one?" Ma Hongjun retorted irritably.
"Get lost!"
Just then, a stream of Golden Bell Qi flared up around Ning Rongrong, and she kicked Ma Hongjun squarely in the chest.
An immense force struck him, sending him flying back more than ten meters. He scrambled up from the ground, staring at Ning Rongrong in shock. "A support-type can have so much power?"
"Hehe, that just makes this young master even more excited!" he cackled. "You'll definitely be able to handle this young master's fierce ramming at night. I will conquer you today!"
(End of Chapter)