Chapter 87: The Witch's True Nature [1]
At Auckland Academy, the excitement among the students had not yet died down after the Royal Combat Team left, reaching another peak.
Dai Yao found himself surrounded by a crowd, and with the help of Feng Qianli and the others, he finally made it back to the resting room after much effort.
Feng Qianli managed to block the door and wiped the sweat off his forehead, relieved.
"We finally made it back. The students were too crazy! Coming back was even more exhausting than the battle itself!"
Dai Yuan collapsed onto the sofa, grinning. He looked like a limp noodle, lying comfortably as he said to Dai Yao, "After this match, I don't know how many girls have secretly fallen for you, huh? You've completely stolen the spotlight, I'm so jealous."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, shivering as he quickly sat up. He turned to see Zhu Zhuqing's icy gaze.
Dai Yao chuckled softly. "Watch your words."
Everyone took a seat and began discussing the gains and losses from the match.
Feng Qianli clapped Dai Yao on the shoulder and said, "Your performance today amazed everyone. We won because of you and Zhu Zhuqing, without a doubt."
"But don't worry," he continued, "we'll never hold you back."
The five team members nodded in agreement. Even Dai Yuan, usually lighthearted, looked quite serious.
Seeing everyone so earnest, Dai Yao smiled. "Since I've decided to stay, I won't criticize anyone's strength. But our goal is to make it to the finals of the big tournament. We need to keep improving."
"Right now, our team is still a bit lacking."
Upon hearing this, the members of the Auckland team reacted differently.
Feng Qianli looked calm, Dai Yuan was nonchalant, seemingly unaffected.
However, Luo Feng, Dou Yu, and Luo Feng all looked down, clearly feeling downcast.
During the match, their performance had been lackluster. Particularly Dou Yu, who was eliminated almost instantly by Yu Feng, which put their team at a disadvantage.
Though Dai Yao's words might not have been kind, they were honest. In a team, you can't always rely on others to cover up your weaknesses.
Initially, no one had planned on joining the team for the upcoming challenge with the Royal Combat Team.
Now, however, Auckland's team had not only won, but with Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing as their trump cards, no one wanted to leave the team.
The Soul Master Tournament was the most exciting event of every Soul Master's student years.
Sweat, full-throttle fighting, partners working together, and enjoying glory.
Even in defeat, the memories were unforgettable. What's more, with the addition of Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing, their chances of achieving great results in the tournament were much higher. All the members of the team would share in the glory of Auckland.
No one wanted to leave.
Just then, the noise outside suddenly ceased, and a knock echoed through the door.
Everyone noticed the change and hurriedly opened the door, their eyes instantly widening in surprise.
Outside were four people: Principal Jackson, Salas, a well-dressed man with a warm and elegant aura, and a little girl wearing a blue dress.
Dai Yao quickly recognized the man: Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. The girl beside him was Ning Rongrong, of course.
They were here to meet Dai Yao.
When Principal Jackson introduced their identities, the members of the Auckland team couldn't contain their excitement. The Sect Master of the second most powerful sect in the world and the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall were standing right in front of them.
They tried to hold back their excitement and acted as normally as possible.
Salas, who already knew Dai Yao, was pleased to see Dai Yao's performance and patted him on the shoulder, offering a few words of encouragement before stepping aside.
Ning Fengzhi sighed, realizing that Salas wouldn't give him a chance to speak alone with Dai Yao.
Salas sneered inwardly, fully aware of Ning Fengzhi's thoughts.
As a support-type sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School loved recruiting talented young people, especially those with extraordinary potential. With the temptation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Martial Soul, many young talents couldn't resist joining.
Ning Fengzhi was charming and graceful, known for his gentlemanly demeanor. As the leader of the sect, he was admired by all. He had always been a fierce rival of the Spirit Hall, and now that a genius like Dai Yao had appeared, how could he sit back and let him go?
He feared that Dai Yao might join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the heat of the moment.
After all, Dai Yao was someone the Spirit Hall had gone through so much trouble to bring from the Star Luo Empire. They were so close to success, but they couldn't allow Ning Fengzhi to take him away!
Under Salas's watchful eye, Ning Fengzhi could only sigh in helplessness. He had no choice but to offer some parting words and leave with Salas.
However, Ning Rongrong stayed behind.
Once the two prominent figures left, the atmosphere in the room relaxed. Everyone had been holding their breath earlier, afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of the two powerful figures.
"Finally, we can breathe again."
As soon as Ning Fengzhi and Salas left, Dai Yuan slumped onto the sofa.
"Those two were so imposing, I couldn't even breathe when they were here. Especially Sect Master Ning, he was so graceful and handsome," Luo Ling, a support-type soul master, said as she patted her chest in relief.
Suddenly, Feng Qianli noticed the little girl who had been standing next to Ning Fengzhi had not left. He raised his voice, saying, "Everyone quiet, there's still someone here."
The others looked toward the door and saw a delicate little girl standing there.
She wore a pale blue dress, elegant yet dazzling, with long black hair cascading down to her waist. Her skin was as smooth as lychee, and her features were delicate, forming a perfect figure.
But what caught everyone's attention was the noble, elegant aura she radiated, her soft smile like a warm spring breeze that seemed to brighten everyone around her.
Earlier, their attention had been completely on Ning Fengzhi and Salas. Now, they suddenly realized how beautiful and captivating the girl before them was.
The boys in the room stared at Ning Rongrong, almost entranced.
"This little sister, is there something you need?"
As soon as Dai Yuan saw Ning Rongrong, he quickly jumped off the sofa and walked up to her, giving a perfectly timed smile and speaking in a gentle tone.
"I'm looking for Dai Yao," Ning Rongrong replied with a soft smile.
Hearing that she was looking for Dai Yao again, Dai Yuan deflated like a punctured balloon. With a sulking face, he turned to Dai Yao. "It's you again."
Today, waves of people had come looking for Dai Yao, and they were starting to feel numb to it. Though Sect Master Ning and Bishop Salas had praised everyone earlier, everyone knew they had come for Dai Yao.
Dai Yao was about to get up when he suddenly felt resistance on his arm. He looked down to see Zhu Zhuqing tightly holding onto his arm, her eyes full of hostility as she looked at Ning Rongrong.
Realizing her mistake, Zhu Zhuqing quickly retracted her hands.
Ning Rongrong wasn't just highborn; she was also as beautiful as Zhu Zhuqing. This was the first time Zhu Zhuqing felt a threat from another girl.
When she saw Dai Yao smile and nod at Ning Rongrong, she felt a bit of relief.
Ning Rongrong seemed gentle and delicate, but Dai Yao knew her true nature.
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, she was known as a little demoness—unafraid of anything, with extraordinary talent and the support of both the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo. She had every reason to be proud.
If she hadn't gone to Shrek Academy, who knows how spoiled she would have been by the two Title Douluo?
[End of Chapter]