Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai brought the academy's only food-type Soul Sage—Shao Xin.
By the time they arrived at the scene, they found that Zhao Wuji had already activated his Martial Soul True Body and was dragging Ning Tianchen's body.
Ning Rongrong panicked, crying out, "Let go of Brother Tianchen! Aren't you afraid that Grandpa Sword will kill you?!"
Dai Mubai reminded, "Teacher Zhao, the incense has already burned out."
Zhao Wuji landed and gently laid Ning Tianchen down, withdrawing his Martial Soul True Body. He grumbled, "Mubai, are you itching for a beating? I haven't had enough fun yet. Want to spar?"
Startled, Dai Mubai quickly hid behind Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong didn't mind his cowardly behavior. At this moment, all she cared about was Ning Tianchen's safety.
Shao Xin checked Ning Tianchen and said, "He's not injured, just exhausted his soul power, which caused his body to collapse from fatigue."
As he spoke, a sugar pellet appeared in his hand, which he popped into Ning Tianchen's mouth.
The strength of a food-type Soul Sage was not to be underestimated. Before long, color returned to Ning Tianchen's face, and his consciousness gradually returned.
Seeing the tears on Ning Rongrong's face, he reached up to wipe them away and said softly, "Rongrong, I'm fine."
Ning Rongrong finally felt at ease and praised, "Brother Tianchen, you actually forced a Soul Sage to use his Martial Soul True Body—you're amazing."
Zhao Wuji, the person in question, was still present, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
Shao Xin and Dai Mubai were also there. Did they think he, the vice principal, had no pride?
"Ahem... Since you're alright now, let Mubai take you all back to the dorms to rest in a bit."
"Um... Teacher Zhao, since the incense has already burned out, does that mean we passed the assessment?" Ning Tianchen couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Wuji didn't answer directly. "Get some rest. Tomorrow is the opening ceremony."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai understood—Ning Tianchen and the others had officially become his classmates.
In truth, as long as Ning Tianchen and the others didn't forfeit outright, Zhao Wuji would have allowed them to enroll regardless of the sparring result.
With talents like these, only a fool would let them slip away.
…
"Whoa, is what Boss Dai said really true? You actually forced Teacher Zhao to use his Martial Soul True Body?" Oscar looked at Ning Tianchen with an expression of awe.
"Ahem, let's skip the flattery—just hurry up and give me and Rongrong each a sausage. We need to recover," Ning Tianchen urged.
Ning Rongrong had expended most of her soul power during the earlier assessment, so replenishment was indeed necessary.
Oscar readily agreed without hesitation.
"Oh right, there's still an empty bed in my dorm room. Why don't you bunk with me?" Oscar said with a mischievous grin.
Ning Tianchen thought it over and decided to accept.
Compared to people like Dai Mubai and Tang San, Oscar seemed like a refreshing change.
Next up was the dormitory arrangement.
Li Yusong arranged the three girls to share a large dormitory. As for Tang San, he was placed in a room with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
The living conditions at Shrek Academy were extremely "harsh" for someone like Ning Rongrong, a pampered young lady.
By evening, she went to find Ning Tianchen and couldn't help but vent her complaints.
In the original timeline, she had no one to rely on and didn't want to return home, so she had no choice but to silently endure everything. It's easy to imagine how bitter she must have felt.
After listening to her grievances, Ning Tianchen gently consoled her, saying, "Rongrong, there's an old saying: 'When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on someone, it first tests their resolve, tires their muscles and bones, and starves their body.' This is also a test for you."
"In other words, even someone like Dai Mubai—a crown prince—can endure this. Why can't you?"
Ning Rongrong muttered, "It's not that bad, I guess... Brother Tianchen, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll have someone from the village run and get it for us."
Having someone run errands was also Ning Tianchen's idea.
Shrek Academy was located in a small village, and many able-bodied villagers lived there.
They were honest farmers, and hiring them for errands was, in a way, providing them with some extra income.
"We can't keep everything to ourselves—we have to learn to share."
Ning Rongrong nodded repeatedly, and finally found a man with a simple and honest appearance to help with the errands.
…
As the sun set, Ning Rongrong sat by the roadside and couldn't help but complain:
"This is all Tang San's fault. If it weren't for listening to him, Xiao Wu and Zhuqing wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Tang San's behavior really wasn't very considerate. While Ning Tianchen was holding back Zhao Wuji, Tang San had taken the opportunity to seize control of the team.
It's like a general leading troops on the front lines, but as soon as the battle begins, the emperor replaces him and completely rejects his strategy.
Just thinking about it makes you feel frustrated.
Since it has come to this, might as well accept it.
Building good relationships with classmates is what really matters.
Ning Tianchen was even planning to take the chance to recruit a person or two. There's no need for relationships to become so tense right at the start of school.
"Forget it, we're all classmates; there's no need to say things like that. Tang San may have his flaws, but his intentions are always good."
Ning Tianchen never expected that one day he would actually speak up in Tang San's favor.
But he had no choice—Tang Hao was watching from the shadows. Given his insight, he would surely guess that the two of them were the future leaders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
If they started out hostile toward Tang San, then once they fully controlled the sect, would there be any chance left for Tang Hao and his son?
In the original timeline, Gu Rong even dared to kill Tang San; Tang Hao was no less capable of killing them.
In short, it's best to be cautious.
However, Tang Hao wouldn't stay here for too long, so there's no need to be on guard all the time.
Before Ning Rongrong could say more, the man running errands arrived, pushing a cart full of food right up to them.
Ning Rongrong gave the man ten gold soul coins, telling him to buy whatever food he wanted and keep the rest as a delivery fee.
The man was very simple and honest. When Ning Tianchen saw the bill, he was instantly shocked.
"You spent all ten gold soul coins just on food? Aren't you going to take the delivery fee?"
Having seen plenty of deceit and scheming, Ning Rongrong had never encountered someone so genuine, and it touched her heart.
She picked up a plate of chicken from the cart and handed it to him. "Take this dish home to eat."
The man shook his head. "No need, honored guests. I bought so much food that the shop owner gave me a plate of stir-fried pork for free. I've already brought it home. Adding some meat to the family meal tonight is enough."
After saying that, he turned and ran off.
Just as Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong pushed the cart through the academy gates, Oscar and Dai Mubai appeared.
"Huh, I was about to treat you guys to a meal, but you ended up treating me first," Dai Mubai said with a bitter smile.
Among the five new students, three were still bedridden, so he definitely couldn't treat anyone today.
Oscar's eyes lit up when he saw so much food.
But instead of digging in right away, he asked, "Tianchen, is this for us?"
Ning Tianchen smiled. "We're all classmates, so no need to be so formal. But with this much food, the four of us alone can't finish it. The others are badly injured and might not wake up for a while. The extra food should be sent to the teachers."
"How generous," Oscar said, giving a thumbs-up.