"Hmph, an interesting kid," the man in the lead snorted coldly.
This man's figure could be described as imposing.
His face was somewhat gaunt, his skin shriveled, but his entire body frame was astonishingly large. His terrifying height was at least three meters.
This person was named Gu Lin, the son of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Bone Douluo, and also the sworn brother of the Sect Master Ning Fengzhi. He was ranked seventh, and the people in the clan generally respectfully called him Seventh Master.
He was also a level eighty-two Soul Douluo powerhouse.
As the most talented direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in nearly a hundred years, no matter where Ning Rongrong went, she was protected by at least one Soul Douluo.
Otherwise, how could Ning Fengzhi be at ease letting her run out alone.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, when Shrek encountered the Titan Giant Ape, Gu Lin had been preparing to intervene. But just as he had summoned his martial soul, his own little princess had been carried off.
When Ning Rongrong was besieged by the Black Thin Mercenary Corps, Gu Lin did not choose to intervene immediately.
Firstly, he wanted to temper Ning Rongrong's temperament.
As the saying goes: People taught by words learn nothing in a hundred; people taught by events learn it once and it enters their heart.
Gu Lin was also at his wit's end with this 'Little Witch' of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and hoped that this would allow Ning Rongrong to grow up sooner.
Secondly, Gu Lin had also discovered Lu Feng, who was lurking in the dark, early on. He wanted to take the opportunity to witness the other's true strength.
Unexpectedly, the other party had given him a huge surprise.
"Seventh Master, that kid actually dared to treat the little princess like that. He simply doesn't have our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in his eyes!" said a thin soul master with two small mustaches at the corners of his mouth.
"Oh, then why don't you go and teach him a lesson?" Gu Lin said teasingly.
"Kid Chenchen, don't just look at the fact that you're a level fifty-one Soul King. But I dare guarantee that you're not enough for even one of that kid's hands."
"What!"
Hearing this, Chenchen was immediately displeased. "Seventh Master, I am the third most powerful sword user in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, having received the true teachings of my grandfather and father."
He said, somewhat 'aggrievedly', "But then again, Seventh Master, you are a Soul Douluo powerhouse. How could a junior like me dare to disbelieve your words?"
"Hmph, you kid, your ability to be passive-aggressive is on par with your old man's! How about we make a bet?"
"Oh, bet on what!" Chenchen's interest was immediately piqued.
"Let's bet on whether you can last ten minutes against that kid if he goes all out. If you can last, then I'll admit you're skilled!"
"Alright, it's a deal!"
In the small courtyard west of Suotuo City.
Zhu Zhuqing took several quick steps, her soul power surged, and she swung her sharp claws, fiercely chopping at a wooden stake.
"Crack!"
The wooden stake shattered with the sound, and wood chips flew everywhere.
Lu Feng stood with his hands behind his back, walked to the wooden stake, and looked at the remaining stump.
"More than enough speed, but lacking in attack," Lu Feng shook his head and commented fairly.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing frowned, then prepared to move on to the next wooden stake.
A martial soul like the Nether Spirit Civet excelled in speed, and its attack power was relatively weaker.
Since there was a shortcoming, she just had to practice.
Zhu Zhuqing had never avoided this weakness. She knew clearly that her situation did not allow her to have any flaws.
"Stop for a moment."
Lu Feng waved his hand, signaling Zhu Zhuqing to stop.
"There's no rush in training. Let's review the battle that happened the past two days."
Zhu Zhuqing canceled her martial soul possession and looked at Lu Feng seriously.
These past two days, whenever she thought of that bloody scene, she still felt a lingering fear. But she also knew that as a soul master, she would have to experience this day sooner or later.
Zhu Zhuqing now just felt a little physically nauseous. If she encountered that group of mercenaries again, she would still swing her claws without hesitation.
"Do you think that with your current strength, you can deal with an ordinary Soul Elder?" Lu Feng said lightly.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded without hesitation, "Yes."
She silently assessed her own state. After this period of cultivation, and that life-and-death battle, her soul power had already reached level twenty-eight.
"Then what if you were to face the siege of two Soul Elders? Take the greatsword soul master and the dagger soul master from the other day as an example."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and thought seriously.
The martial soul quality of those two was not high, but the soul power gap was still there. What's more, their combat experience was also very rich, and their moves were basically all killing blows.
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and said seriously, "I am not their match, even with Rongrong's support. However, if I wanted to escape, they wouldn't be able to stop me."
"Then why didn't you escape at that time?" Lu Feng said with a faint smile.
In fact, Lu Feng had discovered Gu Lin and the others long ago. He hadn't discovered them himself, but it was Luo Wupao's dog nose.
"In that situation, as a Soul Grandmaster fighting for your life, what effect could you have?" Lu Feng said lightly.
"If you had run away directly, those mercenaries would have definitely been wary of harming the hostage, and at least wouldn't have dared to harm Ning Rongrong."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, "I know these principles, but unless it was a last resort, how could I abandon my companion?"
"Were you betting that I would definitely appear? Or were you betting that Ning Rongrong had a powerhouse protecting her?" Lu Feng crossed his arms and said teasingly.
"With Rongrong's status, it's impossible for her not to have a guardian by her side," Zhu Zhuqing said, unwilling to show weakness.
"Foolish!"
"To put your own life in the hands of others, do you think you're very clever?"
"Even if you were sure that there would be reinforcements, before that, did you protect yourself?" Lu Feng said in a deep voice.
In Lu Feng's opinion, Zhu Zhuqing's combat performance was flawless, especially her thunderous blow that took out an enemy soul master first.
But her biggest mistake was that she shouldn't have attacked but should have fled directly.
"I..."
Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily speechless.
She had actually found a weak point long ago and was ready to escape at any time.
However, she hadn't expected that the skinny soul master would have a large-scale arrow rain attack.
"I... I sensed you," Zhu Zhuqing said weakly.
"I felt my martial soul cheering. You were nearby in the woods at that time. You were definitely there for me, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, a blush quietly creeping onto her face.
Although Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to admit it, as soon as she saw Lu Feng, she felt her heart beat faster.
This wasn't her being lustful, but a call from her martial soul.
"Perhaps, the reason I came to Suotuo City was to meet him," Zhu Zhuqing's breathing quickened as she thought to herself.
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and mustered the courage to ask, "Were you there for me?"
Her face was slightly red, her eyes full of expectation.
"..."
Seeing this, Lu Feng immediately frowned.
This little girl's sudden move is a bit unexpected.
"Ahem."
Lu Feng coughed lightly and said seriously, "Miss Zhuqing, let's just keep it a pure monetary transaction. As for other matters, we can talk about them later."
"Mm," Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her voice barely audible.
"I'll go to the academy first."
Immediately, Zhu Zhuqing fled the courtyard as if escaping.
On the street, Zhu Zhuqing walked quickly with her head lowered.
"Damn it! This young lady was actually rejected?"
Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists tightly and immediately quickened her pace.
"Bang!"
In a moment of carelessness, she accidentally bumped into a pedestrian.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zhu Zhuqing quickly apologized.
She looked up. The person in front of her was an uncle in his forties. He was a little over 1.6 meters tall, with dark skin, wearing a yellow vest and big shorts.
Zhu Zhuqing instinctively felt that this person didn't look like a good person.
Immediately, she bowed to the middle-aged man again, then quickly ran away.
The middle-aged man watched Zhu Zhuqing's back, rubbing his chest where he had been bumped. Then he put his hand to his nose and sniffed, a lewd smile on his face.