Chapter 269
Let's wait and see.
Oscar, with a pained expression, almost cried as he answered, then cautiously looked at Ning Rongrong, his eyes filled with pleading, "Grandma, please leave quickly, don't drag me down with you."
Ning Rongrong's body trembled slightly.
Ning Rongrong suddenly looked up, her gaze quickly sweeping over Flander's face, which wore a mask of "it's for your own good," and then, subconsciously, with a hint of grievance and a desire for confirmation that she herself was unaware of, she looked at Lin Xia beside her.
Lin Xia's gaze was calm as still water. When she met Ning Rongrong's gaze, she gave a barely perceptible, extremely slight nod.
This small movement seemed to give Ning Rongrong a strange sense of support.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, her full chest heaving as she forcefully suppressed all her resentment and grievances.
"Understood, Dean."
Ning Rongrong's voice was unexpectedly calm, even carrying a hint of deliberate obedience.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Rongrong agreed and turned to run towards the village entrance.
The morning breeze lifted her long, flowing hair and elegant skirt, her silhouette conveying a stubborn and resolute air.
Oscar felt like he'd been granted a pardon and quickly chased after him, muttering something under his breath as he ran, probably offering words of comfort or directions.
Watching the two figures run away, Flander secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little smug.
Very good, the first step of "showing off" has been successfully completed. Although the process was under immense pressure due to someone watching, the desired effect was achieved.
He turned around, preparing to say something more to Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Dean Flander."
Lin Xia's calm and even voice rang out again, interrupting him.
Flander's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put on a smile.
"Lord Lin, what can I do for you?"
Lin Xia stepped forward and stood side by side with Flander, her gaze still fixed on Ning Rongrong and Oscar's receding figures.
His tone was casual, as if he were genuinely just discussing teaching issues.
"The dean's teachings were truly enlightening and thought-provoking. In particular, his theory that escape is the core quality of the support class and physical strength is the cornerstone of escape was incisive and hit the nail on the head."
Just as a hint of smugness appeared on Flander's face, Lin Xia subtly changed the subject.
"However, I do have a little bit of curiosity."
"Oh? Please speak, City Lord."
A faint alarm bell rang in Flanders' mind.
Lin Xia turned her head to look at Flander, the half-smile on her lips deepening.
"The dean specifically emphasized that they were allowed to use their martial souls for support. Oscar's recovery sausage can indeed compensate for his physical exhaustion to some extent, allowing him to keep running. But Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda..."
He paused deliberately, as if to savor the fleeting stiffness on Flander's face.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support effects are for friendly units, right? Speed boost, increased strength, increased defense... it seems there's no soul skill that can directly and significantly improve her own stamina or recovery ability?"
"Unless she gives herself a speed boost, simply increasing her running speed?"
"But that would actually put even more strain on muscle endurance and cardiovascular function, which would be like drinking poison to quench thirst. You might collapse from exhaustion after running less than ten laps?"
Lin Xia's tone was full of sincerity in "humbly seeking advice," and each question was like a needle, precisely piercing the weakest and most untenable part of Flanders' theory. "So, Dean."
Lin Xia's gaze deepened, as if it could penetrate Flander's glasses and see directly into his true thoughts.
"Your 'acceptance' of allowing her to use her martial soul for support seems to have little practical significance for Ning Rongrong?"
"Or rather, this is more of a formality of 'fairness,' which in reality cannot change the fact that she can only rely on her own physical strength to endure these sixty-plus kilometers?"
Flander felt a cold sweat instantly seep out from his back.
Lin Xia's insight is terrifying!
His little scheme was instantly exposed! He stammered, trying to explain himself.
"This... Lord City Lord, you may not know this. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support is all-encompassing... It also... has a certain boosting effect on itself... It's intended to help her experience the use of soul power and the coordination of her body... Moreover, in dangerous situations, support-type characters must also learn to buff themselves immediately... to cultivate instinct..."
His explanation was weak and unconvincing; even he himself found it far-fetched.
Lin Xia didn't press further, only giving a soft "oh," a tone that made Flander more embarrassed than any interrogation.
Lin Xia turned her gaze back to the two figures in the distance that were getting smaller and smaller, especially the back of the girl in the exquisite dress who had already started running.
"I see."
Lin Xia's voice carried a sense of understanding, as well as a faint sarcasm that Flander could not decipher.
"It seems that the Dean has high hopes for this little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Using this kind of 'pure, unforced' physical limit to temper her will and basic endurance, so that she can fully understand what she can have left after losing all protection and assistance... This painstaking effort of 'teaching according to aptitude' is truly commendable."
Flander felt his face burning; he felt that Lin Xia could see right through him.
What kind of physical training?
What kind of battlefield survival?
The core objective is to give Ning Rongrong, this proud young lady from a top-tier sect, a thorough and utter humiliation!
In the most primitive, brutal, and humiliating way, destroy her original pride and sense of superiority, and make her understand that in Shrek Academy, her proud identity and martial spirit are useless here!
She felt exhausted, desperate, and isolated, but then, under Flander's subsequent "guidance," she rebuilt her awe and dependence on Shrek and on him, Flander!
This is the first step in a typical PUA (Pick-Up Artist) scenario.
Destroy self-esteem to establish authority.
Flanders coughed twice and could only bite the bullet and continue the conversation.
"Ahem... The City Lord has keen insight. Flowers in a greenhouse, without weathering storms, can hardly truly grow into something great. The heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will face far greater dangers than ordinary people can imagine. The foundation... must be laid solidly!"
Just then, a faint, tearful complaint drifted on the wind—it was Oscar's voice.
"Rongrong... Rongrong, slow down... Sixty kilometers! People will die! My sausages... my sausages won't last much longer..."
Then, it seemed that Ning Rongrong gave a hurried and stubborn rebuttal.
"Shut up! Run!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xia's playful smile finally blossomed into a full bloom, like the morning sun piercing through the thin mist.
Without glancing at the incredibly embarrassed Flander beside her, she turned and spoke softly in the direction Ning Rongrong had gone, in a voice only Zhu Zhuqing could hear.
"Flander's teaching methods are indeed 'unique.' This first step of brainwashing... or rather, destruction has already begun. It remains to be seen whether our little princess Qibao will be crushed and reshaped, or..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhu Zhuqing saw a cold insight and a faint... expectation in his deep eyes.
Lin Xia stood with his hands behind his back, the morning light outlining his tall and straight figure.
"Let's wait and see." (End of Chapter)