Douluo Continent: Beginning with Signing in with Yan Lingji

"You're still not letting go?" Meng Yiran felt unwilling as she listened to her grandmother's words, but knowing Zhao Ming's overwhelming strength, she realized that she had no chance of winning and conceded. Seeing that the Snake Lady had spoken, Zhao Ming finally released her.

"Brother Ming, you're amazing!" Oscar said, full of admiration. It wasn't just Zhao Ming's strength he admired but also his skill in winning over women.

In Oscar's eyes, Dai Mubai was already impressive, even earning the title of "Love Saint."

But compared to Zhao Ming, Dai Mubai was nothing.

Just look at Zhao Ming—he had only been at the academy for a few days, and he had already won over Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. And if that wasn't enough, he was flirting with another girl right in front of his three girlfriends. Just for that, Oscar was utterly impressed.

Why was Zhao Ming so exceptional while he remained single? It was such an exhausting thought.

"You'd better focus on absorbing your spirit ring. The time a spirit ring remains after a beast's death is limited. If you waste any more time, it'll disappear." Zhao Ming shot Oscar a look, feigning annoyance.

Realizing his mistake, Oscar quickly adjusted himself. Seeing that the purple spirit ring was already beginning to fade, he didn't dare waste any more time. He immediately sat down cross-legged and started channeling his spirit power to absorb the ring.

This time, the Snake Lady and Meng Yiran didn't interfere.

"A wager is a wager. Since we lost, the spirit ring rightfully belongs to you. But before I leave, I have a question. What is the current level of this young spirit master?" the Snake Lady asked, curiosity written all over her face.

"Senior Snake Lady, I am currently at rank thirty-seven," Zhao Ming replied with a smile, revealing his spirit power level.

"Rank thirty-seven?" Both the Snake Lady and Meng Yiran stared at Zhao Ming in shock. For someone as young as he was, achieving this level of cultivation was truly remarkable.

The Snake Lady knew well that Zhao Ming couldn't be older than fifteen. Reaching such a level at this age was indeed a sign of unparalleled talent.

"You can't be more than fifteen years old, right?" the Snake Lady asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"My student here is only twelve!" Zhao Wuji chimed in, smiling. Earlier, he had been cautious, worried about the presence of the Dragon Duke. But now that Zhao Ming had turned the tables, he felt he could speak more freely.

When Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu first revealed they were Spirit Elders at twelve years old, the academy had been in shock for quite some time.

Now, he was curious to see the Snake Lady's reaction.

"What?"

The Snake Lady and Meng Yiran were stunned, their jaws dropping as they stared at Zhao Ming.

For a moment, they wondered if they had misheard. It wasn't until Zhao Wuji repeated it that they realized it was true.

At this moment, Meng Yiran's emotions were all over the place.

She had initially thought she was defeated by a peer, which would have been easier to accept. But now that she knew Zhao Ming was only twelve, it felt like a heavy blow.

At twelve, he was already a rank thirty-seven Spirit Elder. What would he be at sixteen? A Spirit King or even a Spirit Emperor? The thought was overwhelmingly discouraging.

And here she was, thinking she was impressive for reaching rank thirty.

But compared to him, it was nothing.

Seeing her granddaughter's despondent expression, the Snake Lady felt a pang of sadness. But she didn't know how to comfort her. The gap between them was simply too vast, a gap large enough to shake anyone's resolve to cultivate.

Now, she regretted asking about Zhao Ming's age. She should have left immediately with her granddaughter instead.

This information could very well crush her granddaughter's confidence in her cultivation, possibly even becoming a heart demon.

"Why are you approaching me? Are you here to mock me?" Meng Yiran, feeling lost, glared at Zhao Ming as he walked over, assuming he was there to ridicule her.

"Of course not," Zhao Ming smiled. "You're already very strong. Sometimes, you shouldn't belittle yourself."

"Don't pretend you're not here to mock me." She bit her lip. Even if Zhao Ming was here to laugh at her, she had to accept it. In the world of spirit masters, weakness was a crime.

"I'm not mocking you; you're mocking yourself. There are plenty of people in this world with better talent than you. Are you going to crumble every time you meet one?" Zhao Ming said. Though he felt a bit sorry seeing Meng Yiran so down, he knew he had to speak the truth.

Moreover, he had already decided to make his move.

From the moment he saw Meng Yiran, he knew that only he could win her over.

"You…" Meng Yiran's eyes widened.

She was already furious! What did he mean by saying there were many more talented than her?

"Don't believe me?" Zhao Ming smirked. "Among the students from Shrek behind me, every one of them is stronger than you."

Meng Yiran's expression changed as she looked at the three girls behind Zhao Ming.

Each one was as beautiful as she was. Could it be that they were all stronger than her, too?

"Release your martial spirits," Zhao Ming called out, but his words earned him three cold stares. The three girls were already upset, seeing Zhao Ming flirting with another girl. But despite their jealousy, they still obeyed him.

They could sulk all they wanted later, but in front of others, they had to support their man.

Ning Rongrong was the first to release her martial spirit.

In an instant, a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in her hand, giving her an ethereal, fairy-like aura. Two spirit rings glowed beneath her.

"Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda?" The Snake Lady was visibly shocked upon seeing Ning Rongrong's martial spirit.

"As you can see, Rongrong's martial spirit is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. She's twelve years old and at rank twenty-six."

As Zhao Ming finished speaking, Zhu Zhuqing released her martial spirit, and the Ghost Civet appeared.

"Zhu Zhuqing, twelve years old, rank twenty-eight Grand Spirit Master."

Finally, Xiao Wu released her spirit!

The sight of her purple spirit ring left Meng Yiran in complete shock.

The Snake Lady was not just surprised by their talents but also by their backgrounds. Among the three girls, one was from the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire, and another was from the Ning family of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. These were powerful clans with significant influence. Her own family, the Beast Clan, was nothing in comparison.

For an obscure academy like Shrek to have so many talented students with such formidable backgrounds was truly astounding!

At that moment, she felt grateful. It was a good thing she hadn't lost her temper and tried to take them out earlier!

Just the Ning family alone could wipe out their Beast Clan!

Because the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects!

"Haha." Zhao Wuji chuckled internally, thoroughly pleased. Seeing the mighty Serpent-Dragon Duo now displaying such shock, he felt a wave of satisfaction.

Zhao Ming really knew how to flaunt! He had never thought to flaunt like this himself!

"Why? Why are all of you so strong?" Meng Yiran's eyes welled up with tears. She had always been hailed as a prodigy in the Beast Clan, pampered and praised. She had never experienced such a blow.

"Proximity matters. To become stronger, you must surround yourself with the talented. That way, you'll see their strengths and learn from them, making yourself stronger. But if you stay among the weak, all you'll see are their flaws, and you might even get the illusion that you're amazing. Only to later realize you're nothing." Zhao Ming began his pitch. Everything he had said before led up to this moment, as he intended to draw Meng Yiran in.

Such a beautiful girl—how could he let her slip away? He would regret it forever!

Especially the thought of such a beauty ending up with someone else, serving another man. That was unacceptable!

If he fancied someone, she could only belong to him!

That was his dominance!

"Proximity matters…" Meng Yiran murmured. She looked at Zhao Ming and the other geniuses behind him, realizing the truth of his words.

"I want to join Shrek Academy too." The despair on Meng Yiran's face vanished, replaced with determination. Though her talent seemed inferior now, she was only sixteen. There was still time for her. If she worked hard, the future might not be so bleak.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.