Chapter 48.
Oscar sighed and muttered, "Hey..."
Ning Rongrong reluctantly accepted the grilled sausage from Tang San, her face contorted with unease. She knew Wang Feng wouldn't eat it now, so she handed it back to Oscar.
"No." Wang Feng interjected, taking the sausage from Ning Rongrong's hand with a smile.
Ning Rongrong was taken aback.
Wang Feng then approached Oscar's cart and asked, "Do you have any good seasonings?"
"You... do you really want to eat it?" Oscar was surprised.
"Of course, these three sausages are good food." Wang Feng said with a smile. "Besides, food is food and it doesn't matter to me if you had to create it using weird incantations. Afterall its pure soul energy manifested in the form of sausages."
Oscar was touched by this gesture. "Food is food, well said! I have various spices here, junior brother. If you ever want to eat in the future, I'll give you a 50% discount!"
Wang Feng chuckled and accepted the seasonings. He examined them and was pleased to find a variety of spices on Oscar's food cart, such as pepper, cumin powder, chili powder and various sauces.
He sprinkled the seasonings onto the three grilled sausages and took a whiff.
"It smells so delightful." Wang Feng couldn't resist taking a bite.
After a taste, he was left with a pleasant aftertaste, reminiscent of the baked ham and hot dogs from his previous life.
Tang San, Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai couldn't help but swallow in anticipation. They weren't gluttonous but the way Wang Feng was describing its flavor after every bite was very tantalizing...
"Is it really so good.." The other had the same thoughts in my mind.
"Brother Feng, you're truly something else... Is this grilled sausage really that good? I know you're particular about your food but how can you enjoy this kind of food?" Tang San asked.
Ning Rongrong, hearing this, felt a twinge of guilt. She had tried to play a trick on him but he didn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, he devoured three sausages in one go.
He must be feeling sick now, right? These thoughts made Ning Rongrong lower her head, experiencing a sense of shame she had never felt before.
"What are you staring at me for?" Wang Feng had no idea that Ning Rongrong was trying to defend herself in her mind. He looked at everyone and said, "It's truly delicious and you should also add some of this seasoning."
Tang San shook his head in disbelief but was genuinely tempted.
"By the way, give me another one," Wang Feng suddenly said to Oscar.
"Do you want more? Wonderful! Truly wonderful" Oscar's heart swelled with joy. Usually, no one was interested in eating his sausages, even though they were perfectly edible and tasty.
He quickly prepared two more sausages and handed them to Wang Feng. Wang Feng sprinkled the seasoning on them but didn't eat them himself. Instead, he walked over to Ning Rongrong and smiled.
"As they say, tit for tat. I'll also treat you to one. Will you accept?"
"Come give it a try!" Wang Feng offered the sausages to Ning Rongrong.
He knew she had probably figured out the secret behind the sausages a while ago and had purposely invited herself to eat them, planning to reveal the truth after he ate the sausages. But Wang Feng's nonchalant attitude had thrown her off.
She never expected him to not mind the sausages at all. He wasn't a picky eater also. Right now, Wang Feng was taking control of the situation in his own way.
In an instant, all eyes were on Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong, panicked, took a few steps back.
Was he joking? He wanted her to eat this? It was like torture to her anything else.
"No, thank you. I really don't want to eat it." Ning Rongrong forced a smile.
"No, you do want to eat it," Wang Feng insisted, approaching Ning Rongrong. "Come on, this is my treat."
Ning Rongrong shook her head and firmly refused, "No, even if I have to starve to death and drop out of the college, I won't eat this!"
Wang Feng gazed at Ning Rongrong, his deep black eyes exuding a mysterious allure that left her momentarily stunned. Her heart raced inexplicably, captivated by his gaze.
"You're even more beautiful than I imagined," Wang Feng suddenly said.
"Huh?" Ning Rongrong blinked in confusion, wondering why he was suddenly saying something like that.
And then, in an instant, Wang Feng swiftly and gently slipped the sausage into Ning Rongrong's petite mouth.
The air around them became exceptionally still...
The air seemed to solidify a bit as all eyes locked onto the girl in the cyan dress. They stared with widened eyes, astonished by the lightning speed of Wang Feng's action. Even Ning Rongrong herself hadn't had time to react.
The grilled sausage was already in her mouth.
A mix of emotions—anger, disgust and more rushed through Ning Rongrong's mind as she glared at Wang Feng. She hadn't expected him to use this trick to get back at her. And to make matters worse, he had just complimented her beauty. She had half-expected him to...
Everyone could empathize with her emotions right now. After all, nobody wanted to eat this sausage, let alone be forced to do so.
"Come on, brother Feng, you've gone too far!" Tang San coughed, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Dai Mubai also cleared his throat and added, "Wang Feng, there's no need to be this forceful. Although this is your revenge, you shouldn't push a girl to her limits."
Their eyes, however, held a hint of admiration as they looked at Wang Feng. They secretly wished they could do the same but lacked the courage.
Zhu Zhuqing, who stood behind Dai Mubai, frowned in Wang Feng's direction.
But just as they thought Ning Rongrong would resist, they heard a faint sound of chewing. They turned to find Ning Rongrong, chewing the sausage gracefully.
It seemed as though she had suddenly adapted to the taste.
Ning Rongrong, aware of everyone's gaze, blushed slightly. While chewing with refined manners, she whispered, "Surprisingly, it tastes good."
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. They couldn't fathom how Ning Rongrong could eat it so calmly. Had she played along to avoid making a scene? Or does it really taste so good that she had actually liked it?
Wang Feng, too, looked at Ning Rongrong with mild astonishment. He hadn't expected her to handle it so well. Had she pretended to dislike it but actually enjoyed my sausage?
"You're too kind. You don't need to thank me." Wang Feng replied with a smile. "We can always eat grilled sausages together next time."
Ning Rongrong nodded, her eyes unwavering. "I'll hold you to that!"
Confused by her response, Wang Feng wondered if she took his casual remark seriously.
Just then, Xiao Wu approached, her head tilted. "What are you talking about? Where's my sausage?"
Tang San hesitated and explained Oscar's strange ability.
"...You boys and your nasty tricks!" Xiao Wu blushed and muttered under her breath. "I won't eat it now!"
Seeing Xiao Wu's reaction, Wang Feng couldn't help but think that this was a more typical response than that of Ning Rongrong.
"Alright, Tang San, Xiao Wu, let's head straight to the final test!" Dai Mubai clapped his hands to redirect their focus.
"Go straight to the final test? Is that even appropriate?" Tang San questioned, noticing the candidates waiting in line for their turn.
"Don't worry," Dai Mubai said as he approached the second test teacher and whispered a few words. The teacher then replied with a smile and nodded.
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding why they were exempt from the usual process.
"Teacher, why can they go directly to the fourth test while we have to be tested one by one?" one boy asked with discontent. "Are you Shrek Academy being partial and are giving them special treatment?"
The teacher smiled faintly. "Yes, it is special treatment. If your soul power exceeds the 25th level, you can skip the individual tests and go directly to the final one. But does any of you have a soul power level above 25th?"
The boy, who had doubted Tang San, stopped in his tracks. He hadn't expected anyone, especially a twelve-year-old, to have a soul power level of 25.
"Level 25?" he muttered to himself but the disbelief still lingered.
Wang Feng shook his head, it was a bit like those news stories about geniuses who were ten-year-olds and are attending college in modern times. People often doubted what they hadn't seen with their own eyes. Even when faced with evidence, many would still struggle to believe it.
A twelve-year-old with a twenty-fifth-level soul rank was indeed astonishing, roughly equivalent to a ten-year-old child attending university in the eyes of others. Most soul masters wouldn't believe it, especially when gifted individuals typically received praise and attention. This could lead to jealousy and doubt when someone demonstrated extraordinary abilities, making it hard for others to accept the outcome.
"Do you not believe it?" Dai Mubai sneered, pulling out a white crystal ball.
"Tang San, Xiao Wu, show your soul power."
The crystal ball was designed to test soul power levels up to 30. Beyond that threshold, it would explode. It was used specifically for measuring soul power.
Tang San stepped forward and injected his soul power into the crystal ball. In an instant, the ball radiated a brilliant white light, approaching the 30th level.
The boy who had doubted Tang San's soul power was stunned, seeing the unmistakable sign that Tang San was about to reach level 30. He realized that Tang San was at least at level 29, an incredibly high rank for a twelve-year-old.
Even the teacher overseeing the test was surprised and intrigued by Tang San's remarkable abilities.
Next, Xiao Wu entered, wearing a smile as she fed her soul power into the crystal ball. Once again, the ball emitted a bright light, indicating another soul power level close to 30.
The same boy who had doubted Tang San was left dumbfounded. Xiao Wu's power was also nearing level 30.
"This way, it seems like I can also proceed directly to the final test," Ning Rongrong said with a gentle smile as she approached and used the crystal ball. While her soul power wasn't as high as Tang San and Xiao Wu, it was still considerably above level 25, indicating she was also a promising talent.
Ning Rongrong next offered the crystal ball to Wang Feng, asking if he wanted to test as well. However, before Wang Feng could respond, a girl who had been following Dai Mubai swiftly took the crystal ball from Ning Rongrong's hand.
Ning Rongrong observed that the girl's soul power surpassing her own.
The teacher overseeing the test commented, "It seems that there are more and more extraordinary talents in Shrek Academy this year. All four of you may proceed directly to the final test. Go on!"
Dai Mubai chimed in, asking Wang Feng if he wanted to participate in the test. He was genuinely curious about how high Wang Feng's soul power would rank since he had absorbed a thousand-year-old and a ten-thousand-year-old soul ring.
When a soul master absorbed a soul ring and broke through a level, they usually gain a boost according to the soul ring's age. Dai Mubai couldn't fathom how much Wang Feng's level had skyrocketed since he was already a two soul ring soul master. If he absorbed a ten-thousand-year-old soul ring, would he instantly reach level 30?
Wang Feng was given the crystal ball and he pondered momentarily. "Should I go through the procedure?"
Xiao Wu blinked playfully and encouraged him, "Come on, Feng'ge, just do it."
Tang San also agreed, saying, "Let's show us your soul power."
The test teacher, now intrigued by Wang Feng's potential, remarked, "Don't worry, young man. You won't lose your soul power by taking the test. Moreover, this crystal ball is designed to withstand soul power levels up to 30, including level 30."
Wang Feng's hesitation continued but he eventually relented and fed his soul power into the white crystal ball.
Suddenly, the crystal ball produced a crisp cracking sound!
The teacher, along with Tang San, Dai Mubai and others, were all stunned by this unexpected development.
'Bang!'.
...
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