Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

"Crying?"

Looking at Ning Rongrong's current state, Yun Chuan couldn't help but find her incredibly cute in his heart. However, on the surface, he maintained a cold demeanor and said, "What's there to cry about? Who do you think you are? Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, you're just a slightly prettier girl, and who knows where you'd be right now? You have talent, you have background, yet you don't put in effort and only know how to indulge in comfort. Fine, you have the choice to live like that. But since you've come to Shrek Academy, you must abide by the rules here!"

"This place is not your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!" Yun Chuan said indifferently. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is the most powerful auxiliary martial soul on the continent, yet right now, you're utterly disgracing it—do you understand that?"

"I am not!" Ning Rongrong retorted, both anxious and angry at being reprimanded. After all, she was still just a twelve-year-old girl. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was the pride of her clan, and it was her pride too!

"You're not?" Yun Chuan sneered. "Then tell me, among the seven students in this academy, who are you stronger than?"

"Tang San and Xiao Wu both have higher soul power levels than you and far more combat experience. That Dai Mubai—at thirteen years old, he was already a level thirty Soul Elder. Can you do that?"

"Ma Hongjun possesses a top-tier beast martial soul. Even though it has some flaws, his soul power has already reached level twenty-seven!"

"Zhu Zhuqing, even though her soul power is only slightly higher than yours, she has an unyielding will. If she were asked to run twenty laps, she wouldn't stop even if it were a hundred—she'd crawl to the finish line if she had to. Can you do that?"

Ning Rongrong's chest rose and fell violently with frustration.

"I'm an auxiliary-type soul master! How can I be compared to them?" She forced back her tears and tried to justify herself. "On the battlefield, my role is far more important than theirs!"

"You're absolutely right!" Yun Chuan nodded, surprisingly affirming her argument. But then, his tone suddenly shifted.

"But let me tell you another truth—on the battlefield, only those who survive can support their teammates!"

His gaze turned condescending as he looked at Ning Rongrong. "With your current personality, if someone wants to kill you in battle, do you think you can escape? With such an arrogant and impatient attitude, do you think you can find a trustworthy teammate who will protect you and allow you to safely cast your soul skills? You won't! The only thing waiting for you is abandonment, followed by death at the hands of your enemies!"

"Wait, no! What about Oscar? At least I'm stronger than him, right?" Ning Rongrong quickly wiped her tears, as if grabbing onto a last lifeline.

"Sorry, but from what I heard from the dean, Oscar might be the most talented among you." Yun Chuan chuckled and mercilessly shattered her last hope. "He's a food-type soul master with innate full soul power—have you ever seen anyone like that?"

"..."

Ning Rongrong stared blankly at Yun Chuan.

Even though she didn't want to believe it, she knew that as a teacher, Tang Chuan wouldn't lie about something like this.

Originally, as an auxiliary-type soul master, she had never compared herself with battle-type soul masters. But after hearing Yun Chuan's words, she suddenly felt a deep sense of inadequacy, as if her entire world had collapsed.

Even Oscar was more talented than her!

She had always known that food-type soul masters had an incredibly difficult path to advancement. A food-type martial soul with innate full soul power had never been heard of before!

With the last shred of her pride torn away, she finally broke down.

With a loud wail, Ning Rongrong ran away in tears.

"Tang Chuan, I hate you!" A sobbing voice echoed.

Watching the girl flee, completely shattered by his words, Yun Chuan couldn't help but feel a little guilty. However, he knew that this was a necessary hardship for her growth.

Besides, right now, there was only the two of them here—no one else had witnessed this. If she were to be reprimanded in front of everyone later, her embarrassment would only be far greater.

In a way, Yun Chuan was actually helping her.

Of course, aside from helping her, he had another motive—to increase his favorability with her.

After all, as someone who had read the original story, Yun Chuan already had a fondness for its characters—especially the female ones. To him, they were like the dream "2D waifus" of every otaku.

Now that he had traveled to this world, where his "2D waifus" had become real, how could he not be moved?

He didn't know about others, but he himself was absolutely smitten.

He admitted it—he was attracted to them. He was just a lecherous guy! Otherwise, he wouldn't have allocated all his points to charm while still in his mother's womb. It was all for the sake of having a handsome face to help him chase girls!

As Yun Chuan slowly walked back to the academy, he happened to pass by Oscar, who was still running laps. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Good morning, Teacher Tang," Oscar greeted as he jogged past.

"Oscar, hold on a second." Yun Chuan suddenly called out.

"Huff… Huff… Yes? What is it, Teacher Tang?" Oscar stopped, panting.

"Are you interested in Ning Rongrong?" Yun Chuan asked bluntly.

Oscar's face immediately turned red. He scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. "Well, um… A gentleman admires a fair lady, right? Hehe."

Seeing the boy's reaction, Yun Chuan sighed inwardly.

Such a pure-hearted youth.

Still, when it came to eliminating love rivals, he wouldn't hold back!

"Oscar, do you know about Ning Rongrong's background?" Yun Chuan asked.

"Of course! She's from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Why do you ask, Teacher Tang?" Oscar looked puzzled.

"It's nothing," Yun Chuan said indifferently. "I just wanted to tell you that, as the number one auxiliary clan on the continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has an unspoken rule: whether male or female, they can only marry a battle-type soul master."

"Because auxiliary soul masters have no offensive abilities, their partners must be battle-type soul masters to protect them. That's why this rule exists."

"They must marry battle-type soul masters?"

Oscar froze in place, as if struck by lightning.

He wasn't stupid—he immediately understood what this meant.

After all, he was a food-type soul master—he wasn't a battle-type soul master at all!

Which meant that from the very start, he never even had a chance with Ning Rongrong!

"…Teacher, why are you telling me this?" Oscar asked quietly, his head lowered.

"Sigh, I'm telling you this for your own good." Yun Chuan sighed, putting on a benevolent expression. "You and her are fated to have no future. It's better to tell you now, so you can step back before it's too late. Otherwise, the only one who will get hurt in the end is you. It won't do either of you any good—do you understand?"

"…"

Oscar was silent for a long time.

Finally, he let out a deep breath, raised his head, and forced a smile. "I understand. Thank you for telling me, Teacher. I know what to do now."

 Yun Chuan nodded in satisfaction.

Finally, he had cut off a potential love rival at the root!

After fooling Oscar, Yun Chuan waved him off and strolled toward the girls' dormitory.

Now, it was time to comfort a certain someone.