Shrek Academy

  Ning Feng was thrown backward, her back hitting the trunk of a tree as she gasped, and felt blood gathering in her mouth from biting her tongue. Slumping against the tree and hissing in pain as she tried to get back up, a harsh voice said.

  "Useless."

  She looked upward, her sight slightly blurry, focusing on her opponent. "I don't even know why I am doing this, " the young man in front of her said. He was not much older than her—maybe a year or two—but still towering over her already tall frame and muscled all over. He had silvery-grey hair and tanned skin.

  His eyes were a shock of almost unnatural green color, and his tattoos swirled in nearly ominous patterns over his skin, making his already intimidating appearance even more intimidating.

  Ning Feng fought to get back on her feet, swaying slightly, and gred at the young man. Then she spit out the blood that had gathered in her mouth and walked forward.

  Her entire body was full of bruises and cuts; every muscle screamed at her. She shrugged off her jacket against the chilly cold and then raised her fists to combat position. Hell would freeze over until she let that guy mock her without putting up a fight.

  Her hands were bandaged by dirty white fabric, and their wear and tear sowed her effort as she growled and focused on her opponent. He huffed, seeing her readiness to fight as a joke.

  He was stronger, faster, and older, and by this point, they both were aware it was mere stubbornness that kept Ning Feng going. A stubbornness he found useless; why keep going when it was so obvious who would be the winner?

  Why continue fighting?

  He didn't even know what he was doing here. Sparring against a combat spirit master is obviously no match for him.

  "Stop, " a voice said, and both turned towards it. They turned towards a two-metre-tall man standing there, Gu Rong, the ghost douluo. "Yujie, what did you do wrong?" he asked the older boy. He huffed and then leaned back, making Ning Feng boil inside at how he continued to treat her as not even worth his respect.

  She wiped off her face, seeing blood on it, and then touched her nose. It was tender; she had a nosebleed and hoped it wasn't broken.

  "Nothing, " Yujie said and stood straight. After all, I won." Ning Feng gred at him. If she had been allowed to use weaponry for this, he would have been dead.

  "You left your right side open. You didn't guard against her sneak attacks. If it hadn't been for your physical advantages and the limits I imposed on both of you, that could have ended in worse than a broken rib, and for what? For not taking your opponent seriously? "The man thundered, pointing at the boy's bare side, which was starting to take a bckish-blue color that didn't look like it was nothing.

  Ning Feng beamed. Well, well, at least that hit had nded where it should. He should have two or three broken ribs, though; sad it was only one.

  "And you." The tall man turned to Ning Feng, who stiffened up. She had made plenty of mistakes, many of them due to losing herself in fury in between because she found the other party's belligerent attitude intolerable. She hated it to the bone when someone looked down on her like this.

  "I-I was stupid. I t-tried to c-counter him directly." She admitted. "I-I also g-got angry. W-when I s-should have maintained a-a cool head."

  "Good." He nodded approvingly and then gred at the older one. "You understand your faults, and I know you will do better next time."

  The boy said nothing and just gred at Ning Feng. "Master, why am I even doing this?" he asked, still feeling insulted. "She is just a barely good-for-something stutterer."

  Ning Feng hissed at Yujie's anger. He had no reason to put her down like this; she had put up a fight, and he would have been dead if Gu Rong had allowed her to use hidden weapons or poisons. The anger inside her boiled up again. Remembering herself, though, and how it had hindered her in her sparring with him earlier when she gave in, she swallowed it down and kept it under wraps.

  "You should not put down your opponents like this," Gu Rong coolly noted and mustered Yujie. "That is the reason I took you along today. Ning Feng is by no means weak; she could have easily killed you if I had allowed her to use weaponry."

  "I believe that when it happens." Yujie snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "More like I would have killed her. "

  Gu Rong sighed. "Ning Feng, if you would be so kind as to reveal your martial spirit and spirit power."

  Ning Feng grunted very undylike and then released her martial spirit, watching as Yuji's eyes widened at the sight, and his mouth fell open.

  "A support...?" he said as if he couldn't believe his eyes, and Ning Feng, having enough, flicked out a bde and had it thud right into the tree next to him. Milimetres away from his head. He looked to the side and then looked at the slender needle-like knife. "...that can throw knives and fights?"

  She had her spirit vanish, designed a st look at Yujie, turned around and bowed to Gu Rong, and then limped away towards Shrek. In two days, they would fight the emperor's team, and she intended to be one of the combatants, not a bystander like the st time.

  "Hey!" She heard a voice and turned around. The knife was thrown in her direction, and she caught it mid-air with cold jade hands. "You are pretty good for support," he decred.

  She tilted her head, then he approached her.

  Standing right in front of her, she noted he really towered at least a head over her. She folded her arms and gred upwards.

  At lightning speed, before she could even react, a hand moved and grabbed her chin. Her eyes widened. She had barely been able to see that he was fast, a lot faster than his size would have suggested during sparring.

  Though.

  She raised her hand and punched him hard with all her strength straight into his face, her hand trembling from the force and hurting like she had hit stone and not a human.

  No reason to grab her like that.

  He didn't move; a red spot bloomed on his cheek, and blood trickled down from his lip.

  "Infernal Idiot!" Gu Rong thundered as he grabbed Yujie by the scruff. "I am terribly sorry, Ning Feng."

  She shook her head; it was not his fault. Then she bowed to him and walked away, not giving a single thought to Yujie anymore. She had other priorities. "Feng, are you fine? Whom do I need to trash?" She heard and saw Ma Honjun looking at her with a surprised look.

  She shook her head and then raised her fist. "I a-am fine." She said, swaying again on her feet. "S-sparring match."

  "At least does the other side look worse? Did you win?" he asked her, and she shook her head. Sadly, none of that had happened.

  "Well, hell," he said, then went to her and put her arm around his shoulder.