Zhu Zhuqing: Li Yan Really Is a Genius

"Zhu Zhuqing, you guessed wrong. Every one of Third Brother's Soul Rings was personally chosen by Brother Yan, and they're all a perfect fit for him."

"Honestly, even I envy Third Brother's three Soul Skills. Every one of them is overpowered beyond belief. Compared with other Soul Masters, it's practically a higher-dimensional attack."

Xiao Wu sounded envious.

"What? Brother Li Yan came up with all of them? If this approach spread, I'm afraid everything those Soul Masters with Plant-type Martial Souls know would be turned upside down."

"Brother Yan is only twelve this year, yet he has such talent."

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened. She had thought it was the work of some reclusive theoretical grandmaster. She never would have imagined that Li Yan, someone her own age, had done it.

"Third Brother and Xiao Wu are both geniuses who broke through to above rank thirty at twelve. If he guided me, would my cultivation yield twice the result with half the effort? Would I have a better chance at revenge?"

Zhu Zhuqing considered herself a genius among geniuses for reaching rank twenty-six at eleven and a half with an innate Soul Power of rank seven.

It had taken all her time. Ever since awakening her Martial Soul, she had hardly rested.

The battle in the center was nearing its end. With Tang San going all out, dealing with Dai Mubai was undoubtedly like an old man toying with a naughty child.

"Don't... I surrender, I surrender! The rooms are yours."

"I'm a student of Shrek Academy. You can't kill me!"

Tang San stopped. "Shrek Academy? Could it be that everyone at Shrek Academy is this sort of trash?"

"What rotten luck!"

Tang San looked at Li Yan, who gave him a look.

"For Shrek Academy's sake, I'll spare you this once. Get lost."

Tang San's gaze was icy.

Dai Mubai reluctantly got to his feet and left the Rose Hotel with the twins supporting him. Before leaving, though, he didn't forget to glance back at Zhu Zhuqing.

This woman gave him a very familiar feeling, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zhu Zhuqing's heart turned to dead ashes. Dai Mubai, Shrek Academy—she could now be certain that this good-for-nothing young master was her runaway fiancé.

"Come on, get us two rooms."

Li Yan roused the stunned receptionist, who respectfully brought out the keys without even taking payment.

"Let's go upstairs. Little San and I will share a room, and Xiao Wu, you'll share with Zhu Zhuqing."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu shook her head, snatched a key from Li Yan's hand, and pulled Tang San ahead of them.

"I'll stay with Third Brother. As for Zhu Zhuqing, I'll leave her to you, Brother Yan."

Xiao Wu waggled her eyebrows, leaving Zhu Zhuqing too embarrassed to raise her head.

"In that case... sorry for the trouble, Brother Yan."

Zhu Zhuqing's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz as she followed Li Yan with her head lowered.

Her fiancé was a lump of mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall. If only a young Soul Master as strong as Li Yan were her fiancé.

If... I weren't bound by an engagement, could I be as happy and carefree as Xiao Wu, doing whatever I wanted?

Zhu Zhuqing followed Li Yan into the room. When they saw its suggestive decorations, they both coughed at the same time.

"Well... I'll let Little Black and Little Gold out for some air."

"Oh, oh, go ahead, Brother Yan."

Two black-and-gold young dragons, each about two meters long, appeared. The moment they did, they flew onto the bed and rolled around, scattering the rose petals all over it.

Zhu Zhuqing sat on the edge of the bed and played with the two young dragons, forgetting her embarrassment for the moment.

"I'll go take a bath first."

Li Yan went into the bathroom and took a cold bath. When he was done, he made a bed on the floor.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, her wounds hadn't healed yet and couldn't get wet, so she slept on the bed with the two young dragons.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the two groups met in the hotel lobby.

Xiao Wu poked Li Yan and waggled her eyebrows.

"So, Brother Yan, did you manage to win Zhu Zhuqing over?"

"What kind of person do you take me for? I'm a respectable man. Stop talking nonsense. Once we've eaten, we're going to register at Shrek Academy."

Xiao Wu drew out an "oh," while Zhu Zhuqing followed beside her, embarrassed and indignant.

After a hearty breakfast, the four of them came to a village outside Suotuo City, where they spotted a large, moldy, cracked sign from a distance.

The words "Shrek Academy" were written on it in crooked characters.

"That's where we register, right?"

Xiao Wu pointed at the line in the distance. It wasn't very long, but more than a dozen people were waiting in it.

Li Yan walked over and joined the line. Only two or three of the people there could meet Shrek Academy's standards.

Their Soul Power, however, was only at rank twenty-one or twenty-two, below rank twenty-five. They couldn't skip straight to the final test, and their chances of passing were minuscule.

A commotion broke out at the front of the line.

"Mubai, someone wants their registration fee back. Deal with it."

Dai Mubai, who had been beaten up by Tang San yesterday, still had bruises on his face, but dealing with these Soul Masters registering for admission was well within his abilities.

"What kind of academy is this? They're so overbearing. They don't tell people the registration rules beforehand, only after they've taken the money, and then they won't even give it back."

Xiao Wu was indignant.

"Shrek Academy does have a lot of problems, so one of our main tasks here is to straighten these people out."

Xiao Wu wholeheartedly agreed.

"Mm... and beat up that lecherous tiger Dai every day while we're at it, for bullying the weak and fearing the strong!"

Quite a few people soon left the line. At the front was a girl in a blue-green dress.

She was sweet-looking, with delicate skin and expensive jewelry. At a glance, she was clearly a young lady from a prominent family.

It seems this is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Little Demoness. She looks like such an obedient girl. You really can't judge a person by their appearance.

Li Yan and the other three were right behind her and could hear her conversation with the Soul Emperor teacher conducting the examination clearly.

"Brother Yan, is her Martial Soul the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the inherited Martial Soul of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the legendary Upper Three Sects? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda said to be the continent's number-one support-type Martial Soul?"

Tang San asked in surprise.

"That's right. And her status in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is clearly quite high. I detected quite a few presences at Soul Emperor level or above in the shadows. They all seem to be protecting her in secret."

Tang San nodded and said no more. None of this had anything to do with him.

After Ning Rongrong passed, she stayed where she was. She had noticed Li Yan and the other three behind her some time ago.

The men were handsome and the women beautiful. At a glance, they were on an entirely different layer from the others.

She looked at Li Yan's handsome face and was smitten for a moment.

What a handsome young man. Is that big-breasted girl beside him his girlfriend?

What a pity. I'm a step too late, but that won't stop me from looking at him.

Ning Rongrong stayed to one side, intending to see the four people's Martial Souls and Soul Power Levels.

"Registration costs ten Gold Soul Coins. State your Martial Soul, age, and Soul Power Level."

Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward first and tossed ten Gold Soul Coins into the box.

"Zhu Zhuqing. Martial Soul: Hell Spirit Cat. Age: eleven and a half. Soul Power Level: twenty-six."

Li Yusong nodded.

"No problem, you've passed. You're a promising talent. Mubai, bring her over to stand here and wait a moment."

Dai Mubai's heart jolted. Zhu Zhuqing, and a Nether Civet Martial Soul at that.

The beautiful girl who had caught his eye last night was actually his fiancée.

But she had clearly spent last night with another man.