Heaven-Defying Setup

Although that was true, in the end, it had been their own choice. Lu Mingchuan, who had no ties to them, could not possibly make up for their Gold Soul Coins.

When all was said and done, getting by in the world depended on power and connections. Lu Mingchuan was fortunate enough to have Huang Quan backing him up. Thinking of this, he looked at Huang Quan beside him with softened eyes. Sensing his gaze, Huang Quan turned her head and gave him a faint, pixel-sized curl of her lips.

The two headed toward the back of the long line. Along the way, he keenly spotted characters from the original story, as well as Tang San and Xiao Wu. The pair looked somewhat wary when they saw him, but Lu Mingchuan could not be bothered with them. He would let Tang San enjoy himself for a while longer.

With that in mind, Lu Mingchuan took Huang Quan's hand and walked to the end of the line. After waiting for quite some time, he heard the conflict from the original story erupt ahead of them. He quietly watched the show for a while, wondering whether it was because Dai Mubai had been crippled.

This time, Li Yusong's outburst was more intense than in the original story. He drove away nearly half the people, leaving behind only a few who wanted to try their luck, along with the Protagonist Group.

Lu Mingchuan was happy to have things easier. He had to spend less time standing in line, while everyone else lost ten fewer Gold Soul Coins to a scam. It was simply a win-win situation.

Not long after the line shortened, the Protagonist Group ahead of him had passed the test. It was now his turn. He walked up to the table and placed his Gold Soul Coins inside.

Li Yusong looked at the tall Lu Mingchuan and held out a hand, signaling for him to give him his hand. Lu Mingchuan obediently extended it. Li Yusong took it and gave it a squeeze, unable to stop himself from sighing. "There are so many this year who've trained their hands."

After releasing his hand, Li Yusong motioned for him to place his lower leg on the table. "Lift your lower leg up here."

Lu Mingchuan obediently lifted his lower leg and placed it on the table. Li Yusong reached out and squeezed it, frowning despite himself. "Don't tell me you've trained some kind of soul skill in your legs too?"

He nodded obediently, then jerked his chin toward Tang San. "Don't worry, I'm the same age as Tang San."

Li Yusong was not afraid of being deceived. He merely nodded and signaled for him to release his Soul Rings.

An Azure Great Bow appeared in Lu Mingchuan's hand. As it emerged, four Soul Rings—purple, black, black, and black—appeared beneath his feet.

Everyone present fell silent at that setup. Then Li Yusong became wildly excited, springing straight up from his recliner. With a wave of his hand, he put away the table, ignored everyone still behind them, and directly announced that today's enrollment was over.

Once he had done all that, he immediately tried to pull Lu Mingchuan away, but Lu Mingchuan smoothly avoided him. The excited Li Yusong did not mind and gestured for Lu Mingchuan to follow. Seeing how excited he was, Lu Mingchuan took Huang Quan's hand and followed in his footsteps.

Although Huang Quan's level had not been tested, even if she had no Soul Power, with Lu Mingchuan, this heaven-defying cheat, there would be no problem bringing along one Huang Quan. Even another one would be fine.

It was worth mentioning that although Li Yusong was excited, he still pointed Tang San and the others in the direction of the remaining assessments. Then, without waiting to see whether they had remembered it, he took Lu Mingchuan away.

The people left behind watched the three figures depart, then recalled that heaven-defying setup from moments ago and fell somewhat silent. Tang San felt more than that—there was even a trace of despair in his heart. However, after remembering his Twin Martial Souls and Hidden Weapon Technique, he regained some confidence.

At most, Lu Mingchuan is just an ordinary Rank 99. But I'm different. As someone with Twin Martial Souls, I can add a full eighteen Soul Rings. With Hidden Weapons to aid me as well, I'll let you be arrogant for now. Once I become titled, it will be your day of death.

Tang San's eyes flickered. Then he took Xiao Wu's hand and headed into the academy. "Third Brother, how about we choose another academy instead?" Xiao Wu rarely used her brain for once. As a Soul Beast in human form, she understood the power of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

They were absolutely not something Lu Mingchuan, who only had one Soul Ring, could contend against, even if one was on the verge of death. There was likely a powerful soul master supporting him from behind. Perhaps there was even a Soul Douluo or stronger following him. If her guess was true, she would be in danger.

Unlike Xiao Wu, who had put some thought into it, Tang San had not considered so much. He believed he had concealed his killing intent quite well and that Lu Mingchuan had not noticed it. Little did he know that Lu Mingchuan had known what kind of person he was since his previous life, and had known Tang San wanted to kill him ever since they were four.

"What is it, Xiao Wu?" Tang San looked at her in confusion. "It's just Lu Mingchuan... Forget it, it's nothing." Xiao Wu found it hard to say. After all, she could hardly tell him that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form and feared that a Soul Douluo behind Lu Mingchuan might see through her identity.

Seeing that Xiao Wu had no objections, Tang San took her hand and continued toward the academy. The few people behind them watched the two figures and followed after them.

By then, Lu Mingchuan had already met the Principal. Though the original story had described him, Lu Mingchuan still could not help sighing at Flender's appearance the moment he saw him.

His chin protruded somewhat, his cheekbones were broad, his face was flat, and he had a slightly hooked nose. In a word, he had the face of a shoe sole, and he always seemed to carry a faint air of cunning.

He wore a pair of black-framed crystal glasses. The frames were stiff and square, giving him a strange appearance no matter how one looked at him.

"May I see your Soul Rings?" After hearing Li Yusong's explanation, Flender smiled at Lu Mingchuan. Then he saw the absurd purple-black-black-black setup Li Yusong had described. Even though Li Yusong's explanation had prepared him, he was still shocked the moment he saw it.

Just as he was about to ask a question, he remembered that it was a major taboo among soul masters and swiftly changed his words. "Are you sure you want to join Shrek Academy?"

Lu Mingchuan shook his head. "I came because I had heard of Shrek Academy's reputation, but unfortunately, it differs somewhat from what I imagined. On second thought, I'll pass."

"You've just arrived and aren't yet familiar with our academy. You can stay and experience it for a few days. If you still find it unsuitable then, leaving will not delay you in any way."

Flender could not bear to let such a heaven-defying talent slip through his fingers and could not help trying to persuade him to stay. Lu Mingchuan was somewhat pleased upon hearing Flender's words.

Because that meant he could farm points in this gathering place of protagonists. The thought of farming points excited him. Every one of them was a plump, tender leek waiting to be harvested.

Although he was thinking about how to harvest his leeks, he nodded without changing expression. Flender breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that nod. He would keep him here first; whether he joined or not could be discussed later. As long as he stayed, there would be a chance.

After saying goodbye, Lu Mingchuan took Huang Quan's hand and left Flender's office. He casually picked a direction and began strolling around the academy. As he wandered, he ran into Tang San's group as they were preparing for their assessment. Dai Mubai was nowhere among them.

By his estimate, Dai Mubai was still lying in bed.