Thoughts Beneath the Night Sky

The dorm assignments had been completed.

Oscar and Tang San were together, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were together, and Qian Yuling and Zhu Zhuqing were together.

After everyone returned to their dorms.

"Tang San, you and Xiao Wu really are close," Oscar remarked in the dorm.

"Of course. She's my little sister." Tang San immediately perked up whenever Xiao Wu was mentioned.

"Not your real little sister, right?" Oscar's lecherous voice rang out.

"That's right, not my real little sister. Wait, what does that look in your eyes mean? I only see her as a sister." Tang San noticed something off about Oscar's expression halfway through his answer and hurriedly explained.

"Mm-hm, I know." He said that, but Oscar's expression had already betrayed what he was really thinking.

"Since we'll be roommates from now on, how about we get to know each other first? I'll introduce myself. I'm Oscar, a level twenty-nine Tool Soul Master. My Martial Soul is Sausage. People call me Sausage Specialist. You can just call me Little Ao."

Tang San smiled. "Isn't it Uncle Sausage?"

"Pah, pah! Just wait until I shave off this beard. Then I'll show you how dashing and refined I really am. A few pretty junior girls have joined the academy, so I can't keep being this disheveled. Boss Dai has clearly set his sights on that icy beauty. Xiao Wu is yours, and Yu Ling is just as hard to approach as that icy beauty, so I can only pursue that junior girl named Ning Rongrong. Speaking of which, Ning Rongrong is really pretty. Though she's a little inferior to Yu Ling, she's easygoing." Oscar grew more excited the more he spoke.

"There's nothing between Xiao Wu and me. Forget it, good luck. I'm too tired, so I'm going to sleep first." Tang San waved a hand, then lay down on his bed and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"Yu Ling, you're too strong! You actually managed to hold your own against a Soul Saint." The icy expression on Zhu Zhuqing's face had completely vanished as she looked excitedly at Qian Yuling.

"It was nothing. My reactions are just a little faster, so Teacher Zhao couldn't touch me." Qian Yuling's pretty face reddened at Zhu Zhuqing's praise as she answered modestly.

"What do you mean, a little faster? Those reaction speeds of yours are practically inhuman. Teacher Zhao's Soul Power Level is thirty-one levels higher than yours, yet he still couldn't touch you even once. And I saw that Teacher Zhao's Fifth Soul Skill seemed useless against you. Why was that?" Zhu Zhuqing praised her without holding back, though her final question carried some confusion.

"It's simple. Teacher Zhao's Fifth Soul Skill—Gravity Crush—increases the pressure around his opponent drastically and continuously crushes them. But my body is relatively strong, so the pressure Teacher Zhao released couldn't move me," Qian Yuling said honestly.

Zhu Zhuqing: "..."

Qian Yuling and Zhu Zhuqing had come to Shrek Academy for similar reasons: to become stronger. So after chatting for a while, neither wished to waste any time, and the two began cultivating.

The night grew quiet, and all of Shrek Academy fell completely silent. Just as Dai Mubai had predicted, apart from Tang San's group of five, not a single examinee had passed the first three trials. Even so, this was the year with the most students admitted in many years.

As the vice dean, Zhao Wuji naturally had his own residence. At the moment, he sat alone in his room, feeling thoroughly miserable. He had changed into clean clothes, and his wounds had mostly healed, but the blow to his spirit was enormous.

He had never imagined that what had begun as a simple urge to stretch his limbs would end with him losing so much face. In the past, he would not have hesitated to kill Tang San and Qian Yuling outright. Though he might not have been able to kill Qian Yuling, since from beginning to end he had not managed to touch her even once. But Tang San was different. If he wanted to kill him, it would have been effortless. Yet their identities were different now. He was a teacher, while Qian Yuling and the others were his students. He could only swallow this resentment.

At the same time, he greatly admired Qian Yuling. Not yet twelve years old, she had already reached the cultivation of a Soul Ancestor, and her combat ability far surpassed her Soul Power Level. Although one of her soul rings was white, such a thing was still unprecedented on the continent. Her future was limitless.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, Zhao Wuji struck it against his palm and sighed helplessly. "Why did I run into two little hedgehogs today? Looks like I'll have to properly discipline them in the future." With that, a sinister smile appeared on Zhao Wuji's face.

"Zhao Wuji." Just as Zhao Wuji was making his own calculations, a sudden voice froze the smile on his face. He was a level seventy-six Soul Saint. If something like this happened, it could only mean that the visitor was far stronger than he was.

"Who?" Zhao Wuji stood up. His reputation had never been particularly good, and after living comfortably at Shrek Academy for ten years, he had never expected a powerful enemy to appear at this time.

"Come out." A faint, almost imperceptible presence locked onto Zhao Wuji.

Without hesitation, Zhao Wuji shot out through the window and arrived outside. His Soul Power gathered to its peak as he warily scanned his surroundings. Then, following that faint presence, he reached a small forest outside.

"Come out. I know you're here," Zhao Wuji shouted in a deep voice. At the same time, seven brilliant soul rings rose from beneath his feet.

A black figure emerged from behind a tree. The person wore black from head to toe, with a black hat on his head as well. From his appearance, Zhao Wuji could only tell that he was a tall man.

"Who are you?" Zhao Wuji had already prepared himself for battle.

The man in black did not answer. He merely said indifferently, "To encounter the Immovable Wisdom King in such a small place, I thought I'd spar with you. Stretch my limbs a little."

As he spoke, the man in black raised his right hand, and an enormous black hammer appeared in it. At the same time, nine brilliant soul rings rose beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

Upon seeing the black-clothed man summon his Martial Soul, Zhao Wuji shuddered and began to sweat profusely. As a level seventy-six Soul Saint, he naturally understood just how vast the gap between high-level Soul Masters could be. The difference in Soul Power between him and the man in black was far greater than the difference between him and Qian Yuling's group.

"Titled Douluo." Zhao Wuji forced out the four words, his body trembling slightly. If he was considered a high-level existence among Soul Masters, then the man in black before him stood at the very pinnacle.

All the dominance in his earlier words vanished. Zhao Wuji carefully said, "May I ask which senior has honored us with your presence? How could this junior possibly be worthy of sparring with you?"

"What does worthy or unworthy have to do with it? Didn't you enjoy bullying those children during the day? Enough nonsense. Now I want to bully you too. Take this." The black-clothed man activated his First Soul Skill, and his hammer smashed toward Zhao Wuji.

"Martial Soul Avatar." Zhao Wuji had no choice but to activate his Martial Soul Avatar, then thrust out a palm to meet the hammer.

With a bang, Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul Avatar was shattered instantly, and he was sent sprawling onto the ground. He struggled to his feet. "This junior's strength is truly far too inferior to yours, Senior."

The man in black snorted coldly. At the same time, another person appeared beside Zhao Wuji. "Greetings, Clear Sky Douluo. May I ask how Zhao Wuji has offended you?" the person beside Zhao Wuji said respectfully. Seeing that Flender had arrived, Zhao Wuji also said to Tang Hao, "So you are Clear Sky Douluo, Senior. May I ask how I have offended you? At least let me die knowing why."

Tang Hao said flatly, "When the little one gets beaten, the older one must come out to seek justice."

Zhao Wuji and Flender both stiffened. Then Flender gave Zhao Wuji a helpless look and stepped aside. "You!" Zhao Wuji glared furiously at Flender.

Soon after, several more cries of agony rang out.

The man in black said something to the two of them, then said, "What happened just now is your compensation. I'll have to trouble you both in the future." With that, the man in black vanished into the forest.

"I got beaten while you just stood there watching." Zhao Wuji cast Flender a resentful glance.

"What do you know? If he truly intended to kill you, what difference would adding me make? He's a man who even dared to strike the Pope. I just never expected that he was..." Flender said irritably.

Zhao Wuji gave a bitter smile. "How could I not understand what you mean? I was just beaten so badly that I wanted to complain a little."

It was already late at night, yet Shrek Academy's students had no idea that so much had happened. As for Zhao Wuji's swollen face, it would not be easy for it to recover.

At this moment, in Qian Yuling's dorm.

Qian Yuling and Zhu Zhuqing gradually became tired. Zhu Zhuqing was the first to climb beneath the covers and fall asleep. Soon after, Qian Yuling also slipped beneath the covers and gradually drifted into dreams.

"Mie Miezi..." Qian Yuling murmured softly in her sleep. However, Zhu Zhuqing had long since entered her own dreamland and did not hear Qian Yuling's sleep talk.

Meanwhile, in a place covered in silver crystals, a creature with two enormous horns on its head, thorns covering its body, and a pair of powerful wings slowly opened its eyes.