Xiao Wu looked around at the others, then asked in confusion:
"Where's Su Yan?"
A shadow crossed Tang San's eyes. He couldn't understand why Xiao Wu was always looking for Su Yan when Su Yan barely paid her any attention.
Of course,
Xiao Wu liked being near Su Yan because of his Martial Soul. His Mutated Martial Soul had taken physical form and possessed a mind of its own.
That made Little Monkey rather like a Soul Beast. As a Soul Beast herself, Xiao Wu naturally liked being near him.
"I don't know where Su Yan went either. You know he sneaks out every night."
Tang San actually knew what Su Yan was doing. He had secretly followed him before and discovered that Su Yan slipped out at night to train.
Tang San had scoffed at that. With Innate Soul Power Level 0.25, what could Su Yan possibly accomplish by sneaking out to train every night?
Trash was trash.
He had no chance of ever breaking through to Level 30.
Yu Xiaogang had told him so.
Little did he know,
Su Yan's Soul Power had already far surpassed Level 30. Even without the boost from practicing the Cultivation Method this time, Su Yan could still have broken through—and faster than Tang San at that.
Xiao Wu frowned, displeased. "If Su Yan's not here, never mind. I'll come play with him tomorrow."
With that, Xiao Wu skipped away.
Tang San stood watching her, lost in thought. Only when Wang Sheng tugged at him did he head back to the dormitory.
As they walked, Wang Sheng asked, "Third Brother, we're about to graduate. Where are you planning to attend a High-Level Soul Master academy?"
Tang San answered evenly:
"Shrek."
"My teacher told me it's an academy that only accepts monsters."
"Master?"
Wang Sheng was speechless, but he didn't dare say anything. Instead, he asked, "What about Big Sister Xiao Wu and Su Yan? Are you all going together?"
Tang San smiled. "To be precise, Xiao Wu and I are going together. Su Yan's Innate Soul Power is even lower than my teacher's."
"He can't possibly break through to Level 30, so there's no need for him to attend a High-Level Soul Master academy. And there's no way he could get into Shrek Academy, which only accepts monsters."
Tang San was rather pleased about it. At last, he could be rid of that bastard Su Yan.
Xiao Wu wouldn't see Su Yan again, either.
Wang Sheng hesitated.
"But that doesn't sound right. Su Yan's Soul Power Level is pretty high now. How could he fail to break through to Level 30?"
Tang San and Xiao Wu were both geniuses, and their Soul Power had already reached Level 28.
Su Yan's Soul Power had stagnated for the first two years, but his hard work had paid off over the next two and a half. He had nearly caught up with what Tang San and Xiao Wu had achieved in close to five years of training.
How could someone with that kind of talent fail to break through to Level 30?
Wang Sheng didn't believe it.
Tang San only sneered.
He admitted Su Yan worked hard.
But with Innate Soul Power Level 0.25 and a failed Martial Soul Mutation, Su Yan was destined to be trash—unless, like Tang San, he had a divine art such as the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record to help him.
If Su Yan ever reached Level 30 Soul Power, Tang San would eat his words.
Not long after,
Su Yan returned holding Little Monkey. Wang Sheng was still awake. Hearing the movement, he sat up in bed and called out in puzzlement:
"Su Yan?"
"Why are you back so early tonight?"
"Uh."
Su Yan went over to his bed and glanced at Wang Sheng.
"Some strange golden light suddenly appeared at the academy tonight. I thought it might be dangerous, so I hurried back."
"Anyway, I'm going to sleep."
With that,
Su Yan closed his eyes. He didn't speak to Tang San.
The two of them had once gotten along well enough. After all, they were both from Holy Soul Village.
But things had changed after they arrived at Nuoding Academy.
Tang San had taken Yu Xiaogang as his teacher, and Yu Xiaogang had decided Su Yan was trash. The man held a baffling dislike for Su Yan, which had indirectly led Tang San to distance himself from him too.
There was also Xiao Wu.
Because of Su Yan's Martial Soul, she liked seeking him out. When Little Monkey was around, Xiao Wu paid Tang San no attention.
In the end, Tang San had gradually come to dislike Su Yan and grown more distant from him.
Su Yan knew what Tang San was like and couldn't be bothered with him either. Otherwise, who could withstand a round of Mother's Embrace—ugh, no, a volley of Hidden Weapons?
In his Sea of Consciousness,
Su Yan checked the Group Chat and nearly got a nosebleed.
What the hell?
Those white, tender long legs.
That chest so big she couldn't see her toes when she looked down.
This is supposed to be a proper Chat Group, and you're posting lewd pictures?
Where are your boundaries?
Where are your morals?
Where are the rest of the lewd pictures?
Su Yan examined the Group Chat with a critical eye.
This is bad.
The system had added nine people all at once. Apart from Bibi Dong, the others were using nicknames, so he couldn't tell who was who.
Well...
Given his knowledge of the story, their names shouldn't be too hard to guess.
Su Yan began to think it over.
Bibi Dong—obviously Bibi Dong.
Yanzi is not Swallow—she had practically given herself away. She had to be Dugu Bo's Granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
Cat in the Shadow—with that unmistakable picture of her chest, who else could she be but Zhu Zhuqing, Little Cat?
Su Yan: I'd recognize her at a glance!
Loves Eating Carrots—what normal person loved those things? And she wanted to kill Bibi Dong to avenge her mother. She had to be Xiao Wu, the rabbit.
A Little Fox—that one seemed obvious too. Hu Liena, one of Spirit Hall's three Love Brains. Otherwise, she wouldn't keep defending Bibi Dong.
I Don't Have the Surname Yu—if she said her surname wasn't Yu, then it wasn't. She had attacked Bibi Dong openly from the start, with so much hostility. It had to be Liu Erlong.
Seven Treasures Little Princess—judging by the identities of the others and her importance to the story, she should be Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
I Am an Orphan—that name was a little strange. Even I haven't gone around announcing that I'm an orphan, but you... She had lashed out at Bibi Dong, then tried to defend her. Going by her importance to the story, it had to be Qian Renxue. You really know how to play this game!
Group Member Number Nine—no name, no messages. He couldn't guess. This one was truly impossible.
[Su Yan: Everyone's asleep, right? Let's talk tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I'll announce the Rules for the Group Chat. Let's all work together to get it going, invite more friends, and grow this harmonious, loving family of ours.] [Su Yan: Next time you post pictures, remember to tag me so I don't have to scroll through the Chat History.]
After sending the messages to the Group Chat, Su Yan held Little Monkey and went to sleep. Before long, he had drifted off.
He hadn't gone to bed this early in a long time. Before he got his Golden Finger, he had always snuck out at night to train with Little Monkey, only returning to sleep in the early hours.
He snuck out to train because he didn't want anyone to discover his secret: Little Monkey, his Mutated Martial Soul, could train.
It wasn't that the secret needed guarding. He simply didn't want anyone to find out—especially that bastard Yu Xiaogang.
And that was without getting into all the vile things Yu Xiaogang had done.
Practically everyone at Nuoding Academy knew how hard Su Yan worked. They had seen his efforts, and Su Yan was cheerful and knew how to get along with people. No one looked down on him.
No one would mock a handsome, cheerful, well-spoken young man who put in the effort to train.
And yet,
Yu Xiaogang, that good-for-nothing, was the one exception!