Late at night!
On the back mountain of Shrek Academy—
"Ahhh—"
"It hurts, it hurts—"
"His Highness Clear Sky, please show mercy!"
A string of ghostly wails—
Rose and fell through the forest.
After one incense stick, the screams finally stopped.
"Zhao Wuji, Flender!"
"Remember what I just told you!"
Tang Hao stood with his hands behind his back—
He quietly watched the bruised and battered Zhao Wuji, then turned to look at Flanders, who was still trembling.
"His Highness Clear Sky, we understand!"
"When the time comes, we will properly teach your son, Tang San, and guide him to become friends with Li Xiaoyao!"
Zhao Wuji and Flender nodded in unison.
Both their faces were somewhat stiff—
They had no choice. When under someone else's roof, they had to bow their heads.
Though the two harbored resentment, they did not dare openly defy him due to the gap in strength.
Before Tang Hao, this killing star, they could only obediently agree, praying that this great deity would leave soon and stop tormenting them.
"As long as you handle what I instructed, I will naturally give you some benefits. Consider it compensation for troubling you to help look after Little San."
Tang Hao gave Zhao Wuji and Flender a warning look before quietly departing.
"Hiss—It hurts, it hurts!"
"Flender, you bastard have no loyalty at all."
"His Highness Clear Sky told you to stand aside, and you actually stood aside?"
"If I hadn't been lucky, my corpse would probably be cold by now."
Zhao Wuji complained.
"Blame me?"
"Who told you to strike without restraint?!"
Flender said irritably.
Who could have known that among the two youngsters who had come to his shop to buy a crystal that morning, the little fellow named Tang San would turn out to be the son of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao?
What left him even more speechless was that Zhao Wuji had actually beaten Tang San flat.
And so—Tang Hao had come knocking tonight.
"Tsk! I got beaten this badly, and you won't even let me complain a little? Flanders, remember to reimburse my workplace injury expenses later!"
Zhao Wuji smiled bitterly in helplessness.
He had never expected that the Little Scoundrel who had been prickly as a hedgehog at noon would have a father who was Tang Hao—the ruthless man who had hammered the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, to death!
"Workplace injury expenses?"
"Dream on!"
Flender directly rejected Zhao Wuji's request.
There was no way he was reimbursing workplace injuries.
Wanted his precious money?
How was that any different from taking his life?
"Pah! Flender!"
"You bastard are really this stingy!"
"No wonder you can't find a partner!"
"You deserve to be single for the rest of your life!"
Zhao Wuji lost his temper as well.
He could not beat Tang Hao—
But did that mean he could not deal with Flender?
"Hmph! Flender, since you won't reimburse Old Zhao's workplace injuries, then Old Zhao is going to recover! You can handle His Highness Clear Sky's instructions yourself when the time comes!"
"Tang San is a thorn in the side, and that Li Xiaoyao is probably even harder to deal with. You can keep that hot potato for yourself!"
Ignoring Flender's darkened face, Zhao Wuji quit on the spot and headed straight for his room.
"Li Xiaoyao..."
Flender's gaze flickered.
Tang San was manageable—
After all, he was the disciple of his good brother Yu Xiaogang.
But Li Xiaoyao—
He really was more troublesome.
Inside the student dormitories of Shrek Academy.
Li Xiaoyao, who had just finished bathing, changed into a fresh set of sleepwear, and lay down on his soft bed, withdrew his spiritual power.
"Tsk! Tang Hao..."
What had just happened on the academy's back mountain—"Chang Wei beats Laifu"—
Ah, no!
Rather, Tang Hao beating Zhao Wuji senseless was naturally impossible to hide from Li Xiaoyao's spiritual perception.
The Hundred Thousand Year Angel Soul Bone Set—heard of it?
Among them, the Angel Head Soul Bone not only granted the two soul skills, "Disguise" and "Simulation," but also greatly strengthened his spiritual power.
As far as spiritual power went, he was no weaker than a Titled Douluo.
And this—
Was precisely the confidence that had made him choose Xiao Wu as his seventh Soul Ring.
"Guide Tang San to become friends with me?"
"Hehe! Interesting!"
"Looks like Tang Hao has some other schemes in mind as well!"
The facts proved that as long as he did not try to kill Tang San, that Sect Slave Tang Hao would be wary of his identity and origins.
As Li Xiaoyao was thinking, he heard—
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Someone knocked on the dormitory window.
He extended his spiritual power to investigate—
Then Li Xiaoyao's expression turned strange.
"Zhu Zhuqing?"
"What is she looking for me for in the middle of the night?"
The student dormitories of Shrek Academy were all single-story, independent wooden cottages. Aside from having two bedrooms, a living room, and a private bathroom, each had a courtyard and a small pavilion in front.
And Zhu Zhuqing was currently standing outside the window of his dormitory.
Li Xiaoyao made no move.
Nor did Zhu Zhuqing outside the window urge him.
She simply waited quietly.
Her expression was calm, neither hurried nor impatient.
Several minutes later—
Li Xiaoyao finally got up at an unhurried pace.
Then he opened the window.
"Classmate Zhuqing, is something the matter?"
Outside the window stood Zhu Zhuqing, her expression calm.
"Sorry to disturb you!"
"Mister Xiaoyao, are you free? Could you accompany me to the pavilion for a while so we can talk?"
Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes, her tone steady.
"Oh! I have time."
"I just finished cultivating. My Soul Power Level has also broken through to level forty-four, Soul Ancestor. I've just stabilized my realm, and I'm bored anyway."
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's solemn expression, Li Xiaoyao nodded in agreement.
"Break through a level?"
"Level forty-four Soul Ancestor?"
"Then congratulations, Mister Xiaoyao!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed as she sighed inwardly.
Even someone as outstanding as Li Xiaoyao cultivated so diligently. No wonder his strength and talent far surpassed others.
Compared to him, that coward Dai Mubai spent every day eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, neglecting proper business and only knowing how to run away whenever trouble arose.
The difference between the two was simply heaven and earth.
"Hehe! Just luck, that's all!"
Li Xiaoyao smiled but said nothing more.
Noticing several watchful gazes hidden in the darkness, a trace of understanding flashed through his eyes. They were likely the academy's Night Owls, drawn over by the noise to watch the excitement.
The two arrived at the small pavilion in the courtyard one after the other. The night breeze gently swayed the grass and trees, while moonlight spilled across the ground.
"Mister Xiaoyao, I would like to ask how you managed to absorb a Soul Ring beyond your level?"
Zhu Zhuqing sat down.
She did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Ever since noon—when she saw Li Xiaoyao's Three Purple One Black Soul Ring configuration—she had wanted to ask this question.
However, for certain reasons, she had not asked him directly at the time, which was why she had held back until now.
"Whoa! This Kitten really isn't polite at all!"
Li Xiaoyao was speechless inwardly.
Still, it was not surprising that Zhu Zhuqing would be tempted.
With her obsession with becoming stronger, the fact that she had endured until now before asking already showed considerable restraint.
Li Xiaoyao gave a mysterious smile and then said—
Before you continue