"Hey! Old man, don't pack up your stall just yet!"
Li Xiaoyao's face, as handsome as the readers', looked even more striking beneath the sunlight. With sword-like brows, starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips curved in a faint smile, he carried an unrestrained charm that seemed capable of melting the coldest heart in the world.
"He's so handsome!"
Ning Rongrong's heart skipped a beat. Li Xiaoyao's carefree, uninhibited air was completely different from the rule-bound disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Like a dazzling ray of sunlight, he firmly captured her attention.
She pursed her lips and tried to remain calm, but the tips of her ears quietly burned, and the blush on her cheeks refused to fade.
She had seen many handsome young geniuses before, yet no one had ever stirred her heart like Li Xiaoyao did with nothing more than that unruly smile.
I wonder what his name is?
Does he have a girlfriend?
What kind of girls does he like?
A string of thoughts surfaced, and Ning Rongrong's heartbeat inexplicably sped up. Even Zhu Zhuqing beside her noticed something was off.
As Li Xiaoyao passed Ning Rongrong, he noticed the young girl staring at him with a completely red face.
In response, Li Xiaoyao merely smiled and nodded.
Then he walked straight over to Li Yusong.
"Kid! Are you here to register too?"
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins."
Li Yusong wore a dark expression, clearly still furious over Li Xiaoyao calling him an "old man."
Even when he repeated, "The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins," his tone was stiff and unfriendly. He urged impatiently, "If you can't pay, then don't hold me up while I'm packing up!"
Shrek Academy had taken in four Little Monsters today, and he had originally been in a wonderful mood. He had even been thinking about telling Flender and the others about these promising seedlings that evening.
But Li Xiaoyao's appearance, along with that disrespectful "old man," had completely washed away his good mood.
The crucial part was that this brat still wore a cheeky grin, seemingly not realizing he had been rude in the slightest. That only made Li Yusong even angrier.
"Oh! Old man! What do I do if I don't have any money?"
Li Xiaoyao spread his hands, utterly unconcerned by Li Yusong's dark expression. He tilted his head and smiled even more brazenly.
Sure enough, the moment those words came out—
Li Yusong furrowed his brows, and his face darkened even further.
No money, yet he wanted to attend Shrek Academy?
Who the hell do you think you are?
Just as Li Yusong was about to teach Li Xiaoyao a lesson—
A graceful figure flashed past. Ning Rongrong stepped in front of Li Xiaoyao and declared boldly, "It's only ten Gold Soul Coins. I'll pay for him!"
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing's gaze swept strangely over Ning Rongrong and Li Xiaoyao, her long lashes trembling faintly.
She stood some distance away with her arms folded, a trace of barely perceptible surprise in her dark eyes, though more than that, she remained coolly detached.
Ning Rongrong's offer of help made Li Xiaoyao pause slightly.
But—
Li Xiaoyao still rejected Ning Rongrong's kindness.
"Classmate Rongrong, thank you for helping me."
"However, I don't think I need to trouble you with this registration fee."
As Li Xiaoyao spoke, he put away his earlier flamboyant smile. His tone grew more serious as he raised his hand and nodded toward a tall figure in the distant crowd.
"I did not come to Shrek Academy to register. Brother Mubai specifically invited me to visit the academy, so I probably do not need to follow this rule about registration fees."
The moment he finished speaking, Dai Mubai hurried over. He had previously been leading Tang San and Xiao Wu toward the Soul Power testing checkpoint. After settling them in, he had glanced back and noticed the commotion at the registration area, prompting him to rush over.
His fitted outfit outlined his tall, straight figure, and a thin sheen of sweat still clung to his forehead from hurrying over. Seeing the situation, he immediately smiled at Li Xiaoyao before introducing him to the still-tense Li Yusong.
"Teacher Li, this is Li Xiaoyao, the friend I mentioned to you three days ago. I specifically invited him to have a look around our Shrek Academy today. He isn't here to register, so please don't get upset with him, sir."
As soon as Dai Mubai said that, Li Yusong's eyes widened. The anger on his formerly tense face instantly vanished, replaced by utter disbelief.
He abruptly leaned toward Li Xiaoyao, his gaze fixed on the fluctuations of his Soul Power. His tone was filled with shock. "Good heavens, you're the Li Xiaoyao Mubai told us about three days ago?"
Before Li Xiaoyao could respond—
Li Yusong clicked his tongue to himself. "Mubai said you were around his age, yet already a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. We old fellows all thought he was exaggerating, but now that I've seen you in person, your reputation truly precedes you!"
As he spoke, the anger he had been holding in over "old man" and "registering without money" completely dissipated, and his tone became much friendlier.
"This old man failed to recognize you earlier. Don't take it to heart! Since you're Mubai's friend and possess such talent, feel free to wander around Shrek as you please. If there's anything you want to see or ask about, just tell me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yusong rubbed his hands together and said,
"Oh! Right!"
"Mubai said—"
"Your Soul Ring configuration is Three Purple One Black?"
"Could you let this old man take a look and broaden my horizons?"
Upon hearing "Three Purple One Black" and "Four-Ring Soul Ancestor," Ning Rongrong's eyes instantly widened. Her renewed gaze at Li Xiaoyao was full of astonishment—
Born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had seen many talented Soul Masters. Yet a favored child of heaven as outstanding as Li Xiaoyao was countless times more exceptional than any Soul Master genius she had seen over the years.
A flicker of surprise also passed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.
With Li Xiaoyao's astounding talent and heaven-defying Soul Ring configuration, it was no wonder Dai Mubai, that coward, had given advance notice and personally invited him.
"Oh! You want to see my Martial Soul and Soul Ring configuration?"
"Since Classmate Rongrong helped me just now, I suppose there's no harm in letting everyone see."
The corners of Li Xiaoyao's lips lifted as he slowly raised his hand. Golden Soul Power gradually condensed around him.
The next second, he called out softly.
"Come forth! Chronos!"
-Clack! Clack! Clack!-
The familiar sound of mechanical gears turning rang out behind him. The instant Chronos appeared, a golden clock emerged in Li Xiaoyao's left eye, while a short Flintlock Pistol appeared in his right hand.
"Buzz—!"
Purple, purple, purple, black.
Four Soul Rings rose from beneath Li Xiaoyao's feet, and ripples of powerful Soul Power spread outward.
"Hiss—"
"So it really is a Three Purple One Black Soul Ring configuration?"
"And that black ten-thousand-year fourth ring—"
"It has to be at least twenty thousand years old, right?"
Li Yusong leaned closer, his eyes wide as bells, his tone full of excitement and amazement.
Even Ning Rongrong could not help stepping forward, her gaze fixed tightly on that black Soul Ring.
She murmured softly, "Even the most outstanding Soul Master geniuses of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would only dare absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring after reaching level fifty. You accomplished it at such a young age—you're amazing!"
Li Xiaoyao smiled faintly, and then he heard—
Before you continue