He pointed at Lan Minghua and asked Dai Mubai, "Boss Dai, is he a teacher at the academy too?"
"Yeah, he's a new teacher the dean hired yesterday. But the way he looks really does hurt Shrek's reputation."
Dai Mubai knew how strong Lan Minghua was, so he only dared to badmouth him under his breath.
"How strong is he, then? How does he compare to Teacher Zhao?" Tang San asked again.
Xiao Wu tensed, afraid Lan Minghua might be a Soul Douluo and realize she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form.
Ning Rongrong was curious about the strength of the teaching staff at this little Shrek Academy.
Zhu Zhuqing remained indifferent, expecting little from the teachers at Shrek Academy, which Dai Mubai had allowed to fall into such a sorry state.
Though Dai Mubai was still unhappy with Lan Minghua, he had learned of his strength from Ma Hongjun.
"According to Teacher Zhao, he's at least a Soul Saint, probably about as strong as the dean."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
Ning Rongrong's mouth fell open slightly. She hadn't expected Shrek to have at least three Soul Saints.
Zhu Zhuqing remained calm, thinking only about how to get stronger.
As they sized up Lan Minghua, he was sizing them up too.
He had activated the System Talent Score detection long ago, and their scores appeared before his eyes.
[Tang San: System Talent Score 95. Martial Souls: Emperor Blue Silver Grass, Clear Sky Hammer.] [Xiao Wu: System Talent Score 92. Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit (Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form).] [Dai Mubai: System Talent Score 85. Martial Soul: Evil Eye White Tiger.] [Ning Rongrong: System Talent Score 83. Martial Soul: Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.] [Zhu Zhuqing: System Talent Score 82. Martial Soul: Hell Spirit Cat.]
Lan Minghua stroked his stubble and thought to himself, Just as I thought. Their System Talent Scores are all above 80. But only Tang San and Xiao Wu scored over 90.
As for Ma Hongjun, his talent score was probably about the same as Dai Mubai's.
After thinking it over, Lan Minghua decided it made perfect sense.
Without the help of Immortal Herbs, none of them except Tang San and Oscar might have a chance to become gods.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing in particular.
Without the help of Aromatic Silk Beauty, Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul couldn't evolve into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. She would be stuck at the Soul Saint level for the rest of her life.
Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Spirit Cat wasn't a top-tier Martial Soul. Its greatest asset was simply its Martial Soul Fusion Skill with the Evil Eye White Tiger.
Tang San had Twin Martial Souls, so there was no need to say more about his talent.
Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, so her talent was naturally exceptional too.
So the System Talent Scores were quite fair, and didn't differ much from what Lan Minghua had expected.
Though all their talent scores were above 80, Lan Minghua felt no urge to take them all as his disciples.
He had three requirements for taking on a disciple.
First, instinct;
Second, character;
Third, talent.
Only those who met all three requirements made him consider taking them as disciples.
And of the four, only Zhu Zhuqing met all three.
Zhao Wuji saw that Lan Minghua's attention was almost entirely on Tang San and the others, and assumed he was interested in them.
Wanting to see Lan Minghua's strength, he decided to go along with it.
"Huazi, why don't you take my place for the final test? That way I can see how strong you are. What do you say?"
"Me? Aren't you worried I'll knock them all out?" Lan Minghua said softly.
Zhao Wuji leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Go all out. Just don't kill them. We need to knock those geniuses down a peg, or they'll be impossible to teach. Whatever happens, it won't affect their admission to Shrek."
"Fine. I'll take this burden off your hands. Just remember to buy me a drink!"
Lan Minghua's reply seemed to come out of nowhere, leaving Zhao Wuji completely baffled.
Burden? What burden?
Still, he thumped his chest and promised, "All right. I'll buy you drinks tonight. We'll drink until we drop."
"Thank you, boss! You're too generous!"
Lan Minghua cupped his hands toward Zhao Wuji, his eyes discreetly glancing at a shadowy spot nearby.
Zhao Wuji is afraid of you, Tang Hao, but I'm not. If you dare come looking for trouble tonight, we'll see whose fists are harder.
Tang Hao, hiding in the shadows, suddenly shuddered and looked around in confusion. "Why do I have a bad feeling? Has someone from Spirit Hall discovered me?"
The thought came to him, but he quickly dismissed it. He was very confident in his ability to keep a low profile.
He didn't dwell on it, wanting to see how much Tang San had grown over the past six years.
Tang San and the others were dumbfounded. Wasn't Zhao Wuji supposed to be the one testing them? Why had they switched?
They had just finished learning about Zhao Wuji, and now they had to face a Soul Saint they knew nothing about?
What was the point of even trying?
Zhao Wuji barked, "What are you staring at? It makes no difference whether Huazi or I take you on. If you're done discussing it, let's begin!"
Before they could object, he lit an incense stick and tossed it to the ground.
With a wine bottle in his left hand and his right hand rubbing his belly, Lan Minghua stood in the middle of the arena, leaving openings everywhere.
He faced the four of them and said casually, "Come on, then. I'm in a bit of a hurry."
The vast arena was so tense it seemed ready to freeze over.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing stood at the front, while Ning Rongrong remained behind them.
Dai Mubai reminded them quietly, "Tang San, don't let me down. If you get the chance, teach him a good lesson."
Tang San gave a slight nod. He didn't know why Dai Mubai hated Lan Minghua, but Lan Minghua had just frightened Xiao Wu, so he had to pay for it.
There was no fear left on Xiao Wu's face. In its place was eager anticipation.
He was only a Soul Saint. Nothing to worry about.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong readied themselves, prepared to act at any moment.
Lan Minghua looked at them and said calmly, "Come on, then. I'm in a hurry."
Tang San saw the opening and shouted, "Move!"
"Seven Treasures turn, glazed light shines. First, strength. Second, speed!"
Ning Rongrong was the first to release her Soul Skill, instantly boosting the strength and speed of Tang San and the others.
Tang San had no time to marvel at the boost. He sprang into action.
"First Soul Skill, Entanglement!"
In an instant, countless strands of Blue Silver Grass surged from the ground, sweeping toward Lan Minghua like a rising tide.
At the same moment, Xiao Wu shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
In the blink of an eye, she was above Lan Minghua, her right leg raised high as it cleaved the air and crashed toward his head like a heavy hammer.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Zhuqing vanished from where she stood. When she reappeared, she was already behind Lan Minghua.
"Second Soul Skill, Nether Hundred Claws!"
Her sharp claws glinted black as they slashed toward Lan Minghua's back with lightning speed.
Yet faced with the sudden three-pronged assault, Lan Minghua's expression didn't change, as if he had expected it.
He sensed all three attacks clearly. Without rushing to defend, he slowly raised his right leg and stamped hard on the ground.
A deafening boom rang out. Dirt flew everywhere as a shock wave burst from Lan Minghua.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, caught in the blast at close range, were hurled away before they could do anything to resist.
The Blue Silver Grass surging toward him snapped apart in an instant, reduced to dust by the shock wave.
Zhu Zhuqing flipped repeatedly to regain her balance, then prepared to attack again.
But Lan Minghua had disappeared from her sight.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
"Pretty girl, looking for me?"
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted sharply. Her legs felt as if they were made of lead, and she couldn't move at all.
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