Shao Xin was a Level 71 Soul Saint, and his Martial Soul was Jellybean.
He had wanted to take Oscar as his disciple, but he didn't think he was strong enough to protect him, so he'd never acted on it.
"Old Shao, you..."
Li Yusong had been Shao Xin's old friend for years and had always known what was on his mind.
Shao Xin shook his head and said softly, "Don't worry. I'm fine. I just want to know whether Huazi can protect Oscar."
Zhao Wuji turned around. "Don't worry. Flender tested his strength himself. He's probably even stronger than I am."
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved."
Shao Xin smiled with relief, glad that Oscar had found a good teacher.
He treated Oscar like his own son, but he was a Support System Soul Master himself and couldn't stand up for him.
Shao Xin was content with how things had turned out.
Li Yusong broke the somber mood. "Little Ao may have taken someone else as his master, but he's still the child we watched grow up, isn't he? Just because he has a new master, does that mean he'll stop recognizing us old fogies?"
"We all know what Little Ao is like. He's not the sort to forget us old fogies just because he has a master."
Compared to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, Shao Xin and the other teachers liked Oscar better.
The first two were troublemakers who thought too highly of themselves. They couldn't compare to Oscar at all.
"All right, the sun's already high in the sky. Time to open the doors and recruit students. Hopefully we'll find a few Little Monsters this year. Otherwise, there'll be more teachers than students."
After Zhao Wuji joked, he left, and the other teachers went about their own business.
In the Male Dormitory, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had only just woken up.
Seeing that Oscar wasn't in the dorm, Ma Hongjun sneered. "Hah, he's putting up a good front. It won't be long before he comes crawling back. Right, Boss Dai?"
"Fatty, don't say things like that. Little Ao's just been blinded for now. He'll come to his senses soon."
Dai Mubai didn't look down on Oscar as much as Ma Hongjun did, but he still believed Oscar couldn't do without them.
The two exchanged a glance, finding the same understanding in each other's eyes.
Neither noticed the dark circles under the other's eyes.
Meanwhile, while they were still asleep, the person they looked down on had already gotten up early to train.
Though Shrek Academy was run-down, its grounds were still quite large.
Early that morning, Lan Minghua had taken Oscar to a secluded spot to train and strengthen his body.
"998, 999, 1,000! Finally done!"
Between two boulders of equal height, Oscar finished a thousand pull-ups with 250 pounds strapped to him.
Before he could rest, Lan Minghua's voice rang out.
"Get up and go run. You can only break through by pushing yourself to your limits. With me here, you won't train yourself to death."
He was nothing like Yu Xiaogang, who left students to deal with the consequences themselves.
With him keeping watch, Oscar could train as hard as he wanted without dying from it.
Though his body and mind were exhausted, Oscar gritted his teeth and got up to keep training.
After what had happened the night before, he trusted Lan Minghua completely.
He scrambled to his feet and ran, pushing himself as hard as he could.
Heaven rewards hard work. Oscar's body grew visibly stronger, and his vitality grew more abundant.
But he still hadn't trained enough. Before long, he pushed himself until he passed out again.
Lan Minghua helped regulate his meridians and dispel his fatigue, fulfilling his duty as a teacher.
After settling Oscar in, Lan Minghua felt that progress was still too slow.
At this rate, it would take Oscar months, or even years, to master Indestructible Vajra Body.
"Is there a way to quickly strengthen his body without any side effects? Right, Immortal Herbs! How could I forget about those?"
Lan Minghua smacked his forehead. He'd forgotten all about them.
Without the Immortal Herbs, how many of the Shrek Seven Devils would have become gods?
One of the Immortal Herbs was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Eating it would send energy through the limbs and blood through the eight meridians, allowing one to cultivate an Indestructible Vajra Body.
It was the perfect match for the Indestructible Vajra cultivation manual.
The other Immortal Herbs were excellent too, and could be given to his future disciples.
As a Transmigrator, Lan Minghua knew exactly where the Immortal Herbs were and who had them.
Dugu Bo, in Sunset Forest.
Though Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo, Lan Minghua was still confident he could take the herbs from him.
Just then, a commotion rose from outside Shrek.
Lan Minghua sensed Li Yusong's Soul Emperor-level Soul Power.
At the academy entrance, Li Yusong displayed his Soul Emperor strength, and the parents stopped causing trouble.
Shrek Academy had stood for many years, doing what it did for just as long.
The parents had come without looking into it first, so they would have to accept the loss.
Flender was very crafty, using that very fact to make money.
Even if they complained to Emperor Xue Ye, they couldn't use the law to punish Shrek.
Lan Minghua was curious whether Tang San, without the Dragon Beard Needle, could break through Zhao Wuji's defenses.
After all, before joining Shrek, Lan Minghua had taken the Hair Crystal from Flender.
And nearly all of the future Shrek Seven Devils were here. He could see how their System Talent Scores measured up all at once.
One of them was also a target of Lan Minghua's.
"Wow, four people made it this far this year. That's pretty impressive."
Zhao Wuji's voice arrived before he did, making Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing turn in surprise.
When Dai Mubai saw Zhao Wuji, his head filled with questions. "Teacher Zhao, wasn't I supposed to handle the final test this year?"
"You? Forget it." Zhao Wuji gave Dai Mubai a helpless glance at his dark circles and shook his head. "Just look at how worn out you are."
He hadn't lowered his voice, so Tang San and the others heard him clearly.
They were only twelve, but they were mature enough to understand what Zhao Wuji meant by "worn out."
Tang San and Xiao Wu had seen Dai Mubai take a pair of twins to a hotel the previous day. How could they not know what had happened?
Little Demoness Ning Rongrong looked amused. She understood too, of course.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, her eyes full of disgust.
To escape the shackles of fate, she had made the arduous journey from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire.
She hadn't expected Dai Mubai to have fallen this low.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's expression, Dai Mubai clenched his fists and glared angrily at Zhao Wuji.
But the gap in their strength was too great. He couldn't even vent his anger.
He also realized that something was wrong with his body. His lower back and knees were weak, his complexion was sallow, and he had dark circles under his eyes.
These were all symptoms of kidney deficiency. He couldn't deny it.
In all his years at Shrek, he'd lost count of how many times he'd gone out to have fun.
It was no surprise that he was worn out.
Zhao Wuji paid Dai Mubai no mind. He took out an incense stick and addressed the four students.
"You'll all come at me together. If you can hold out against me for the time it takes this incense to burn, you pass."
Just then, a man who looked like a street loafer came strolling over.
"Hey, Old Zhao, busy?" Lan Minghua said, taking a swig of Maotai.
Zhao Wuji was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Lan Minghua to show up. "Huazi, what brings you here? Didn't you go train Oscar?"
"That pretty boy wore himself out and passed out. He's lying down now."
Ignoring everyone else, Lan Minghua chatted with Zhao Wuji as if they were old friends.
Dai Mubai looked disdainful, making no effort to hide it.
"Passed out? I bet he cried himself to sleep and still hasn't gotten up. I know what Little Ao's like, don't I?"
Actually, no, you don't.
Xiao Wu scrunched up her face and instinctively hid behind Tang San. She sensed a threat.
Tang San was puzzled. Thinking Lan Minghua's clothes might have made Xiao Wu uncomfortable, he shot him a hostile glance.
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