After the bandits confirmed the route Ye Wen and the others were taking, they set up an ambush on an uninhabited mountain road ahead of them.
Before long, the carriage carrying Ye Wen and the others reached the road.
The bandits lying in wait had no idea that disaster was about to befall them. They were still excitedly chattering away. "Boss, we're going to make a fortune this time! I've been watching them for two days. Those three brats are loaded!"
"Hahaha! Once we've robbed those brats, we'll eat and drink our fill and pick out some beauties!"
"Sounds good~!"
There were ten bandits in all. Their leader was a Soul Master at the Soul Elder level, while the rest were Soul Grandmasters.
When they saw the carriage enter the ambush zone, they immediately rushed out.
With arrogant expressions, they shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! You brats in the carriage up ahead, get out of there, now!"
"What's going on?"
In their Humanoid Forms, the three of them were only Soul Masters, so they hadn't sensed anyone watching them. But none of them looked the least bit flustered as they calmly stepped down from the carriage.
"Hehehe, brats, blame your bad luck for running into us. You should've been born into a better family in your next life. Now hand over your money for us gentlemen to spend, got it?"
The bandits spoke with vicious expressions.
"Looks like we've run into bandits!"
"Boss, can I kill them?"
Evil Tiger was already getting excited. He'd wanted to kill people for ages, but Ye Wen had told him not to kill indiscriminately, so he'd been holding himself back.
That was why seeing the bandits made Evil Tiger so thrilled.
"Go ahead and kill them," Ye Wen said lazily.
He wasn't some bleeding heart. These people clearly intended to kill and rob them. If someone wanted to kill him, he'd repay them in kind.
"Brothers, attack!"
The bandits charged over, their faces alight with excitement. But when they saw that Evil Tiger looked even more excited than they were, they were a little baffled.
What was going on?
Why was this kid more excited than us?
Who knew?
Only when they saw Evil Tiger begin to change, transforming into a strange man radiating a terrifying aura, did the bandits finally panic and freeze in terror.
"Ha ha ha! Humans, let me taste the flavor of your blood!"
Squelch~!
"Ahhhhh!"
In an instant, Evil Tiger severed the bandit leader's head, and blood sprayed everywhere.
The bandits fell into a full-blown panic. The fear of death swept over them, and they fled in every direction.
"Die!"
"Trying to run?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Squelch!
"Ahhh..."
Evil Tiger began a frenzied slaughter. Screams rang out one after another, and before long, every last one of them was dead. Not a single person survived.
"Awesome!"
As an Evil Spirit Orca, Evil Tiger was a Sea Soul Beast with an inherently bloodthirsty nature. After killing them, he felt much more at ease.
It wasn't good to keep suppressing his bloodlust. Ye Wen thought that from now on, whenever Evil Tiger wanted to kill, he could send him after people who had committed evil deeds.
"Evil Tiger, come back."
"Yes, boss."
Evil Tiger changed back into human form, and the three continued on their way.
It would take at least half a month to reach Nuoding City from there. With little to do along the way, Ye Wen and the others used their travel time to absorb Soul Power and meditate in cultivation.
Although their Soul Beast forms were already powerful enough, it was still necessary to cultivate their Humanoid Forms. In fact, once their Humanoid Forms reached the Peak Douluo level, they might not be any weaker than their Soul Beast forms.
Moreover, humans could reach the peak much faster and in a far shorter time than Soul Beasts. There was a chance, of course—only a chance.
That was why ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts like Ah Yin, Xiao Wu's mother, and Xiao Wu herself chose to take human form.
Aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, the three of them spent nearly all their time cultivating. What did a little time like this matter when measured against a Soul Beast's long life? That was why Soul Beasts had so much more patience in cultivation.
Before they knew it, half a month had passed.
Ye Wen was finally almost at Nuoding City. A few people had tried to rob them along the way, but Evil Tiger had killed every last one.
It was around eleven in the morning when the carriage carrying Ye Wen finally entered Nuoding City.
"So this is Nuoding City. It looks a bit like I imagined," Ye Wen said, gazing at the city's buildings and layout. It looked quite close to how he remembered it from the anime.
They didn't stop and headed straight for Nuoding Academy.
Aside from wanting to give Tang San, his future opponent in their Fated Duel, a good beating, Ye Wen had another matter to consider: whether he should bring Xiao Wu under his control.
To be honest, he didn't particularly like that rabbit. But if Xiao Wu stayed by Tang San's side, sooner or later she'd become his tool. She might even end up sacrificing herself and letting Tang San obtain a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
He'd have to think carefully about Xiao Wu.
A short while later, the carriage arrived at the entrance to Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Ye Wen, Evil Tiger, and Xiao Bai climbed down and swaggered toward the gate.
"Hey! Stop right there, you children up ahead. You're not students of Nuoding Aca—"
The gate guard tried to stop them, but before he could finish, Chu Ye tossed him a Silver Soul Coin and said, "Open the gate. We're here to enroll."
The guard caught the coin, his face lighting up with delight. He hurried over to open the gate. "Please, you three. Turn left at the academic building, then keep going straight. You'll find it!"
"Thanks," Ye Wen said, waving a hand as he strode inside.
Evil Tiger glanced at the guard. "Tch. Humans will do anything for money."
Before long, the three of them reached the administrative building and found the principal of Nuoding Academy.
Even an utterly mediocre junior academy like Nuoding Academy generally didn't accept commoners, aside from offering a few work-study places each year.
Most Soul Masters from commoner families who wanted to learn about Soul Masters could only attend schools established by Spirit Hall, which accepted and trained students free of charge.
The empire's academies were for nobles, or for the children of the wealthy and powerful.
So after finding the principal, Ye Wen didn't say a word. He simply took out a bag of Soul Coins and tossed it onto the principal's desk.
He smiled. "Principal, do you think this will be enough for the three of us to attend your academy?"
The moment the principal saw the money, he had someone process their enrollment. Just like that, they became first-year transfer students at Nuoding Academy.
They followed a staff member, collected two sets of uniforms, quilts, pillows, and the like, and then were assigned a dormitory. Ye Wen specifically requested Dorm Seven, where Xiao Wu and Tang San lived.
The staff member was a little puzzled. "Are you sure? Dorm Seven is for work-study students."
"That's fine," Ye Wen replied.
"All right, then. You can go to Dorm Seven. There are plenty of empty beds there anyway."
Ye Wen nodded and led Evil Tiger and Xiao Bai toward Dorm Seven.
It was noon, the students' break time, so Xiao Wu, Tang San, and the other work-study students were probably resting in their dorm.
Ye Wen, Evil Tiger, and Xiao Bai arrived in force and kicked the door to Dorm Seven open.
Bang!
"Damn, who's that?!"
The door flew open, startling everyone inside the dorm.
Before you continue