[Froggy noticed the old man in white suddenly staring fixedly at him. Utterly baffled, he stared right back, competing to see who would blink first. Just as the old man in white was about to strike, the little princess suddenly stepped in front of Froggy...]
"Whew!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong intervene, Su Mo and Tian Meng immediately sighed in relief.
Thankfully, Snow White had finally shown up to save the Frog Prince.
But Froggy really was slow on the uptake.
The man was about to kill him, yet he actually thought he wanted to play a staring game.
[Froggy heard the little princess say angrily, "Grandpa Sword, you're not allowed to hurt Little Froggy! He's my very best friend!" The old man in white opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately let out an indulgent sigh instead. Still, he resolved to keep his eyes on Froggy at all times...]
The log ended there.
Tian Meng felt a wistful sense of loss, wishing he could keep reading.
Noticing Tian Meng's distraction, Su Mo immediately urged him, "Brother Sky Dream, stop spacing out. We're short on time and have a lot to do. Keep working on the self-created soul skills! Otherwise, if you leave it all to a six-year-old elementary school kid like me, how many monkey years and horse months will it take to build a complete system?"
Tian Meng: "..."
When would these miserable days finally end?
In the dormitory, Xiao Wu shook Su Mo. "Big Brother, stop spacing out! Afternoon classes are about to start. If we don't leave now, we'll be late!"
Su Mo: "..."
Six years later.
The Balak Kingdom bordered both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
It had two particularly important cities: its capital, Barak City, and Suotuo City, known as Balak's granary.
It was noon, and the blazing sun hung overhead.
Three youngsters entered through Suotuo City's west gate, two boys and a girl, looking only about twelve or thirteen.
One boy was handsome; the other was ordinary-looking.
The handsome one stood 175 centimeters tall and wore off-white casual clothes. His hair was neatly cropped with a side part, and he had sword-like brows and star-bright eyes. Dashing and debonair, he wore the faintest hint of a smile.
The ordinary-looking one was about 170 centimeters tall, dressed simply in a light blue fitted outfit. His black hair fell to his shoulders, his skin was wheat-colored, and he, too, wore a smile.
The girl standing beside the handsome boy was also 175 centimeters tall.
Her silky hair was woven into a scorpion braid that hung nearly to her calves. With crescent-moon brows, large, lively eyes, and a pink top and short skirt, she looked all the more charming and sweet, like a porcelain doll carved from jade and dusted with pink.
These three were none other than Su Mo, Xiao Wu, and Tang San, who had graduated from Nuoding Academy.
"We're finally in Suotuo City. I really don't get why you insisted on coming to this godforsaken place, Big Brother." Xiao Wu stretched and complained listlessly.
Su Mo shrugged. "Little San is my little brother. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him come here alone."
When the three of them returned to Holy Soul Village together after their first school year, Tang San learned that his father had left home after leaving a letter. Feeling down, he had taken Su Mo as his sworn elder brother.
In reality, however, Tang Hao had not gone far.
He was still secretly protecting his son. After all, Tang San still carried a soul beast's aura, and it would spell trouble if anyone discovered it.
"I didn't want to either. Teacher insisted I come."
Tang San was quite helpless about it too. He could clearly have gained guaranteed admission to a better secondary academy, yet his teacher had insisted he apply to Shrek.
His feelings toward his teacher were complicated.
On the one hand, his teacher had indeed painstakingly taught him all sorts of knowledge. On the other, he could be a real pitfall at times. Ever since Tang San had become his student, nothing had gone smoothly.
Still, his teacher had repeatedly insisted that he apply to Shrek, so he could hardly refuse.
"It's fine. School is school, wherever we go."
Su Mo looked utterly unconcerned. As long as he stayed with Tang San and had opportunities to exact revenge, he really did not care where he studied.
Quite a few things had happened over those six years...
The three great laws of martial souls had become practically household knowledge. Soul master academies had even included them in their textbooks.
By now, Su Mo truly had peaches and plums blooming all across the land.
Everywhere he looked, there were people who owed him a debt for his teachings.
For now, though, Su Mo had not called in those debts. First, he had no grudges against these people. Second, his ocular power was limited.
But if he ever needed them, he would not hold back.
Over the years, Tian Meng had finished compiling the remaining seven great laws, ready to spread them at any time. However, Su Mo did not want to put himself back in the spotlight, so he had kept delaying their release.
Moreover, as he was the one spreading these theories, Holy Soul Village had indirectly gotten a sip of the soup as well. It had now become Holy Soul Town.
Old Jack had even become the mayor.
He was delighted beyond measure, showing off every day to the old village chiefs he knew.
But what had delighted Su Mo most...
Was the Myriad Demon King's destruction of the Clear Sky Sect.
About four years earlier, the Myriad Demon King had fought a great battle against the Clear Sky Sect's experts. The shock waves had destroyed the entire sect compound, Sect Master Tang Xiao had been gravely injured, and two elders had each lost an arm.
It had been utterly devastating.
And that was not even the main point. After the Myriad Demon King withdrew, Spirit Hall came knocking to stir up trouble, forcing everyone in the Clear Sky Sect to abandon their home and flee.
Now, no one knew which mountain hollow they were hiding in.
When Su Mo heard the news, he wished he could down a bottle of ice-cold cola on a scorching day.
That was so fucking exhilarating!
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Su Mo sensed something unusual inside Froggy's home.
He extended his Spiritual Detection into the separate space and saw that a girl with long black hair falling over her shoulders had suddenly appeared inside. Her looks and figure were both off the charts, her skin was fair, and her bearing was rather cold.
The girl stepped lightly on the clover.
She watched her surroundings warily.
"Hiss! So big... pfft, no... where did someone that big suddenly come from?"
Su Mo thought of Froggy.
After staying at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for three years, Froggy had shouldered his pack and set off on another journey. On the day they parted, the little princess had cried her eyes out, but still failed to sway the stone-hearted Froggy.
She had not even managed to earn a single backward glance from him.
Did Froggy invite another friend over from somewhere? Su Mo wondered, pulling up the relevant log.
[Froggy discovered several burly men in a grove who intended to do something wicked to Little Kitty. He hopped in front of Little Kitty and invited her to visit his home. Thinking he meant to take her somewhere safe, Little Kitty hurriedly agreed. The next moment, Froggy sent her home...]
Su Mo: "..."
Well, damn. Froggy had played the hero and saved the beauty?
And... Little Kitty?
Thinking of that figure, Su Mo instantly pictured someone.
"Is that you, Zhu Zhuqing?"
To think Froggy had stayed with Ning Rongrong for three years without ever inviting her over, yet had invited Zhu Zhuqing after knowing her for only three seconds.
Even if his original intention had been to save her.
Still, now that she was safe, what to do next had become a problem.
After all, of the two previous guests Froggy had invited into his home, one had sacrificed himself, and the other had become Su Mo's little sister.
"Oh! If I remember correctly, we should run into the Rose Hotel scene shortly."
Su Mo's eyes lit up as a good idea struck him.
And for that, he would need Zhu Zhuqing's help.