Tang San: Will This Ever End? Again?

"That's right. My first and second rings are twenty-four hundred years and thirty-seven hundred years old, respectively." Su Mo made no attempt to hide his Soul Rings' ages.

In truth, those were their ages after Simulation.

By now, all his Soul Rings had reached eighty-eight hundred years.

"Hiss!"

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air at his words.

Those were already more badass than many people's third and fourth rings!

Although some still had their doubts, they knew full well that someone with two Thousand-Year Soul Rings had to be either rich or powerful.

He had no reason to make fools of them.

Everyone gazed at Su Mo with envy. If only they had some ten-thousand-year whale glue-even thousand-year whale glue would do.

"What about you?" The old man turned to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, turning into a bunny-eared girl in the blink of an eye.

Two purple Soul Rings also circled beneath her feet.

"Another thousand-year first ring?!"

Everyone was utterly numb. They had encountered two people with thousand-year first rings in a single day. Had they accidentally wandered into the imperial household?

And judging by appearances, the two knew each other.

Their other companion seemed rather underwhelming, though. His first ring was only a hundred years old, and his Martial Soul was even the trash Martial Soul, blue silver grass.

Tang San: Do you people have any manners?

The old man's face shone with the delight of someone who had stumbled upon treasure. He told Dai Mubai, "Take them inside."

"All right."

Dai Mubai nodded and approached Su Mo and his two companions, but his eyes were fixed solely on Tang San, whom he greeted with a friendly smile.

A chill immediately ran through Tang San, and he awkwardly returned the smile.

Su Mo was wondering why he had not seen Zhu Zhuqing or Ning Rongrong when the two girls appeared within the range of his Spiritual Detection.

The two had run into each other at some point and were now heading toward Shrek.

Under Dai Mubai's guidance, Su Mo and his companions entered Shrek Academy.

In other words, that village.

Once inside, wooden houses filled their view.

After only a few steps, the four reached an open area of roughly five hundred square meters, right in the center of Shrek Academy.

The applicants who had passed the preliminary test earlier were just ahead.

"This is the second test. It mainly assesses Soul Power and identifies Martial Souls. I still need to bring the other applicants in, so I'll leave you here for now."

Dai Mubai pointed to the applicants waiting in line, gave the three a brief explanation, and then left.

The trio obediently joined the queue.

"Sausages for sale... sausages..."

Just then, a soft, languid voice rang out.

"Come take a look, have a peek! Don't pass by and miss out... Oscar-brand sausages, affordable, delicious, and fragrant! Just five copper coins each..."

Su Mo and his companions looked toward the voice and saw someone hawking his wares from a little pushcart nearby.

Waves of meaty fragrance drifted from the cart.

The vendor wore gray clothes and had short hair, alluring peach-blossom eyes, and a full beard. His soft, languid voice was rich and resonant.

Su Mo narrowed his eyes. Oscar had made his entrance.

Tang San turned to Su Mo and Xiao Wu. "None of us have had breakfast yet. How about buying some sausages?"

"Sure." Su Mo nodded.

A great idea for setting Tang San up suddenly popped into his head.

Seeing that neither objected, Tang San immediately headed toward the cart. As he drew closer, he suddenly sensed a resonance with the other man's Martial Soul.

Tang San stopped dead. *!!!*

Damn it!

Will this ever end? Again?

What is it this time?

Martial Soul swapping or a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

Oscar also gave Tang San a surprised glance.

"Want a sausage?"

The smile on Tang San's face stiffened. After a moment's hesitation, he still stepped forward and said, "Sir, three sausages, please."

Oscar was speechless. "Who the hell are you calling an old man?"

Tang San froze. "An... old man?"

Oscar twitched. "I mean, I'm only fourteen this year."

"Huh? You're only fourteen?" Tang San was stunned.

Oscar nodded. "That's right. My name is Oscar. I might have a little more hair than most, but I'm really only fourteen this year. I'm a student at Shrek Academy, too."

Tang San: "..."

Heh. I'd believe you if you said you were a teacher.

Oscar skewered three sausages and handed them to Tang San. Just as Tang San was about to take them, he heard Dai Mubai's voice.

"Tang San, stop!"

Dai Mubai had brought the final group of applicants, including Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, to the second test. Catching sight of Oscar selling sausages to Tang San, he hurriedly called out to stop him.

Su Mo glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong out of the corner of his eye.

Zhu Zhuqing's demeanor remained cold. Her black eyes held not a trace of vitality, resembling deep, freezing pools and giving off a sense of endless, deathly stillness.

Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, wore a simple, plain-colored long dress. With neat, ear-length hair, skin as white as snow, and a height of roughly one meter sixty, she looked like a sweet little girl from next door.

But Su Mo knew her Little Demoness nature all too well to judge her by appearances.

The moment Oscar saw Dai Mubai, he knew the sausage sale was doomed.

"Boss Dai, want one?"

"Get lost! I warned you not to sell sausages inside the academy."

Dai Mubai shot Oscar an irritated glare, then turned to Tang San. "You can't eat these sausages. They'll make you throw up."

Tang San looked puzzled. "Are they unsanitary?"

"That's not it." Dai Mubai shook his head and gave Oscar a peculiar look. "Oscar, make a fresh sausage."

Oscar looked embarrassed. "Boss Dai, how about we just forget it?"

Dai Mubai snorted. "Tang San is my brother. I can't let him fall for your trick. Hurry up, and don't make me use force."

Seeing that Dai Mubai was determined to expose him, Oscar had no choice but to extend his right hand.

He circulated his Soul Power, and a Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed. Just as he was about to recite the incantation, however, he discovered that the sausage had already appeared in his hand.

"Huh?"

Oscar froze. What was going on?

He no longer needed to recite the soul incantation?

Dai Mubai was equally bewildered. "You can use your soul skill without reciting the soul incantation now?"

"Looks like it." Oscar blinked.

Tang San suddenly interjected from beside them. "So... what's actually wrong with the sausages?"

Dai Mubai: "..."

There had been a problem, but now it was gone.

Under the pleading gaze of Oscar's peach-blossom eyes, Dai Mubai opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing about the soul incantation.

Still, he would not let Tang San keep buying sausages.

After all, the earlier sausages must still have been made using the soul incantation.

"Forget the sausages. Come on, I'll take you through the tests. No need to queue." Dai Mubai patted Tang San on the shoulder.

Tang San said shyly, "Wouldn't that be improper?"

Dai Mubai smiled. "Don't worry. This isn't slipping you through the back door."

He brought Tang San over to collect Su Mo and Xiao Wu, then headed straight toward the front of the queue. Seeing this, Ning Rongrong pulled Zhu Zhuqing along after them.

The teacher in charge of the second test was also an elderly man.

Dai Mubai walked up to the teacher, pointed at Su Mo and his two companions, and whispered a few words in his ear. The teacher immediately nodded.

"All right. Take them to the fourth test."

Dai Mubai returned to Tang San's side and was about to lead the three deeper into the academy, but the applicants waiting in line were unhappy.

"Why do they get to skip the tests and go straight to the fourth one, while we don't?"