Underlings

It looked...

like a harmless young man.

But Wang Zhi knew that within this "young man" was power enough to destroy heaven and earth.

Afterward, Wang Zhi took Ika with him to the Spirit Transmitter Tower Headquarters outside the city.

This time, the journey went smoothly.

No members of the Shrek Inspection Team jumped out to stop him.

No one was a fool.

It was fine to pick on someone who couldn't fight back; nothing would happen.

But if they ran into someone tough and still didn't know when to back off...

they were bound to get beaten to a pulp.

The people in the Shrek Inspection Team were arrogant, but they weren't all idiots.

They knew full well how the battle had ended. Even Dean Cai Yuer had personally stepped in and failed to keep Wang Zhi there—and what had happened to her instead?

Though the news had been suppressed,

those who needed to catch a whiff of it already had.

By the time they reached the Spirit Transmitter Tower Headquarters, there was still some time before his match.

Wang Zhi didn't go to the competitors' waiting area. Instead, he found a seat in the stands.

Ika stood beside him, calmly sweeping his gaze over the surroundings, ever vigilant.

Just then, a figure approached.

Zheng Yiran.

A hint of worry crossed her face as she came over and sat beside Wang Zhi. She looked him up and down, and only relaxed after confirming he had no obvious external injuries.

"I heard the people from Shrek Academy gave you a hard time?"

She asked quietly.

"Are you all right?"

"Do you need my help?"

"My family has some history with Shrek Academy. If I speak up, they won't give you any more trouble."

Yun Ming had acted swiftly to suppress the news, so word of what happened between Ika and Cai Yuer hadn't spread.

But plenty of people had seen the members of the Shrek Inspection Team chasing after Wang Zhi.

Zheng Yiran had only just received the news. She had been about to go to Shrek City to find Wang Zhi, but then saw that he had already returned, so she came over to ask him about it.

Wang Zhi shook his head slightly and replied softly,

"It's all taken care of..."

"The matter with Shrek Academy has been settled too."

"Look, I'm here to compete, aren't I?"

The matter had certainly been settled.

After all, even Cai Yuer had been reduced to a cripple.

But Zheng Yiran assumed Wang Zhi had explained things to the people from Shrek Academy, and she felt relieved.

Then, as if she'd thought of something, her face reddened. She hurried to explain,

"It's not like I'm worried about you."

"After all, I invested a lot of money in you, and I'm just worried my investment might fail."

"So this is just a routine inquiry. Don't get the wrong idea!"

Wang Zhi laughed, a smile on his face.

"Okay, okay. I understand."

"It's just a routine inquiry. I didn't think anything of it."

Wang Zhi was also rather puzzled by this.

He didn't think he was some Long Aotian-type protagonist who could just stand there and have a bunch of beautiful women throw themselves at him.

But Zheng Yiran's behavior...

was honestly a little hard for him to understand.

However, Zheng Yiran's face grew even redder. Her eyes darted around, and she kept glancing at the people nearby. That was when she noticed Ika standing behind Wang Zhi.

"Who's this?" she asked curiously.

"An underling," Wang Zhi explained. "My family was worried about me, so they sent Ika to stay by my side."

A flicker of surprise crossed Zheng Yiran's eyes.

An underling?

Strange. She had looked into Wang Zhi's background, or she wouldn't have known where he lived.

But Wang Zhi's parents didn't seem to have a family backing them.

Where had this underling come from?

And he looked about the same age as Wang Zhi.

How was he supposed to protect him?

The more she thought about it, the more questions came to mind.

But since Wang Zhi didn't seem inclined to explain, she stopped asking.

Everyone had their own secrets. That was normal.

"I see. That's pretty good, then."

She nodded and glanced at Ika again.

The blue-haired youth hadn't looked at her once. His eyes stayed fixed on Wang Zhi, as if nothing else around them existed.

Just then, an announcement rang out.

"Competitor number 127, Wang Zhi, please report to Competition Stage 5."

Wang Zhi stood up and nodded to Zheng Yiran.

"I'll go ahead."

"Mm. Good luck," Zheng Yiran replied, waving.

His opponent on the stage was a young man from an inland city. His Martial Soul was an Iron Back Wolf, and he was a Three Rings Soul Elder.

He was fairly strong, but still no match for Wang Zhi.

Three Ghost Shadow Ninjas and two Ghost Shadow Warriors worked together, forcing the opponent off the stage in less than a minute.

Wang Zhi won with ease and advanced to the round of 32.

Cheers rose from the stands.

This young man from Hailu City had won every match on his way through the competition, drawing plenty of attention.

After the match, Wang Zhi was about to leave when a figure appeared before him.

Qian Gu Dongfeng.

The Spirit Transmitter Tower Master had come to the edge of the stage in person, stirring up a commotion among the people nearby.

"Student Wang, would you care to come upstairs for a chat?"

His tone was gentle, and he wore a smile.

Wang Zhi was puzzled, but still nodded.

"Sure."

The elevator climbed steadily.

Inside the car, Qian Gu Dongfeng's gaze settled on Ika, sizing him up.

At that moment, Ika looked to him like a youth around Wang Zhi's age. His expression was cool, and his eyes remained fixed on Wang Zhi. He didn't spare even the dignified Spirit Transmitter Tower Master so much as a glance.

It was as if Qian Gu Dongfeng were just an ordinary person, not worth a look.

Curious, Qian Gu Dongfeng couldn't help asking,

"And this is?"

"An underling," Wang Zhi replied briefly.

A flicker of amusement crossed Qian Gu Dongfeng's eyes.

He had his own informants in Shrek City, so he knew the members of the Shrek Inspection Team had falsely accused Wang Zhi and tried to take him away by force.

Though he didn't know how Wang Zhi had gotten away from that pack of lunatics, it was an undeniable fact that the faction behind Wang Zhi had sent a subordinate to protect him.

What he couldn't understand was how this blue-haired youth, who looked about ten years old, was supposed to protect Wang Zhi.

At that age, no matter how talented he was, he could only be at most a Three Rings Soul Master—and he would still need a huge investment of resources to get there.

With that in mind, Qian Gu Dongfeng guessed that perhaps this was someone Wang Zhi had personally trained.

He might be weak, but having grown up together from childhood, their bond would be different.

So Qian Gu Dongfeng looked away.

The elevator reached the top floor.

Qian Gu Dongfeng opened the office door and said warmly,

"Make yourselves comfortable."

Wang Zhi walked a few steps forward and sat down on the sofa.

Ika stood motionless behind him.

Qian Gu Dongfeng sat down opposite them as well. Looking at Wang Zhi, he began,

"I imagine you've seen just how domineering Shrek can be."

Wang Zhi nodded slightly.

"I have."

"Does the Federation really not do anything about that?"

Qian Gu Dongfeng chuckled softly.

"The Federation would like to..."

"But it would need the strength to do so."

"With Yun Ming, the Continent's Number One Person, there, no one dares say a word against anything Shrek does."