Wu Zhangkong's Little Scheme

After figuring out why Su Mo's cultivation speed was so astonishingly fast, Wu Zhangkong's enthusiasm for recruiting Su Mo into the Tang Sect immediately cooled considerably.

In Wu Zhangkong's eyes, aside from Su Mo's outrageously precise control over his Soul Power, he was far inferior to Gu Yue in every other aspect.

If Gu Yue had resources like Su Mo's, her achievements would far surpass his.

Su Mo was only ahead of Gu Yue and the others right now because of his meticulous Soul Power control and the advantages brought by absorbing Soul Rings beyond his level.

Once Gu Yue and the others caught up in cultivation, Su Mo's advantages would naturally vanish.

At that point, aside from his control over multiple elements, there would be little else exceptional about him.

So, Su Mo's title as a genius actually contained quite a bit of exaggeration.

Not to mention that the Tang Sect had never liked recruiting members from influential clans.

Although the Tang Sect stood alongside Shrek and the Spirit Pagoda as one of the continent's top powers,

it did not have disciples spread across the world like Shrek, nor did it possess irreplaceable Soul Spirit technology like the Spirit Pagoda.

The Tang Sect's only notable asset was the Mysterious Heaven Skill passed down by the Sea God.

But there was no real threshold for cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Anyone could learn it.

Recklessly recruiting members of mysterious hidden clans could easily lead to another Spirit Pagoda tragedy.

One had to know that, in the beginning, Shrek and the Tang Sect had been the ones controlling the Spirit Pagoda.

The reason the Spirit Pagoda had become the Qiangu Family's personal domain was that, during its expansion, it had failed to scrutinize the backgrounds of the clans it recruited.

It had absorbed a huge number of Qiangu Family members in a short time, resulting in Shrek and the Tang Sect being sidelined before eventually being kicked out of the Spirit Pagoda by the Qiangu Family.

After the disaster of the Spirit Pagoda changing hands, the Tang Sect had paid special attention to a newcomer's family background when accepting disciples, lest the tragedy repeat itself.

For Su Mo to be allowed to absorb a 9,999-year Soul Ring at the very limit, the power behind him had to be terrifying.

The optimal Soul Ring configuration proposed long ago by Yu Xiaogang, the Sea God's teacher, had already been proven wrong.

The facts proved that as long as a Soul Master's physical constitution was strong enough,

regardless of that Soul Master's cultivation level, they could freely absorb any Soul Ring below ten thousand years.

So if they really recruited Su Mo and taught him the Tang Sect's secret arts, it would basically be equivalent to giving those arts away to the force behind him for free.

"You are allowed to skip class!"

After sorting out his thoughts, Wu Zhangkong spoke to Su Mo with a serious expression.

Perhaps feeling that this was unfair, Wu Zhangkong turned to Tang Wulin and the others and said coldly, "If any of you can defeat me at the same cultivation level like he did, you can skip class as well."

"That's all for today! Class Zero's lessons will officially begin tomorrow."

With that, Wu Zhangkong left the training ground without looking back.

Early the next morning, Su Mo discovered that everyone in Class Zero had already arrived when he entered the classroom.

Although Class Zero's classroom was not large, it appeared especially spacious and bright because there were only six students.

"You all got here pretty early?"

Su Mo politely greeted everyone who had arrived before him, then plopped down beside Gu Yue.

Honestly, Su Mo was rather surprised to see that Gu Yue was not sitting with Tang Wulin and had instead chosen to sit alone at the far left of the classroom.

At the very least, this showed that his previous Illusion Technique had indeed affected the relationship between Gu Yue and Tang Wulin.

It also showed that the relationship between Gu Yue and Tang Wulin was not as solid as he had imagined.

"Aren't you not coming to class?"

The moment Su Mo sat down, Gu Yue's puzzled voice rang out.

Although Su Mo's Illusion Technique had caused some subtle changes in Gu Yue's attitude toward Tang Wulin,

that did not mean Gu Yue would give Su Mo a pleasant expression.

If she had known Su Mo would attend class, Gu Yue would have chosen to sit beside Tang Wulin without hesitation.

Facing Gu Yue's questioning, Su Mo spread his hands. "I never said I wasn't coming to class.

"And as a member of Class Zero, how could I possibly miss Class Zero's first lesson?"

"You'd better mean that!"

Gu Yue had originally wanted to switch seats with Xie Xie, but after hearing Su Mo's answer, she temporarily abandoned the idea.

Just as Gu Yue was about to say something else, the class bell suddenly rang.

"Hmm...?"

When Wu Zhangkong saw Su Mo sitting beside Gu Yue, a trace of surprise flashed across his face.

Judging from Su Mo's performance yesterday, Wu Zhangkong had assumed that he would not attend class.

"Since you're here, you must follow my rules!"

To keep Su Mo from causing trouble in class, Wu Zhangkong specifically gave him a reminder.

"Mm-hmm." Su Mo nodded repeatedly, looking every bit like a model student.

If Wu Zhangkong had not seen Su Mo's unruly side before, he might actually have believed him.

Still, seeing how cooperative Su Mo appeared, Wu Zhangkong did not say anything further.

"Students, since Class Zero was established to challenge Shrek Academy, today we will talk about Shrek!"

"As everyone knows, Shrek is the continent's number one academy, with a legacy that has endured for ten thousand years."

"..."

At the podium, Wu Zhangkong's face was filled with pride and excitement as he spoke about Shrek's history. He was practically a different person from his usual cold and aloof self.

"Alright! Students, do you have any questions about Shrek's history?"

"Teacher Wu, aside from the Thousand Hands Douluo becoming the Sea God, what gods did the other six Original Shrek Seven Devils become?"

The one asking was none other than Xie Xie, who was sitting beside Tang Wulin.

As soon as Xie Xie raised the question, everyone else, including Gu Yue, looked curiously toward Wu Zhangkong.

Even Gu Yue did not know much about the Original Shrek Seven Devils ascending to godhood.

Gu Yue only knew that they had become gods. She was not particularly clear on which divine positions they had inherited.

Hearing Tang Wulin's question, Wu Zhangkong froze for a moment before answering fluently, "Aside from Thousand Hands Douluo, Ancestor Tang San, who inherited the position of Sea God among the Original Shrek Seven Devils,

White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai inherited the divine position of the God of War.

Phoenix Douluo Ma Hongjun inherited the divine position of the God of Phoenix.

Food God Douluo Oscar inherited the divine position of the God of Food.

Nine Colored Douluo Ning Rongrong inherited the divine position of the Goddess of Nine Colors.

Nether Douluo Zhu Zhuqing inherited the divine position of the God of Speed."

"As expected of the Original Shrek Seven Devils!"

After listening to Wu Zhangkong's explanation, everyone present felt awed despite not fully understanding it.

One had to know that only seven gods had appeared throughout the history of Soul Masters.

Yet the Original Shrek Seven Devils alone accounted for seven... no, six of those positions?

"Teacher Wu, what divine position did the Sea God's wife, the Soft Bone Douluo, inherit?" Tang Wulin, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up.

Among the Original Shrek Seven Devils, Tang Wulin felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward the Sea God and his wife.

That was why, when Wu Zhangkong failed to mention the Soft Bone Douluo, Tang Wulin took the initiative to ask.

When Tang Wulin asked about the divine position inherited by the Soft Bone Douluo, an awkward expression flashed across Wu Zhangkong's face.

Just as Wu Zhangkong was considering how to answer, a smug voice suddenly rang out.

"She didn't become a god. The only one among the Shrek Seven Devils who did not become a god was the Soft Bone Douluo."

Su Mo lay sprawled across the desk, propping his head up with his left hand as he looked at Tang Wulin with amusement.