An Agreement to Fight

"Didn't you just ask me to suggest a way for you to apologize?"

Xiao Wu revealed a mischievous, wicked smile as if her prank had succeeded: "Fight me! That is the way I want you to apologize!"

Le Bai had said those words himself, and he was capable of fulfilling Xiao Wu's request.

"I understand."

Le Bai nodded: "However, can we discuss the specific details?"

Xiao Wu tilted her head adorably: "What do you mean?"

"Where will we fight? When? To what extent does the fight need to go to determine a winner? If you win, do you accept my apology, or do I have to win for you to accept it?"

Le Bai listed them out with a serious expression: "As for the time, I have things to do today and cannot accompany you, so please choose a time after tomorrow. As for the location, you surely don't want to start fighting in this lobby, right? That would cause trouble for the hotel staff, so you need to reconsider the location as well."

Xiao Wu felt dizzy just listening to him. She, Sister Xiao Wu, had always been straightforward and decisive; when had she ever considered so much? "Hey! You are so annoying! If you don't want to fight, just say so! Why are you nagging so much!"

"In that case, I will decide the time and location."

Le Bai appeared understanding: "Our Shrek Academy will begin enrollment assessments in two days. The final stage of the assessment will inevitably be a test of combat ability. At that time, I will fight you in the capacity of an examiner. How does that sound to you?"

Although Xiao Wu was simple-minded, she wasn't stupid. She asked with a hint of vigilance: "How do you know I'm going to apply to Shrek Academy?"

Beside her, Tang San secretly reached into the spatial Soul Tool at his waist and took out a small Hidden Weapon, holding it in his hand.

"The Soul Power fluctuations on your body, while not obvious, are within my ability to perceive, so I can confirm you are a Soul Master. Your shoe soles are covered in mud, suggesting you came from outside the city, so I assume you are staying at this hotel temporarily. Therefore, I guessed you came from out of town."

Le Bai continued to explain: "At this time of year, Soul Masters of your age who come specifically to Suotuo City are undoubtedly here to study at an advanced Soul Master Academy. Although there is more than one advanced Soul Master Academy near Suotuo City, the one closest to this hotel is our Shrek Academy. Thus, I boldly guessed that the academy you intend to apply to is Shrek. Your reaction proves that I guessed correctly."

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

Tang San couldn't help but applaud: "Truly amazing perception and brilliant analysis, but it's still not enough."

Le Bai looked at Tang San and asked: "What is still not enough?"

"Your tone was very certain from the very beginning."

Tang San stared at Le Bai: "But the results of your analysis just now were not enough to make you so certain. Therefore, there must be another reason that makes you so sure we are applying to Shrek, one that you haven't mentioned."

Clap, clap, clap!

Le Bai also began to applaud, and happily engaged in some mutual flattery with Tang San: "Impressive! I thought I had concealed it well, but I didn't expect you to discover it! What a terrifying ability to observe!"

Tang San smiled without speaking, waiting for Le Bai to continue.

"As you said, what I relied on to confirm you two were applying to Shrek was more than just what I mentioned."

Le Bai pointed to himself: "I said my perception of Soul Power is quite good. When I was talking to the hotel staff earlier, I mentioned Shrek. At that moment, the Soul Power fluctuations emanating from you two—especially you (pointing to Tang San)—showed a significant change for an instant. This situation usually occurs when one is emotionally agitated. That is why I was certain your target was Shrek."

Tang San silently put the Hidden Weapon back: "So that's how it is."

Xiao Wu also gave up on the idea of fighting immediately: "Since that's the case, we'll fight when we go to Shrek."

Once they reached an agreement, the hotel staff pushed a large cloth bundle, taller than a person, out from behind the counter.

"By the way, I still don't know your names."

Le Bai pretended he had just remembered: "My name is Le Bai. Le as in music, Bai as in the color white."

Tang San: "My name is Tang San. San as in one, two, three."

Xiao Wu: "My name is Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing!"

"I've remembered them."

Le Bai nodded solemnly, picked up the large bundle from the cart the hotel staff had pushed out, and gently carried it on his back: "Then, see you at Shrek in two days."

Tang San said warmly: "Goodbye."

Xiao Wu was still bickering until the very end: "Don't you dare not be the examiner when the time comes!"

Le Bai waved his hand with his back to them and walked out of the hotel.

Dai Mubai was still thinking about how to make excuses... or explain things to Zhu Zhuqing, and didn't notice Le Bai coming out at all.

"Boss Dai, let's go."

"Oh... oh..."

Dai Mubai replied absentmindedly twice.

Le Bai shook his head helplessly: "Hopeless."

Returning to Shrek.

Le Bai first handed the sheets and quilt he brought back from the hotel to Li Yusong, who was waiting there, then sent Dai Mubai back to the dormitory, took a look at Oscar who was still grooming himself, and finally found Ma Hongjun, who was silently training, to begin his daily exercise.

Two days later.

Early in the morning, Zhao Wuji came to press people into service: "Le Bai!"

"I'm over here!"

Le Bai was warming up in the self-made practice field next to the house: "Teacher Zhao, what's the matter?"

"For the final stage of today's enrollment assessment, I originally planned to let Mubai handle it. But this kid doesn't know what's wrong with him today; he's been absent-minded since early this morning."

Zhao Wuji patted Dai Mubai, who was beside him: "Look, in his current state, any random Battle Soul Master could beat him up."

"Understood, Teacher Zhao."

Le Bai agreed first, then asked, "But why don't you go find Ma Hongjun and Oscar? While my combat ability is fine, the appearance of my Martial Soul, Soul Power, and Soul Rings isn't very impressive. Won't that give the new students a bad impression of the Academy?"

"That kid Hongjun's Martial Soul attribute is too aggressive; it's suitable for fighting, but not for conducting assessments. As for Oscar, his performance isn't as stable as yours. If some blunder happens during the assessment, the Dean would tear me apart alive!"

Zhao Wuji patted Le Bai on the shoulder, "You and Mubai are the most suitable. It's a pity that Mubai dropped the ball at a critical moment, so now it's all up to you. If you have anything to attend to, remember to say so early. At worst, I'll just step in myself to test the mettle of this year's freshmen!"

"That won't be necessary!"

Le Bai said with a smile, "No matter how impressive the freshmen are, they're only around level 30. There's no need for a Soul Saint like you to step in, unless every single one of them can fight better than me!"

"Hahahaha! You really don't hold back with your words, kid!"

Zhao Wuji patted Le Bai on the back, "But indeed, if the freshmen were all like you, it would be hard to say who would win without Soul Power above the Soul Emperor level. If they were all better fighters than you, then I really would have to step in!"

"Alright, enough joking around."

Zhao Wuji led the stunned Dai Mubai and Le Bai to a fork in the path, "Le Bai, you go wait over by the Playground; the final assessment site is right next to it. I'll be over shortly."

"Understood, Teacher Zhao."

Le Bai acknowledged, watching as Zhao Wuji led Dai Mubai toward the main gate, "Are you taking Mubai to the gate?"

"That's where the most people are. Old Li... Teacher Li is probably struggling over there."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand, "I'm taking Mubai over to give him a hand."