"Boss Dai! Once you get to the entrance, behave yourself! First impressions are crucial!"
Le Bai shouted at the distracted Dai Mubai, "Let her know that you haven't given up over these past few years—that you've been working hard all along, and that you came here only to seek a better environment for growth!"
After shouting that, Le Bai headed toward the place Zhao Wuji had mentioned.
"What was that kid talking about?"
As Zhao Wuji walked, he glanced back at Le Bai. Seeing that Le Bai had already gone in another direction, he immediately looked away. "Mu Bai, what did that kid say to you?"
"He's right!"
Dai Mubai suddenly perked up again. He held his head high and thrust out his chest, his whole spirit instantly reaching its peak. "I have to let Zhuqing know that I never gave up these past few years and that I've been working hard!"
He strode forward.
"???"
Zhao Wuji looked utterly baffled. "Are kids these days all this strange?"
After reaching the entrance and handing Dai Mubai over to Li Yusong, Zhao Wuji headed straight back to the fourth test site set up beside the Playground.
"Teacher Zhao, you're here."
Le Bai had already tidied up the test site.
The area had been cleared, and every obstacle that might have interfered had been removed. Even the slightly larger stones had been cleared away.
He had also casually adjusted the recliner they had brought over. "Teacher Zhao, this recliner is for you to rest on. Try it and see whether it feels right."
"You really are good with your hands, kid!"
Zhao Wuji lay down in the chair and subconsciously touched the Wrist Guard-shaped Soul Tool on his wrist. "Ever since I started using this Pressure Bracer of yours, my Soul Power Enhancement Speed has increased quite a bit. If your Dean hadn't wanted to keep your situation private for now, merely providing this kind of Soul Tool to the Soul Master world would have been enough to make your influence comparable to that of a Title Douluo!"
"A blacksmith must be strong himself."
Le Bai shook his head. "The Dean is right to consider things that way. The interests involved with this kind of Soul Tool are simply too great. With my current Soul Power and strength, I have no way to ensure my own safety."
"You clearly know that, yet you still made Soul Tools for us teachers and for Oscar and the others."
Zhao Wuji closed his eyes and leisurely rocked in the chair. "All of us owe you a favor."
"Come on, Teacher Zhao, saying that makes things awkward!"
Le Bai waved a hand. "Everything I have today is thanks to the Dean taking Oscar and me out of that village. I learned Soul Guidance Device Crafting because the academy had books on it, and because the Dean gave me Soul Tools. There are so many hardworking people in this world—why was I the one who succeeded? I should be thanking all of you for giving me the conditions and protection I needed!"
Zhao Wuji could not help but smile. "I think plenty of people in this world have had access to books on Soul Tools and have dismantled Soul Tools, but so far, you're the only one who has succeeded. That means you're the capable one. And besides, the Dean's luck really is incredible!"
"Hahaha..."
Le Bai chuckled softly and continued, "Teacher Zhao, let's stop flattering each other. How about we guess whether we'll recruit any new students this year?"
"What's there to guess?"
At the mention of recruitment, Zhao Wuji immediately looked helpless. "You know the standards of our academy. There may be many geniuses nowadays, but there are very few Monsters who meet Shrek's standards. Besides, we aren't as famous as Spirit Hall or those other advanced Soul Master Academies. Why would they come here?"
"I think there'll be especially many Monsters this year."
Le Bai suggested, "Teacher Zhao, if a few more people make it to the fourth test later, could I give them one extra chance? You know my situation. If I don't hold back, Soul Masters who don't understand me basically can't last a single exchange."
"You want more of them?"
Zhao Wuji curled his lip. "If two people can make it to this stage later, handle it as you see fit. As long as their performance isn't too terrible, giving them one extra chance isn't impossible."
Zhao Wuji did not make a definite promise, but Le Bai had already achieved his goal.
"Now all we had to do was wait for them to come over."
Le Bai glanced toward the entrance, conjured a loaf of bread, ate it, and began cultivating where he stood.
Zhao Wuji's eyelids twitched. "This kid actually ate bread in advance and started cultivating to regulate his breathing. It seems he thinks highly of whoever is coming later. There aren't many people who can make this kid take them seriously. I wonder what kind of children they'll be."
More than an hour later, an intense wave of Soul Power suddenly came from the direction of the entrance.
Zhao Wuji raised his eyelids. "Old Li released his Martial Soul."
"There are people like that every year."
Le Bai stopped cultivating and began stretching his body. "They think their child is only a little short of the standard, so they come to register while hoping to get lucky. Then, when they fail, they want their registration fee back."
"The more people like that come, the better. The academy can earn a little more."
Zhao Wuji closed his eyes again. "Why aren't you cultivating a bit longer?"
"That's enough. Boss Dai will be bringing people over soon."
Le Bai looked toward the entrance. "Among the Soul Power fluctuations coming from over there, four are clearly much stronger than the rest. Their Soul Power should all be at least level 25."
"You can even sense that?"
Zhao Wuji opened his eyes and sat up. He carefully tried to sense the entrance, but felt nothing, so he lay back down. "Tch! Detailed work like that really isn't my strong suit!"
"Ha, the key is practice."
Le Bai consoled him. "But Teacher Zhao, your fighting style is naturally rather rough anyway. Leave this delicate work to me."
"You say that as though your own fighting style is so refined."
Zhao Wuji looked at him as if to say, Do you think I'd believe that? "If I hadn't watched you fight, I never would have known that a Support System Soul Master could be so hard-headed."
"How can fighting methods and fighting styles be lumped together?!"
Le Bai spoke very seriously. "Fists meeting flesh is a man's romance!"
"Then you'd better pray that none of the people coming later are Control System Soul Masters."
Zhao Wuji shared his experience. "Our academy has only one Control System Soul Master, Old Lu, but his Star Luo Chess Martial Soul is quite different from ordinary Control System types. So you currently have very little experience fighting Control System Soul Masters. Based on my experience, your style of fighting is easily countered by Control System Soul Masters."
"Teacher Zhao, have you forgotten? My Cultural Class grades have always been perfect. Being easily countered by Control System Soul Masters—that was something I knew long ago."
Le Bai took off his Pressure Bracer. "This is a rare opportunity. If there's a Control System Soul Master among the people who come over later, I'll show you how I fight Control System Soul Masters."
Seeing Le Bai remove the Pressure Bracer, Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow. "Good. I'll look forward to it."
After saying that, he suddenly sat up, then raised both eyebrows. "Heh! There really are four of them!"
Dai Mubai was walking toward them from the direction of the entrance.
The four people walking behind him all fixed their gazes on the two people at the test site—who exactly would be the one fighting them in actual combat?
Before you continue