Wang Sheng had barely finished speaking.
Xiao Wu frowned first.
"Why would a teacher from Suotuo City ask to see me?"
Wang Sheng caught his breath and lowered his voice.
"I don't know either. He went straight to the dean's office as soon as he arrived. Before long, the dean himself came out with him."
"He's waiting at the academy gates now."
Su Chen raised a hand and straightened his cuff.
"Let's go."
Xiao Wu walked beside him.
They crossed the path through the dormitory area.
The wind slanted out of the woods, carrying the scent of grass and damp earth.
Xiao Wu glanced sideways at him.
"Is he here to cause trouble again?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
Su Chen's pace was unhurried.
"If the dean is accompanying him personally, he's not here to make a scene. He's here to negotiate."
Xiao Wu blinked.
"Is he negotiating with you, or with me?"
"Most likely, he'll use you as an extra bargaining chip."
Su Chen gave her a look.
"I'm the one he really wants to see."
Xiao Wu huffed.
"What do you mean, an extra bargaining chip? I'm pretty formidable too."
"Mm."
"That 'mm' sounded completely insincere."
"Then I'll be serious."
Su Chen's tone was calm.
"You're definitely strong, especially in close-quarters combat. Soul Masters in the teens probably wouldn't be able to withstand your Soft Technique."
Xiao Wu stopped walking.
She turned her head to look at Su Chen, her eyes lighting up.
"Really?"
"Really."
"That's more like it."
The corners of her mouth lifted, then quickly settled.
"Then if anyone looks down on me later, don't rush to speak up. I'll put him in his place myself."
Su Chen chuckled.
"Sure. You can handle it."
By the time they reached the academy's front courtyard,
a crowd of instructors and students had already gathered at the gates.
The dean stood at the front, his back hunched a little more than usual.
Beside him stood a man in his thirties.
He was tall and lean, dressed in a dark blue combat outfit, with a narrow black cape draped over his shoulders. His boots were polished clean.
He wasn't as tense as the dean.
He stood steady, his gaze fixed on Su Chen and Xiao Wu.
As soon as Su Chen approached,
the dean hurried over to greet him.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, this is Shen Zhi, an instructor at Balak Intermediate Soul Master Academy in Suotuo City."
Shen Zhi stepped forward half a pace, pressed his right hand to his chest, and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Holy Son."
Su Chen looked at him.
"You came all the way from Suotuo City to poach people in Nuoding City?"
The dean's forehead twitched.
Shen Zhi, however, didn't panic.
He raised his head and answered bluntly.
"Yes."
"Nuoding Academy is too small to keep true geniuses."
"Your Highness the Holy Son would be wasting your time if you stayed here."
At that,
several instructors nearby looked a little awkward.
The dean's smile stiffened, but he didn't dare respond.
Xiao Wu folded her arms and spoke first.
"What about me? Do you think I'm a genius too?"
Shen Zhi looked at her.
"You are."
"A rabbit-type Martial Soul. Quick instincts in combat, excellent explosive power and physical flexibility."
"I just looked over the academy's sparring records and asked about the Work-Study Student dormitory."
"You qualify for Suotuo City."
Xiao Wu lifted her chin.
"That sounds pretty good."
Su Chen said nothing.
Shen Zhi took a roll of parchment from the inner pocket of his cape and handed it to the dean. The dean accepted it with both hands, then carefully presented it to Su Chen.
"This is a special recruitment letter jointly issued by Balak Intermediate Soul Master Academy and the Suotuo Martial Soul Branch Hall."
Shen Zhi looked at Su Chen.
"If Your Highness the Holy Son joins us, the academy will set aside a Mimicry Cultivation Room just for you."
"Teachers, resources, and training grounds will all be provided at the highest standard."
"As for Xiao Wu, she can enroll with you and go straight into the special recruitment class."
Xiao Wu's ears perked up at the words "special recruitment class."
"That sounds good."
As soon as she'd said it, she added,
"But I have to ask something first."
"If we go, will Su Chen and I still be together?"
The dean and the instructors around them fell silent at once.
Shen Zhi glanced at Xiao Wu, then at Su Chen.
He answered quickly.
"You'll have the same academic schedule. Living arrangements will follow the academy's rules."
"Boys and girls have separate dormitories, and noble students and commoners are housed separately as—"
He broke off midway.
Su Chen's gaze had turned cold.
"Nobles and commoners?"
Su Chen took the roll of parchment but didn't open it. He merely tapped the edge with his fingertip.
"Does the academy in Suotuo City still play that game?"
Shen Zhi fell silent for half a second.
"It's an old rule."
"And that's a reason to keep it?"
Su Chen's tone was mild.
But the dean, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his back.
Shen Zhi didn't flinch.
"If Your Highness the Holy Son joins us, those rules can be changed."
Su Chen looked at him.
"So you're not here to invite me."
"You're trying to borrow my name to reform your academy."
Shen Zhi's eyes flickered.
He didn't deny it.
"Half and half."
"I do need someone powerful enough to silence the voices in Suotuo City."
"But I really did come to meet you because you're worth recruiting."
The wind blew in through the academy gates.
The roll of parchment fluttered lightly.
Xiao Wu leaned closer to Su Chen and lowered her voice.
"This guy's pretty straightforward."
"More likable than Yu Xiaogang."
Su Chen gave a quiet "Mm."
"At least he doesn't put on an act."
Shen Zhi heard them, but didn't take offense.
He reached out and took a test crystal ball from an instructor beside him.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, there's no point negotiating based on empty words."
"People in Suotuo City have heard your name, but few of them have actually seen you."
"I'd like to confirm things for myself."
"Of course, I'm not questioning you. I just want to shut those people up when I get back."
Su Chen looked at the crystal ball.
"An ordinary one?"
Shen Zhi nodded.
"It's for routine academy tests."
Su Chen smiled.
"Then you might have wasted your effort bringing it."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed it against the ball.
In the next instant,
blue light surged inside the crystal ball.
One mark.
Two marks.
Three marks.
The light flooded the entire sphere almost in the blink of an eye.
Shen Zhi's pupils contracted.
The dean's breath caught.
Before they could make out the exact reading, cracks had already spread across the crystal ball's surface.
Crack.
A sharp sound rang out.
The crystal ball exploded.
Shards and blue sparks flew in every direction.
The dean jolted in fright.
Several instructors beside him instinctively took half a step back.
Shen Zhi stared at Su Chen.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"At least level twenty-five."
"How many days have you been enrolled?"
Su Chen withdrew his hand.
"The number of days doesn't matter."
"What matters is that you can offer me the same things I can get here."
"The Spirit Hall has a Mimicry Cultivation Room."
"The Spirit Hall has no shortage of resources."
"I can get a real combat arena whenever I want."
Su Chen returned the document to the dean.
"So this invitation doesn't hold much appeal for me."
A crack finally appeared in Shen Zhi's calm expression.
Before coming, he had imagined all sorts of responses.
Refusal, acceptance, delay.
The one thing he hadn't expected was such a straightforward refusal.
Because Su Chen was telling the truth.
The things Suotuo City could offer were things the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son didn't lack.
Shen Zhi fell silent for a moment, then turned to Xiao Wu.
"What about you?"
"Are you interested in going to Suotuo City?"
Xiao Wu didn't even think about it.
"If he's not going, neither am I."
Shen Zhi stared at her.
"Suotuo City is livelier. There are more opponents, too."
Xiao Wu blinked.
"Then I'll just have to go with him."
After saying that, the tips of her ears warmed. She hurriedly added, "I mean, we're roommates now, and we work well together."
"Changing places would be a hassle."
Su Chen glanced at her.
He didn't call her out.
Shen Zhi let out a long breath.
"I understand."
He raised a hand and rubbed his brow, as if tossing aside all the arguments he'd prepared before coming.
"Then let me put it another way."
"I'm not asking you to transfer."
"I'm asking you to go to Suotuo City in three days and take part in a special recruitment assessment."
Su Chen's gaze shifted slightly.
"An assessment?"
"That's right."
Shen Zhi straightened up again.
"Over the past two years, a group of young Soul Masters have emerged in Suotuo City, backed by sects and local nobles."
"They don't accept Spirit Hall Academy's training system, and they've been looking for a chance to make a name for themselves by trampling the academy's reputation."
"Normally, this wouldn't concern you."
"But last night, someone in Suotuo City declared that Work-Study Students and small-town prodigies from Nuoding City weren't fit to stand on a stage."
"They even named you."
Xiao Wu exploded as soon as she heard that.
"Who's got such a filthy mouth?"
Shen Zhi looked at her.
"Zhou Ling, the youngest son of Viscount Balak."
"Thirteen years old, level twenty-eight, with a Beast Martial Soul."
"He's also got a few independent Soul Master students from outside Suotuo City Intermediate Academy following him."
Xiao Wu snorted.
"So what if he's level twenty-eight?"
"I wouldn't say that's impressive."
Su Chen spoke coolly.
"He just needs a good beating."
Shen Zhi stared at Su Chen. At last, he saw a hint of the reaction he'd been hoping for.
"So I didn't come today just to recruit you."
"I came to deliver a message, too."
He paused.
"They've already set up the arena in Suotuo City."
"If you don't go, they'll keep spreading the story."
"They can say the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son disdained to respond, or they can say he was afraid to."
The dean stood to one side, his palms slick with sweat.
He finally understood.
This wasn't an ordinary attempt to recruit someone.
They were practically offering their faces up for Su Chen to slap.
Xiao Wu had already taken a step forward.
"Let's go. Why wouldn't we?"
She turned her head toward Su Chen.
"I'll go with you."
Su Chen lowered his eyes to look at her.
"Weren't you just saying it'd be a hassle?"
"Fighting isn't a hassle."
Xiao Wu's eyes shone.
"Besides, they were the ones who ran their mouths first."
Su Chen smiled.
"Fine."
He looked back at Shen Zhi.
"I'll go to Suotuo City in three days."
Shen Zhi's chest eased slightly.
"Good. I'll prepare the venue and the list ahead of time."
He had just turned to leave when another burst of hurried hoofbeats sounded outside the academy gates.
A Spirit Hall Deacon dismounted and rushed inside, practically running.
"Your Highness the Holy Son."
He dropped to one knee and held up a sealed emergency dispatch with both hands.
"We've just received word from the western outskirts of Nuoding City."
"Three people died in the Black Market last night, an apothecary shop was robbed, and traces of poisonous powder were found at the scene."
"Someone saw Tang San enter the Old Warehouse Passage of the Soul Hunting Warrant Repository outside the city."
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