I Don't Mind

"Hot sausages for sale! Don't miss out as you pass by! Oscar-brand sausages, delicious and sweet, cheap and generous portions. Only five Copper Soul Coins each!"

"Third Brother, it looks like they're selling sausages up ahead. Let's go take a look!"

At Xiao Wu's request, Tang San was just about to agree when Dai Mubai stopped him with a hand.

"Wait a moment."

Tang San and Xiao Wu saw Dai Mubai's gloomy, malicious grin and immediately felt their hearts sink. Dai Mubai waited until he'd watched Feng Xinglie eat a sausage with his own eyes before finally breaking into a vindictive smile. Then, before Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong could take a bite, he rushed over.

"Little Ao, I've warned you more than once not to sell sausages at the academy. Do you want to make everyone throw up?"

Everyone turned toward him in confusion. Only the smile on Oscar's face instantly collapsed.

"Boss Dai, don't ruin my reputation in front of the younger students. They'll hold it against me..."

But Dai Mubai wouldn't let it go.

"Enough, Little Ao. Make another sausage."

Under Dai Mubai's threat, Oscar had no choice but to hold out a hand. As a yellow Soul Ring appeared, he called out in a lewd, sing-song voice:

"I Have a Big Sausage!"

Yellow light gathered, and a sausage identical to the ones on the stall appeared in Oscar's hand. But the incantation made Ning Rongrong, who had been about to taste a grilled sausage, turn pale. She tossed it right back.

"That's so lewd! I don't want it!"

The others also wore rather complicated expressions. Setting aside whether the sausage was edible, that suggestive incantation alone had already filled them up. How could they possibly eat after hearing it? Dai Mubai watched their reactions with smug satisfaction and turned toward Feng Xinglie, who had already eaten one sausage. Then his smile froze. Under everyone's astonished gazes, Feng Xinglie was tossing a second grilled sausage into his mouth.

"Not bad. It can even restore Soul Power. Give me three more to keep on hand."

"Huh?... This... Sure thing! Boss—no, brother! Just a moment, I'll pack them up for you!"

Oscar first looked puzzled when he saw the Copper Soul Coins held out to him, then his face lit up with delight. At last, someone didn't despise his sausages. He was so moved that he nearly cried tears of joy.

"Feng Xinglie, this sausage... you..."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing looking worried, as if she didn't know what to say, Feng Xinglie smiled.

"I don't mind."

As he spoke, Feng Xinglie tossed another sausage into his mouth.

"You have to eat nourishment, and you have to eat poison too. Only then can you be considered whole. As long as something provides me with nourishment, I can eat it, whatever it is."

Those words clearly struck Zhu Zhuqing. She silently turned them over and over in her mind as she stared at the sausages on Oscar's stall.

"I'll have a sausage too."

"Huh? Sure thing! Thank you for your business, beautiful lady!"

Oscar hadn't expected this unexpected bonus. He hurriedly took the Copper Soul Coins Zhu Zhuqing offered him. Getting such a stunning beauty to eat his sausage gave him an immense sense of vanity. Dai Mubai, however, was getting restless. The beauty before him, whose Martial Soul resonated with his own, already belonged to him in his mind. Naturally, he couldn't let her eat Oscar's lewd sausage. But before he could act, Feng Xinglie stopped Zhu Zhuqing first.

"There's no need to force yourself. Just because I don't mind doesn't mean you shouldn't. Nobody needs to prove anything this way. It's only a small difference in outlook. Forcing yourself to imitate someone else won't make you any stronger."

Zhu Zhuqing's hand paused as she held the sausage. Then she gave Feng Xinglie a captivating smile. The sight of the iceberg melting made several people nearby turn to look.

"Thank you, but I'm not doing this to prove anything. I just think you're right. As long as it can nourish me, there's no need to worry about a little thing like a lewd incantation."

With that, she took a bite and ate a piece of the sausage. Oscar, who had been wearing a lewd grin just moments before, could no longer smile. It felt as if his sense of accomplishment had suddenly run away.

The contrast with Dai Mubai was stark. Since he'd passed out and hadn't seen Feng Xinglie's Soul Ring Configuration, he'd assumed that he'd simply been careless and fallen for a sneak attack. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing, whom he'd already added to his imagined harem, chatting and laughing with Feng Xinglie, he felt an inexplicable anger rise within him.

"Enjoy showing off while you can. Once you enroll, just you wait—I'll make your life a living hell!"

Burning with Evil Fire, Dai Mubai greeted the teacher in charge of the second test, then led the group straight to the fourth testing ground.

"That's not fair! Why do they get to skip the third and fourth tests?!"

Seeing someone exempted from the tests, a student shouted in protest.

"Why? If your Soul Power is above level twenty-five, you can go straight to the fourth trial too."

The teacher in charge of the second test replied calmly, tossing a white crystal to Tang San at the same time. Tang San understood at once and infused it with the inner power of the Mysterious Heaven Skill. The crystal ball immediately blazed with dazzling light.

"What?! He's actually level twenty-nine? How can his Soul Power be that high?!"

"Hmph! Just because you can't do it doesn't mean nobody else can!"

The boy who'd just asked the question stared in disbelief. Xiao Wu snorted, snatched the crystal ball from him, and infused it with her Soul Power. Once again, brilliant light flared.

"Teacher, I believe I should be able to skip the second and third tests too."

Ning Rongrong came to Xiao Wu like a spring breeze and gently took the crystal ball. Her Soul Power Level wasn't as high as Tang San's or Xiao Wu's, but it was still above level twenty-five. Yet, just after she finished testing her Soul Power, the crystal ball vanished from her hand. Then a light even brighter than hers shone from Zhu Zhuqing's hand.

"Hahaha, wonderful! There are so many little monsters this year. The dean will be grinning in his sleep!"

The teacher burst into hearty laughter. Zhu Zhuqing silently handed the crystal ball to Feng Xinglie.

"..."

Looking at the crystal ball in his hand, Feng Xinglie smiled wryly and shook his head. He reached out and touched it with a finger. The crystal ball immediately blazed with brilliant light, and even began to crack with a series of sharp pops.

"This Soul Power... could he be a Soul Elder?!"

"That should be enough."

Gradually, the others recovered from their astonishment. Ning Rongrong's gaze began to glimmer too. As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she was the first to try to build a good relationship with him.

"You're really incredible! You're the youngest Soul Elder I've ever met, and your Soul Ring Configuration is outrageous too. That punch just now was amazing. It wasn't even a Soul Skill, but you moved so fast I couldn't see what you did."

Feng Xinglie smiled at Ning Rongrong's praise and replied:

"If you're interested, I can teach you."

"Really? Then it's a deal!"

She'd originally only meant to make connections and see if she could bring this prodigy into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect someday. She hadn't expected him to offer to teach her such powerful martial arts outright. Ning Rongrong happily took Feng Xinglie's hand and swung it back and forth.

"I... I want to learn too..."

Seeing how readily Feng Xinglie had agreed to teach Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt a pang of displeasure. She looked at their joined hands, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.

"Sure. No problem."

Feng Xinglie agreed just as readily. In his view, Ning Rongrong was a young lady who specialized in support. It was basically impossible for her to train in his fist techniques with him all the time. This was nothing more than a little trick to draw Zhu Zhuqing's attention. But the sight made one Evil Eyed White Tiger's anger rise once more.