"Looks like that really was the damn fatty from Shrek." Qian Yu wasn't surprised.
After the battle ended, Qian Yu sent the little girl on her way, then gestured for Xiao Wu to return to the hotel with him.
Xiao Wu pressed her lips together and lowered her head, lost in her thoughts.
She had only taken a few steps when she let out a muffled groan.
Qian Yu looked down and only then noticed that Xiao Wu's feet were stained red. Clearly, she'd been caught in the Phoenix Flame during her fight with Ma Hongjun.
There was nothing for it. Qian Yu crouched and offered his back.
"Get on," he said in an even tone.
"Ah..."
Xiao Wu's face flushed all the way to her ears. Seeing her hesitate, Qian Yu assumed her injuries weren't that bad and started to get up.
Fortunately, Xiao Wu seized the moment and jumped onto his back.
She slowly rested her head against him.
As they walked, she listened to Qian Yu's steady heartbeat. For some reason, it put her at ease.
What's wrong with me? Xiao Wu had never felt so at peace. Before long, she had quietly fallen asleep.
They returned to the Rose Hotel.
A startled cry suddenly rang out.
"Xiao Wu, you..."
It was Tang San. He'd seen Qian Yu carrying Xiao Wu, and in such an intimate pose, too.
His eyes instantly reddened. But remembering Qian Yu's terrifying strength, Tang San directed his anger at Xiao Wu instead.
Xiao Wu was jolted awake by Tang San's shout.
She looked at Tang San, then realized she was still on Qian Yu's back.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
"Third Brother..." Xiao Wu hurriedly jumped down from Qian Yu's back, enduring the pain.
She wanted to explain herself to Tang San.
But Tang San, overwhelmed by his emotions, ran out like a spurned wife.
Tang San thought Qian Yu must have used some trick to force Xiao Wu to let him carry her back. It has to be.
Outside the hotel, Tang San deliberately slowed his steps, certain Xiao Wu would come after him, apologize, and then leave Qian Yu.
Inside, Xiao Wu's feet were stained red, and every step brought her excruciating pain.
Qian Yu couldn't be bothered to deal with her any longer.
Without looking back, he returned to his room to rest.
Xiao Wu glanced in the direction Tang San had run, then at Qian Yu.
In the end, as if in a trance, she followed Qian Yu back to his room.
Outside the hotel, Tang San waited and waited, but Xiao Wu never appeared.
"Hmph. I'll give you one more hour, Xiao Wu. Don't disappoint me."
Tang San thought to himself.
But the truth was, Xiao Wu didn't come looking for him—not even by the next day.
Tang San watched Qian Yu and Xiao Wu go inside and turn off the lights.
Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. "Qian Yu must have forced Xiao Wu to stay and stopped her from coming to find me. He must have." Tang San was firmly convinced.
The next day, Qian Yu was full of energy, and the inflammation in Xiao Wu's feet had gone down enough for her to walk.
Tang San looked far more haggard.
When he saw Qian Yu and Xiao Wu leave the hotel, Tang San immediately followed them.
Strangely, Tang San didn't ask Xiao Wu why she hadn't come to find him the night before.
He simply followed Qian Yu and Xiao Wu in silence.
Outside Shrek Academy,
a dense crowd of students lined up to register.
Just as in the original story, fifteen-year-old Qian Yu, at level 39, and twelve-year-old Tang San and Xiao Wu, both at level 25, had passed the first round of interviews and gone straight to the fourth round.
Joining them were Hell Spirit Cat Zhu Zhuqing and Seven Treasure Glazed Ning Rongrong.
"It's you?" Dai Mubai was also outside the academy, in charge of admissions.
Seeing Qian Yu and the others, he froze, then gave a cold laugh to himself. Once you're in the academy, I'll be the one calling the shots.
His gaze also fell on Zhu Zhuqing. Along with greedy desire, his eyes held a trace of surprise.
Zhu Zhuqing deliberately avoided Dai Mubai's gaze and stood there without a word.
Dai Mubai said to Qian Yu and the others, "You lot, come with me."
Once they were inside the academy,
Dai Mubai disappeared for a while.
He went to Zhao Wuji's residence.
"Teacher Zhao, there are quite a few promising students this time. One of them is only fifteen, but already at level 39. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep them in line."
Dai Mubai deliberately acted as if he were outmatched in front of Zhao Wuji.
He knew Zhao Wuji's personality all too well.
Sure enough, when Zhao Wuji heard there were promising students, one even stronger than Dai Mubai, he was intrigued.
He turned to Dai Mubai and said, "Mubai, you're one of the academy's veterans. Don't let some new student outdo you."
Zhao Wuji deliberately prodded Dai Mubai, hoping to spur him to work harder.
Dai Mubai sneered inwardly, but repeatedly agreed aloud. "Yes, Teacher Zhao. You're right. I'll work hard at cultivation and set a good example."
"Mm."
Seeing that Dai Mubai knew how to play along, Zhao Wuji was quite pleased.
Then Zhao Wuji followed Dai Mubai to the courtyard where Qian Yu and the others were waiting.
As soon as Zhao Wuji appeared, the aura of a level-40 Soul Ancestor pressed down on everyone, shaking them to the core.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu all staggered backward.
Tang San stubbornly held his ground. He circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill and summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to withstand Zhao Wuji's overwhelming pressure.
Qian Yu, meanwhile, relied on a special forces king's iron will and more than a decade of nonstop physical training to struggle against it.
"Mm. Interesting."
Zhao Wuji had come to give them all a warning.
Seeing two of them withstand his pressure, he couldn't help but increase it.
"Level 45."
"Level 46."
"Level 47."
"Level 48."
Tang San was ultimately no match for his counterpart in the original story and could no longer withstand Zhao Wuji's pressure.
"Level 49."
"Level 50."
Qian Yu summoned his Martial Soul, the Desert Eagle appearing in his hand.
Blood had begun to trickle from the corner of Qian Yu's mouth.
"Interesting."
Seeing Qian Yu still struggling to hold on, Zhao Wuji nodded repeatedly in surprise, clearly pleased with the student.
When he noticed blood at the corner of Qian Yu's mouth, Zhao Wuji stopped testing them and withdrew his aura.
Only then did everyone breathe a little easier, gasping for air.
Seeing Qian Yu withstand the pressure of a level-50 Soul King, Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, his thoughts unclear.
"To be honest, I'm very disappointed in your strength."
If you couldn't even withstand level-50 pressure, how could you become one of Shrek's monsters?
"Still, since you're young, I'll give you a chance. If you can defeat me, I'll approve your admission."
"Ah?" Everyone thought Zhao Wuji had to be crazy. A Soul Saint was picking on a bunch of Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders.
Zhao Wuji was quite pleased by their reaction. Then he added, "Don't worry. I'll suppress my Soul Power to level 50."
Qian Yu had stirred Zhao Wuji's competitive spirit, and on a whim, he decided to test their teamwork.
"Teacher Zhao? You're so powerful. Let me take your place as their examiner." Dai Mubai was very surprised. Zhu Zhuqing was still on the team, after all.
Normally, he would have handled the academy's fourth-round test for the new students. But Qian Yu's strength had led Dai Mubai to ask Zhao Wuji to step in. That didn't mean he wanted Zhao Wuji to eliminate Zhu Zhuqing along with the others.
"Hmph, Mubai, can you beat that kid?" Zhao Wuji pointed at Qian Yu and grunted at Dai Mubai.
Remembering how badly things had gone at the hotel the day before, Dai Mubai immediately came to his senses and fell silent.
"Fine. You have a quarter of an hour to recover. You can restore your Soul Power during that time, or discuss your strategy." Zhao Wuji waved a hand and gave them their orders, then promptly disappeared.
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