Xu Yanli quickly relaxed, looking completely at ease. The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a smile, and he led the others to a restaurant beside Shrek Academy.
"All right, let's not talk about this tonight. Relax a little. We still have five matches tomorrow, and I expect that senior will keep roaming around. He might even be equipped with better Soul Tools, so we'll need to be careful." Xu Yanli ordered a whole table of food, then spoke with a smile as they waited for it to arrive.
"Boss, don't worry. My strength may not be much, but I'll listen obediently. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it. I absolutely won't hold you back." Tang Ling thumped his chest as he spoke.
Xu Yanli smiled but didn't reply. Xiao Xiao beside him, however, laughed and said, "Tang Ling, you really need to work on your physical fitness."
Tang Ling scratched his head sheepishly. "My Martial Soul is a tool-type Martial Soul, and it's also an agility-attack type. My physical fitness isn't something I can improve overnight."
"Then just do what you can. Get some more exercise in your spare time." Xu Yanli was a little helpless. When it came to physical fitness, Tang Ling wasn't one of his own people, so Xu Yanli certainly wouldn't give him something that belonged to him.
Even something relatively cheap like Whale Rubber wasn't for outsiders. He wouldn't give it away, even if they seemed like friends now.
After a while, the food was served. It certainly wasn't cheap, but Xu Yanli would never let himself go hungry.
Xu Yanli smiled and urged the other two to dig in.
Of the three, only Xu Yanli didn't leave with one hand braced against the wall and a distended belly. The other two did.
"You two head back to the dormitory first. I'm going back to Xiaoyao Pavilion. I won't be staying there tonight. See you at the cafeteria tomorrow morning." Xu Yanli said goodbye to them with a smile at the restaurant entrance.
Xu Yanli yawned and returned to Xiaoyao Pavilion. After greeting Long Xiaoyao, who was drinking tea in the courtyard, he went to his room to find Electrolux.
"From now on, I'll formally teach you some Necromancy. Rather than saying Necromancy toys with death, it would be more accurate to say that it toys with life," Electrolux said clearly.
Electrolux demonstrated the magic, then motioned for Xu Yanli to imitate him.
Xu Yanli nodded and slowly traced out the magic circle with his spiritual power. It certainly took a lot of effort, but once he'd drawn it, he would remember it.
Xu Yanli studied until midnight, then withdrew to cultivate and restore his spiritual power. After all, he had five matches tomorrow. No matter what, he couldn't let anyone see how exhausted he was.
Otherwise, what if people thought he'd gone soft?
The sun slowly rose the next morning. Xu Yanli yawned, changed in a flash, and headed for the competition stage.
Today's matches were relatively easy—at least for their team. Many teams that faced them chose to forfeit voluntarily.
After all, what if they injured themselves for one match and then lost the next? When they teamed up against Xu Yanli's group, it was a guaranteed loss anyway.
As a result, Xu Yanli spent nearly the whole time onstage leisurely waving his fan, only to hear his opponents announce their surrender as soon as they stepped up.
Bored, Xu Yanli rolled his eyes two or three times, then brazenly sat cross-legged on the competition stage and began cultivating.
After five teams had forfeited, he casually stepped down from the stage, greeted Wang Yan, and turned to leave.
Mu Jin was enthusiastically cheering Xu Yanli on from the sidelines. Zhou Yi beside her rolled her eyes, a trace of murderous intent showing in her gaze.
Xu Yanli noticed, but didn't take it to heart. He turned and left. Long Xiaoyao was still in Shrek City, after all. How could he let anything happen to Xu Yanli?
Besides, who would dare be so brazen as to attempt an assassination inside Shrek Academy? The only exception was the Duke of White Tiger Mansion, but Xu Yanli hadn't offended them...
Only, he was quite wrong about that.
At that moment, the lights in Xiaoyao Pavilion had gone out. Outside, it was a dark and windy night.
Xu Yanli's stomach, however, was grumbling loudly. He had boxed meals in his Storage Soul Tool, but he didn't want to eat those. He wanted something hot, so he climbed out of bed, threw on an outer robe, and quietly slipped outside.
After leaving Xiaoyao Pavilion, Xu Yanli headed for the snack street. It was quiet at this hour, but many of the vendors hadn't closed up yet.
Following the delicious aroma, Xu Yanli made his way toward the corner. There was a noodle shop there, its stove still burning and steam billowing from it.
Xu Yanli smiled and walked over to the owner. "Grandpa, I'd like a bowl of noodles with extra meat and an egg."
"Sure thing! How much meat would you like?" the owner asked with a cheerful smile. He didn't seem at all annoyed that someone had interrupted him just as he was about to pack up.
Xu Yanli smiled and pulled out a Gold Soul Coin. "Boss, just give me as much as you've got. Is one Gold Soul Coin enough? Actually, I'll give you another one."
"That's plenty, plenty! It's too much. I can't take that much from you." The owner pushed the Gold Soul Coin back toward Xu Yanli, a pained look on his face, but he was firm about returning it.
Xu Yanli smiled. "Boss, I didn't bring any small change today. How about this? I'll come eat here again in the future, and you can keep track of when the Gold Soul Coin runs out. Then I'll pay you another one."
"You... All right." The owner sighed and began making the noodles.
It didn't take long before a steaming-hot bowl of noodles was placed in front of Xu Yanli.
Xu Yanli perched on the little stool at the table and wolfed them down. At that moment, he was just like the young man from his previous life who loved late-night snacks—not the Prince Xiaoyao of this life, who calculated every move.
Relaxed and carefree.
But clearly, the carefree moment didn't last long. He drained the last of the soup, set the bowl aside, and got up to leave.
The farther Xu Yanli walked, the more something felt wrong. He had the distinct sense that countless eyes were watching him from behind, and those eyes seemed to hold murderous intent.
Xu Yanli took a Jade Fan from his Storage Soul Tool and slowly opened it. At last, in the flickering light, he spotted a dark blur at the edge of the fan's handle.
Found you, little mouse.
Xu Yanli slowly folded the fan shut. Not only was he not the least bit nervous, he seemed even more relaxed. He even started humming a little tune.
There was a corner ahead, and behind him lay a dead-end alley.
Xu Yanli turned the corner and had barely taken two steps before pressing himself against the wall, hiding in the shadows nearby.
Sure enough, within seconds, a flurry of hurried footsteps followed him.
"Where is he?" The voice was very soft, but it sounded perfectly clear to Xu Yanli, hidden there in the shadows.
Before you continue