Leng Xue'er and Wu Changkong

"Sister Xue'er."

After releasing her embrace, Tang Wuling looked toward Leng Xue'er and greeted her with a hint of timidity.

Tang Wuling feared Leng Xue'er from the bottom of her heart.

"Hello, Little Ling'er."

Leng Xue'er would not deliberately ignore Tang Wuling or Na'er, nor would she intentionally bestow benefits upon them; she treated them with equal indifference.

Therefore, as long as they took the initiative to greet her, Leng Xue'er would always respond warmly.

It was not because she liked the two of them, but because Cheng Duoyi liked them, and by extension, she liked them too—such is the nature of loving the house and its crow.

Cheng Duoyi said at this moment, "Sister Xue'er, we have already arrived at the academy, and with Little Ling'er here, I won't run into any trouble. Why don't you go check out the teacher's dormitory first? I'll stroll around the area with Little Ling'er, and we can meet back here for dinner tonight?"

Leng Xue'er frowned slightly, thinking that since this was an academy, she couldn't stay by Cheng Duoyi's side forever, and he needed his own social circle. "Whatever you say, Yi'er. If you run into any trouble, you must use your communicator to contact Sister Xue'er, understand?"

"Mhm." Cheng Duoyi nodded.

"Then goodbye, Sister Xue'er."

"Little Ling'er, let's go."

"Goodbye, Sister Ling'er."

Cheng Duoyi took the hand of Tang Wuling, who had finished her greetings, and began to wander around.

With Leng Xue'er gone, Tang Wuling also relaxed.

"Brother Yi'er, tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and they will arrange the classes then. I wonder which class we will be assigned to."

Cheng Duoyi said, "If nothing goes wrong, it will be Class Five."

"Why Class Five?" Tang Wuling asked, puzzled.

"Think about it, every academy assigns classes based on martial souls. Your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and my body is so frail—if we aren't assigned to Class Five, could we possibly be in Class One?" Cheng Duoyi said.

In truth, if he were willing, he and Tang Wuling could enter Class One directly, but then he wouldn't meet Xie Xie and the future Xu Xiaoyan at the first opportunity, nor would he encounter Gu Yue, or Wu Changkong, the future pillar of Shrek Academy.

"Is that so?" Tang Wuling whispered, feeling somewhat inferior.

Her martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, the most useless martial soul of all.

Before she knew the reality of the Blue Silver Grass, she could deceive herself by saying her martial soul was the same as that of the Sea God Tang San from twenty thousand years ago.

But after learning the truth about the Blue Silver Grass and witnessing Cheng Duoyi's background and Leng Xue'er's power, her mindset had shifted. Yet, in order to stay with Cheng Duoyi, she, a young girl, had the courage to learn blacksmithing.

She feared neither hardship nor fatigue, all to keep pace with Cheng Duoyi in the future!

Fortunately, she had a talent for blacksmithing; at such a young age, she was already a Level 3 Blacksmith capable of completing Thousand Refinement. Only she knew the bitterness hidden within that achievement.

Thinking of what Mang Tian had told her, a Level 3 Blacksmith was already considered a Master Blacksmith, a rare existence throughout the entire Sun Moon Federation.

Moreover, Tang Wuling was so young—just nine years old this year. She was likely the youngest Level 3 Blacksmith in existence. As long as she continued to study and improve her rank step by step, reaching the level of an 8th-rank Saint Craftsman or a 9th-rank God Craftsman was not impossible!

Thinking of this, Tang Wuling cheered herself on: I must become a 9th-rank God Craftsman! When that time comes, I will be able to help Brother Yi'er!

Cheng Duoyi had no idea what Tang Wuling was thinking. Seeing her mood dampen, he assumed it was due to her martial soul and hurriedly encouraged her.

"Ling'er, even though we will be assigned to Class Five, there will be class competitions every year. If we win, we can promote from Class Five to Class Four or Class Three. Even Class One is not impossible."

"Do you have the confidence to lead Class Five to Class One with me?"

The tone of Cheng Duoyi's voice at this moment left Tang Wuling somewhat stunned. Usually, Cheng Duoyi was cheerful and appeared somewhat fragile, as if he needed constant protection.

At this moment, it was as if Cheng Duoyi had become a different person.

"Mhm!" Tang Wuling nodded heavily. "I believe in Brother Yi'er!"

Morale was stabilized!

Next, the two of them continued to stroll around the area.

Meanwhile, Leng Xue'er arrived at the teacher's single dormitory area.

A man wearing a white shirt walked out.

He was tall and straight with a handsome face, his long ice-blue hair draped casually over his shoulders. His eyes were cold, and he radiated a chill that kept strangers at a distance, like an iceberg that had not melted for ten thousand years.

The two locked eyes and were both stunned.

"Leng Xue'er?" The man spoke first, his voice as cold as his demeanor, carrying a trace of surprise.

"Wu Changkong?" Leng Xue'er was also somewhat surprised. "Long Hengxu just said you were the homeroom teacher for Grade One, Class Five. I thought it was just a coincidence of names; I didn't expect it to actually be you."

This person was none other than Wu Changkong, a student of the Shrek Academy inner court.

Back then, the two of them were students in the same year at the Shrek Academy outer court. They were the same age and gradually came to know each other. However, initially in the outer court, they were not in the same grade, though they were both admitted to the Shrek inner court at the same time.

Originally, Leng Xue'er should not have been able to enter the inner court to study; upon graduating from the outer court, she was expected to return to her family or assist Leng Yaozhu. But Leng Xue'er was curious about the inner court, and out of respect for Leng Yaozhu's past favors, the teachers of the Shrek inner court had agreed.

However, after entering the inner court, Leng Xue'er and Wu Changkong had little interaction.

Perhaps it was due to their personalities; Leng Xue'er was naturally cold, unlike Wu Changkong, whose coldness was acquired over time.

She had never thought about finding a partner, focusing her heart and soul entirely on researching martial souls.

Later on, she heard that because of Long Bing, Wu Changkong had left Shrek Academy, and the two had no further contact.

After graduating, Leng Xue'er returned to the Spirit Pagoda, where she was also responsible for educating the disciples of the Leng family.

"Mm." Wu Changkong nodded and asked, "You... how did you end up here? Given your situation, you should have already graduated from the Inner Court."

He had just wanted to ask how his teacher was doing, but considering they weren't close, he refrained. At the same time, he felt a sense of confusion—or rather, deep suspicion—regarding Leng Xue'er's presence here.

After all, he knew a thing or two about the Spirit Pagoda; they never acted without profit. What could be Leng Xue'er's purpose for coming here?

Leng Xue'er said indifferently, "I am now the deputy director of Grade One, Class Five. From now on, we are colleagues."

Perhaps sensing Wu Changkong's confusion, Leng Xue'er added, "I am accompanying my younger brother to school. His name is Cheng Duoyi, and he is in Grade One, Class Five. I will handle his affairs in class; you only need to worry about the other students. I will not interfere."

A flicker of curiosity crossed Wu Changkong's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

He was never one to meddle in other people's business.

If it weren't for the fact that he knew Leng Xue'er and wanted to ask about his teacher, he likely wouldn't have said more than a few words.

"Fine."

Wu Changkong said this flatly, then turned and left without another word.

Leng Xue'er headed toward her single dormitory...