Tang Ya explained,
"The Tang Sect's exemption slot this year went to him."
Because of its close ties to the Tang Sect's founding master, Shrek Academy set aside one exemption slot for the Tang Sect every year.
No matter the circumstances, the academy would accept whoever the sect sent.
However, the Tang Sect hadn't used its exemption slot in nearly ten years.
Du Weilun turned to Huo Yuhao and handed him a school badge.
"All right. You're admitted."
Huo Yuhao accepted the badge with both hands.
It was shaped like a little green monster.
It was light, smooth to the touch, and cool. Its edges had been thoughtfully rounded.
It was very finely made.
Huo Yuhao studied it carefully with his deep-blue eyes.
Then he carefully put it away.
Wearing this badge, no matter who you were, you'd be envied wherever you went in Shrek City.
It was proof of your status.
Registration was over.
After they collected their uniforms and received a brief introduction to Shrek Academy,
"Yu Hao, we'll be off now."
Tang Ya waved goodbye to Huo Yuhao.
"Goodbye, Teacher Xiao Ya. Goodbye, Senior Brother."
Bei Bei and Tang Ya were both in the upper grades and already had plenty to do. What's more, Tang Ya needed to prepare for her promotion assessment.
Lu Ran planned to look at the dormitories with Jiang Nannan.
Huo Yuhao was short on money, so he first had to go collect the Soul Master subsidies issued by the three empires.
Yes, even on the continent ten thousand years later, low-rank Soul Masters still received subsidies, jointly distributed by the Heaven Soul, Dou Ling, and Star Luo Empires.
One Gold Soul Coin a month for One-Ring Soul Masters.
Two Gold Soul Coins a month for Second-Ring Soul Masters.
It sounded like a lot. After all, a whole Gold Soul Coin was no small amount.
Surely that was enough to spend lavishly, right?
And even if not, shouldn't it be enough to live comfortably?
The exact opposite was true.
It only sounded like a lot.
One Gold Soul Coin was worth a hundred Copper Soul Coins. Spread across thirty days, that came to less than three and a half Copper Soul Coins a day. Even Shrek Academy's cheapest set meal of stir-fried greens and white rice cost two Copper Soul Coins.
Even if he ate the cheapest set meal,
he'd need four Copper Soul Coins a day.
One Gold Soul Coin wasn't even enough to cover his meals.
Still, something was better than nothing. Huo Yuhao decided to register as a Soul Master and collect his subsidy first, then figure out a way to earn some extra money.
Thinking of what Teacher Xiao Ya had said about all the scholarship competitions held inside Shrek Academy,
and how there were even ways to earn extra money,
his heart filled with hope. His future seemed bright.
A quiet, tree-lined path.
Blue bricks paved the road, with the occasional green leaf scattered across them. Carefully trimmed plants lined both sides, and a few green caterpillars crawled among them.
"Junior... junior... junior..."
Jiang Nannan clung to Lu Ran, rubbing against his chest.
She wheedled,
"Come on, call me Senior Sister... Just once~"
"Just once... Come on, just once~"
Lu Ran wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his embrace. Her soft body felt like a pool of spring water.
He couldn't help giving her a couple of squeezes.
Jiang Nannan closed her eyes, a rosy flush appearing on her pretty face.
She shifted in Lu Ran's arms,
and a faint little hum escaped her delicate nose.
She sounded coquettish,
as if she were voicing her displeasure.
Lu Ran ran one hand through her silky blond hair.
If they'd been alone,
Jiang Nannan would have been begging for mercy by now.
How could she be this brazen?
Sigh, whatever had happened to that soft-spoken girl from back then...
He gently stroked Jiang Nannan's back, unable to stop himself from reminiscing.
Then he gave her a few playful scratches.
Jiang Nannan squirmed in his arms again, making a faint, displeased sound through her nose.
It was soft and sweet.
Cicadas suddenly chirred in the branches, but the tranquil atmosphere remained undisturbed.
After enjoying their moment together for a while,
"Let's go."
Lu Ran took Jiang Nannan by the hand and headed for the dormitories.
They turned this way and that,
and after the final corner,
they arrived in front of an old dormitory building. Young men and women came and went, while the branches of a century-old tree stretched across the entrance. Sunlight filtered through the lush green leaves, casting dappled shadows.
Beneath the sunlight, an old man in gray, his face lined with wrinkles and his life seemingly nearing its end, reclined in a chair with his eyes half-closed.
Lu Ran and Jiang Nannan's arrival drew the attention of the students nearby.
They immediately became the center of everyone's attention.
Jiang Nannan affectionately looped her arm around Lu Ran's,
pressing close against him,
staking her claim.
Her meaning couldn't have been clearer.
She felt Lu Ran lightly pat her hand and glanced at him in curiosity.
Seeing his expression turn serious,
she obediently let go at once.
She didn't know why Lu Ran wanted her to let go,
but she did as he asked.
She always listened to him.
Lu Ran led Jiang Nannan over to Mu En and respectfully greeted him.
"Elder Mu."
Mu En slowly opened his eyes, a kind smile appearing on his aged face.
Compared to five years ago, he seemed even older now.
"Xiao Ran..."
Mu En held out a bony hand, offering him a key.
"Room 110. Eighth door on the right on the first floor..."
"The rooms above the fourth floor are for girls. Don't go wandering around up there..."
He smiled at Jiang Nannan,
then slowly closed his eyes.
Do I look like that kind of person?
Lu Ran accepted the key with a serious expression. I'm a very well-behaved person. I'd never go wandering around for no reason...
After bowing together with Jiang Nannan,
they went upstairs.
As they reached the dormitory door, Jiang Nannan couldn't help glancing back at Mu En.
She'd seen this unremarkable old man when she first enrolled,
but had never thought much of him.
Now, though, Lu Ran was treating him with such respect.
His identity had to be extraordinary.
Elder Mu? Old Mu? Or Mu the Elder? She'd never heard anyone address him that way. Who was he?
All sorts of guesses surfaced in her mind.
They arrived at the dormitory.
Lu Ran put the key in and pushed open the door.
A faint smell of dust wafted into their noses.
The familiar feeling washed over them.
The room was a little dusty and very simply furnished.
A closed window stood directly opposite the door.
There were two beds, a table, two cabinets, and a light overhead.
That was all.
Lu Ran stepped inside
and looked around the room, which was only ten square meters.
It wasn't like the six-person dormitory he'd once stayed in, but he still felt a little nostalgic.
Outside the window was a neatly planned grove.
He pushed the window open,
and the air immediately turned fresh.
Jiang Nannan reached out a slender finger and lightly wiped the windowsill. A layer of dust clung to her pale fingertip.
She smiled, as if she'd expected this all along.
She raised her hand, and a gray towel appeared.
It looked rather old.
A wooden basin filled with water also appeared on the floor.
The Storage Soul Tool was a gift Lu Ran had given her.
"Impressive, right? I knew there'd be dust."
Jiang Nannan proudly wiped the dust from her finger,
then looked at Lu Ran with bright eyes.
"Which bed do you want?"
She was ready to start cleaning.
Lu Ran didn't answer. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He raised his hand,
and a powerful gust swept through the dormitory,
carrying the dust out the window
and reaching every corner of the room.
Jiang Nannan's eyes lit up.
You could even do that?
"Lu Ran, aren't your attributes earth and water?"
How could you summon wind, too?
"I told you I can control Soul Beasts. Do wind-attribute Soul Beasts not count as Soul Beasts?"
Lu Ran casually placed a bamboo tube on one of the beds.
That settled which bed he'd chosen.
"Come on, let's go look around."
Shrek City was extremely prosperous, situated where the borders of the three empires met and offering all manner of delicacies.
But perhaps because of her Martial Soul, Jiang Nannan clearly preferred vegetables to meat.
Lu Ran had secretly asked Tang Ya about it and confirmed that Jiang Nannan wasn't just being reserved around him.
She really did love vegetables.
The two walked hand in hand down the street, Jiang Nannan eating a Black Tea Fruit.
Lu Ran kept imagining rabbit ears on her head,
It seemed to be bouncing up and down.
Mm... I want to touch rabbit ears.
In the afternoon,
Lu Ran returned to the dorm and found the door open.
Someone there?
He walked in and saw a handsome, fair-skinned boy sitting beside the bed. His big eyes were a striking powder blue...
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