After the Storm, the Dean Arrives

The person who arrived was none other than Yan Shaozhe. Having just seen Ma Xiaotao rush back to the Sea God Pavilion in a frantic state, he immediately realized something had gone wrong. He wasted no time, tracking the path Ma Xiaotao had taken. Fortunately, these few little ones hadn't left yet; otherwise, Ma Xiaotao's reputation would have been completely ruined.

However, the most fortunate thing was that these children were unharmed. After all, they were all Shrek students, and every one of them was precious.

"Who are you?"

The trio, who had never seen Yan Shaozhe before, looked at the imposing group with confusion. Could the person from earlier have been an intruder who broke into the academy? Were these teachers here to catch him? If so, Shrek was far too easy to infiltrate. Besides, if these teachers were only arriving now, wouldn't the situation have already gone cold if something had actually happened?

"I am Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek. The person who attacked you earlier was an inner court student who suffered a cultivation deviation. We have already handled the matter, but I hope you will keep this confidential. I will give you some Soul Ascension Pill as hush money, but if you leak even half a word, you will face expulsion. Do you understand?"

As he spoke, Yan Shaozhe took a bottle of Soul Ascension Pill from his Soul Tool and handed it to them.

"Wow, it's actually this good stuff!"

Wang Dong, standing to the side, was as shocked as in the original story. Su Qing secretly scoffed to himself: did this guy really not eat these like candy back at the Clear Sky Sect? How could he act so ignorant of the world? And it didn't look like he was acting at all.

"We understand!"

Before the somewhat dissatisfied Xiao Xiao could speak, Huo Yuhao stepped in first. Given Xiao Xiao's straightforward nature, she would surely say something that would displease the other party. In truth, for students who had just enrolled, this was the best possible outcome: they were safe and had received hush money. If they were to lose everything by being petty, that would be a disaster.

"Many thanks to Dean Yan for clarifying. However, someone who suffers a cultivation deviation just by practicing should be purged from the sect early, otherwise, it might lead to a great disaster in the future."

Although Su Qing knew Ma Xiaotao wasn't inherently evil, he couldn't help but retort. After all, she was Yan Shaozhe's direct disciple. She had caused such a huge mess, yet he maintained this attitude toward the victims. If he had just offered a simple apology, they wouldn't even have needed the hush money; a few words would have sufficed.

They wouldn't have gone around talking about it, but threatening students was hardly the behavior of a dean.

"You... that is none of your concern."

Yan Shaozhe was quite angered, but looking at Su Qing, who felt strangely familiar, he seemed to recall something. He merely glared at him, cut the conversation short, and left with the other teachers.

"Brother Su, we don't have the strength to resist yet. You were too reckless."

Huo Yuhao said in a low voice. He was genuinely afraid that the other party might kill Su Qing in a fit of rage; that wouldn't do, as he hadn't even had the chance to repay his debt of gratitude yet.

"Hmm."

Su Qing nodded without speaking, silently handing the Soul Ascension Pill to Xiao Xiao. He had no use for such things, so it was better to let Xiao Xiao level up quickly before the freshman assessment. That way, they wouldn't have to force a century-old soul ring onto her second martial soul just for the sake of a measly competition.

"Xiao Qing, am I holding you back..."

Having faced Yan Shaozhe directly and felt the gap in strength for the first time, Xiao Xiao hesitated to accept Su Qing's gift.

"That is exactly why you must accept it. Only by becoming stronger can I safely entrust my back to you."

Mesmerized once again by his gentle smile, Xiao Xiao stood stunned in place. Su Qing hadn't denied that she was holding him back—after all, it was a fact that being weak meant dragging others down. But the weak would not remain weak forever; they were simply walking a bit slower. Once they grew, they could fight side-by-side with those who had once protected them.

"I will definitely become stronger quickly and won't hold you back anymore!"

Having made up her mind, Xiao Xiao looked at Su Qing with firm eyes.

"But, having said that, if Xiao Qing is so powerful, can we still win the championship in the freshman assessment?"

While the two were still gazing at each other, Wang Dong asked the soul-searching question. Indeed, Zhou Yi had threatened the three of them to win the championship, but with Su Qing standing in their way like a city wall, what were they supposed to do?

"It's fine, Wang Dong. We still have our secret weapon!"

Huo Yuhao was very confident in the Martial Soul Fusion Skill he and Wang Dong possessed. After all, the effect of the Golden Road was to force the opponent to deactivate their martial soul. Even someone as strong as Su Qing couldn't possibly face that head-on, right? It had to be!

"What? You actually hid a secret weapon from me? As a teammate, I'm so hurt!"

Hearing their conversation, Xiao Xiao immediately put on a wounded expression. So much for the unbreakable, rock-solid trio; was she just an afterthought? Teammates, you really have treated me poorly...

"I look forward to your secret weapon. See you in the finals."

With that, Su Qing ruffled Xiao Xiao's hair, leaving the trio to themselves. It wasn't late yet, and they would surely want to train for a while longer. As an opponent, his presence would only make them feel restricted, and he didn't want that, so he took his leave.

At night, Su Qing's door was knocked on again. This time, it was Zhang Lexuan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. After opening the door, the two didn't speak much. Following a brief exchange of glances, Zhang Lexuan turned and walked toward the Sea God Lake, and Su Qing followed.

"I heard you encountered a rampaging Ma Xiaotao today?"

Although Su Qing had already guessed that she had found time in her busy schedule because she heard the news, he hadn't expected her to be so direct. He thought she would start by catching up.

"That's right. But I briefly imbued her with a purer flame, allowing her to burn away the evil fire that was controlling her mind."

His casual tone made it sound like a trivial matter, but the sharp-witted Zhang Lexuan quickly caught the subtext: the flame Su Qing controlled was of a higher order than Ma Xiaotao's. He had a way to control the evil fire, but without knowing if there were side effects for him, Zhang Lexuan didn't intend to suggest he help Ma Xiaotao suppress it. After all, to her, Su Qing was more important than Ma Xiaotao.

"Will this have any effect on your body?"

"Of course not. Have you forgotten how I cleared the Demon Flame in the forest back then? But, Sister Lexuan, are you asking me to help that person clear her evil fire?"

In truth, Su Qing hadn't revealed his ultimate attribute to anyone yet, only letting them think the elements he controlled were slightly higher-grade than the average—and as for how much "slightly" was, it was about as much as the gap between his pinched index finger and thumb.

"Not at all. I just heard you were in danger and wanted to see if you were safe. After all, I don't want to experience the loss of a companion ever again."

Although Yan Shaozhe had repeatedly explained that they were all fine, some things still made one anxious until seen with one's own eyes.