Gong Changlong hurried onto the platform in the Beast Fighting Arena, his face full of heartache. First, he shot an exasperated glare at the Soul Douluo teachers stationed on either side of the platform, then turned to Yang Jian, who had stopped fighting at his arrival.
Seeing the expression on Yang Jian's face, Elder Gong waved a hand in annoyance. "You win, you win. Go on, get out of here. I really did misjudge you, kid. I never expected you to be such a brute."
As he spoke, Gong Changlong glanced back at the Two-Headed Lion King, which had fled straight into the passage with a wronged look on both faces. The corners of his mouth twitched twice.
This kid... even if his opponent is a Soul Beast, there's no need to beat it that brutally, is there?
Of course, Gong Changlong only grumbled to himself.
In truth, he could tell that Yang Jian hadn't hit it too hard. It was still within what the Two-Headed Lion King could endure. At worst, the beast might end up so traumatized that it shut itself away.
He might even have to give the Two-Headed Lion King some counseling later...
"All right."
Yang Jian answered. Xiao Bai, who had looked mighty and imposing, instantly shrank and hopped back into his arms.
That sight also drew Gong Changlong's gaze to Xiao Bai, and an intrigued look appeared on his face. "Your Martial Soul is interesting. It's clearly a Beast Martial Soul, yet you don't need Martial Soul Possession. What's it called?"
"Silver Howl Divine Dog."
Divine Dog?
Gong Changlong's brows furrowed of their own accord.
A Martial Soul with the word "divine" in its name... It sounded extraordinary at once. After all, gods truly existed on the Douluo Continent. Ten thousand years ago, the first-generation Shrek Seven Devils had ascended to the Divine Realm and become gods.
Could this Silver Howl Divine Dog be the inheritance of a god, too?
Though all sorts of suspicions rose in his heart, Gong Changlong showed nothing on the surface. He merely waved his hand. "All right, off you go. You don't need to come to my Beast Fighting Arena again. There aren't many Soul Beasts in the Beast Enclosure that can match your strength."
That was a lie.
In reality, as a major project built up by Shrek Academy, the Beast Enclosure contained most common Soul Beasts. It had no Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but it had Soul Beasts of every other age. There was more than one beast with eighty or ninety thousand years of cultivation, too.
But every Soul Beast with eighty or ninety thousand years of cultivation was one of Gong Changlong's prized treasures, and he lived in fear that something might happen to them.
With a violent brat like Yang Jian around, he'd better not let him come and wreck his prized treasures.
Gong Changlong's tone was hardly friendly, but Yang Jian only gave him a slight bow before turning and leaving the Beast Fighting Arena.
Before he even reached the stands, he spotted a slender figure in red at the far end, standing at the very top.
Noticing Yang Jian's gaze, Ma Xiaotao waved at him openly, a glimmer of interest rising in her beautiful eyes.
She hadn't watched the whole fight just now. She had only seen Yang Jian pummel the Two-Headed Lion King with punch after punch at the end.
To Ma Xiaotao, a Two-Headed Lion King with forty-two thousand years of cultivation was certainly no small problem. If she could break through to Soul Emperor, she would have no trouble dealing with it, but for now, she was still only a Soul King.
Yet a Soul Beast that even she would find tricky had been almost entirely unable to fight back against Yang Jian. It was hard for Ma Xiaotao not to feel impressed.
Yang Jian was a little surprised to see Ma Xiaotao in the Beast Fighting Zone, but he only glanced at her before looking away.
Ma Xiaotao seemed to be in pretty good shape right now. She probably hadn't reached the point where she couldn't suppress her Evil Fire, so she might not have come looking for him.
And even if she really couldn't suppress her Evil Fire, he'd need to see some sincerity from her first.
What Yang Jian hadn't expected was that Bei Bei and Tang Ya were there, too.
Though not much time had passed, Bei Bei and Tang Ya seemed to have made rapid progress in their relationship. There was a sticky, lovey-dovey air between them that made Ye Qingyuan beside them look like a third wheel.
"Second Brother!"
Ye Qingyuan waved at Yang Jian with a beaming smile, her face full of pride.
Though Bei Bei and Tang Ya were praising Yang Jian, Ye Qingyuan couldn't help feeling a little smug. An inexplicable sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
"Yang Jian, you're way too fierce! Now I really believe that rumor about you beating your homeroom teacher."
Tang Ya gave Yang Jian a thumbs-up without hesitation, while Bei Bei beside her couldn't help adding, "Amazing."
Before Yang Jian could reply, Ma Xiaotao, who had been up above the viewing area, walked over. Her voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Yang Jian, I've told my teacher what you asked for, and he agreed. But... he wants to meet you."
At that, the others were taken aback.
Yang Jian was the first to react.
Yan Shaozhe wanted to meet him?
When Yan Shaozhe came to mind, Yang Jian didn't first think of his teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, or his position as the dean of the Martial Soul Department. Instead, he thought of the tangled love-hate relationship between him and the two deans of the Soul Guidance Department.
Oh, apart from that mess, the love triangle between Yan Shaozhe's teacher, Mu En, and Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui was pretty melodramatic, too.
Who would have thought that Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department and possessor of the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, was actually descended from Evil Soul Masters?
If only someone would write a book about Yan Shaozhe. They could call it A Few Things About Yan Shaozhe, Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. It would be a guaranteed hit, wouldn't it?
"Now?"
"That's right. I'll take you to him."
As she spoke, Ma Xiaotao turned to Ye Qingyuan, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei, a smile on her face. "You don't mind if I borrow Yang Jian for a while, do you?"
Ma Xiaotao did have business with Yang Jian, but... why did that sound so strange?
"Second Brother, go ahead. I was just going to explore Shrek Academy with Tang Ya and get familiar with the place. I've been enrolled for so long, but I haven't really had a chance to look around."
Ye Qingyuan didn't pick up on Ma Xiaotao's words. She just smiled at Yang Jian.
Yang Jian thought it over briefly, then agreed.
He needed Shrek Academy's intelligence network to help him pinpoint where to find a Soul Beast suitable for his fourth Soul Ring, so meeting with Yan Shaozhe was certainly worthwhile.
"Let's go."
Seeing that Yang Jian had agreed, Ma Xiaotao's face flashed with delight. She was impatient by nature, and this concerned her Evil Fire, so she immediately turned and strode out of the viewing area.
"Qingyuan, you're really just going to let Yang Jian leave with another woman?"
Watching Yang Jian and Ma Xiaotao's backs, Tang Ya gently nudged Ye Qingyuan and muttered under her breath.
Ye Qingyuan said nothing, only shook her head softly.
"Honestly, I'm not trying to criticize you. You and Yang Jian grew up together as childhood friends, and he's so outstanding. If you ask me, you'd better keep an eye on him."
Ye Qingyuan gave Tang Ya, who was offering her advice, a strange look, then glanced at Bei Bei, who was gazing at Tang Ya with a tender expression.
Fine, you're one to talk.
You're doing the exact same thing yourself.
Before you continue