Soon, a Martial Soul Star employee took a stack of bills to Pope Palace to settle the account.
Looking at the bills in his hands, Yue Guan felt a headache coming on.
Unfortunately, Gui Mei had gone to keep an eye on Shrek, so Yue Guan had to take the bills to His Holiness the Pope himself.
This had nothing to do with him. Surely she wouldn't take it out on him...
A moment later, Bibi Dong flew into a rage. She slammed her scepter against the floor and stared at the bill in disbelief.
"Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?! That little bastard! Where is he?!"
She'd never even bought clothes that expensive herself. Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins—and he'd spent it on just a few outfits?!
Yue Guan hunched his shoulders and said quietly, "Your Holiness, Young Master Cen should be over at Martial Soul Academy right now..."
At that, Bibi Dong rose and headed for the hall's entrance. "Come on. We're going to Martial Soul Academy."
Feeling the low pressure radiating from his boss, Yue Guan hurried after her.
Tsk, tsk, tsk... Cen Yu, you're on your own.
"Honestly, you haven't seen enough of the world. You should go out and see more of the vast lands beyond."
"So what if you're an auxiliary-type Soul Master? So what if you're a control-type Soul Master? I could even be a Power Attack System Soul Master!"
"As long as you have a dream, you're sure to succeed!"
Black-faced Cen Yu sat on the steps, looking smug as he fed Hu Liena and the others a dose of inspirational wisdom.
Well... whether it was toxic wisdom, he couldn't say.
Hu Liena and the other two listened in a daze, as though a whole new world had opened up before them.
That was right! Why couldn't a control-type Soul Master specialize in powerful attacks? If you had enough tricks and hit hard enough, what did it matter if you were a Power Attack System Soul Master?
Hu Liena nodded. "That makes sense. It's another way of looking at things..."
Seeing that he'd set the mood just right, Cen Yu beamed and took out a freshly written storybook he'd just had someone put together. It was still warm as he handed it to the three of them.
"Listen, this world is a cruel place. The storybook says it, too—an unexpected turn of events could happen anywhere, at any time."
Hu Liena and the others took the book, puzzled, and began to read.
A moment later.
Yan said furiously, "Wang San is too despicable! He couldn't beat his opponent with two different weapons, so he resorted to tricks from another world to win with a sneak attack."
Hu Liena was just as indignant. "And those people who lost were useless! They were clearly stronger than Wang San, yet they still got caught off guard?"
Wait.
As she spoke, a thought suddenly struck her.
Wasn't Tang San just like that? Blue Silver Grass, plus a Clear Sky Hammer—and he was weaker than them.
That was exactly the same setup as the protagonist in the storybook.
A storybook was only a storybook, of course, but what if? What if Tang San had some underhanded tricks up his sleeve? Wouldn't they bring shame upon Spirit Hall?
Her teacher had been right all along: even when hunting a rabbit, a lion must give it everything it has. Underestimating your opponent was a soldier's greatest taboo.
She couldn't afford to let her guard down when the time came. She didn't want to get caught off guard and lose at the last moment.
Just then, an angry roar rang out from afar. "Cen Yu!!!"
They turned to look and immediately spotted the Pope walking toward them with a dark expression, followed by Chrysanthemum Douluo with his head bowed.
Cen Yu's heart tightened.
Oh no, she's here to call me to account! No, no, I don't want to get scolded.
Hu Liena and the other two hurriedly saluted.
"Teacher."
"Your Holiness."
"Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo."
Bibi Dong looked at Cen Yu and was just about to let loose when he bowed with lightning speed and obediently said,
"Thank you for buying me those clothes, Master. I really like them, but they were too expensive. Please don't do that again."
"..."
Yue Guan stared at Cen Yu, dumbfounded, as he carried out that smooth little maneuver.
Wait, he could do that? Strike first to gain the upper hand?
But the next second, Yue Guan came to his senses and didn't dare look at his boss's expression again.
At that, Bibi Dong looked as if she'd just eaten some unidentified lump of filth. She glared at Cen Yu so fiercely that it seemed she could bore right through him.
Damn it! That little bastard! How could he say something like that?!
What could she say to that? Quibble with the little bastard over Gold Soul Coins in front of a crowd? Where would that leave her dignity?
In the end, Bibi Dong's expression shifted several times. After a good while, she finally forced out, "As long as you like them!"
She sighed, walked over to Hu Liena, and patted her on the head. "Liena, if there's anything you want, go buy it yourself. Put it on my account."
Hu Liena bowed, overwhelmed by the unexpected offer. "Thank you, Teacher."
Cen Yu's eyes spun, and he sidled up to Bibi Dong with a grin. "Master, I want that, too~"
"..."
Bibi Dong's expression darkened. She told Hu Liena to train hard, then left.
Once she was gone, Hu Liena asked, puzzled, "Junior, what did you do? Teacher looked really angry."
That was the first time Hu Liena had ever seen her teacher with an expression like that—turning red, then green, then pale.
After making sure Bibi Dong had really left, Cen Yu chuckled and pointed at his clothes. "Look, how do these look?"
Hu Liena gave them a once-over and nodded. "They're great. The fabric and workmanship are both excellent. Teacher treats you so well."
Then, along with Xie Yue and Yan, she heard something that left them all stunned.
"I bought these at Martial Soul Star. I also bought a few other outfits. It came to about five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and I put it on Master's account."
"How much?!" Yan asked, dumbfounded.
Hu Liena blinked. "Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins? Junior, what did you buy?"
She couldn't help thinking back to her teacher's expression just now. The corner of her mouth twitched.
No wonder Teacher had looked like that. She'd called for Junior, then left without saying anything. It turned out she'd just received the bill.
"Junior, don't do that again. You need to learn to be more frugal."
"Teacher treats us well, but you can't squander money like that. Don't disappoint her expectations."
At that, Cen Yu waved a hand. "All right, all right~ I get it~"
"I'm heading home to cultivate~ See you at the tournament~ Senior Sister and seniors~"
I'm in such a good mood today~ I've got a Soul Bone lined up, and I bought clothes, too~ Turns out people who smile really do have better luck~
Once he was gone, Hu Liena sighed and said to Xie Yue, "Brother, let's get back to training."
"There isn't much time before the tournament starts. Even though we're Soul Kings, we can't let our guard down."
Xie Yue nodded. "Right. Let's practice coordinating Demon Charm some more."
Elsewhere, the little rabbit had just returned from obtaining a Soul Ring with Liu Erlong, still unaware that someone had already assigned her a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone.
Tang San cupped his hands toward Liu Erlong. "Thanks to you, Teacher Erlong, Xiao Wu was able to obtain her fourth Soul Ring before the tournament."
At that, Liu Erlong's expression turned strange. She said, troubled, "Actually, I didn't help much. As soon as we entered the forest, we got separated."
"I was frantic. I searched the whole forest for Xiao Wu."
"But then..."
Xiao Wu had been completely unharmed—and had obtained her fourth Soul Ring, too.
But it seemed... every time Xiao Wu obtained a Soul Ring, she would mysteriously disappear...
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