Three years later.
Tang San stood at the gates of Shrek Academy, brimming with confidence. His gaze once again fell upon Suotuo City, and memories from three years ago suddenly came rushing back, vivid as ever.
According to Grandmaster, this was an academy that only accepted monsters. Here, Tang San could make the most of his potential. Of course, the more important reason was that he wanted to grow stronger more than ever before. He wanted to defeat the nightmare in his heart.
Every night, whenever he woke from a dream at midnight, a handsome, refined face would appear, wearing a devilish smile. Tang San would jolt awake, drenched in cold sweat.
He swore to himself that this time, he would reclaim every last bit of the face he had lost!
"Although that kid Chu Qing is a bit of a genius, without a truly good platform and a good academy, he's destined not to achieve much. Xiao San, work hard now that you're going to Shrek Academy. You'll surely surpass him one day! Don't get discouraged. That kid Chu Qing was precocious as a child, but that doesn't mean he'll amount to much as an adult."
Grandmaster's earnest words still lingered in Tang San's ears. At last, he made up his mind and stepped into the academy that accepted only monsters—Shrek Academy!
He soon passed the entrance examination. Afterward, Tang San and Xiao Wu went to Shrek Academy's Academic Affairs Office to register. In truth, the so-called office was nothing more than a shabby little shack. Flender was speaking with a tall young man, his expression serious. The youth had his back to Tang San.
Memories stirred once more in Tang San's mind. Uneasily, he shook his head, went to the doorway, and gently knocked on the open door.
"Are you Dean Flender? I'm a new student here to register. My name is Tang San."
"Xiao Wu," Xiao Wu added.
Flender paused his conversation and nodded. Then he said to the tall youth before him, "Xiao Qing, go help your junior schoolmates get settled."
The tall youth nodded and turned around.
For a moment, six eyes met.
"Chu Qing?! Why is it him again!" Tang San nearly crumbled, but forced himself to keep his composure.
Xiao Wu instinctively took a couple of steps back. She hadn't expected the young man who had seen through her identity with a single remark all those years ago to be here too. Her feelings were a tangled mess.
Chu Qing, however, remained unruffled. "Good to meet you, junior schoolmates. I'm Chu Qing. We'll be classmates from now on, so I hope we get along." His warm smile shone over the room like sunlight. His eyes sparkled, and he stood tall and elegant as a jade tree.
Tang San looked at Chu Qing, then at himself. In the past three years, apart from growing taller, his looks and bearing had hardly changed. Though he was unwilling to admit it, standing before Chu Qing, who seemed as if he had stepped down from the heavens, he couldn't help feeling ashamed of himself. He forced out a bitter smile and stammered, "H-hello, senior."
Xiao Wu's feelings were complicated as she greeted him too. "Hello, senior."
Flender read their expressions and asked, "Xiao Qing, did you know each other before?"
"We were classmates at the junior academy," Chu Qing replied. "We know each other."
Flender beamed. "Good! Excellent! You're classmates now, so look out for each other."
"Come with me," Chu Qing said. "I'll help you get your dorm assignments."
Chu Qing walked ahead, leaving his back exposed to the two of them without a care, as if he had no suspicion at all.
Tang San silently schemed. This is the perfect opportunity! He's so careless. The kid's nothing special after all.
Xiao Wu seemed to notice something. She gently took Tang San's hand and shook her head.
But by now, Tang San was already blinded by hatred. He yanked his hand free of Xiao Wu's and glared at her viciously, as if to say, Don't meddle!
Xiao Wu froze. Suddenly, Tang San seemed like a stranger. The third brother she had met back then, who had been wholeheartedly kind to her, now seemed like an entirely different person.
All the way there, Tang San glared at Chu Qing's back with a vicious look, the Hidden Weapon in his hand poised to strike. He was waiting for the perfect moment to take his revenge!
After they passed a corner, Tang San was just about to launch his attack when Chu Qing, who had been walking ahead of him, suddenly vanished like a ghost!
Tang San activated his Purple Demon Eye. He had trained hard over the past few years, and his Purple Demon Eye had reached an impressive level. Ordinary movement techniques couldn't escape his sight.
Yet, strangely, he couldn't find any trace of Chu Qing. Cold sweat ran down his face, but he stubbornly kept searching in every direction.
Suddenly, a hand settled on Tang San's shoulder. A voice from his nightmares rang out:
"What, you want to kill me?"
Tang San's entire body tensed in an instant. He stiffly turned his head and forced a smile. "Senior, you're joking..."
At that moment, he understood just how vast the gap between them really was!
Chu Qing gave him a wicked smile. "I hope so. Come on. We'll have plenty of time together from now on. If you want to spar with me, just say the word!" Then he let go.
Tang San smiled ingratiatingly. "You've misunderstood, senior. How would I dare oppose you? I'll be relying on you while I'm here!"
Then he forced another smile, said goodbye to Chu Qing, and turned to Xiao Wu. "Stay close to the senior. Don't cause trouble."
Xiao Wu shot Tang San a look of disgust. The Tang San before her was so fawning, so dark and despicable. He was no longer the third brother she had once liked.
Then she ignored Tang San and followed Chu Qing toward the girls' dormitory on the other side.
Though Chu Qing had once threatened her, he acted openly and honorably, and would never resort to vicious revenge. If Tang San was like a venomous snake lurking in a filthy ditch, then Chu Qing was like a striped tiger prowling the mountains, exuding an air of kingly dominance.
As if sensing something, Chu Qing looked back. Xiao Wu was looking right at him too. She froze, then lowered her head. Chu Qing gave her a wicked smile. "What? Afraid I'll tell everyone your secret?"
Xiao Wu glared at him in annoyance. "What exactly do you want?"
Finding her more and more amusing, Chu Qing stepped close. His tall frame blocked Xiao Wu's view as he leaned toward her ear. "What, afraid I'll eat you?" His masculine breath brushed her earlobe. Xiao Wu nervously shifted her hair, said nothing, and quietly left.
The usually overbearing Xiao Wu felt uneasy all over when she was around Chu Qing, yet she didn't dislike the feeling. She didn't know what to do with it, so for now, she could only flee.
Chu Qing called after her. "Xiao Wu!"
Xiao Wu paused.
"The girls' dormitory is on the left. You're going the wrong way!"
Xiao Wu gave Chu Qing an embarrassed, annoyed glance, then turned and headed in the right direction.
Watching her go, Chu Qing murmured to himself, "Maybe Xiao Wu would be a good choice."
Three years ago, he had already reached level twenty-eight. After three years of cultivation, he had barely made it to level twenty-nine, still unable to break through the threshold of level thirty. He was growing anxious, but couldn't find a solution.
After repeated experiments, he seemed to have gradually figured out why he couldn't break through.