A Tour

"The dean's a busy man. He's not even here on the day new students are being recruited?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"Probably, maybe, perhaps..."

Oscar gave an awkward laugh. He'd been to Flender's little shop in Suotuo City to have fun, and there was no way to gloss over what Flender was like there on an ordinary day.

"Surely he won't be gone all night, will he? How about you show us around the rest of the academy first?"

"Sure."

If it had been anyone else, Oscar naturally wouldn't have bothered showing them around. But there were so many lovely junior schoolmates here.

"This is our training field, this is the cafeteria, and over there is..."

Oscar showed Jiang Jiu and the others around the academy.

"Xiao Jiu, why do I feel like this place is worse than Nuoding Academy?" Xiao Wu whispered in Jiang Jiu's ear.

"As long as they can help us hunt Soul Beasts, that's enough."

Objectively speaking, Shrek Academy's facilities really couldn't compare to those of a junior Soul Master Academy like Nuoding Academy.

Whether it was the cafeteria or the classrooms, the gap was enormous.

There was even less point comparing it to the higher-ranked Soul Master Academies. A Mimicry Cultivation Environment alone was an insurmountable gulf.

Fortunately, Jiang Jiu didn't need any other Mimicry Cultivation Environment. Xiao Wu was enough for him. As long as there was a teacher willing to patiently help him find suitable Soul Beasts to hunt, then, to Jiang Jiu, it was a good academy.

As for the others...

Ning Rongrong was used to grand places. Rich or poor, it was all ordinary to her; either way, none of it was as wealthy as her family. As a result, this Little Demoness wasn't too bothered by Shrek's shabby surroundings.

Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing didn't show any sign of disdain, either. That was partly due to their temperaments, and partly because Li Yusong's Soul Emperor cultivation and Zhao Wuji's Soul Saint cultivation gave them peace of mind.

"All right, that's about it. Our academy's just this big."

Oscar scratched his head sheepishly. Shrek Academy really didn't have much to show off.

"Counting me, there were only three students here before you arrived. We usually went to Suotuo City to have fun. It's not far, just three or four kilometers away."

Oscar did his best to make the place sound better.

Of course, he couldn't tell these people exactly what they did for fun in Suotuo City. That would tarnish his shining image.

"Then should we go have fun in Suotuo City now?" Xiao Wu looked at Jiang Jiu.

"Haven't you had enough fun these past few days?" Jiang Jiu tapped Xiao Wu, who'd been roaming around Suotuo City every day.

But Xiao Wu had a perfectly good reason now, and she made it sound entirely reasonable. "We've met our new classmates. Isn't it normal to go have a nice meal together? Like when that Wang Sheng invited us out to eat before."

"A nice meal together? Do we need someone to treat us? I'll do it!" Ning Rongrong raised her hand. If treating the girls she'd just met to a meal could help her get along with them, she was happy to do it as often as they liked.

Seeing that someone had volunteered, Xiao Wu got even more enthusiastic.

"Zhuqing, are you coming too?"

"I..."

Zhu Zhuqing hadn't even finished refusing when Xiao Wu cut her off.

"Xiao Jiu, look! Three of us have agreed. Majority rules, so you have to listen to me today!"

"Just this once. Don't make a habit of it."

What would happen if Xiao Wu pulled this trick every day?

Still, they really did need to get together, eat, and chat. It would help them get to know one another on a more "civilized" level.

If they fought team battles every day and then went their separate ways afterward, they'd be coworkers, not friends.

"Um, can I come along too?"

Oscar had a feeling he wasn't included in Xiao Wu's "majority rules." Was this not a senior bullying his junior schoolmates, but junior schoolmates ostracizing him?

"We're all students in the same year. It wouldn't be right for a senior to come along, would it?"

Xiao Wu hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to turn on her so quickly, but at least she still had a conscience.

"Why not invite the other two? That way, you'll have company too."

By comparison, the refined and lovely Ning Rongrong suddenly looked utterly hateful to Oscar. Though, to be fair, Xiao Wu hadn't included him earlier, either.

He just wasn't sure how to answer Xiao Wu. Ma Hongjun was who-knew-where, off fooling around. And bringing him along risked dragging down Oscar's reputation. No, it would definitely drag it down. He couldn't have the junior girls condemn him before he'd even had a chance.

As for Dai Mubai, if Boss Dai showed up, wouldn't Oscar lose the spotlight completely? It was rare for him to get to show off in front of the junior girls. Though, things hadn't exactly gone as he'd hoped.

"You have a point. Well, have fun."

Oscar's heart bled, but if none of them got to pick up girls, then everyone could be happy.

After watching Jiang Jiu and the others walk away, Oscar headed for his dormitory like a lonely old man.

"Xiao Ao, where are the people Teacher Li and the others asked you to show around?"

With a thump, Oscar suddenly remembered that he hadn't taken care of their accommodation at all.

But something more interesting caught his attention.

"Boss Dai, what happened to your face?"

"Don't ask. Nobody made it through the third round, so I went to report to Teacher Zhao. Then, for some reason, he gave me a practical lesson. Xiao Ao, have you got any idea what happened?" Dai Mubai said, looking rather glum.

He'd really been busy from one end of the day to the other, from the first round of tests right through to the third.

He wasn't saying he deserved a medal, but surely he hadn't deserved this.

Now he wanted to find out how Zhu Zhuqing was doing, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

Oscar struggled to hold back his laughter. If he laughed, his life would be over.

"W-well, today, Teacher Zhao got kicked. Right in the face. The mark was really deep!"

"Boss Dai, don't tell anyone I told you," Oscar said, lowering his voice as much as he could.

"Who's that strong?" Dai Mubai was stunned.

He thought back and realized that there had indeed been something wrong with Zhao Wuji's face.

For some reason, he felt a lot better. But then, remembering he'd been caught in the crossfire, he couldn't help feeling a little bitter.

"The one with the golden hair. Great figure, pretty face, and vicious when she fought. If she hadn't only had two rings, I might've wondered whether you could beat her, Boss Dai."

"Was it that Xiao Wu?" Dai Mubai asked in surprise.

"Neither of them was easy to deal with."

Jiang Jiu's kick alone had been impressive, especially since she'd landed it on the Immovable Bright King Body. But in terms of sheer horror, what stuck in Oscar's mind most was seeing Teacher Zhao get tossed around by Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu, one after the other.

"What about Zhu Zhuqing?"

"Uh, she's fast? Very good at hiding?"

With Oscar's limited eye for talent, he could only do his best to come up with those strengths. Boss Dai had asked about Zhu Zhuqing specifically, so he surely wanted to hear something nice.

"I see."

If he couldn't compare to the others, then he couldn't compare. The resonance between their Martial Souls wouldn't be wrong.

But where was Zhu Zhuqing now?