The Start of School

Early in the morning, Tang San climbed onto the roof, intending to practice his Purple Demon Eye, only to see two familiar figures already active on the playground not far away.

It felt like being back at Nuoding Academy.

Even the breakfast was similar to what they had in the first-floor cafeteria back at Nuoding Academy.

Steamed buns, porridge, and pickles—it was only meant to keep you full; don't even think about nutrition.

Of course, Jiang Jiu had started heading to the second floor the moment he had a little money back then; he would never mistreat his own body, and naturally, the same held true now.

"Here, your breakfast."

In the cafeteria, Xiao Wu was distributing the breakfast she and Jiang Jiu had run into Suotuo City to buy to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Qing, and Jiang Jiu handed a portion to Tang San as well.

"Wow, thanks!" Ning Rongrong accepted it generously, and Zhu Qing also whispered her thanks.

Aside from a few villagers responsible for preparing the food, the five new students were the only ones in the cafeteria right now.

It was normal for Zhu Qing to arrive so early, but Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, hadn't slept in; she wasn't as lazy as one might have imagined.

Judging solely by their enthusiasm for breakfast, the three senior students at Shrek Academy were the ones who were really slacking off.

"Xiao Wu, do you drink that much soy milk? Is that why... mph..." A peeled egg blocked Ning Rongrong's mouth.

"This egg is a bargain for you." Xiao Wu peeled an eggshell with one hand while drinking her soy milk.

In private, she wouldn't mind chatting about such topics with Ning Rongrong, but the Shrek Academy cafeteria was still a bit too public.

"Xiao Jiu, ah~"

She had learned this one-handed egg-peeling trick from Jiang Jiu, and ever since she mastered it, she claimed the eggs for herself whenever they had boiled ones.

By the time Ning Rongrong finally managed to swallow the egg, Jiang Jiu and the others had already swept their plates clean.

"I wanted to say this yesterday—you guys can really eat," Ning Rongrong remarked with a slight grumble.

Xiao Wu didn't mind being told she could eat; after all, Ning Rongrong had been the benefactor paying for the meal yesterday.

Besides, she was no longer the herbivore she used to be; this was truly where Jiang Jiu had raised her.

"If we don't eat enough, where would we get the energy to exercise? Plus, Xiao Jiu likes my current figure."

"I know you've got a big butt." Ning Rongrong was still annoyed about having an egg shoved into her mouth by Xiao Wu; she preferred to eat in small, dainty bites.

Zhu Qing listened silently from the side and began to take notes.

Usually one to stop while she was ahead, she decided to aim for the appetites of Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu. Her chewing remained composed, but the speed at which she stuffed food into her mouth increased significantly.

Breakfast was mostly finished, with only a few portions left on the table.

After tidying up briefly, they planned to find a place to see what the Crystal Board Tang San mentioned was actually capable of.

By the time Dai Mubai led Ma Hongjun into the cafeteria, Jiang Jiu and the others were already gone.

Dai Mubai glared at the gluttonous Ma Hongjun; it was all this fat guy's fault for wasting his time. It was a waste of all the effort he'd put into grooming himself early in the morning, though at least he would see Zhu Qing again after the bell rang.

"Dai the Boss, don't just watch—eat with me."

"I don't know who prepared such a hearty breakfast, but they're a good person! It would be even better if we could eat like this every day!"

"It's not like you can't afford it yourself," Dai Mubai said, sitting down.

"If I had that kind of money, I'd rather save it for... hehe..." A lecherous laugh followed.

Dai Mubai was speechless. He liked to have fun too, but he couldn't hold a candle to this level of sleaze.

They chatted in a strained, back-and-forth manner until they finally heard the ringing of the bell. Dai Mubai headed straight for the large playground without a second word.

"Dai the Boss, wait for me! It's such a pity to leave this food unfinished."

Dai Mubai walked even faster.

They arrived at the playground.

"My god!"

Seeing Ma Hongjun with his eyes practically popping out of his head and drool leaking from his mouth, Dai Mubai couldn't take it anymore. He ran over, threw an arm around Oscar's shoulder, and swapped places with him, using Oscar to block Ma Hongjun from view.

Being a creep wasn't a huge problem, but buddy, you were taking it a bit too far.

Although he had tried to hit on every girl he saw and had been rejected one hundred percent of the time, at least he managed to keep his dignity intact.

"Tang San, why don't you use those Dragon Whisker Needles of yours to give that lecherous fatty a prick?" Ning Rongrong was particularly disgusted by Ma Hongjun's infatuated expression; or rather, none of the girls were fond of him.

"Xiao Jiu, why don't you teach him a lesson? No, wait, it feels like that would just be rewarding him." Xiao Wu hid behind Jiang Jiu.

Ning Rongrong followed suit, hiding behind Xiao Wu. Only Zhu Qing remained, her eyes turning cold and dead as she stared back at Ma Hongjun, making him shudder with a sense of creeping dread.

Flender, who was walking over from not far away, was also speechless. He had chosen this disciple, so he had to deal with him; he could only conclude that he needed to help him vent his frustrations more often.

"Ma Hongjun!"

"Head... Headmaster!" Ma Hongjun snapped to attention.

"The academy has clear regulations: you are not to harass female students." Flender's stern expression carried quite a bit of authority.

"This... I was just looking, just looking," Ma Hongjun whispered in his own defense.

"Run twenty laps around the playground for me."

Ma Hongjun let out a sigh of relief; it was fine, much lighter than the punishment he had anticipated.

As Ma Hongjun began running laps, Flender took the opportunity to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

Watching the new students become much more serious, Flender felt secretly smug.

"Although we have already met, I will still make a formal introduction here."

"I, Flender, Dean of Shrek Academy, welcome you all to join us on behalf of the academy."

"Oh right, remember to go find Teacher Li Yusong later to pay this year's tuition: one hundred Gold Soul Coins."

Everything before had been very serious, but that last sentence really ruined the mood—though that was just typical Flender.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Flender nodded in satisfaction.

Very good, hadn't five hundred Gold Soul Coins just landed in his pocket?

Over six years, that would be three thousand Gold Soul Coins.

That guy Li Yusong still underestimated their Shrek Academy; how else could he say that he, Flender, was the Dean?

However, since the money was collected, the business had to be handled.

He looked toward Jiang Jiu and Tang San.

"Normally, our Shrek Academy has a fixed arrangement for the first lesson of the school year for you freshmen."

"But this year is a special situation; there are two level-thirty students among you."

Speaking to this point, Flender paused for a moment.

To be honest, being level thirty at twelve years old was truly a bit exaggerated. He, Flender, had never seen little monsters of this level, let alone one who was level thirty-four. When he saw the detailed files after returning last night, he had truly been shocked.

Therefore, this time, he, the Dean, had no choice but to take action for the soul beast hunt.

"Your task today is to rest well and conserve your energy."

"Tomorrow, I will personally lead the team to help those two obtain their third soul rings."

"Likewise, you all must follow along as well."

"This is a trial, and it is also your first lesson."

"Dismissed!"

Jiang Jiu gave a very supportive round of applause.

To have a Soul Saint personally step out to help hunt for a soul ring one-on-one—how many hundreds of Gold Soul Coins would that take? Shrek Academy was still too kind.