Fragrant "Soul Ring"

After registering, Cheng Xiao collected bedding and other daily necessities, then headed to his dormitory.

Although Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy did not officially divide students by rank, every aspect of its treatment emphasized the word "class."

Noble students stayed in luxurious two-person rooms, with everything furnished extravagantly.

Commoners stayed eight to a dormitory and could receive bedding and daily necessities.

Work-study students, meanwhile, slept in communal bunks and had to bring their own bedding.

After making his bed, Cheng Xiao saw that not everyone had arrived yet, so he went out to work his abs. It was still a suicidal amount of exercise, and he had no intention of cutting corners.

Based on his experience from his previous life, once he gave himself even the slightest discount, he would only become more and more lax afterward.

First came taking it easy for a bit, then resting for two days, then taking a few more days off. After that came not really wanting to move, and eventually, giving up entirely. Once one's mindset started slipping, there was no going back.

Therefore, Cheng Xiao would absolutely not find excuses to make things easier for himself.

"Huff... huff..."

Several consecutive days of overloaded training had greatly squeezed out his potential. This time felt even more exhausting than the previous days. Every step was incomparably difficult, and his lungs wheezed like bellows.

The pain wracking his entire body even gave Cheng Xiao a thought. Could I find a better cultivation method that would spare me this kind of training pain?

But Cheng Xiao dismissed the thought the very next instant.

"There are no shortcuts. Don't even think about shortcuts! My advantage lies in the two great monarchs. As long as I can free them, my cultivation speed will far surpass everyone else's."

How much faster could Tang San get with the Mysterious Heaven Skill anyway?

During their time cultivating at Shrek, the Seven Monsters' advancement rates had been almost completely synchronized. Tang San's rate of advancement had not pulled ahead of the other Seven Monsters at all.

Before enrollment, Dai Mubai was level 37, Oscar was 29, Tang San was 29, Ning Rongrong was 26, Xiao Wu was 29, Ma Hongjun was 27, and Zhu Zhuqing was 27.

By graduation, Dai Mubai was level 45, Oscar was 42, Tang San was 43, Ning Rongrong was 42, Xiao Wu was 40, Ma Hongjun was 42, and Zhu Zhuqing was 42.

Tang San had even received an additional boost from the Eight Spider Lances during that period.

Under the same training intensity, the extra improvement brought by the Mysterious Heaven Skill was practically negligible. No matter how he looked at it, the Mysterious Heaven Skill was no miraculous acceleration tool.

Rather than spending his energy plotting how to obtain the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Cheng Xiao would be better off finding a way to get an immortal herb.

After giving himself a bit of Hypnosis and firming up his resolve, Cheng Xiao nearly drained every last trace of his strength before finally completing today's training. The instant he finished, his mind relaxed, and he collapsed straight onto the ground.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you lying on the ground?" A pleasant voice rang out beside his ear.

"..." Cheng Xiao wanted to raise his head and see who had come, but all he could see was a pair of delicate little feet. He opened his mouth, yet not a single sound came out.

His mouth was dry, his vision blurry, and all he wanted was to sleep like this for a while.

"My name is Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing. What's your name?"

Xiao Wu?

Cheng Xiao's spirits jolted. Holy shit! So this was that hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring... ah, no, Soul Beast.

Cheng Xiao barely managed to roll over and finally got a clear look at Xiao Wu. Her soft, tender little face and flawless skin were paired with long black hair braided into a scorpion-tail braid that fell past her hips. Her curious eyes were as clear and moist as spring water. She really was rather cute.

But I like the pure-and-seductive type, not the cute route... Even with his mind a complete mess, such an unexpected thought popped up.

He had to be exhausted out of his mind. Cheng Xiao thought.

"Are you all right? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"I... ahem, cough..." Cheng Xiao opened his mouth to refuse, only to find that his throat was so parched and hoarse that he could barely make a sound. The raspy noise tugged painfully at his throat, and after uttering only one word, he broke into a terrible coughing fit.

"Mm, all right..." Xiao Wu pondered for a moment, then simply hoisted Cheng Xiao onto her back and began talking to herself. "What's your name? I'm a work-study student here..."

Listening to Xiao Wu's crisp voice, Cheng Xiao wanted to push her away, but his arms had no strength left. He could only give up helplessly. You're making this very difficult for me. I'm quite interested in your hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, so don't be like this...

Along the way, Xiao Wu asked everyone she saw where the infirmary was. Cheng Xiao rested against her shoulder as a faint fragrant breeze drifted into his nostrils, sweet and cloying, yet soothing to the heart.

Well, this Soul Ring really did smell wonderfully fragrant...

This was going to be difficult.

"Doctor, this student fainted on the training field. Could you please treat him?"

"Mm, let me take a look." The infirmary doctor examined Cheng Xiao's condition and said, "It's nothing serious. He overexerted himself. Wait a moment, I'll treat him."

With that, the doctor summoned his martial soul. He was a Healing Soul Master. Though his rank was not high and he possessed only one soul skill, it was enough to treat Cheng Xiao's current condition.

A ray of light covered Cheng Xiao's body, immediately restoring sixty percent of his fatigue. His throat was no longer dry, strength returned to his body, and he even had the illusion that he could run another ten kilometers.

"All right. Go back and get plenty of rest. You'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Thank you."

The two of them thanked him together before leaving the infirmary.

"Thank you. My name is Cheng Xiao," Cheng Xiao said.

"It's nothing. We're classmates, after all. Hehe." Xiao Wu did not mind at all.

"By the way, you said you're a work-study student? Have you registered yet?"

"Not yet!"

"You didn't bring any bedding either?"

"Huh? I need to bring some? I didn't know."

"Work-study students aren't given bedding. They have to bring their own." Cheng Xiao touched the still fairly ample Copper Soul Coins in his pocket and said, "How about I take you to buy some? Consider it my thanks for taking me to the infirmary."

Cheng Xiao would absolutely not admit that he was doing this merely to keep the rabbit from sharing a blanket with Tang San.

He was simply thanking her. Mm, very simply. Cheng Xiao was certain of it.

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Wu seemed to have no ulterior motives at all and nodded happily.

The two changed direction and headed toward the shop. After buying bedding and some daily necessities, Cheng Xiao accompanied Xiao Wu to the work-study dormitory.

Cheng Xiao escorted Xiao Wu back to her dormitory. Tang San seemed to have been called away by the Grandmaster and was not in the dormitory.

After hearing Dormitory Seven's rules, Xiao Wu knocked everyone flat. Cheng Xiao watched from the side and, incidentally, learned the location of Tang San's bed from the first boy to lose.

While Xiao Wu was beating everyone up, Cheng Xiao inconspicuously chose a bed for her as far away from Tang San as possible and made it up, creating an established fact.

As for whether they would switch back later... what was he thinking? He had merely done it in passing. Whether it worked or not was none of his concern. Making things unpleasant for others was making himself happy.

"All right, since you're done fighting, I'll head back first. See you tomorrow."

"Little Cheng is so nice. See you tomorrow, Little Cheng." Xiao Wu threw herself onto the bed Cheng Xiao had made up for her, hugging the pillow and rolling around happily.

After leaving Dormitory Seven, Cheng Xiao glanced at the sky and headed toward his own dormitory.

"She really smells nice." Recalling that fragrant breeze that had filled his nose, Cheng Xiao muttered, "Sigh, I don't really like rabbits. I prefer kittens or little foxes. This is hard to deal with..."

"Achoo!"

Suddenly, Cheng Xiao sneezed. He rubbed his nose, realized how filthy his thoughts were, and cursed himself. "You filthy bastard!"

After cursing himself, he felt redeemed and walked back to his dormitory with an easy step. Mm, rabbits were not entirely unacceptable either...