"You're right. Under normal circumstances, Zhuqing definitely wouldn't be Dai Mubai's match. But the unique thing about my Martial Soul is that it can give the people I mimic a certain boost. Zhuqing should have seen it most clearly: the one I mimicked was faster and stronger than you in every way."
Ye Xuan didn't hide anything about his Martial Soul.
As long as he didn't explain how he'd obtained it, there was no harm in putting it that way.
"Mm! If only my speed and strength could be that great, too." Zhu Zhuqing said enviously.
"I've taken care of the broken engagement for you. I'll be going now." With that, Ye Xuan turned and left.
Watching Ye Xuan walk away, Zhu Zhuqing thought for a moment, then finally worked up the courage to follow him.
She walked behind Ye Xuan for a while without saying anything.
Eventually, they reached a deserted place.
Ye Xuan stopped and asked, "Zhuqing, is there something you want to say?"
"Brother Ye, do you... do you have someone you like?"
After Zhu Zhuqing said this, it was as if she'd used up all her strength. She felt utterly drained.
Ye Xuan looked at her seriously. After a moment's silence, he shook his head. "Not yet."
As for who he liked?
He wouldn't say he liked anyone.
Or rather, he liked beautiful women.
He liked all beautiful women, but beyond their looks, he hadn't yet discovered what else he liked about them.
Even with Zhu Zhuqing, he only thought she was pleasant to look at.
Besides, Zhu Zhuqing was still young. He couldn't possibly tell her that he liked her.
He knew that people in this world matured early, and ordinary people married much younger than they had in his previous life.
But he was a transmigrator, after all. Anyone who wasn't a pedophile couldn't possibly tell girls their age, "I like you," at a time like this.
If it had been people like Qian Renxue or Bibi Dong asking him now, he probably would have said it!
Hearing Ye Xuan's answer, Zhu Zhuqing was instead delighted.
She'd been worried that Ye Xuan already liked someone, perhaps a childhood sweetheart.
If he didn't, then she still had a chance.
"Brother Ye, then can I like you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"Uh?" Ye Xuan hadn't expected her to be so bold. After a brief pause, he smiled and said, "Sure. If you still like me when you're grown up, I'll accept you."
"Okay!" Zhu Zhuqing smiled sweetly, and Ye Xuan couldn't help but lose himself for a moment.
It wasn't that Zhu Zhuqing was especially beautiful at that moment. It was the feeling of youth.
It made Ye Xuan feel as if he'd returned to his school days in his previous life.
For him, that beautiful feeling was already a distant memory.
After saying that, Zhu Zhuqing trotted away.
Ye Xuan returned to his room. A little while later, he went back to reading.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At noon that day, Flender came to find Ye Xuan.
"Mr. Ye, I'm planning to take these students to the Great Soul Arena. Would you like to come along?" Flender asked bluntly.
"The Great Soul Arena? Sure! I was just planning to check out the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City." Ye Xuan replied.
He'd been in Suotuo City for some time, but he still hadn't gone inside the Great Soul Arena.
After all, he'd spent the previous few days listening to music in the pleasure quarter.
And these past few days, he'd been reading books about Martial Souls.
"Good. We'll set out together tomorrow." Flender said.
The next morning, Ye Xuan set off with them for the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City.
When they arrived outside the Soul Fighting Arena, Flender naturally took the time to explain things to Tang San and the others.
After he finished explaining, he led them into the Great Soul Arena to register and sign up for matches.
Ye Xuan stayed in a room with Flender and the others.
Flender couldn't help asking curiously, "Mr. Ye, aren't you interested in having a go?"
"I only have one Soul Ring. I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to register." Ye Xuan replied.
"With your strength, Mr. Ye, hunting a Soul Beast should be a piece of cake. Why do you only have one Soul Ring?" Flender asked, puzzled.
Flender dared to ask because he'd spent the past few days observing Ye Xuan and had realized that Ye Xuan wasn't the sort of person who threw his weight around.
On the contrary, he was very easy to get along with.
As long as no one provoked him, he was a refined and easygoing young gentleman.
"My Martial Soul is a little different from other people's. I obtain Soul Rings differently, too." Ye Xuan replied.
"Oh!" Flender didn't ask any further.
After all, prying deeper would mean getting into Ye Xuan's secrets.
Trying to uncover the secrets of a powerful man whose background was unknown was extremely dangerous.
"Come on, let's go watch the matches." Flender smiled and changed the subject.
"Sure. I was planning to see what it's like, too." Ye Xuan stood up and went out with Flender.
Outside, Ye Xuan watched the fighters use their Martial Souls in the arena. Combining what he saw with the books about Martial Souls he'd read over the past few days, he rapidly ran through deductions in his mind.
He calculated how each fighter could bring out the greatest power of their Martial Soul, what age of Soul Ring it could best accommodate, and where their cultivation ceiling lay.
Of course, Ye Xuan knew he hadn't read enough yet, so his deductions couldn't be completely accurate. Still, he figured they were about seventy percent reliable.
To improve their accuracy, he needed to learn more.
As they watched intently, Dai Mubai approached from afar and said to Flender, "Dean, Tang San and the others are about to start their matches."
"Good. Let's go see how they do." Flender said with a cheerful smile.
Dai Mubai glanced at Ye Xuan but said nothing. He simply followed Flender in silence.
Ye Xuan went along as well. The Shrek Academy students' fights went off without a hitch and were more or less the same as in the original story.
However, when Tang San and Xiao Wu fought as a pair, Ye Xuan noticed some problems.
Tang San seemed hesitant about how to use his Martial Soul.
They still won with ease in the end, but Ye Xuan had spotted the issue with Tang San.
After everyone had finished their matches, Zhu Zhuqing ran up to Ye Xuan on the way back.
She smiled and asked, "Brother Ye, did you watch my match today?"
"I did. You fought very well. If you could improve a few things, you'd do even better." Ye Xuan replied.
"What things?" Zhu Zhuqing asked eagerly.
Getting advice from Ye Xuan was a double blessing for her.
"When you close in on your opponent, you need to watch out for..."
Ye Xuan then explained, in detail, the problems he'd noticed in Zhu Zhuqing's fighting.
He'd seen Zhu Zhuqing's problems most clearly because his first Soul Skill was "Mimic: Zhu Zhuqing." He understood better than anyone how Zhu Zhuqing should use her Soul Skills.
As Zhu Zhuqing listened, her admiration for Ye Xuan grew even stronger.
She realized that the problems Ye Xuan described were indeed the very ones she was facing.
If she could resolve all of them, her strength would improve tremendously.
Before they knew it, they were back at the academy.
Not long after Ye Xuan returned to his room, he heard a knock at the door.
Then Tang San's voice came from outside. "Mr. Ye, are you free?"
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