Xie Xie: Qian Jue is a man who can be my mother

East Sea City, the economic hub of the Douluo Federation's coastal metropolis.

The bustling seaport was in full operation, and the Spirit Pagoda branch, one of the eighteen pillars, stood as the city's landmark, bearing witness to the ebb and flow of the tides.

After stepping off the vehicle, Gu Yue took the dazed Qian Jue to East Sea Academy to report for enrollment.

The registration period had already passed, so in principle, they should not have been accepting new students.

However, principles were things that could be flexibly adjusted.

Long Hengxu, the grade department director, looked at the handsome young man and beautiful young girl standing before him.

He glanced again at the letter of recommendation in his hand, personally written by Leng Yaozhu, the Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, and the stern, rigid expression of a dean vanished from his face.

"Miss Gu Yue, Young Master Qian Jue, your arrival to study at our school truly brings great honor to our institution!"

One was an Elemental Controller martial soul, a level 15 Spirit Master.

The other possessed twin martial souls, the Coiling Dragon Staff and the Dragon Rising Pillar, with a spirit power as high as level 21.

Aside from the Coiling Dragon Staff, which Long Hengxu had heard of, he was temporarily unaware of the quality of the others.

But the spirit power levels and the recommendation letter from the Spirit Pagoda's Vice Tower Master were already the best endorsements of trust.

"May I ask what requirements the two of you have?"

"I want to be in the same class as my junior brother; that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Long Hengxu nodded, indicating there was no issue at all.

Not old enough for the intermediate class at six years old?

Did they not understand that geniuses had the privilege of skipping grades?

As for basic knowledge, that was something geniuses could pick up with a little casual study.

In a Spirit Master academy, what mattered most were one's martial soul and innate talent.

"There is one more requirement: the instructor must be of the highest caliber."

Gu Yue crossed her arms over her chest and said, looking down at him.

She didn't care for herself, but for Qian Jue, it had to be the best within the realm of possibility.

They said great teachers produced brilliant students; if not for her bet with Na'er, she wouldn't have even glanced at this pathetic little place.

Upon hearing the second condition, Long Hengxu's face showed signs of difficulty.

"There is indeed such a teacher in the intermediate department who meets those criteria, but his personality is somewhat eccentric..."

As soon as Qian Jue heard this, he knew the teacher had to be that top-tier graduate from Shrek, Wu Zhangkong.

Although he had developed a phobia of Shrek because of Long Yeyue, the Golden Dragon King's bloodline was something he had to latch onto.

"Take us to him. I am already familiar with the principles that teacher upholds."

Long Hengxu met Qian Jue's gaze, seeing only the confidence in his own strength within those clear eyes.

Indeed, how could such a proud genius be deterred by a minor setback?

Perhaps these two were the students that the "Ice-Faced" man had been waiting for.

"Very well, they should be at the intermediate department's playground right now. I wish you both success."

On the intermediate department's playground, the students of Year One, Class Five were undergoing basic physical training.

Shrek's top-tier training method: running laps.

The ancestral methods must not be changed; this was a classic passed down by the academy for ten thousand years, and Wu Zhangkong had truly mastered its essence.

A handsome man in white, cold as frost, stood to the side, responsible for supervising the students' running.

Suddenly, he noticed Gu Yue and Qian Jue appearing on the playground.

Neither was wearing a school uniform. One had an ordinary appearance but a unique temperament, while the other possessed both exceptional looks and an aura, as if sculpted by the gods themselves; it was difficult not to attract attention.

"Ouch!"

Xie Xie, who was running laps, bumped into Tang Wulin, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks, and stumbled to the ground.

Rubbing his backside, Xie Xie said indignantly, "Why did you stop?"

Tang Wulin shook his head, his gaze involuntarily lingering on Qian Jue and Gu Yue, who had suddenly appeared on the field.

"I... I don't know."

From this angle, he could only see the side profile of that young boy.

Yet even so, Tang Wulin could feel his heart skip a beat. What exactly was this feeling?

Once his gaze touched that adorable young boy, he could no longer look away.

Tang Wulin did not notice a flash of golden-red light crossing his pupils.

Then, it was as if some existence whispered in his ear:

"Go hold him tight, go possess him, go make him belong only to you."

By the end, Tang Wulin's consciousness had gradually blurred, but fortunately, the appearance of a blue-gold figure within his spiritual sea suppressed that inexplicable impulse.

"Have you never seen a girl before, kid? Someone like that..." Xie Xie had first noticed Gu Yue and assumed Tang Wulin was unable to move because he had laid eyes on her.

That was until he also caught sight of the small boy standing beside Gu Yue.

Why does this child make me feel such a sense of kinship?

Xie Xie clutched his chest as the gentle, kind smile of his late mother flashed inexplicably through his mind.

Looking at Qian Jue made Xie Xie think of his mother involuntarily.

"Mom, Mommy..."

Almost subconsciously, he uttered the word that had not been mentioned for a very long time.

In the distance, Qian Jue seemed to notice the two people staring at him and offered a gentle smile.

Xie Xie's small face flushed red, and he turned his head away, not daring to keep staring at Qian Jue.

"Wulin, that child is very cute, isn't he?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you think it's possible for him to join our class?"

"I hope so."

While the two were whispering to each other, Wu Zhangkong had already clarified the intentions of Gu Yue and Qian Jue.

"I have no objections. In this soul master academy, you rely on your own ability to enroll."

Wu Zhangkong turned toward Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who had stopped on the playground to admire Qian Jue's beauty. "Why have you two stopped? Forget it, come over here."

The two took off their iron vests and trotted over eagerly.

"H-hello, my name is Tang Wulin. I live at 108 Xinjian Road in Aolai City, and my family..."

"Go away, are you here for a blind date or an introduction?" Xie Xie shoved Tang Wulin aside, rubbed his hands together, and stood in front of Qian Jue, only managing to squeeze out a sentence after a long while.

"I-I-I, my name is Xie Xie! Please take care of me!"

Faced with this sudden barrage of self-introductions, Qian Jue was a bit bewildered.

Wait, what exactly is going on here?

Could it be because of the Dragon Rising Pillar martial soul?

It must be that.

That would explain why Gu Yue, as well as Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, naturally felt a sense of goodwill toward him.

After a moment of deliberation, Qian Jue offered a friendly smile and shook hands with both of them.

"My name is Qian Jue, and this is my senior sister, Gu Yue."

"Hehe, hello Senior Sister!"

Gu Yue glanced at the hand Xie Xie had extended and ignored it entirely.

Hmph!

He had been staring at Qian Jue since the very beginning and was being slick-tongued; he clearly wasn't a good person.

Having been rebuffed, Xie Xie looked rather awkward and could only sheepishly retract his hand.

To Qian Jue's surprise, Gu Yue was also exceptionally cold toward Tang Wulin, treating him much like she treated Xie Xie, perhaps even worse.

What is going on with these two?

While Qian Jue was lost in confusion, Wu Zhangkong proposed the conditions for them to join the class.

"The two of you will spar with them. If you win, you join our class; if you lose, you leave."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tang Wulin and Xie Xie raised their hands.

"Teacher Wu, we surrender!"