E-Rank Talent Zhu Zhuqing. Embezzling Even Ten Gold Soul Coins—Can't You Afford to Live?

The sky-curtain livestream continued.

Tang Si was about to lead Xiao Wu toward the very front.

Suddenly, Tang Si paused, and his thoughts reached the other world: Eh? Zhu Zhuqing!

The livestream footage followed Tang Si's gaze and shifted to the very end of the line, where a cool and aloof young girl stood.

She wore tight black leather clothing, with a tail behind her.

Tang Si's thoughts followed: Haha~~ As expected of an E-Rank Talent. That figure, that body... Dai Mubai, with such a beautiful fiancée, I'm definitely becoming your friend!

Comments: [Dai Mubai: Tang Si, you're courting death! How dare you covet my woman?]

[Huo Wushuang: So this is what he meant by becoming friends with Dai Mubai—he's got his eyes on the man's fiancée. Hahaha~~~]

[Yu Feng: Hahaha~~ A role model for our generation.]

[Dugu Yan: Why do I suddenly want to take Tang Si's side? Even though Tang Si is obviously a lecher!]

[Ye Lingling: Maybe Dai Mubai is even worse.]

[Hu Liena: They're both scumbags. By the way, does anyone know what E-Rank Talent means?]

Zhu Zhuqing in the other world heard Tang Si's thoughts, but she said nothing and offered no response. She was still following behind Dai Mubai, fleeing toward the Star Luo Empire.

Yet Dai Mubai was still cursing on the sky curtain without stopping for even a moment.

Someone from the Star Luo Empire reminded him, "Your Highness, conserve some Soul Power. Spirit Hall's Soul Masters are still pursuing us."

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth secretly. He suddenly turned back and glared viciously at Zhu Zhuqing, snapping, "Zhuqing, even if that person is you from another world, I hope your choice won't disappoint me!"

Zhu Zhuqing frowned. She had always felt that Dai Mubai had changed ever since defeating Dai Weisi. Especially after the sky curtain appeared, that change had become even more obvious.

Dai Weisi? Thinking of Dai Weisi, Zhu Zhuqing turned to glance at Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, who trailed far behind them. The two had been assigned as the rear guard by the Star Luo Empire team.

No one in the entire Star Luo Empire cared any longer whether they lived or died. They only cared whether those two could slow the enemy down, and whether their deaths had any value.

In other words, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun had already been abandoned by the Star Luo Empire.

Have I really escaped the fate of being controlled? A wave of sorrow rose in Zhu Zhuqing's heart, because she had never escaped fate's control.

Eh? Ning Rongrong is here too. Hehahaha~~ Both targets have appeared.

Tang Si on the sky curtain withdrew his gaze from Zhu Zhuqing. He had only taken a few steps to reach the village entrance when his thoughts once again reached the other world. Ning Rongrong from the other world immediately erupted in embarrassed fury.

Comments: [Ning Rongrong: You bastard, Tang Si! You actually dared to set your sights on me! I'll definitely kill you!]

[Huo Wu: That's not right! Why would Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the mighty Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, appear in this godforsaken Shrek?]

[Shui Bing'er: Indeed, it makes no sense!! Ning Rongrong, shouldn't you explain? Why were you at Shrek?]

[Ning Rongrong: I heard people mention this place, so I got curious and came over.]

[Shui Bing'er: ???]

[Huo Wu: ???]

The two girls were full of question marks. She had gone to a godforsaken place just because she was curious? That was far too unbelievable.

If there truly were no other reason behind it, no one on Douluo Continent would believe it.

On the sky curtain.

Tang Si smiled at Ning Rongrong, then continued forward with Xiao Wu. For the moment, he had no intention of striking up a conversation.

The livestream footage shifted along with Tang Si's gaze.

Very soon, the old man at the village entrance appeared in the footage. It was Li Yusong.

At that moment, a young boy happened to place ten Gold Soul Coins into the registration box, then held out his right hand.

Li Yusong pinched the boy's wrist and said calmly, "Mm, exactly twelve years old. Release your martial soul and let me see it."

The boy nodded. Pale green Soul Power stirred, and a vine-type martial soul slowly emerged. It coiled around the boy's body instead of appearing in his hand.

Immediately afterward, a yellow Soul Ring emerged as well.

Seeing this, Li Yusong immediately shook his head. "Unqualified. You can leave."

"Ah?"

The boy was a little stunned, as though he had not yet processed it. His parents wore stiff expressions as they asked, "Why? Our son is an outstanding student at his Junior Soul Master Academy. Didn't you see that his first Soul Ring is a hundred-year one? Soul Masters with hundred-year first Soul Rings are not common."

Li Yusong said evenly, "A hundred-year first Soul Ring is indeed uncommon, but he is merely an ordinary person."

"We don't understand what you mean."

When the boy's parents continued pressing him, Li Yusong grew somewhat impatient. He shot them an unhappy glance, then loudly addressed everyone standing in line. "If you came to register at Shrek, you should know the rules. If you came without understanding them, then you're merely throwing away your registration fee."

As he spoke, Li Yusong suddenly spotted Tang Si and Xiao Wu. His intuition told him that the two were definitely extraordinary.

After a slight pause, Li Yusong said loudly, "A Shrek is a type of monster, an extremely strange existence even among soul beasts. The meaning of Shrek Academy is Monster Academy. Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people. Anyone older than thirteen, or whose Soul Power has not reached Rank 21, need not waste their time here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a Dragon Pattern Staff suddenly appeared in Li Yusong's hand, and a powerful aura spread outward. The next second, six Soul Rings—white, yellow, purple, purple, purple, and black—rose from beneath his feet.

"Gasp~~ A Soul Emperor! This old man is actually a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse! Gasp~~"

Listening to the gasps around him, Tang Si shook his head speechlessly and thought, Next, they'll drive people away and embezzle the ten Gold Soul Coin registration fee, right?

Comments: [Xie Yue: Embezzling registration fees?]

[Fan Rui: That's right. My family saved up ten Gold Soul Coins with great difficulty, only for Shrek to use its power to bully us and embezzle them.]

[Su Daqiang: I'm a victim too! Shrek, return my hard-earned money!]

[Liang Qi: Shrek, return my ten Gold Soul Coins!]

[Ruis: Shrek, return my ten Gold Soul Coins!]

At once, a stream of condemnation flooded the comments.

Comments: [Huo Lie: They even embezzle commoners' money? Shameless.]

[Yu Feng: Shameless!]

[Qin Ming: Shut up, all of you! You don't understand Shrek at all! You also don't understand Shrek's hardships. Dean Flender spent every single coin on nurturing students. I dare guarantee that Dean Flender never embezzled a single coin!]

[Shi Mo: Hehe~~ So commoners have to foot Flender's bill? That's ten Gold Soul Coins! Do you know how long ten Gold Soul Coins can support a family of three? I'll tell you. Ten Gold Soul Coins can sustain a family of three for three to four years. With one sentence about Shrek having it hard, how many families lost three or four years' worth of living expenses?]

[Shi Mo: Are you even human?]

[Hu Liena: Are you even human? How could there be a Soul Master Academy like this under Spirit Hall's rule? Did you even have the qualifications to run a school back then?]

[Flender: Hmph~~ Is ten Gold Soul Coins really that much? Today, I'll calculate the accounts for you!]

[Shi Mo: Keep making excuses.]

[Dugu Yan: Hehe~~ The familiar routine. Shrek is making excuses again.]

[Flender: Can ten Gold Soul Coins truly shake the foundation of a common Soul Master family? No! Not at all! First, Soul Masters can receive a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin every month from Spirit Hall, while Soul Grandmasters can receive ten Gold Soul Coins. Now tell me, are ten Gold Soul Coins really that much?]

[Li Yusong: Besides, I clearly wrote that registration fees would not be refunded. Yet they still harbored wishful thinking. Who can they blame?]

[Dugu Yan: Don't concern yourself with how others earned their money. Just answer this: why did you embezzle those ten Gold Soul Coins? Can't you afford to live?]

[Liu Erlong: Insolence! How dare you speak to Boss Flender like that?]

[Dugu Bo: Liu Erlong, how dare you speak to my granddaughter like that?]

In the other world, Dugu Bo felt much better when he saw Liu Erlong fall silent on the sky curtain.

The livestream on the sky curtain had reached the point where Shrek used its power to bully others. Dai Mubai forcefully drove away the applicants, then arrogantly glanced in Zhu Zhuqing's direction.

Immediately afterward, Dai Mubai spotted Tang Si and Xiao Wu, greeted them with a smile, and led them to Li Yusong.

The scenes that followed did not have much of a twist. Tang Si, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong passed the first test smoothly, skipping the second and third tests to go directly to the fourth.

They entered the village, then encountered Oscar, who sold sausages.

His obnoxious soul incantation was paired with exceptionally powerful support effects. There were not many complaints in the comments; instead, everyone was puzzled by one thing.

Comments: [Huo Wu: It really is a little unreasonable... Why would so many geniuses gather at a godforsaken third-rate academy? Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, as well as Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun.]

[Shui Bing'er: Yes. Any one of them would be a top genius at our Four Elements Academy, perhaps even the number one genius! Why did they gather at Shrek?]

[Dugu Yan: Could it be that your Four Elements Academy is missing a godforsaken village?]

[Shui Yue'er: ...]