Target: Shrek Academy!

After Ma Hongjun had completely passed out on the ground, everyone on the training field finally relaxed.

Tang San was the first to step forward. He respectfully bowed, though his gaze could not help drifting toward the figure lying on the ground.

"Teacher, is he... is he still alive?"

"He won't die! That kid got lucky!"

Xu Linjiu waved a hand. "I originally wanted to directly devolve his martial soul into a scrub chicken. Who would've thought he'd turn disaster into fortune instead? The evil fire in his body was completely cleansed, and his martial soul even evolved. It's just that his current state..."

Xu Linjiu trailed off, glancing again at the sleeping Ma Hongjun, unsure how to describe it.

Remembering Ma Hongjun's bashful appearance just now sent a chill of revulsion through him.

Xiao Wu leaned out from behind Tang San and lightly kicked Ma Hongjun's calf with the tip of her shoe. "Uncle, he won't still be like that when he wakes up, will he? Talking in that weird voice... it gave me goosebumps."

Xu Linjiu fell silent for a moment, a rare uncertain expression appearing on his face. "That, I really can't say."

Xiao Wu thought about it some more before ultimately shaking her head. "Forget it. It's better if he doesn't go back to how he was before. Although the way he looked just now was pretty uncomfortable, it was still better than when he was that fat-headed fire chicken."

"Cough... cough, cough..."

A few soft coughs suddenly came from nearby. The headmaster cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"What is it, Headmaster?" Xu Linjiu looked at him in confusion.

Upon hearing the question, the headmaster instinctively looked at Ma Hongjun first. After shuddering violently, he swiftly shifted his gaze to Flender, who was frozen solid.

"Linjiu, let's put everything else aside for now. Tell me honestly, just how strong are you now?"

Tang San and Xiao Wu's eyes immediately lit up at the headmaster's words.

They had seen it with their own eyes. Their battle had lasted only a few seconds before Flender had been turned into an ice sculpture.

Flender was a Soul Sage, after all. Even against an enemy of the same level, killing him instantly would have been exceedingly difficult.

And before Xu Linjiu left, he had only just broken through to level fifty. Could it be that after merely obtaining a soul ring and spending just two and a half months away, he had shot straight from Soul Ancestor to Titled Douluo?

Xu Linjiu smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I'm merely an ordinary Soul King."

"You call instantly defeating a Soul Sage an ordinary Soul King?"

"It was luck. Flender is an agility-attack Soul Master, yet he insisted on sticking close to me without any guard up at all. Can you blame me?"

"Is that really so?"

The headmaster listened to Xu Linjiu's explanation with a face full of suspicion.

"Fine, let's say it is. What's done is done anyway."

The headmaster waved a hand and said helplessly, "The important thing now is how you plan to deal with Flender. He's the headmaster of an advanced academy, after all. Who knows what connections he might have behind him?"

"Advanced academy? Heh heh!"

Xu Linjiu sneered. In all of Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy was the one he looked down on the most.

Other academies might favor talented students, but at least they could provide resources worthy of those talents.

Shrek Academy, on the other hand, was tucked away in some remote corner. It had neither resources nor backing.

Not only that, Shrek charged every student who came to enroll, calling it a registration fee. Then they would feel their bone age a couple of times, declare them unqualified, and send them away without refunding the fee. Their greed was truly ugly.

"You don't need to worry about that. I was just planning to pay them a visit myself!"

Tang San's expression shifted. "Teacher, you're going to Shrek Academy alone? Do you want me to go with you?"

"No need. It's just Shrek Academy. Besides, you wouldn't be much help even if you came."

Xu Linjiu patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Stay at the academy and cultivate properly. I'll inspect your cultivation results when I return!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Tang San nodded, though he still felt somewhat disappointed.

Am I still too weak?

However, Tang San quickly adjusted his mindset. He clenched his fists and secretly vowed to cultivate diligently, so that he could share his teacher's burdens as soon as possible.

Just as everyone was preparing to disperse, a rustling sound suddenly came from the grass nearby.

Tang San turned his head alertly and saw a round figure struggling to push its way out of the grass, covered all over in bits of grass and dirt.

It was Luo Sanpao.

It took great effort for him to free himself from the grass. His large eyes looked around blankly.

When his gaze swept over Yu Xiaogang, it paused slightly.

He tilted his head. The dependence and closeness that had once filled his eyes were gone, as though he were merely looking at a vaguely familiar stranger.

The connection between him and Yu Xiaogang had been completely severed. Luo Sanpao was now no different from an ordinary soul beast.

Tang San looked at Xu Linjiu. "Teacher, what should we do with him?"

Xu Linjiu swept his gaze over everyone present before it finally landed on Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was baffled by his stare. "What?"

Xu Linjiu did not answer. He made a grasping motion with his hand, activating his Psychic, and Luo Sanpao was lifted into the air.

"Luo luo! Luo luo luo luo!"

With all four limbs dangling in the air, Luo Sanpao kicked wildly in panic.

Then Xu Linjiu casually tossed him, accurately throwing him into Xiao Wu's arms.

"He's yours. Keep him as a pet."

Xiao Wu caught him instinctively, then lowered her head and stared wide-eyed at the equally bewildered Luo Sanpao in her arms.

"Huh? You're giving him to me?"

She grabbed Luo Sanpao by the scruff of his neck, lifted him up, and shook him from side to side. "What can this thing even do? Use farts as weapons?"

Luo Sanpao was shaken dizzy, continuously crying, "Luo luo luo luo!"

"Golden Sacred Dragon blood runs through his body."

Xu Linjiu said, "If you raise him properly, he'll be useful support too. The two of you can take care of him for now. When the chance comes, I'll see if I can find a way to awaken his bloodline."

Xiao Wu lowered her head to look at Luo Sanpao, and Luo Sanpao looked up at her. His little eyes were full of innocence and confusion.

She pursed her lips. "Fine, fine. I have nothing better to do anyway. Hey, little guy, you'll follow your big sister from now on, got it?"

"Alright."

With everything arranged, Xu Linjiu intended to set off for Shrek Academy as well.

He turned around, his gaze falling upon Yu Xiaogang, who stood in the corner looking utterly despondent.

"Yu Xiaogang, tell me Shrek's address."

"Shrek Academy's address?"

Yu Xiaogang froze. Only then did he recover somewhat from the blow of losing his martial soul. "What do you want to do? I won't tell you where Shrek Academy is!"

"So now you're trying to play the hero? Where was that courage earlier?"

Xu Linjiu rolled his eyes. "Isn't it near Soto City? It won't take me much time to find it myself. I'm only asking to save some time. Are you going to tell me or not?"

"How do you know that?"

"There's plenty I know. Are you going to tell me or not?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed repeatedly at those words. In the end, he sighed and gave him Shrek Academy's exact location.

After taking out a map and comparing it briefly, Xu Linjiu quickly determined the direction.

He tossed a bottle of [Potion] to Yu Xiaogang. "Drink this to recover some stamina, then carry Ma Hongjun on your back. I'll take you there."

Yu Xiaogang no longer had the strength to resist. He obediently drank the [Potion], then carried Ma Hongjun onto his back.

"Alright, we're leaving."

Xu Linjiu casually called out a farewell. Then Psychic descended, lifting the frozen Flender and Yu Xiaogang, who was carrying Ma Hongjun, into the air together.

The three figures shot up from the ground and sped toward Shrek Academy, disappearing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.