Benefits from Getting Close to Him, Nether Civet Martial Soul

"Heh heh."

Fang Fan curled his lips into a wicked smile at her bedraggled state.

"I drink from this flask all day,

so it's covered in my saliva.

You can still drink from it? That's an indirect ki—"

"Shut up!"

Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly flushed all the way to her neck.

She viciously stuffed the flask back into his hand.

Then she turned away and refused to look at him again.

Even her ears were so red they seemed ready to drip blood.

After breakfast, the two of them set off for Shrek Academy.

Zhu Zhuqing had originally thought that the academy which had produced Spirit Hall's youngest elder would be an imposing institution,

with towering buildings, vast training grounds, and students in uniform coming and going.

Instead, what she saw was a ramshackle little village.

Two blackened wooden posts stood at the entrance.

A few strands of dried vines hung from their tops.

Beside them was a wooden sign with moldy edges.

The words "Shrek Academy" were scrawled crookedly across it.

An old man in a worn robe sat on a chair beside the sign, with a long line before him.

"This is Shrek Academy, the academy that produced Spirit Hall's youngest elder?"

Zhu Zhuqing stared in disbelief.

"It feels like we've been scammed."

"Take out the 'feels like.'"

Fang Fan had started acting drunk again.

His head tilted as he rested it against her fragrant shoulder.

His warm, alcohol-scented breath brushed across her ear.

Zhu Zhuqing looked speechlessly at the drunk leaning against her.

Then she looked at the dilapidated village.

Suddenly, she felt that the two sights actually suited each other quite well.

Her gaze passed over the people in line and found two familiar figures.

Tang San still wore a light-blue robe today, calmly surveying his surroundings.

Xiao Wu clung to his arm as she curiously looked around.

Behind them stood another long-haired girl in a green dress, whose bearing was extraordinary.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, graceful and composed. One look was enough to tell that she came from an exceptional background.

The three of them stood out from the crowd of boys and girls.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze continued deeper inside.

It landed on a blond youth standing against a wall within the village—Dai Mubai.

His hand seemed to have recovered. With his arms crossed, he leaned against the earthen wall, his expression cold as his gloomy eyes watched the line.

He too spotted Zhu Zhuqing among the crowd, as well as the drunken young man she was supporting.

His gaze abruptly sharpened. The fingers tucked beneath his arms involuntarily clenched, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

The scene of yesterday's beating was still vivid in his mind.

That seven-colored sword light had shattered his three layers of defense with overwhelming force.

The searing pain of his pierced arm seemed to still linger in his bones.

"This academy is so rundown. Can it really have produced Spirit Hall's youngest elder? Isn't it just scamming people out of tuition?"

A parent near the front of the line frowned as he examined the shabby village entrance.

"Maybe. Let's go to another academy."

Soon, several families left as well.

A middle-aged man squeezed forward with his son.

"My son is twelve and level twenty-one. He can join Shrek, right?"

Li Yusong raised his eyelids and pinched the boy's wrist with his withered fingers.

"Bone age fourteen. Level nineteen. He doesn't meet the requirements."

"You can tell my son is fourteen just by touching him?

Your rotten academy is definitely scamming people out of Gold Soul Coins!"

The parent's face reddened as he waved his fist.

"You don't even have a single expert here, do you? Give me back my Gold Soul Coins!"

Li Yusong merely raised his eyelids.

"Once paid, they will not be refunded."

His eyes casually glanced to the side.

Dai Mubai understood and rose from the earthen wall.

Soul Power surged as three Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet.

Two yellow and one purple ring gleamed brilliantly.

The Soul Power fluctuations of a level thirty-seven Battle Soul Elder spread outward like something tangible.

The parent's face instantly turned whiter than paper. He grabbed his son and fled.

Dai Mubai withdrew his Soul Rings and gave them a cold glance.

Then his gaze returned to Zhu Zhuqing and Fang Fan, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

Shrek was his territory. Once Zhao Wuji became the chief examiner later,

he only needed to add a few embellishments. With Teacher Zhao's explosive temper, he would not need much persuasion to teach that drunkard a lesson.

A slap from a level seventy-two Soul Sage would make even a Soul Ancestor obediently lie down.

"This academy seems a little unreliable."

Xiao Wu's eyes widened as she watched the farce.

Tang San was also speechless, but since Yu Xiaogang had recommended it, he still wanted to take a look inside.

The two stepped forward to register and paid their Gold Soul Coins. Li Yusong checked their bone ages, then had them channel Soul Power into the crystal ball.

Tang San raised his right hand, and Blue Silver Grass extended its lush green vines.

"Bone age twelve, level twenty-nine!"

Li Yusong's eyes lit up.

"Not bad!"

Although he was surprised that the useless Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul could be cultivated to the Soul Grandmaster level, he still waved Tang San through.

Xiao Wu skipped forward. She was also level twenty-nine, with two yellow Soul Rings.

"You pass too. Next."

Tang San and Xiao Wu entered the passage.

They stopped not far from Dai Mubai.

Their gazes coincidentally fell in the same direction.

On the strangely posed boy and girl, who looked like conjoined twins.

The boy in white leaned drunkenly against the girl.

His head rested on her fragrant shoulder.

His entire body was limp and boneless.

From time to time, he opened his mouth and waited for the girl to bring the flask over for a sip.

The girl's expression was cool, but her movements were practiced and natural—pulling the stopper, raising the flask, tilting it, and pulling it away in one fluid motion.

After drinking to his heart's content, the boy suddenly straightened.

With two fingers formed into a sword sign, he began to dance drunkenly.

His steps staggered as he swayed from side to side.

Sword intent seemed to flow between his fingers, yet no energy burst forth.

As he danced, he recited in a loud voice,

"I am an immortal of wine, drunk upon a beauty's shoulder. One sword cleaves the stars, another shatters the heavens..."

After reciting, he went limp again and collapsed into the girl's arms, resting his head on the softest spot as he let out a satisfied sigh.

The boys in the line all shot him looks of envy and jealousy.

That girl's figure was far too well-developed.

Her proud curves rose above a waist slender enough to snap at a touch.

Her skin was fair as solidified cream, and her exquisite features were like a painting.

Yet a drunken wretch was resting against her body.

She even kept lowering her head to feed him wine.

The two of them were pressed together without the slightest gap.

Fang Fan narrowed his eyes, savoring the envy, jealousy, and hatred coming from every direction.

There was only one word in his heart!

Awesome!

This feeling of being envied by the entire world

was even more addictive than drinking.

Dai Mubai's gaze was more terrifying than a killer's.

He stared fixedly at Fang Fan, almost ready to spit fire.

His hands on his knees were clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms and leaving white marks.

He wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces, but unfortunately, he could not beat him.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger, turning his gaze toward the academy.

He could only rely on Teacher Zhao for revenge.

That Zhao Wuji, who was all muscle and had little patience for subtlety.

Near the front of the line, a pure-looking girl with an extraordinary and noble temperament stepped forward. She placed her hand on the crystal ball, and the light of level twenty-six Soul Power shone out, drawing soft gasps from those around her.

When Li Yusong saw the name of her Martial Soul, his pupils suddenly constricted.

His fingers trembled slightly. Looking up, his tone became noticeably more solemn.

"Do your parents know?"

"They do."

The girl answered calmly, withdrew her hand, and walked toward the academy without changing expression.

Li Yusong watched her departing back and let out a long breath.

There really were quite a few little monsters in this batch.

Soon, it was Zhu Zhuqing's turn.

She walked over and temporarily propped Fang Fan against a nearby tree.

This fellow could not even stand steadily.

His entire body slumped crookedly against the trunk.

He was still muttering incoherently under his breath.

Zhu Zhuqing gave him a helpless glance before turning toward the registration desk and placing her slender, fair hand on the crystal ball.

"Buzz—"

Soul Power surged, and the light shone steadily and brightly.

"Level twenty-eight!"

Li Yusong's eyes lit up.

This girl was several months younger than the talented students before her.

A level twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster who had only just turned twelve

would be fought over by any academy.

Zhu Zhuqing herself was somewhat surprised.

She lowered her head and looked at her hand.

She had clearly only been level twenty-seven last night.

It should have taken at least another month or two to break through.

Yet after only one night,

her Soul Power had silently risen by a level.

She involuntarily turned her head.

Her gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the boy in white slumped against the tree.

Last night, she had slept in his arms for the entire night.

Could hugging him actually accelerate the growth of her Soul Power?

As long as she held him close, could her Soul Power receive a boost?

She recalled all the strange things that had happened along the way.

Her injuries had healed several times faster when she was near him.

Her Soul Power had risen by a level out of nowhere.

And there was that aura within him which faintly resonated with her Hell Spirit Cat.

Everything pointed toward the same answer.

This drunkard still had far too many secrets she had yet to unravel.

If that was really the case, then this was quite interesting.

The corners of Zhu Zhuqing's lips lifted slightly, and a rare smile appeared between her cool brows and eyes.