Six years later, Suotuo City

"Young master, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, whom you asked me to watch, left by carriage today."

In the dormitory, Bai Qian knelt on one knee and reported what had happened that morning.

"They've already left?"

Jiang Hao set down his cup, surprise flashing across his face.

He had thought Tang San would take the humiliation as motivation and challenge him again, giving him a chance to squeeze out a few more rewards.

Instead, the kid had packed up and run. That didn't seem like Tang San.

"Could it be that old useless fool Yu Xiaogang?"

Jiang Hao rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The man's fragile pride probably couldn't stand being humiliated in public, so he had gone to seek refuge with a friend.

As Jiang Hao pondered this, the sound of a shouted command suddenly approached from outside.

Then the door was flung open.

"Hehe! Big Sister Xiao Wu is back!"

Once again, her voice arrived before she did.

Jiang Hao turned and saw Xiao Wu standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, her long legs in white stockings glowing in the sunlight.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but after this trip, Xiao Wu seemed a little taller. Her figure had matured from a child's into a young woman's.

"What are you staring at?"

Xiao Wu's ears warmed when she caught him looking. "I got my first Soul Ring! I'm a real soul master now!"

Jiang Hao came back to himself and chuckled. "Soul master? Don't tell me you found some random carrot spirit beast and absorbed its ring."

"You're the one who absorbs carrots!"

Xiao Wu stamped her foot indignantly. "Watch if you don't believe me!"

She stepped back twice. Soul Power surged beneath her feet, and a bright yellow Soul Ring rose around her.

Its deep color bordered on pale orange. It rotated slowly around her, giving off a distinct pulse of energy.

"Oh?"

Jiang Hao's eyes flickered.

That color... No ordinary century-old Soul Ring could look like that.

It seemed that after Xiao Wu absorbed the Whale Rubber, the upper limit of the Soul Ring she could form had risen.

"This Soul Ring is nine hundred and twenty years old."

Xiao Wu lifted her chin, her eyes practically begging for praise, though she said haughtily, "Well? Scared? Someone wouldn't happen to still be worrying about finding a ten-year Soul Ring, would he?"

Deep down, she was a little nervous.

Jiang Hao was always so mysterious. Maybe...

"Nine hundred and twenty years?"

Jiang Hao nodded slightly. "Not bad. But..."

He slowly raised his right hand.

Boom!

A deep purple Soul Ring surged up from beneath his feet.

Purple light so rich it was almost black instantly filled the room, making Xiao Wu's yellow-orange ring look dim by comparison.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened. Her mouth fell open, and she froze.

"A thousand years!?"

Jiang Hao savored her shocked expression, delighted inside, while keeping his face calm. "Got lucky. Found an Innate Fire Spirit."

Xiao Wu: "..."

She silently withdrew her Soul Ring and dropped onto the edge of the bed.

Jiang Hao leaned over and poked her puffed-out cheek. "What, feeling discouraged?"

"Not at all!"

Xiao Wu glared at him, kicked off her shoes, hooked the quilt with her toes, and lay down.

The whole motion was smooth and swift.

"I'm taking a nap. Wake me when it's time to eat."

Jiang Hao: "..."

Six years later, at the gates of Heaven Dou City.

A young man stopped and tilted his head up, surveying the bustling city before him.

He was handsome, with defined features and a straight, tall bearing.

His black hair was loosely tied behind his head, with a few stray locks falling across his forehead, making his eyes look all the brighter and deeper.

Simply standing there, he drew glances from beautiful women passing by.

The young man was none other than Jiang Hao.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"

A clear voice came from behind him.

Jiang Hao turned to see Xiao Wu jumping down from the carriage.

Over the past six years, she had grown into her looks.

A long pink dress hugged her slender waist. Her figure had begun to fill out, and her long, white-stockinged legs flickered beneath the hem, enough to make anyone's head spin.

Her face was as lovely and delicate as ever, with a new trace of feminine charm about her.

Xiao Wu walked up beside Jiang Hao, looked up at him, and pursed her lips. "Tsk. Why did you have to grow so tall?"

She wasn't short herself. At twelve, she already stood 1.72 meters tall.

Yet beside Jiang Hao, she still looked rather petite.

They had eaten about the same things for six years, so why had he grown so tall?

Jiang Hao glanced at her. "What, jealous?"

"Like hell!"

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes. "I'm just shorter than you, not shorter than everyone else."

"By the way, are we really joining this Shrek Academy?"

Before they came, Jiang Hao had told her their destination was a place called Shrek Academy.

Jiang Hao smiled mysteriously. "Joining is just for show. You wouldn't understand the real reason even if I told you."

He had left Tang San alone for six years. It was time to reap what he had sown.

Besides, he had no intention of letting a single one of Tang San's lucky breaks or opportunities slip past him.

"Tch. Always acting so mysterious."

Without asking, Xiao Wu grabbed Jiang Hao's arm.

The warmth and softness against his forearm sent goosebumps across his skin.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tired. Carry me."

"You have legs, don't you?"

"Can't my legs be sore?"

Jiang Hao looked down at her long, strong legs in white stockings and chuckled. "Sore? Those legs never seem to have trouble kicking people."

Jiang Hao knew all too well how powerful her legs were.

"Enough talk! Are you carrying me or not?" Xiao Wu pouted.

"No!"

"You... Hmph. I'm not talking to you anymore."

Still bickering, the two arrived outside a shop.

The storefront was small, and its sign bore a circular emblem engraved with an unusual symbol.

Xiao Wu stopped and tilted her head at the shabby little shop, immediately frowning.

"What could a rundown place like this have that's worth buying?"

Jiang Hao ignored her complaint. His gaze lingered on the circular emblem, and the corners of his mouth rose.

"Quit complaining and follow me."

"Hey, wait for me!"

Though reluctant, Xiao Wu hurried after him.

As they pushed through the door, a musty smell washed over them.

The shop was dimly lit. A few odds and ends of no obvious use sat scattered across the shelves, covered in a thin layer of dust.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man wearing crystal spectacles, his head bent over a yellowed book.

At the sound of their arrival, he merely lifted his eyelids before returning to his reading.

Jiang Hao walked straight to the counter and got to the point.

"Boss, bring out every piece of metal you have."

Only then did the middle-aged man slowly look up and narrow his eyes at Jiang Hao.

The boy wore expensive clothes and several ornaments he couldn't name. Then there was the beautiful young woman beside him.

A rich kid!

This boy was definitely some wealthy family's spoiled heir!