My Gold Soul Coins-

"Wait."

Xiao Wu took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

"Aren't we missing someone?"

They looked back. At the edge of the clearing, Tang San was still sprawled on the ground, face down and backside up.

Xiao Wu walked over and glanced down. Tang San lay perfectly still. His fingers curled slightly, then quickly straightened.

"Forget it. Let him lie there a little longer." Xiao Wu turned back.

Oscar came over pushing a small cart and glanced at Tang San on the ground.

"Is he... still alive?"

"Probably," Lin Yuan said.

"All right, then." Oscar didn't give him a second look. He pushed the cart onward. "You guys passed? Come with me. I'll show you the dorms."

They went around the clearing and through a stretch of crooked wooden fencing. Oscar stopped in front of a row of wooden cabins.

Xiao Wu looked at the cabin before her, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

Wooden walls. Wooden door. Wooden windows. A sign hanging on the door read "Girls' Dormitory." The lettering was identical to that on the sign at the academy entrance, with dark-red paint streaking down the wood. Inside were two plank beds, a table missing a leg, and one chair. The cobwebs in the corner were still there.

"...That's it?"

Oscar coughed.

"Well, the dean is rather frugal."

"Cheap is cheap. Don't call it frugal." Ning Rongrong ran a finger across the tabletop and came away with a layer of dust.

"You have no idea," Oscar said, lowering his voice. "The dean won't even spend money on training equipment. Teacher Zhao paid out of his own pocket to build the teachers' dorm. And this place? He says 'harsh surroundings forge a resilient will,' but he just doesn't want to pay for anything. Last time I asked for a new bed, he told me to go up the mountain and chop down a tree myself."

Xiao Wu glanced at the table with the missing leg.

"...A resilient will."

Xiao Wu turned to Lin Yuan. "What about the boys' dorm?"

Oscar pointed to an even more dilapidated cabin beside it. The door hung crooked, and a pane of glass was missing from the window.

Lin Yuan turned and headed out.

"Where are you going?" Xiao Wu followed him.

"To eat."

On the streets of Suotuo City, the evening lights were just coming on.

They found a restaurant and sat down. The menus had only just arrived when Flender appeared from who knew where. He sat down beside them, pushed up his glasses, and looked at Lin Yuan.

"Want to take a look at the Great Soul Arena?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "Soul Fighting?"

"The Soto Great Soul Arena." Flender smiled. "The liveliest place in all Suotuo City. Now that you've passed the entrance test, you're part of Shrek."

Xiao Wu tilted her head. "Just like that?"

"Of course it's not that simple." Flender pushed up his glasses. "To graduate from Shrek, you must earn a Silver Soul Badge at the Soto Great Soul Arena. A win earns one point, and a loss costs one. You can only advance once you have enough points."

Flender glanced at Lin Yuan.

"Want to register? There's a singles match tonight. You could try your hand."

"Are you paying the registration fee?"

Flender scratched his head, looking a little awkward.

"I am."

"How much are you betting?"

Flender gave a dry cough.

"Not much. Just a little money."

Xiao Wu leaned toward Ning Rongrong's ear. "What's he up to? Why send us to the Great Soul Arena out of nowhere?"

Ning Rongrong nodded. "There's definitely something going on."

The Great Soul Arena had a circular dome, and light poured from within, illuminating half the sky. People streamed through the entrance, and the place buzzed with excitement.

A middle-aged woman sat behind the registration desk with a thick ledger in front of her.

"Name."

"Lin Yuan."

"Martial Soul."

"Guga."

The woman looked up at him. "...What?"

"Guga."

The woman muttered something under her breath and entered "Guga" in the ledger.

"Level."

"Twenty-nine."

When she finished registering him, she handed him a badge. "Points badge. You start at zero. Don't lose it."

Lin Yuan took the badge. The metal felt cold in his hand.

As long as no one examined his Soul Power up close, his real level wouldn't be exposed. He had no intention of using Soul Power tonight, either. With physical strength alone, his opponent wouldn't even sense a fluctuation.

A singles match was underway in the arena. A level-thirty-three Power Attack System Soul Master was pressing his opponent hard, flames wrapped around his fists and sparks flying with every punch. Cheers kept rising from the stands.

"Next match, Lin Yuan versus—"

The announcer glanced at the list in his hand.

"Zhou Lie, a level-twenty-nine Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Iron-Armed Bear."

Boos rose from the stands. They were both level twenty-nine, but Zhou Lie had already won more than a dozen singles matches in a row and was a favorite tonight. A few spectators had begun collecting bets.

Zhou Lie entered first. He stood over six feet tall, all muscle, with veins bulging along both arms. Two Yellow Soul Rings revolved at his feet. He folded his arms across his chest, swept his gaze over the stands, and grinned. Someone in the audience whistled.

When he saw Lin Yuan step onto the stage, he scoffed.

"New here? I'd advise you to surrender before you get hurt."

Zhou Lie went flying.

Lin Yuan had thrown a single punch. No Soul Power fluctuation. No Soul Ring lighting up. Just raw physical strength. His fist slammed into Zhou Lie's crossed arms, and the bones groaned under the force. Zhou Lie crashed into the railing, bounced back, and landed facedown on the floor. His head lolled to one side. He was out cold.

The referee froze for a moment before raising a hand.

"Lin Yuan wins."

The stands went silent for a heartbeat, then erupted. "The match was rigged!" "Refund! Refund!"

Flender sprang from his seat, grinning from ear to ear. He pulled a fistful of betting slips from his coat and counted them one by one. Then he counted them again. The glint of gold coins reflected in his glasses.

"I made a killing, a killing—"

Ning Rongrong watched his expression and whispered to Xiao Wu.

"The dean is scary."

Xiao Wu nodded emphatically.

"I heard that." Without looking up, Flender kept counting. When he finished, he tucked the slips into his coat, patted his chest, and let out a long breath.

"Good luck tonight. Come on, dinner's on the dean."

In the corner, five little fellows raised their heads in unison.

Guga's stubby legs were already moving.

"Food, Guga!"

At the restaurant. The same one as before.

Flender had barely sat down when a waiter handed him a menu. He waved a hand grandly.

"Order whatever you like."

Then he regretted it.

Guga snatched the menu and pointed a tiny finger at every single dish, skipping none. The waiter filled three whole pages: braised pork belly, sweet-and-sour ribs, steamed fish, roast chicken, beef in sauce, garlic shrimp, fish with pickled cabbage, sweet-and-sour pork, braised pork knuckle, candied sweet potatoes—if it was on the menu, they ordered it.

Flender's hand trembled slightly around his teacup.

The first round of dishes arrived, covering the table. All five little fellows dug in at once, wielding chopsticks and hands alike. The plates emptied before their eyes. Xuanwu Guga couldn't get to the food and slapped the table in distress. Lin Yuan moved several dishes in front of him. Little Moon's chopsticks were nearly a blur, and a plate of garlic shrimp vanished in an instant.

Flender watched the pile of bones grow higher and higher. His hand shook even harder.

"Ten more plates of sweet-and-sour pork, Guga!" Guga raised a stubby hand.

"Ten plates of braised pork belly." Dark Gold Guga didn't even look up.

Flender opened his mouth, then lifted his teacup and took a long gulp. The waiter brought out another dozen or so dishes, and the plates were empty before he could set them down properly. Xuanwu Guga's cheeks were stuffed full. Partway through chewing, he suddenly stopped—he was choking. Lin Yuan hurriedly patted his back and handed him a glass of water. Once Xuanwu Guga recovered, he bent over his food again.

Guga raised a stubby hand. "Ten more plates of sweet-and-sour fish, Guga!"

Flender stared at the bill, his lips trembling.

"This one meal has eaten up all my stake."

Zhu Zhuqing and the others giggled beside him.

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, watched the Gugas eating merrily, then glanced at Flender. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips.

More than a hundred empty plates were piled on the table. The waiter had made countless trips back and forth, his forehead covered in sweat.

Guga lay back in a chair, round belly in the air. He burped and patted it with a stubby hand.

"Guga's full, Guga."

Flender stood up, bracing himself against the edge of the table. He looked at the bill, then at Lin Yuan. His lips moved, but no words came out.

He turned and walked out, holding on to the doorframe. His shadow stretched long beneath the streetlamp, and his steps faltered. Halfway down the street, he suddenly crouched and clutched his head.

"My Gold Soul Coins—"

Guga poked his head out of the restaurant doorway and patted his belly with a stubby hand.

"Come back tomorrow, Guga."

Flender's back shuddered. He stood and quickened his pace. "There's something I need to do at the academy. I'm leaving."

Xiao Wu finally burst out laughing.

"This dean is actually pretty funny."

Ning Rongrong doubled over laughing, gripping the table because she couldn't straighten up.

Lin Yuan picked up the last rib and popped it into Xuanwu Guga's mouth. Then he stood.

"Let's go."

Streetlights were sparse, and a few dogs barked in the distance. They headed back toward Shrek, the little fellows following behind, their stubby feet pattering along. Xuanwu Guga still had a piece of candy he'd taken from the restaurant in his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

Ning Rongrong stretched.

"Let's get back early. We still haven't cleaned that shabby dorm. It looked so filthy—how are we supposed to rest until it's clean?"

Xiao Wu nodded hard.

"Exactly. The dust on that table was half an inch thick."

Zhu Zhuqing said, "The sooner we clean it, the sooner we can rest."

A night breeze blew past. The little fellows' footsteps pattered through the darkness.