A Million! A Million!

As Jiang Hao spoke, he released his Clones.

The once-empty woods filled with people. Every Clone wore a veil and held a broadsword, hidden among the surrounding hills and trees.

Jiang Hao looked up, a glint of gold flashing through his eyes.

His vision sharpened severalfold as he gazed into the distance. More than two hours later, he spotted a carriage approaching. Shadow Bro's reported position was drawing closer too.

"Get ready over here! Pagoda Bro, you and Sword Bro go down and pretend you're new students heading to Shrek City to enroll!"

"I'll have the other Clones pretend to rob you in a moment.

"When that happens, release your Martial Souls and catch Ning Tian's attention. Once she sees you two, I'm sure she'll try to recruit you!"

As Jiang Hao spoke, the carriage below drew nearer. Two more bends and it would reach them.

He waved his hand, sending several dark figures rushing out. Pagoda Bro and Ice Sword Bro slowly emerged from another ravine.

"Whoa! Miss, there seem to be bandits ahead!"

The Carriage Driver shouted and brought the carriage to a halt!

Ahead of them, seven or eight burly men had blocked two children in the middle of the road.

"Young Mistress, better to have one less problem than one more. Why don't we take another route?"

"The elder isn't here. Safety comes first!"

Beside her, a frightened Maid tugged at Ning Tian's sleeve.

But Wu Feng had already charged out!

Young Mistress, support me! I'll take on ten!

With her fire dragon possessing her, Wu Feng leaped back to draw them in.

Hurry up and make your move! Any longer and we're dead!

One of the black-clad Clones hurriedly sent Ice Sword Bro a telepathic message.

Ice Sword Bro finally moved.

"Got it, got it!

"I'll send you packing first!"

With that, a wave of bitter cold spread in every direction. Even Wu Feng, who had been charging forward, was engulfed by it, and the flames around her nearly went out.

"This cold... his element is stronger than mine!"

Wu Feng shivered. The cold numbed her whole body, and her hands and feet began to disobey her.

But feeling power pour steadily into her, Wu Feng glanced back.

Ning Tian gave her a reassuring gesture. Then two beams of yellow light sank into Sword Bro and Pagoda Bro.

A strength boost! Then it's my turn to perform!

"Brother, I'll give you a Boost!" Pagoda Bro shouted deliberately.

Only then did he reveal his Martial Soul. A small, crystal-clear pagoda slowly appeared in his hand.

"The pagoda turns, and glazed tiles shine! First: Enhancement!"

A Yellow Soul Ring settled around Ice Sword Bro.

"You ran into me, and you still haven't fled? Today, I'll uphold justice!" Ice Sword Bro swept the sword in his hand through the air, convinced he looked dashing.

First Soul Skill: Sword Chill Slash!

A bitterly cold sword strike flew toward the nearest Clone with a fox Martial Soul.

"Oh no! They're Soul Masters! Run!"

The fox Soul Master pretended to be so frightened that he dropped his broadsword and plunged into the nearby woods.

Of course I'm running. Am I supposed to wait here and get cut down for real?

In a flash, every Clone on the scene who had only just awakened a Martial Soul and had no Soul Ring fled.

They scattered in defeat, leaving only Ice Sword Bro standing guard, Pagoda Bro hiding behind him, and a carriage party off to one side.

Ning Tian stepped down from the carriage. Two guards were about to speak, but she cut them off.

"Keep those two here!" Ning Tian pointed at Pagoda Bro and Sword Bro.

"Yes, Young Mistress! Watch us capture them!"

A guard roared and lunged. A giant bear burst forth behind him.

With Martial Soul Possession, he charged at Sword Bro in great strides.

Ice Sword Bro stared at the three-ring Soul Master rushing toward him.

This isn't right. Something's wrong with the script! Don't tell me they're trying to kill us to keep us quiet.

Forget it. Staying alive comes first!

Ice Sword Bro swung again. A slash streaked toward the giant-bear Soul Master, trailing a blade of icy light.

A spray of blood burst into the air. The giant-bear Soul Master's arm had been severed, and he collapsed to the ground, enduring the pain.

"Reckless fools! Who told you to do that?!"

Ning Tian was exasperated. She had suddenly realized that her guards—or perhaps all the guards of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—were a pack of brutes.

They acted without using their brains at all.

Ignoring the horrified looks of the guards around her, she hurried forward and raised both hands toward Ice Sword Bro.

"I'm sorry! This is a misunderstanding. I never ordered my servants to do that!"

Her gaze, however, was fixed on Pagoda Bro behind Ice Sword Bro—on the pagoda in his hand, to be precise.

Jiang Hao refused to believe anyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could resist the pull of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Looks like it worked!

Ning Tian quickly approached the two of them, and Ice Sword Bro put away his Martial Soul.

Even so, he kept up a wary look as he watched Ning Tian.

"You two are heading to Shrek City, aren't you?"

Ning Tian looked them up and down. Somehow, these two felt familiar to her, as though they had only just parted.

One had a Sword Martial Soul, while the other had the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda her sect had long dreamed of. How that Martial Soul had come into being could wait.

Was this natural closeness the legendary bond between them?

Ice Sword Bro looked her over and asked with feigned confusion, "That's right. We planned to take this year's entrance exam. My younger brother and I come from a remote mountain village, and our dream is to join Shrek Academy.

"But when we got there, we learned that joining Shrek Academy required more than Soul Power above level twenty-five. We also needed a recommendation letter from someone of Shrek City Lord's standing.

"I don't have the money to buy one of those things, so they turned us away.

"Were you rejected by Shrek too?"

Ning Tian's eyes lit up as she listened!

"You were rejected? That's wonderful!" Realizing she had let her excitement slip, Ning Tian saw the confusion in Ice Sword Bro's eyes and hurriedly added:

"You don't meet Shrek's admissions requirements, so why not come with me?

"I might be able to get you into Shrek Academy later!"

Pagoda Bro put on an excited face and peeked out from behind Ice Sword Bro. "Really?"

He feigned delight, playing the part of an eager young boy to perfection.

Ice Sword Bro's acting had reached award-winning heights too. His face flickered between hesitation and longing.

After wavering for a while, and hearing the extra terms Ning Tian offered, he finally agreed and climbed into the carriage.

He kept feeling for the gold card tucked inside his clothes.

A million! A million!

Jiang Hao watched them leave. He and the black-clad Clones who had helped earlier sat together, eating meat-filled flatbreads bought in Shrek City.

"Damn, these things are good!"

"Main Body, you have to let us out to eat every day from now on!

"I promise we'll just eat, then go straight back to the Spiritual Sea. We won't cause you any trouble!"

These dozen or so black-clad Clones were new acquisitions. Two had fairly good Martial Souls. One was the fox Soul Master from earlier, whose fox was covered in golden patterns.

The other had a scalpel for a Martial Soul. The rest had Blue Silver Grass or various barnyard fowl, and most had little fighting strength.

"No way! If I let you all out to eat, sooner or later you'll eat me into poverty."

As the Clones sat around him, hands reached now and then toward the stack of flatbreads in the middle, snatching them up and wolfing them down.

The sight made the Clones in the Spiritual Sea eager to join in.

"You wicked old Main Body, I'm craving one too! I want a meat-filled flatbread!"

"Wait until there's a chance for you to go on a mission. Go on a mission, and you get fed!

"I promise I won't exploit you!"

Jiang Hao raised a hand to swear it, then stuffed another bite into his mouth.

The flatbread's crust was crisp, while the meat inside was savory and delicious, with a faint scent of scallion oil.

They ate to their hearts' content. Then the sound of a carriage party and pounding hooves rose from below.

A crash drew Jiang Hao's gaze and the gaze of every Clone.

On the slope where the staged robbery had just taken place, a luxurious carriage had knocked a handcart over beside the road.

"Are you blind? You dare pull a stunt in front of the Xuanming Sect's carriage party?!"

A burly man with a thick beard kicked the overturned cart farther off the road.

The cart's weight came down on an old man who had tumbled into the ditch. A little girl beside it climbed onto the cart, trying to dig him out.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!

"Please, sirs! Don't hurt my grandpa!"

"A little girl of three or four is being bullied by a pack of grown men!

"Can we step in? Does the Xuanming Sect think it's above all justice?"

"Boss, let's rob them!"

In Jiang Hao's mind, the Clones who had been tempted by the meat-filled flatbreads were rubbing their hands together, itching to act!

"Rob them? What are you thinking?!

"Robbery's against the law!

"What we're doing is taking from the rich to help the poor!"