Freshman Class Five

Boom!!

The powerful shock wave blasted outward, driving back the onlookers. Xiao Hongchen shot away like a cannonball and crashed into a nearby wall.

The spectators immediately applauded Gu Ming.

A pure soul master with Three Rings had defeated a Level 4 Soul Engineer. It was a miracle.

Below seven rings, soul engineers were practically synonymous with combat prowess. They were all but invincible, yet he had not only lost—he had lost utterly.

From beginning to end, Gu Ming had barely used any soul skills. That alone spoke volumes about his strength.

Now, Xiao Hongchen looked utterly bedraggled as his younger sister helped him up.

To his astonishment, the junior schoolmate who usually admired him was now looking at Gu Ming with admiration.

That admiration should have belonged to him!

At that thought, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "I refuse to accept this! Once I've rested, we're fighting again! I don't believe I could lose to you! Damn it, damn it!"

Xiao Hongchen was not furious merely because he had lost, but because he had disgraced soul engineers.

He and his sister were hailed as the Sun Moon Empire's Twin Stars, geniuses of the highest caliber.

Now that he had lost to some unknown outsider, he could hardly show his face.

"Can't accept it? Then work harder at your cultivation. As you are now, you're no match for me. Still won't admit it?"

Gu Ming looked down at Xiao Hongchen and mocked him without sparing his pride in the slightest.

Xiao Hongchen's face flushed with anger, but there was nothing he could do to Gu Ming.

Whatever else might be true, he had lost.

Beside him, Meng Hongchen tried to persuade him. "Brother, why don't we just let it go? Gu Ming is strong and handsome. You should stop going on about killing people all the time."

"We're civilized people. If we can't beat him, can't we make friends with him?"

Xiao Hongchen's vision went black, and he nearly fainted.

What a wonderful sister he had. Even at a time like this, she remembered how handsome the other boy was and forgot all about her brother.

Still, his sister had a point. If he couldn't beat him, couldn't he make friends with him?

So Xiao Hongchen straightened his clothes and coughed. "Don't get smug. I'll defeat you someday. Remember my name, Xiao Hongchen. You're the only person my age who has ever managed to beat me."

"I look forward to our next fight."

As he spoke, Gu Ming put away the Tianjing Sword and turned to leave.

Meng Hongchen called out before he could go. "Are you here to study at the Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Academy? You look old enough to enroll. Why don't you come to the academy with us?"

"I'm not..."

Gu Ming turned back and replied, "I think we'll meet again soon. Probably in about six months."

With that, he turned and disappeared from sight, leaving Meng Hongchen with an incredibly cool view of his retreating back.

He was like a cold, aloof dream guy, rejecting the campus beauty's invitation without hesitation.

Sure enough, Meng Hongchen blinked her big Carslan eyes and stared after Gu Ming until he disappeared completely. "So handsome, and a little haughty, too. That cold, aloof dream guy isn't even from our academy. Boohoo..."

"Still staring? Your brother's about to die of anger," Xu Tianzhen said from beside her.

Meng Hongchen turned around again and found her brother slapping the wall in fury. "Brother, what's wrong now?"

Xiao Hongchen gritted his teeth. "Damn it. I actually lost to some student with a makeshift background. I've nearly thrown away all the Hongchen Family's dignity."

"Maybe you'll beat him next time?" Meng Hongchen suggested.

Xiao Hongchen thought that made perfect sense.

That fellow had said they would meet again, so surely it would not be long.

Next time, Xiao Hongchen swore he would cripple Gu Ming.

About half a month later, in Shrek City.

This was an independent academy that belonged to no nation, yet its influence was immense. It could even determine whether the continent lived or died.

Only one day remained in Shrek Academy's enrollment period, and almost all the freshmen had already registered.

At the eastern city gate, Gu Ming rode the Tianjing Beast up to the teacher handling admissions, its steps clopping along, and presented his recommendation letter from a city lord.

The teacher responsible for registration took a closer look and was left dumbfounded.

Gu Ming... twelve years old, Detached Martial Soul, a native of the Heaven Dou Empire, Level 34 Soul Elder.

His talent could rival Ma Xiaotao's at that age.

An uncut gem. An absolute uncut gem!

Without a second thought, the registration teacher began writing Gu Ming's name on the enrollment form for Freshman Class One.

Such an outstanding student had to be entrusted to Zhou Yi.

But Gu Ming caught his hand.

Forcing a smile, Gu Ming said, "Teacher, could you put me in another class? I'm a little sensitive to the name Class One. The number one and I clash."

Honestly, he really did not want to suffer in Class One. That kind of life was not fit for a human being.

The main problem was that old woman Zhou Yi's utter lack of reason.

The registration teacher immediately bristled. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Then I'll go to the Sun Moon Soul Engineer Academy next door. Give me back my recommendation letter."

Gu Ming reached out to snatch the letter back.

The registration teacher's expression instantly changed, and he chuckled. "Little fellow, I was only joking. Since you don't want to join Freshman Class One, we'll put you in another class. Why go to the Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Academy? How could those bumpkins who only know how to research soul engineers understand martial souls better than we do?"

"Calm down. I'll change your class right away. How about Freshman Class Five?"

Shrek would never let a genius like Gu Ming slip away.

Sending a gifted soul master to the Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Academy over such a trivial matter would be a heavy blow to Shrek.

He could certainly grant this small request.

Upon hearing "Freshman Class Five," Gu Ming let out a small sigh of relief.

Class Five was fine. As long as he did not get someone like Zhou Yi, a copy of Yu Xiaogang, he could accept it.

Before long, Gu Ming received two school uniforms, a Freshman Badge, and a dormitory key. He was assigned to the dormitory for Freshman Class Five.

Just then, an outer court female student with a rabbit hair clip, an oval face, and azure eyes passed by.

The registration teacher waved and called, "You there, Jiang Nannan. Show this new junior around the academy, and take him to his dormitory while you're at it."

Jiang Nannan turned around unhappily and frowned, thinking that the teacher must have nothing better to do if he was asking her to guide a freshman.

Isn't that your job as teachers?

However, the instant Jiang Nannan saw Gu Ming, her little bit of displeasure vanished. She nodded. "Understood."

This fellow is pretty handsome. At least as handsome as four Xu Sanshis.

His soul power fluctuations were also strong. He did not seem much weaker than her.

In that case, this senior is happy to oblige.

With her hands behind her back, Jiang Nannan called, "Come with me. Just call me Jiang Nannan. I'm a senior student in the outer court."

"Sorry for the trouble, senior."

Gu Ming recognized her at a glance as the unfortunate girl who had gotten in through the back door. He plopped down on the Tianjing Beast's back and said, "Tianjing Beast, let's go."

The Tianjing Beast snorted. He was deeply unhappy about being ridden like a horse, but there was nothing he could do about it, because this was his master.