Shrek Academy
The three hurried through Shrek's bustling grounds and corridors, soon reaching the quiet student dormitory area.
Bei Bei was full of worry, his eyes constantly resting on Tang Ya beside him, whose steps were awkward and whose face looked haggard. He kept reminding her to get plenty of rest once she returned.
Tang Ya kept her head lowered, her thoughts in turmoil. Faced with Bei Bei's wholehearted concern, she felt weighed down by guilt and did not even have the courage to look up.
After a brief goodbye, Tang Ya hurried into the girls' dormitory. Chen Jie returned to his own room in the boys' dormitory and closed the door.
He sat on the edge of his bed and silently called for his contract rewards.
[Ding! Host's Forced Contract with Tang Ya detected as complete. Contract rewards are being issued!] [Item obtained: Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul Evolution Card ×1] [Information obtained: Complete address of the Tang Sect's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well] [Items obtained: Xiao Wu Outfits ×999] [Super Divine Artifact obtained: Myriad-Blood Return-to-Ruin Scythe] [All rewards have been deposited in the Sumeru Micro-World]
Once he had claimed everything, Chen Jie willed the system panel to unfold slowly before his eyes.
[Host: Chen Jie] [Personal martial soul: Forced Contract] [Shared martial souls available: Xiao Xiao-Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron Xiao Xiao-Nine-Phoenix Ceremonial Flute Jiang Nannan-Taiyin Jade Rabbit Tang Ya-blue silver grass] [Soul power level: Level 33 Soul Elder] [Number of contracts: 3] [Contracted individuals: Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Tang Ya] [Jiang Nannan's affection: 100] [Xiao Xiao's affection: 100] [Tang Ya's affection: 70] [Jiang's Mother's affection: 95] [Other: omitted]
Suddenly, with a bang, someone pushed the dormitory door straight open.
Eighteen-year-old Wang Dong stood tall and striking, having shed her childish immaturity. Her sharp, spirited short hair accentuated her finely sculpted features, and her eyes and brows carried an innate edge of arrogance. Her youthful face was incomparably handsome, with an air of lofty refinement. She strode into the room with a touch of inborn pride, swept her gaze around, and immediately laid down the rules for Chen Jie.
"I'll be living in this room from now on. Let me make the dorm rules clear first.
"First, don't bring people back here without permission; second, don't go around naked in the dorm and make a nuisance of yourself; third, no snoring at night; fourth, don't disturb my cultivation; fifth, all the cleaning is your responsibility from now on, but you're absolutely forbidden from touching my bed."
"Why should I?"
Chen Jie slowly dismissed the system panel and looked up at Wang Dong indifferently. What a little brat from the Divine Realm. She needs taming!
Wang Dong raised an eyebrow, her arrogance swelling. "Not happy with that? Then let's fight! This room's too small to move properly. Come downstairs with me if you've got the guts!"
"Fine, let's fight. If you win, I'll do as you say. If I win, you'll have to listen to me from now on. This room's too small to move properly, so let's go downstairs."
His words stirred Wang Dong's competitive streak, and her eyebrows lifted high. "Just what I wanted!"
With that, Wang Dong turned and rushed out of the room.
Chen Jie remained composed, without a trace of fear, and followed her downstairs.
The two soon took their positions on an open patch of ground below the dormitory.
Dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from eighteen-year-old Wang Dong. Her soul rings rose as her light goddess butterfly martial soul fully merged with her body. Two pairs of magnificent, brilliant golden butterfly wings slowly unfurled behind her, streaming light filling the air as tiny golden scales drifted down. A sacred, immense pressure of soul power instantly enveloped the area. Her yellow and purple soul rings pulsed in alternation, combining beauty and strength and making her youthful figure appear even more radiant and divine.
Chen Jie's expression did not change. With a thought, he instantly activated a shared martial soul.
The image of an ancient, heavy bronze cauldron floated before him, its patterns solemn and archaic. It was the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron!
One yellow and one purple soul ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, circulating steadily, his soul power deep and solid.
The battle hung on a hair trigger!
Proud by nature, Wang Dong struck first. Her butterfly wings beat fiercely, sending a skyful of golden butterfly blades hurtling toward Chen Jie on cutting gusts of wind!
Facing the dense barrage, Chen Jie remained steady and focused. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron hovered before him, his soul rings flashing as a heavy suppressive, defensive force spread around his body and firmly blocked every butterfly blade.
The instant he used the cauldron to deflect the force, Chen Jie's steps blurred into afterimages. With precise control of his soul power, he closed in on Wang Dong in a flash, disrupting her rhythm.
Startled, Wang Dong hurriedly beat her wings to retreat, twisting around to counterattack. But Chen Jie's combat experience far exceeded hers, and his transitions between offense and defense left no opening.
Within just a few exchanges, Wang Dong's attacks had all been dismantled, and Chen Jie had her movements completely pinned down, leaving her no way to escape.
Just as Wang Dong prepared to use her second soul skill, an icy gleam suddenly flashed!
A glint flickered at Chen Jie's fingertips, and an exquisitely crafted, razor-sharp dagger silently appeared-the soul tool Huo Yuhao had given him, the White Tiger Dagger!
His movements suddenly accelerated. Cold light flashed and vanished, and the White Tiger Dagger came to rest precisely against the artery in Wang Dong's pale, slender neck.
The bone-chilling touch of metal pressed against her skin. One fraction farther, and victory and defeat would become life and death.
Wang Dong went rigid, the butterfly wings behind her slowly folding away. Her eyes filled with disbelief and resentment, and her beautiful brows drew tightly together.
"I... I won't accept this! You used a weapon to sneak up on me! That doesn't count as real skill!" Wang Dong gritted her teeth, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
"Child, there was nothing unfair about your loss." A voice came from behind them.
Mu En's gaze passed over the two before settling on the defiant Wang Dong, and he spoke softly again:
"Your soul power is nearly equal, but that child's combat experience was far greater than yours. Even without the dagger, your defeat was already certain."
Chen Jie slowly withdrew the White Tiger Dagger. Looking at Wang Dong's sour expression, he said evenly, "A bet's a bet. Accept your loss."
Wang Dong was deeply unwilling, but the facts were plain, and she could no longer deny them. She could only mutter, "I lost. You won. Name your terms."
Chen Jie shook his head, his expression calm. "I haven't decided yet. We'll talk about it another day."
Not wanting to stay there any longer, Chen Jie left the area below the dormitory alone and wandered around the academy to clear his head.
When he reached the student notice wall, Chen Jie stopped and scanned the lists, spotting his own name at once on the roster of new students.
He had actually been assigned straight to Mu Jin's class.
As he rounded a small path, a tall, mature, breathtakingly beautiful figure happened to approach him.
Twenty-year-old Jiang Nannan had completely shed her girlish awkwardness. Tall and slender, she had lush, flawless curves, graceful bearing, and a thoroughly mature charm. Her brilliant golden hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, with two locks curled into delicate, long spirals that rested against her full chest. A pair of soft, snowy-white rabbit ears stood atop her head, and a small golden hoop ornament hung from the tip of her left ear.
Her warm amber eyes were gentle and clear, carrying the tenderness of a grown woman, and a faint, soothing smile rested on her lips. She wore an exquisite white-and-purple dress, with shoulder-baring puff sleeves covered in ruffled trim and a soft pink satin bow tied at the neckline. A purple cinched waist closely traced her slim, firm waistline and graceful curves, while pink-and-white lace wrist flowers adorned her cuffs. Elegant and radiant, cool yet gentle, she was breathtakingly lovely. This was Jiang Nannan, nominally his older sister, though they shared neither a father nor a mother.
Under the influence of their contractual bond, Jiang Nannan's heart was now filled with fondness and affection for Chen Jie. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she hurried over, her voice carrying a familiar touch of reproach and tender concern:
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Shrek? I could have gone to pick you up."
Looking at the radiant, gentle young woman before him, Chen Jie's lips curved slightly as he replied with a smile, "Wasn't I trying to give you a surprise, Sister Nannan?"
With Jiang Nannan standing so close, Chen Jie silently resolved that the agonizing past she had endured in the original story he had read in his previous life would never repeat itself.
Jiang Nannan knew nothing of his thoughts. She simply gazed at Chen Jie with a heart full of joy, her eyes brimming with tenderness and trust.
Seeing her gentle, delicate manner, Chen Jie said half-jokingly, "From now on, I promise I'll report to you even when I take a bath, Sister Nannan."
A faint blush spread across Jiang Nannan's cheeks, lending a shy touch to her mature, lovely face. She raised her hand and lightly patted his arm, then shot him an embarrassed, annoyed look. "Always teasing. Who wants to bathe with you?"
She pursed her lips and silently mused that this fool certainly knew how to make girls happy. There was no telling how many girls he would fool in the future.
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