Flender and the others trudged down the street in a sorry state.
Every one of them had disheveled hair and dirty faces, looking like beggars.
Passersby kept their distance, not daring to come anywhere near them.
When they had first left Heaven Dou Royal Academy, they had used their soul power to shake off most of the feces still clinging to their bodies.
But some had remained, so Flender had reluctantly dipped into his savings to rent another room.
He could never forget the girl at the front desk looking at them as though she had seen a ghost.
Even as she fought back her nausea and fear, she had insisted on turning them away.
If he hadn't released his seven soul rings to intimidate her a little and sweetened the offer,
they wouldn't even have had a chance to bathe. They would probably still have unidentified substances stuck to them.
But the power of a septic tank was not to be underestimated. Even after their baths,
everyone except Qin Ming was surrounded by a domain of stench.
No one dared approach.
Flender felt utterly jinxed.
He thought it over again and again.
Everything seemed to have started when Tang San and the others enrolled, and Lin Xiao came over to show off and win himself a wave of popularity.
Yet up to now, they had barely even caught a glimpse of Lin Xiao.
His mind raced. Dai Mubai? Zhu Zhuqing? Or the Little Princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
None of them seemed to be the cause.
Flender glanced at Tang San out of the corner of his eye.
An uneasy feeling stirred in his heart.
He reviewed everything that had happened once more, and the deeper he thought, the more terrifying it became.
Almost every time disaster struck,
whether the victims were teachers or students, Tang San had been there.
Could this kid be the god of bad luck reincarnated...?
He couldn't help shuddering.
But he only entertained the thought.
Although Tang San's third soul ring was a white ten-year soul ring, his talent was unquestionable. Besides, he was the disciple of Flender's Good Brother, Xiaogang.
And more importantly, he was Clear Sky Douluo's...
He recalled the sight of Zhao Wuji being beaten to a pulp that night.
He shuddered again.
Noticing that something seemed off with Flender, Ma Hongjun approached with curiosity and a hint of concern.
"Dean, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Flender immediately smiled and waved a hand.
"No, no. I just remembered what happened at Heaven Dou Royal. It made me feel a little sick."
He had only meant to find an excuse to conceal his thoughts.
But unexpectedly, his words dredged up the memories everyone had struggled so hard to suppress.
Nausea hung over them all.
Ma Hongjun threw up on the spot again.
Tang San clenched his fists.
Tears welled up in Ning Rongrong's eyes as well.
She had sneaked out this time without telling anyone.
But at this moment, more than ever before, she wanted to return to her sect and pour out her grievances to her Grandfather Sword and Grandfather Bone.
She wanted them to kill Dugu Bo.
And throw his head into a cesspit!
But after spending so much time together, she had gradually come to depend on this big family.
If she went back, she might never have the chance to leave again.
Ning Rongrong, you have to endure! You have to endure!
One day, you'll trample everyone underfoot, and no one will dare treat you like this!
She forced back her tears and suppressed her anger.
Ning Rongrong kept taking deep breaths as memories of their days together surfaced in her mind.
Reason gained the upper hand once more.
Just then, Flender suddenly focused his gaze.
As a Soul Saint with an owl martial soul,
he had excellent eyesight. A single glance was enough for him to spot something in a rather out-of-the-way corner.
A large sign stood there.
Blue Tyrant Academy admissions: anyone with sufficient talent may apply. Commoners only; nobles not accepted.
Joy immediately surged through him. This academy was right up Shrek's alley!
And as he looked at the name Blue Tyrant again,
Flender found it increasingly familiar, and a thought gradually took shape in his mind.
If this is the school she founded, then it all makes sense.
I just don't know whether Xiaogang...
He turned his head slightly to look behind him, only to see Yu Xiaogang walking beside Lang Yi with a somewhat bashful expression.
A happy smile lit up Lang Yi's face.
He seemed to be forever optimistic.
Yu Xiaogang held Lang Yi tightly with one hand, his mouth moving nonstop as he spoke.
His expression shifted animatedly.
He seemed to be instructing him, or perhaps boasting about his youthful exploits.
There were even denunciations of unfair treatment.
Lang Yi nodded now and then, occasionally putting on a somewhat astonished expression.
He had become a perfectly adequate listener.
Flender withdrew his gaze and shook his head helplessly.
Shrek had now reached a dead end.
Unless he took the old fellows and these students off to form a large soul hunting team,
they had no way to make a living.
Now that he had found a possible glimmer of hope, he naturally had to give it a try.
Xiaogang will just have to put up with it...
Surely he'll forgive me when he hears it's for the children.
And so, following the directions on the sign,
Flender led everyone slowly toward the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy.
At the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy, Jiang Zhu was nodding, accepting someone's invitation.
That person was Zhang Lexuan.
Her spiritual perception picked up Tang San's presence.
She glanced to the side, took Jiang Zhu's hand, and left.
At the same time, within her Sea of Consciousness, she kept using her spiritual power to send messages to something resembling a group chat.
There were only three people in it: Xuan Zi, herself, and Lin Xiao.
Clearly, this was another convenience provided by the system's summoning.
Remote communication.
Not only could they exchange information, but they could also relay messages conveniently whenever needed.
Combined with their rough sense of Lin Xiao's location,
even without their current soul power, their coordination could form a meticulous intelligence network.
Senior Sister: "Xuan Zi, you can prepare the second act. I've also taken away the person the Young Master requested."
Loves Eating Chicken Legs: "Understood, understood. This old man will be right there!"
World's Handsomest Person: "You did great, Sister Lexuan. Get some good rest over the next few days. Before long, someone will come knocking~"
Senior Sister: "Understood."
While they were exchanging messages,
Flender brought Yu Xiaogang and the others to the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy.
He stopped a passing student.
"Student, could you notify your headmaster? Tell her some honored guests have come to see her."
The student looked at Flender and the others, who resembled vagrants.
They looked like escapees from some mental hospital, but when he caught Zhao Wuji's distinctly unfriendly gaze,
the principle that those with happy lives should back down convinced him to notify the dean and let her deal with them.
He nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
He also seemed terrified that Flender and the others might suddenly do something strange.
Like abruptly attacking him.
And on top of that, they stank to high heaven.
Slippery as a loach, the student fled, taking three steps in two at the fastest speed of his life.
Flender adjusted his glasses.
"It's good to be young. So full of energy."
Soon, word came back.
The dean had agreed to their request.
They headed inside.
Liu Erlong glared at the group, her face full of anger.
A student had reported to her that a bunch of vagrants outside wanted to see her.
She had just woken from her afternoon nap and was still a little cranky.
So she had intended to teach those people a lesson.
But as she looked at them, her eyes suddenly widened.
"Boss Fu? Why is it you?"
Liu Erlong stared at Flender and cried out in surprise.
She hadn't expected Flender, a fellow member of the Golden Iron Triangle and the one with the highest soul power, to have fallen on such hard times.
But without dwelling on it, Liu Erlong immediately hurried forward to welcome them.
Looking at Boss Fu, and at the man at the back of the group whom she had waited countless years for,
looking at these students who seemed so full of youthful vigor and promise,
all of them looking as though they had crawled out of a heap of beggars, their bodies giving off a foul stench,
her eyes immediately reddened.
Before Flender could speak,
"Boss Fu, you've all suffered. Don't say anything. Get some proper rest first!"
"Once everything is settled, we can talk it over slowly, all right?"
Liu Erlong immediately had someone take them to the dormitories and arranged everything for them.
That evening.
"Xiaogang! Why are you doing this? What's so good about him?"
"Erlong, I won't let you say that about him!"
Before you continue