Jiang Dongjun sat down beside the little butterball and distinctly felt the soft flesh on his body tremble as he unconsciously edged closer to the wall.
It was like... like bright sunshine falling on maggots in the shadows, making them recoil in discomfort.
Young fellow, you've got a bit of an inferiority complex.
That was almost a stress response. Had someone picked on him before? Or was he simply timid?
At the lectern, Li Qun continued his lesson.
It was a "Chinese language" class, teaching the students how to choose their words and construct sentences.
If they studied properly, they probably wouldn't blurt out, "That's wonderful!" when someone told them they were an orphan.
It wasn't a particularly important class, so Jiang Dongjun no longer felt guilty about distracting someone else and began "chatting up" his deskmate.
He took the blank notebook he had bought yesterday out of his Storage Ring, wrote and drew in it, then pushed it toward the little butterball.
The little butterball gave a violent start. He looked at the notebook sliding toward him, then turned a startled gaze on Jiang Dongjun, who made a "shh" gesture.
Only then did the little butterball catch on. He ducked his head, then looked guiltily toward the lectern, meeting Cold-Faced Old Li's gaze head-on.
He thought he was done for.
Who would have imagined that Old Li wouldn't react at all? Their eyes met, then his gaze slid away without so much as a glare. Being ignored like that made the little butterball realize that his new deskmate had some seriously powerful connections and standing.
He looked back at the notebook his new deskmate had handed him. It read:
-Hey, buddy, let's be friends ヽ(^o^)丿
The drawing was strange, but it brought the stiff, cold words to life. Its warmth reached the little butterball, helping him relax considerably.
He Tao: Hello, my name is He Tao. I'm a level-six Soul Scholar with a walnut martial soul. My goal is to open a roasted goods shop in Shrek City.
After his reply, he even imitated Jiang Dongjun and drew a painstakingly proper little sketch of a walnut.
Jiang Dongjun: Impressive ヽ(^o^)丿 Buddy, I see the makings of a Soul Saint in you. You'll definitely achieve your dream of opening a roasted goods shop. Keep it up (^o^)/
Judging by the timeline, the little butterball's innate soul power was probably around level three or four. Calling him someone with "the makings of a Soul Saint" was absolutely sincere praise.
He Tao: No, no, I'd be really happy just to become a Soul King o_O||
After several exchanges on paper, He Tao sensed Jiang Dongjun's goodwill. This wasn't merely polite small talk, nor was he trying to make fun of him.
The two quickly grew closer.
Friendship between children really was that simple.
The map of Yan was gradually unrolling to its end, where the dagger lay hidden-
Jiang Dongjun: Walnut, are you familiar with the top students in the other grades? I mean the students who already have soul rings and have become Soul Masters.
He Tao: How could I not be? They're all the academy's big names. Everything they do draws loads of attention, and everyone dreams of becoming one of them. I heard some older students are already preparing to graduate after fifth grade and apply directly to Shrek Academy.
Jiang Dongjun: Walnut, how is that any different from telling me nothing (｀へ´) Give me a few examples.
This time, He Tao took the notebook and spent a long while writing and drawing. Unwilling to wait, Jiang Dongjun craned his neck to look.
Hmm? Even this tiny first grade had crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Two Soul Masters had emerged recently, and their teachers had helped them hunt hundred-year soul rings. Their innate soul power clearly wasn't low-definitely level seven or above.
But these martial souls... a support-type Eight-Treasure Compass? A defense-type Rhino-Head Round Shield?
With those martial souls and that innate soul power, they qualified for Shrek Academy, and even for its inner court, but they'd absolutely be among the most mediocre of the bunch. The original story wouldn't spare them a single line.
One day, they might accept a mission to purge Evil Soul Masters, or go soul hunting under Xuan Zi's leadership, and become expendable fodder on the spot.
He Tao had only just begun writing about the notable second-grade Soul Masters when a familiar name appeared first.
Bei Bei, a Soul Master with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul!
Honestly, Little Walnut, that Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon you drew is hideous. Wouldn't Bei Bei give you a full course of electrotherapy if he saw it?
Second grade, third grade, fourth grade...
"Hey, buddy, don't write down anyone with a ten-year soul ring. I'm not interested in them."
Jiang Dongjun lowered his voice to remind him.
After three or four years of schooling, many students with level-two or level-three innate soul power had reached the threshold for absorbing a soul ring.
For students whose limits were visible at a glance, teachers wouldn't go to the trouble of helping them hunt hundred-year soul rings. Some teachers wouldn't bother with them at all. They had to save up themselves and hire a Soul Hunting Group to help them obtain their first soul ring. Naturally, that meant only a ten-year soul ring; a hundred-year soul ring came at an entirely different price.
He Tao flushed a little, smiled awkwardly, and crossed out the information on several Soul Masters he had already written down.
Jiang Dongjun keenly caught the bitterness and embarrassment in the little butterball's changing expression.
Huh? Did he think he'd be starting with a ten-year soul ring too?
He was a rare Food-Type Soul Master, with the potential to become a Soul King or Soul Emperor. Was the elementary academy unwilling to invest even one hundred-year soul ring in him?
"Look at that face you're making, all timid and awkward. It's really annoying. Become my little brother, and in a couple of years, I'll lead a team to hunt you a hundred-year soul ring. Those things aren't that precious."
Jiang Dongjun's voice, as faint as a mosquito's buzz, reached He Tao's ears.
He Tao gave another start and nearly jumped straight out of his seat. He turned to Jiang Dongjun with his little eyes brimming, every roll of fat on his body seeming to quiver with excitement.
"Ahem, ahem-cough, cough, cough-"
The teacher's seemingly casual coughing from the lectern instantly made He Tao shrink back again. His flesh contracted as though he meant to curl himself into a tiny ball and squeeze all the grease out of his plump body.
Jiang Dongjun said, "Don't get so excited. Come on, keep writing. I want to see what other crouching dragons and phoenix fledglings this academy has!"
He Tao said, "You got it, boss!"
Jiang Dongjun said, "Don't call me boss yet. Finish the job I gave you properly first."
He Tao stopped talking and began writing a list of the fifth-grade Soul Masters.
Jiang Dongjun saw another familiar name-Chen Zifeng, Soul Chasing Sword.
Well, well, that settles it. The fellow who played with flying swords and had a leg blown off by the strongest Soul King in history. No wonder he stayed at Shrek Academy afterward. He was an insider among insiders.
Yao Haoxuan, who had been blown up and killed outright, was a scion of a Hidden Family. Xuan Zi had personally delivered his remains. With that formidable level-ninety-eight strength looming before them, however aggrieved the Hidden Family felt, they had to let their grievances rot in their bellies.
Apart from Chen Zifeng, the fifth-grade Soul Masters were also of a very high standard.
Practically everyone He Tao wrote down qualified for admission to Shrek Academy.
Jiang Dongjun did a rough calculation. He suspected that nearly five percent of the thousand new students Shrek Academy admitted each year came from this Elementary Soul Master Academy.
He Tao apologized in a whisper, "Sorry, boss. There are too many fifth-grade Soul Masters. I can't remember them all, only the most distinctive ones."
"It's fine. This is enough. I don't need to know every detail."
He Tao wore a pained expression. "Boss, do I need to keep going and write down the sixth-grade Soul Masters too?"
As long as they had been born with soul power, six years of grinding away would surely bring them to level ten. Ninety-nine percent of sixth-grade students were One-Ring Soul Masters. Having He Tao write them all down would be a massive undertaking.
Jiang Dongjun said, "Aren't they all over the age limit? There shouldn't be any two-ring Soul Masters either, right?"
He Tao wrote in the notebook, "Boss, they really are past Shrek Academy's application age limit. Moving up to sixth grade basically means you've decided to attend the Intermediate Soul Master Academy in the west of the city. Anyone aiming for Shrek Academy graduates after fifth grade."
Jiang Dongjun said, "Forget it, then. I'm not interested in them. Come have lunch with me at noon. I have something I'd like your help with. Want to come?"
Before you continue