Xiao Wu

"Mm, come in."

Wang Sheng spoke with easy familiarity.

"Our dorm has boys and girls living together?"

Tang San asked quietly, his voice tinged with confusion.

In his mind, men and women should keep their distance, even if they were all just children.

"That's right."

Wang Sheng nodded, then tugged on Yu Chen's sleeve. "Boss, go on. Show her who's in charge."

"Uh... all right."

Yu Chen stood and loosened his wrists.

Xiao Wu's true identity was a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast, but right now, she looked like nothing more than a delicate little girl.

One punch would probably leave her crying for ages, wouldn't it?

"Xiao Wu, I'm Yu Chen, the boss of Dorm Seven. We have a rule here: every newcomer has to show their strength. Whoever has the biggest fists becomes the new boss!"

"Are you sure?" Xiao Wu gave Yu Chen an excited look.

"I'm sure!" Yu Chen nodded.

"Great! Sister Xiao Wu loves fighting!"

Xiao Wu set her backpack aside, a fierce eagerness for battle shining in her eyes.

But the very next moment...

She suddenly spotted Xiao Bai lying on Yu Chen's shoulder. Their eyes met, and Xiao Wu felt as though a natural predator had fixed its gaze on her. A chill shot straight to the top of her head.

Thud-

Xiao Wu's legs buckled, and she fell straight to the floor.

"Are you all right?"

Yu Chen frowned, caught off guard.

Was Xiao Wu planning to act pitiful, lure him closer, then launch a sneak attack?

"I... I..."

At that moment, Xiao Wu's breathing grew rapid, and she could barely get a word out.

A transformed soul beast?

She actually dared to venture this far. Isn't she afraid of being discovered?

Gu Yuena stared at Xiao Wu, a sharp gleam flickering in her eyes.

If a hundred-thousand-year soul beast lacked confidence in surviving its next heavenly tribulation, it would choose to take human form, seeking one last thread of hope.

But before reaching maturity, they rarely entered large cities.

They generally stayed in small towns near forests, exposing themselves to the presence of humans.

After a while, Gu Yuena withdrew her gaze.

She was merely a Soft Bone Rabbit. Even if some fortunate encounter had allowed her to cultivate to a hundred thousand years, she was still just a little rabbit.

She was not worth much of Gu Yuena's attention.

"Phew..."

Xiao Wu felt the invisible pressure vanish and let out a heavy breath.

"Yu Chen, is that your martial soul? She's terrifying!"

She pointed at Xiao Bai from a distance, not daring to approach.

Did a dragon martial soul really suppress Xiao Wu this much?

Yu Chen was astonished.

Xiao Bai has a fire-type attribute and can breathe flames. In the original story, although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had a lightning attribute, it couldn't use lightning attacks directly before obtaining a soul ring.

And judging by Xiao Wu's reaction now...

A thought arose in Yu Chen's mind: Xiao Bai's quality might be no lower than that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

"Xiao Wu, do you still want to fight?"

Yu Chen asked.

"No, no! Your martial soul counters me. I'm no match for you."

Xiao Wu shook her head like a rattle drum.

"By the way, my martial soul is a Soft Bone Rabbit, one of those really cute little rabbits."

"A Soft Bone Rabbit!"

Wang Sheng patted his stomach and grinned. "Soft Bone Rabbit is my favorite thing to eat. Fragrant, tender, and cheap, too. Just talking about it is making me hungry!"

"You jerk!"

Hearing that, Xiao Wu clenched her little fists and glared fiercely at Wang Sheng.

Bunnies are so cute! How could anyone eat them!

Had Yu Chen not been there, Xiao Wu would have jumped up and taught this hateful fellow a harsh lesson.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's eat. Lunch is on me today, to welcome all of you!"

Wang Sheng declared generously.

"You're treating us? Great, great! Sister Xiao Wu's tummy is practically flat from hunger."

The moment she heard there was food, Xiao Wu jumped up happily.

Her gloomy mood vanished completely.

In fact, from that morning until now, she had eaten nothing except a handful of blue silver grass she had plucked outside the city.

There were plenty of shops in Nuoding City, but she had no money.

Besides, this was her first time learning about something called "money."

"I won't be joining you."

Tang San shook his head gently. "I brought dry rations in my bundle."

He had been solitary since childhood and disliked interacting with others. Even when someone offered to buy him a meal, his instinct was to refuse.

Wang Sheng patted Tang San on the shoulder and said, "Don't be shy. Starting today, we're all dormmates. You can just treat me when you've got money later!"

"Well... all right."

Tang San nodded, his impression of Wang Sheng improving a little.

The academy dining hall.

One, two, three...

Wang Sheng silently counted the dishes in front of Yu Chen, secretly tightening his grip on his money pouch.

The other work-study students looked as though they had seen a ghost!

Ten bowls!

Their new boss had eaten ten bowls of rice alone!

With the other dishes added in, the plates in front of Yu Chen were now stacked more than half a person's height.

"Ah, finally full!"

Yu Chen swallowed his last mouthful of rice, drank another large bowl of soup, and patted his stomach in satisfaction.

"B-Boss, do you eat this much at every meal?"

Wang Sheng asked in astonishment, his voice trembling slightly.

How could a six-year-old child have an appetite like Yu Chen's? Calling him a soul beast would have been more believable!

"Six bowls per meal used to be enough, but after my martial soul awakening, my appetite improved a little."

Yu Chen answered with a radiant smile.

In truth, he had already realized something was wrong.

His physical constitution and martial soul quality were so high that his daily energy consumption was astronomical.

As his soul power level increased, that consumption would grow as well.

Ordinary food alone could hardly meet his energy requirements.

If only I could find a food-type companion!

Yu Chen thought to himself.

In the original story, the most powerful food-type soul master was Oscar.

But Shrek Academy was too poor and lacked the advanced theories Yu Chen needed. He had no intention of joining Shrek, and he did not know whether he would encounter any other suitable teammates.

Meanwhile...

Tang San was deep in thought.

Yu Chen is behaving exactly like those body-refining experts from my previous life. No wonder he's so strong!

Among the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, the Bone-Shattering Nail and Dragon Whisker Needle specialize in piercing body-refining astral qi. Perhaps that could be my starting point for defeating Yu Chen.

Xiao Wu also said with a grin, "Boss Yu, your appetite could give my little brother's a run for its money."

"Your little brother?"

Yu Chen glanced at her. "Is his martial soul a rabbit too?"

"No, he's a monkey."

While everyone chatted, Yu Xiaogang walked in from outside.

"Yu Chen, we meet again."

He spotted Yu Chen at a glance.

There was no other reason-the dishes stacked more than half a person's height were simply too conspicuous.

"Boss, you know Yu Xiaogang?"

Wang Sheng tugged on Yu Chen's sleeve and asked quietly.

"Yes. He wanted to take me as his disciple earlier, but I didn't agree."

Yu Chen offered a brief explanation.

Wang Sheng nodded. "Boss, good thing you didn't agree, or you'd have been in trouble..."

Then Wang Sheng briefly recounted Yu Xiaogang's exploits.

He called himself a master of theory.

He looked down on the other teachers, yet he was only a Soul Grandmaster himself.

He freeloaded at the academy...

"Someone can actually be that shameless?"

Xiao Wu asked in surprise, turning to look at Yu Xiaogang with a flicker of disgust in her eyes.

"Perhaps something unusual happened to him, and he has troubles he can't speak of?"

Tang San had been listening quietly from the side when he suddenly offered that remark.

For some reason, he felt there was something extraordinary about Yu Xiaogang.

The work-study students had made no effort to keep their remarks from Yu Xiaogang, yet he did not grow angry after hearing them. At the very least, that showed he was a composed man.

"Are you a new work-study student too?"

Yu Xiaogang walked up to Tang San and asked calmly.

"Yes, teacher. My name is Tang San. I only enrolled today."

Tang San answered politely.

Tang San?

He was Tang San!

He really was different from the others.

As Yu Xiaogang looked at the thin little child before him, excitement immediately surged within him.

"Tang San, finish eating with your friends first. I'll come find you later when you're free."

With that, Yu Xiaogang headed straight for the dining hall's second floor.