Shrek Academy's Madman

While Chen Yong was making money, Jiang Hai was making money too.

At that moment, he stood blocking the entrance to a yellow dormitory building, which housed the second- and third-year students.

Judging that Chen Yong's side should be about done, Jiang Hai drew a deep breath. His soul power surged, and a voice like muffled thunder reverberated throughout the building. "First-year student Jiang Hai once again challenges every second- and third-year veteran! You second- and third-year trash, get your asses out here! Stop hiding your heads like turtles!"

Shrek's second- and third-year veterans had only cultivated a year or two longer than they had. Almost all were Soul Grandmasters, though there were some Soul Masters among them too.

As for Soul Elders, someone like Tang Ya, who had broken through to that rank in her fourth year, was already a rare genius.

That was why Jiang Hai was far more outrageous than Chen Yong.

"Where did this madman come from, daring to make a scene at the Hundred-Year Dormitory?"

The instant Jiang Hai finished speaking, the entire building erupted. Even Chen Yong ducked his head when he heard Jiang Hai's voice carry over. The boss really was the boss. What a beast.

Chen Yong immediately packed up his stall. In just these two to four hours, he had earned over twenty gold coins, equivalent to two years of tuition at Shrek Academy.

Who applying to Shrek Academy didn't have at least a little money on them?

Besides, Chen Yong had his principles. Whenever he encountered a poor student in ordinary clothes, he returned their money.

When Chen Yong arrived outside the yellow dormitory building, people were packed three rows deep and more. Jiang Hai was surrounded so tightly that not a gap remained, and everyone was glaring at him.

"The boss really is the boss. He doesn't even flinch with so many upperclassmen surrounding him!" Chen Yong said, his face full of admiration.

In a mere two hours, he had not only filled his pockets to overflowing but also made considerable progress in strength. The moment he earned his first gold coin, Chen Yong had already accepted Jiang Hai as his boss.

The crowd seethed with righteous indignation toward Jiang Hai. If upperclassmen weren't forbidden from bullying younger students without cause, they would have attacked him long ago.

"Stop yapping, stop yapping. All of you, shut up and come one at a time. Remember this: my name is Jiang Hai, and I'm a freshman this year. I look down on trash like you, loafing around at Shrek Academy, so I came especially to give you some pointers. Ten gold coins a lesson. Who dares?" Jiang Hai surveyed them disdainfully. Those who didn't dare stir up trouble were mediocrities. Now this was what he called stirring up trouble.

"Where did this madman crawl out from? You little brat, you haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you're already here running your mouth! Any one of us could beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth!" someone cursed. Yet not one of them made a move. Who knew whether Jiang Hai had something to rely on? Besides, ten gold coins were at stake. With their own interests involved, nobody wanted to stick their neck out first.

"If you've got any guts, fight me for real. A bunch of ball-less bastards, doing nothing but whining and prattling like little girls," Jiang Hai said contemptuously.

"You..." The man's face flushed crimson. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine. I'll fight you!"

He had decided that he would teach this arrogant bastard a vicious lesson. He would tear that mouth apart with his own hands.

"Pay up!" Jiang Hai said bluntly.

"Here are ten Gold Soul Coins." As a veteran student, he could still afford ten gold coins. He took them out and flung them onto the ground, intending to humiliate Jiang Hai as well.

Expressionlessly, Jiang Hai picked up the ten gold coins and stored them in the Bronze Coffin. "Let's begin," he said evenly.

With that, he threw a plain, unassuming punch.

"Brat, I'll make you regret this!" The man's expression darkened. With a cold laugh, he reached out to grab Jiang Hai.

"You're courting death!" Jiang Hai sneered. His fist collided with the man's arm, and terrifying strength erupted. His punch slammed into the man's chest. Then he stepped forward, clamped his other hand around the man's neck like a steel vise, and lifted him straight off the ground by his throat before hurling him away with a powerful swing.

"That's it? That's all you've got? Next!" Jiang Hai said in a tone that practically begged for a beating.

But the people surrounding him froze. Although Yu Xiu was a second-year student, he was by no means weak. Yet he had lost with such effortless ease, unable to withstand even a single move.

"Yu Xiu underestimated him too much. This freshman isn't ordinary-he's very strong. Yu Xiu tried to catch his wrist with one hand just now, but he couldn't!" a third-year veteran explained. Only then did the others breathe a sigh of relief. So Yu Xiu had simply underestimated his opponent.

"I'll do it!" Someone stepped forward. He was a second-year student; the third-year veterans still couldn't bring themselves to stoop that low.

"Pay up!" Jiang Hai said outright, not even bothering to ask his opponent's name.

After taking out ten gold coins and tossing them to Jiang Hai, Xu Li immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. His martial soul was a wolf, with sharp claws, and two yellow soul rings circled his body. He had already reached the Soul Grandmaster rank.

But Yu Xiu had also been a Soul Grandmaster. With that warning before him, he didn't dare underestimate his opponent either.

"Junior, your strength and talent are impressive, but you shouldn't have provoked us. Let your senior teach you how to conduct yourself and show you what it means to respect your elders!" Xu Li declared righteously.

"Cut the crap and get on with it!" Jiang Hai said evenly.

"Good. You've got courage. First Soul Skill, Wind Blade!" The first yellow soul ring around Xu Li lit up, and a blue-green wind blade immediately sliced through the air. The people nearby hurriedly backed away. A battle between martial souls could easily injure bystanders.

The wind blade hurtled through the air at great speed, with Xu Li following close behind. His second soul ring was trembling as well, and a trail of purple wolf shadows stretched out behind him. He had unleashed his second soul skill, Wolfstride, too.

At a thought from Jiang Hai, the Bronze Coffin descended with a crash and toppled across the space in front of him. The wind blade struck the Bronze Coffin and shattered instantly.

The Bronze Coffin also blocked Xu Li's attack. His second soul skill greatly increased his speed, but reduced his control. Faced with the suddenly appearing Bronze Coffin, he couldn't rein in his movements at all. With no other choice, he struck the Bronze Coffin with a claw, using the force to push himself backward.

But in the next instant, the Bronze Coffin moved. The heavy coffin surged straight at him and sent his body flying. Jiang Hai suddenly shot out from behind it and kicked Xu Li again, booting him away like a burlap sack.

With a thunderous crash, the Bronze Coffin landed beside him. Leaning against it, Jiang Hai swept a disdainful gaze over the crowd and asked, "Brother, are you giving me a skin-scraping massage? Next!"

A single yellow soul ring circled his body, unmistakable proof that his soul power was below rank twenty. Yet he had already defeated two Soul Grandmasters with clean, decisive ease.

Everyone fell silent. Defeating someone of a higher rank wasn't frightening. What was frightening was that Jiang Hai seemed to have no limit. Yu Xiu and Xu Li were already among the best second-year students, yet neither was his match.

More and more upperclassmen and freshmen gathered, pointing at the crowd and commenting.

One person's expression changed, and he couldn't help saying furiously, "Where are the second-year Soul Grandmasters? Get up there! I'll pay if I have to. Are you really going to let the second-years' reputation be dragged through the dirt?"

At those words, many could no longer hold back.

"I'll do it!" A burly youth stepped forward, and the person who had spoken promptly tossed out ten gold coins.

Ten breaths later, Jiang Hai gripped one side of the Bronze Coffin and rammed it into the challenger, sending him flying. "Next!" he said evenly.

"I'll do it!"

Five people stepped up in succession. Not one could withstand Jiang Hai's coffin.

Even the veteran students watching the show could no longer keep their composure. This freshman seemed to have something going for him. His innate, prodigious strength, combined with that incredibly heavy-looking martial soul, really did allow him to sweep away everything in his path.

In the crowd, a beautiful girl watched the youth effortlessly defeat one veteran student after another, then turned to the boy beside her. "Bei Bei, is this really the boy we met? Didn't he only become a Soul Master recently? He's so fierce! There probably aren't many second-year veterans who could beat him, are there?"

The newcomers were none other than Tang Ya and Bei Bei.

Bei Bei nodded. "He certainly lives up to being the genius our eldest senior sister took a liking to. Those second-year veterans who only recently broke through to Soul Grandmaster really aren't his match. Let's see whether any third-years step forward!"

"Mm!" Tang Ya nodded, feeling a little disappointed too. If he joined the Tang Sect as well, wouldn't they have another genius?

Still, Tang Ya understood that for Jiang Hai, who possessed prodigious natural strength and overwhelmed others through sheer force, the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons really held little appeal.

That was a fact. Though disappointed, she could do nothing about it. Besides, she had already given Huo Yuhao the exemption quota Shrek Academy had granted the Tang Sect. That left Jiang Hai with even less reason to join.

Bei Bei glanced at Tang Ya and guessed what she was thinking. Smiling, he said, "Brother Jiang Hai clearly isn't the sort to sit quietly. I've been at Shrek Academy for so long, but I've never heard of a freshman provoking every second- and third-year veteran before classes have even officially begun. With his temperament, joining the Tang Sect might not necessarily be a good thing. Let's just watch without worrying."

Seeing the person who stepped forward, Bei Bei said, "The third-year Gu Dao is making his move. His martial soul is a Gale Demon Wolf, and his soul power reached rank twenty-five long ago. Brother Jiang Hai has found himself an opponent."

"Junior, if you retract what you just said and apologize to everyone, I can forgive you this once on account of your youthful impetuousness!" Gu Dao stepped forward and spoke with effortless poise.

"And you are? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Pay up!" Jiang Hai said evenly.

Gu Dao's face stiffened, his expression turning rather ugly. Still, he maintained some of his composure. "Gu Dao, third-year student of Shrek Academy. Rank twenty-six agility-type Battle Soul Master. Please enlighten me!"

As he spoke, two yellow soul rings rose from beneath Gu Dao's feet. With Martial Soul Possession, his eyebrows and hair turned white, and a layer of white down covered his skin. Streams of blue-green soul power swirled around his body as he rode the wind.

An agility-type Battle Soul Master!

Jiang Hai's expression grew a little more serious, but fervor still dominated his eyes. Had he come to provoke the second- and third-year veterans merely because he needed money? Of course not. He understood better than anyone that only battles like these could squeeze his potential to its utmost limits. With innate soul power of only half a rank, was he really supposed to rely entirely on his martial soul's special ability to cultivate? Battle was the best form of cultivation. Making money was secondary.

The Bronze Coffin trembled, and Jiang Hai's hand closed around its edge.

"First Soul Skill, Gale Shadow. Second Soul Skill, Gale Blade."

Jiang Hai had already demonstrated his formidable strength. Even Gu Dao immediately unleashed both soul skills to avoid being taken down in an instant like the earlier challenger. His two yellow soul rings shone brightly.