The dormitory.
Back in the familiar room, Babata went offline, and Xiao Zi reached into his Sea of Consciousness. "Xiao Xue, can you hear me?"
"Have you finished your business?" Qian Renxue's voice rang out.
"So you knew all along. Why didn't you say anything?" Xiao Zi asked in puzzlement.
"I saw you were busy, so I didn't disturb you." Qian Renxue would never admit that the higher-level plane had left her utterly stunned.
Xiao Zi suspected nothing. "Once you're resurrected, I'll take you over there to see it for yourself."
"All right!" Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes shimmered with light. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Wait, hasn't the term started at Shrek?"
"Oh no!"
A rare look of shock crossed Xiao Zi's face. He withdrew his consciousness from his Sea of Consciousness and dashed out without even stopping to gather his things.
Having learned his lesson when he failed to find his dormitory last time, Xiao Zi had gotten smarter. Before going to Swallowed Star, he had asked Dai Huabin about his classes. Fortunately, he had-the butterfly's wings had stirred with his arrival, and both his class and teacher differed from the original story.
When he reached the classroom and pushed open the door, every gaze swung toward him...
As a transfer student, he needed to make a good impression on his teacher. Xiao Zi stood solemnly at attention. "New student Li Lezi, reporting for class!"
Silence.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, his new homeroom teacher, Mu Jin, gave him a strange look. "Student Li Lezi, the first class of the term... doesn't seem to begin at three in the afternoon, does it?"
"Teacher, Lezi had something to take care of, so he's a little late!" Dai Huabin pleaded on his behalf.
Mu Jin remained unmoved. "What did he have to take care of? Getting out of bed a little late? Student Li, if you can't even attend class on time, what good is your talent, however great it may be?"
Any place that could produce Zhou Yi, the Immortal of Expulsion, revealed exactly what Shrek was like. Its motto of accepting only monsters, never ordinary people, permeated everything. Mu Jin might not have been a deranged old spinster like Zhou Yi, but he could hardly be much better.
Expelled on my very first day?
Xiao Zi's mind raced, and soon a flash of inspiration struck.
He deliberately adopted a crestfallen air. "Am I going to be expelled? Perhaps this is simply my fate! Farewell, Huabin! Farewell, everyone in Class Two! Vast as heaven and earth may be, where is there a place for me?"
His words sounded sweeter than a song. Mu Jin froze... not because he had been moved, but because he had remembered someone.
Years ago, Zhou Yi had expelled his younger brother. Even going to her door himself and pleading desperately had failed to change the outcome. It had become a lifelong nightmare and regret.
This moment was just like that moment back then...
Xiao Zi's gamble paid off. A flicker of pity passed through Mu Jin's eyes, and he drew a deep breath. "Come and sit down. Don't let it happen again."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Those were the words Xiao Zi had been waiting for. In a single teleport, he took the seat beside Dai Huabin, looking effortlessly dashing.
With that little incident over, Class Two officially began its lesson. With Mu Jin's younger brother as his protective talisman and his good brother Dai Huabin as his shield, Xiao Zi settled smoothly into the class. No one dared make trouble for him.
But having lived two lives and seen the scenery of a higher-level plane, Xiao Zi had no desire to attend school and play house with a bunch of teenagers. Unfortunately, his current identity was nothing more than Dai Huabin's follower.
Just endure it for now! Xiao Zi worked to calm himself. Being Dai Huabin's follower only costs me a little pride. It isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I want to avoid Shrek's attention, I can't put my powers on display before everyone. Keeping a low profile is the safest course.
At that moment, he felt immensely fortunate to have Dai Huabin as his soul slave. Being a follower meant he did not need to say much, either. Whether in class or training, he only had to trail behind. With Zhu Lu added to the mix, the two walked side by side in front while he followed alone, making him even less noticeable.
In his spare moments, while the teacher's chalk flew across the blackboard, Xiao Zi would learn a little, gaining an understanding of the Douluo Continent's basic rules and soul beasts. His only regret was that, even after being soundly beaten by the Sun Moon Continent, the Douluo Three Kingdoms had still failed to learn their lesson. The development of soul tools had all but stagnated.
If they had previously been in the Stone Age, they had now barely reached the level of iron tools. Experts still relied primarily on martial souls and scorned soul guidance technology, dismissing it as ingenious but frivolous trickery.
This made studying soul tools all the harder for Xiao Zi. The Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department were as distinctly divided as two rivers that never mingled. Since Mu En and the others already knew about his talent, they would presumably refuse such a request. Studying in both departments would be impossible as well.
The divine-level soul ring of my second martial soul would shock the world. Besides, the Destruction Scepter is still unrepaired, so only adding a soul ring of great age or a Supreme Treasure would have any effect. Shrek Academy does have the Golden Tree, but there's no way they'd let an ordinary student like me use it. After all, in the original story, Yan Shaozhe promised Huo Yuhao a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, a soul bone, and other benefits, yet never delivered on a single one.
On top of that, with my current status, I'm a subject of special attention at Shrek. I can't leave freely, and I'll be hampered at every turn. I need someone powerful and trustworthy to help me. Time flows differently in Swallowed Star and the Douluo Plane, so traveling back and forth eats up quite a bit of time. If someone could keep watch here, moving between them would be much more convenient.
He shared these thoughts with Qian Renxue, who agreed. "If my guess is right, the Golden Tree should be able to partially repair your second martial soul. A guardian is equally indispensable. But both will be extremely difficult to obtain. Do you have any ideas?"
Xiao Zi pondered for a moment. "The guardian is easy enough. Once I obtain my third soul skill, I'll have what I need. I have a feeling. The Golden Tree will be harder for now. I'll have to become one of the top students and enter the Inner Court before I have a chance, and that will draw even more attention from Shrek. But where there's a will, there's a way. As long as I achieve my goal, I can always find a way to extricate myself afterward."
Qian Renxue added, "There's also an alternative to the Golden Tree that might put out the fire at your eyebrows for now. The Far North has four great kings. Huo Yuhao only obtained an Ice Jade Scorpion. Isn't there an even stronger being there?"
Xiao Zi's eyes lit up. "That's right! I almost forgot about the Snow Empress, that seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Heavenly Snow Woman. If she becomes the Destruction Scepter's second soul ring, it'll be another step closer to full restoration. Xiao Xue... thank you!"
Qian Renxue's lovely face flushed. Fortunately, she was inside his Sea of Consciousness, so he did not see it. After spending this time together, their partnership had gradually begun to change, moving toward something more intimate.
The bell signaling the end of class rang, sounding like heavenly music to Xiao Zi. Dai Huabin wanted to keep Zhu Lu company, so he returned to the dormitory alone.
Downstairs.
A reclining chair stood at the foot of the stairs, with someone sprawled upon it, limbs spread wide. With those familiar wrinkles, who else could it be but Mu En?
If Xiao Zi remembered correctly, this man had always stayed downstairs in the freshman dormitory before. Now he had suddenly moved here...
Qian Renxue warned him, "He's got his eye on you!"
Xiao Zi nodded inwardly and headed upstairs as though nothing were amiss.
Just then, Mu En spoke without warning. "Young man, no matter how talented you are, don't neglect your studies. Attending class on time is the first step toward success."
Bang!
The door closed, leaving it unclear whether a certain someone had taken those words to heart.