Unlike the other girls, Jiang Nannan came bearing an apology, taking all the blame upon herself.
"Xu Sanshi only targeted you because of me. If he hadn't held a grudge over every slight and fought you at every turn, you would definitely have been the one to advance today!"
Recalling the sorrows of her earlier life, she was on the verge of tears by the end. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was full of exhaustion, and her aversion to Xu Sanshi deepened once again.
Yet Jiang Nannan was powerless. Her harsh circumstances had nearly crushed the Outer Court's greatest beauty, and that was why she had compromised time and again.
A barely perceptible flicker of sympathy crossed Xiao Zi's eyes. Although Jiang Nannan's Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul was nothing special, she was a genuine genius with innate full soul power. To raise money for her gravely ill mother without accepting humiliating handouts, she had shouldered far too much in the bloom of her youth, denied the life someone her age ought to have had.
While he was eating in the cafeteria, one of the cafeteria aunties had mentioned Jiang Nannan's frugality. To build up some savings, she often helped out there, earning only a few Copper Soul Coins a day-not even a fraction of what that lapdog Xu Sanshi tossed to beggars.
As those emotions accumulated, even Xiao Zi's voice grew gentle. "Xu Sanshi keeps pestering you because he's unreasonable and driven by jealousy. What have you done wrong? I've always despised people like him. Sooner or later, I'll settle the score with him!"
Those words were exceptionally bold, a far cry from his usual low profile, and startled everyone.
Jiang Nannan was touched, while Xiao Xiao and the Lan Sisters looked at him with stars in their eyes. Wang Dong, however, felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy and gave Xiao Zi a resentful look.
In short, thanks to a certain person's stirring of wind and clouds, Jiang Nannan had completely lost any feeling for Xu Sanshi. Even if his use of the Black Tortoise Divine Pill to save her mother came to light, she might feel grateful, but she would never develop the slightest romantic affection for him again.
Huo Yuhao had been left off to one side. Seeing his roommate take a stance, he could hardly remain silent, so he also expressed his concern as a classmate. "Lezi, as long as Dai Huabin doesn't provoke me first, I won't make things difficult for him, for your sake. I'll train seriously alongside him."
Not stirring up trouble was out of the question. Otherwise, what was the point of shoehorning Dai Huabin into the team?
With that thought in mind, Xiao Zi wore a warm smile and thanked him with apparent gratitude.
Soon, a call to assemble rang out. This was a speech-brainwashing-for the new Shrek Seven Devils, so the girls reluctantly said goodbye to Xiao Zi and returned to their places.
His gaze passed over Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao in turn before finally settling on Jiang Nannan. Looking at that beautiful figure in the distance, Xiao Zi pondered in silence. Perhaps he could do something to free her from her sea of suffering, but not now...
As an avenger, being ruthless and unscrupulous was one side of Xiao Zi. Yet he shared one striking similarity with Qian Renxue: he appreciated talented people and did not want them to vanish into the boundless sea of humanity.
Besides, Jiang Nannan was indeed a beauty and could be an asset. From any angle, he stood to lose nothing.
The new Shrek Seven Devils went up to assemble, while the eliminated Lan Sisters remained where they were, gazing enviously at the others. To say they did not care was clearly impossible.
Xiao Zi did not want this pair of sisters to wade into these muddy waters. Ling Luochеn, Ma Xiaotao, and Dai Yueheng had high soul power and could afford not to worry, while Dai Huabin had him, his master, to steer him safely through. What did Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo have?
Being selected as one of the Shrek Seven Devils would not be a blessing for them. Instead, it would be a summons to their deaths.
Looking at the sisters, Xiao Zi suddenly had an idea. "Susu, Luoluo, where do you plan to go after graduating from Shrek?"
Graduating from the Outer Court required reaching Level 40, while the Inner Court's requirements were several times stricter. With their talent, they clearly would not remain at the academy and would have to find their own way forward.
His words invited misunderstanding, and the more lively Lan Susu spoke up. "Brother Lezi, do you also think there's no hope for us?"
Xiao Zi shook his head. "No, the outcome might be exactly the opposite. I have high hopes for you. There's a sect on the Douluo Continent called the Body Sect, which specifically accepts people with body martial souls. Perhaps you could give it a try."
Lan Susu said, "But we've heard the Body Sect keeps its whereabouts secret and isn't open to outsiders?"
Lan Luoluo agreed. "We've asked around before, but never heard anything back."
Xiao Zi thought for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. I'll keep an eye out for you."
If he remembered correctly, the Body Sect was located within the Heaven Dou Empire, and Princess Vina was currently studying there. If he could establish a connection with the Heavenly Soul Royal Family and send the Lan Sisters over, he believed she would help introduce them.
But, as with Jiang Nannan, that was a matter for later.
After communicating with Dai Huabin through the soul imprint and giving him his instructions, Xiao Zi left with Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, and they returned to their respective dorm rooms.
The moment he closed the door, Qian Renxue used Out-of-Body Soul. "Surrounded by beauties, did you feel like you'd reached the pinnacle of life and forgotten where you were?"
Her casual tone, paired with her teeth-gritted expression, left Xiao Zi speechless.
I'd only just escaped the girls' encirclement, and I couldn't even get a moment's peace back in my room. Life was too hard!
Training for the new Shrek Seven Devils proceeded as usual, personally supervised by Supreme Elder Xuan Zi.
They had assumed that with a Level 98 Titled Douluo overseeing things, training would be smooth sailing. Instead, trouble arose on the very first day.
It was not Dai Huabin, who was looking to stir up trouble, but Xu Sanshi, who had been eliminated alongside Xiao Zi.
As everyone knew, wherever Jiang Nannan went, this lapdog followed. Even losing his place could not dampen his enthusiasm. Adhering to the principle of "if I'm not embarrassed, you're the one who is," he showed up every day with his turtle shell to freeload on their lessons and lavish fawning attention on the goddess of his dreams.
In the end, Ma Xiaotao, who was also taking part in training, could no longer stand it. Because of her connection with Xiao Zi, she stepped in to uphold justice and beat that lapdog surnamed Xu out of the place, finally securing a little temporary peace.
Only then was it Dai Huabin's turn. Following his master's instructions, he went all out, repeatedly provoking disputes and finding fault under the perfect excuse of their poor relationship. In between, he played the innocent victim, leaving the naive, awkward Huo Yuhao with anger he had nowhere to vent and no choice but to forgive him.
For example, whenever they trained, Huo Yuhao would automatically activate Spiritual Sharing to enhance his classmates' abilities. Although Dai Huabin accepted this kindness, he repeatedly caused trouble within it, covertly interfering with Huo Yuhao's judgment in subtle, efficient ways.
Over time, Huo Yuhao was pushed past his limit with nowhere to vent. No matter how the others tried to mediate, he insisted on excluding Dai Huabin and no longer sharing his senses with him.
Yet, to his surprise, Wang Dong did not approve of this behavior. Instead, she expressed regret to Dai Huabin on behalf of her inconsiderate roommate, saying that if Li Lezi were here, something like this would never have happened.
Perhaps the repeated strengthening of fortune power had caused her feelings toward Huo Yuhao to cool rapidly. Their intimacy for the Martial Soul Fusion Skill plummeted, seemingly about to fall into the deepest abyss.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong's interest in Li Lezi rose in a straight line, and she repeatedly proposed forming the Shrek Eight Monsters. If the academy's higher-ups had not been determined to reproduce the glory of ten thousand years ago exactly, her dream really might have come true, causing a certain person's plan to perish halfway through!