"Xiao An!"
"S-sorry, but it really feels so nice."
Feeling the fluffy rabbit ears, Chen An suddenly stopped the right hand he had been about to withdraw.
"Fine!"
"Just stay like that!"
Chen An no longer cared whether his body hurt. That faint, fresh fragrance was enough to soothe his wounded soul anyway.
The two stayed about half a meter apart, and Xiao Wu soon fell asleep with her head resting on Chen An's arm.
Wait!
My dear Xiao Wu, did you come to take care of me or torment me?
Chen An tried several different positions, but he simply couldn't fall asleep.
"Sigh."
"Why does it feel like I've brought a Tyrant Dragon home?!"
Bang!
Dai Mubai kicked Chen An's door open hard!
Looking at Chen An sleeping like a dead pig, he couldn't help shaking his head. "Hey, get up!"
Chen An didn't respond.
He was busy daydreaming just then-splashing around in swimming pools, aloof girls in black stockings kneeling to beg for help, and all that.
"Hey, hey! Late on the first day of school? You've got some nerve!" Seeing that he couldn't wake him by calling, Dai Mubai went straight for a physical assault.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Fuck, you're disgusting! You're a grown man, and you're still drooling!"
Feeling a burning sting on his face, Chen An slowly opened his eyes.
Before his brain could start working, the first thing he saw was Dai Mubai playing with a blob of unidentified white liquid.
"W-what are you doing?"
Chen An jumped straight up in fright, instinctively clenching his buttocks.
"What do you mean, what?" Dai Mubai shook it off in disgust.
"Urgh!" Chen An felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He really hadn't expected Dai Mubai to have that fetish.
"Chen An!"
"You actually showed up late for the first lesson of the term?!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Chen An's brain automatically conjured up the face of that useless Yu Xiaogang.
He took a closer look. Sure enough, it was Yu Xiaogang. "Holy shit, this freeloader actually got here so fast!"
"Grandmaster, was it?!" Ning Rongrong had also received a scolding and was deeply displeased. "Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? Believe it or not, I'll..."
"Hmph!" Yu Xiaogang's tone was utterly firm and stern. "If you make me happy, I will destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at any cost!"
"You!!!"
Ning Rongrong didn't yet know how strong this newly arrived Grandmaster was, but someone who could say such a thing presumably had to be at least a Titled Douluo.
Seeing Ning Rongrong return to the group, Yu Xiaogang curled his lips upward. "From now on, I will lead your training and studies."
"Oh, Xiaogang, didn't you say you'd arrive in a few days?"
Flender was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang to be so proactive.
He had been grinning from ear to ear these past few days. Shrek had actually recruited five monsters this year.
And he had heard that a boy with a ten-year soul ring had nearly beaten Zhao Wuji into the ground yesterday.
"Let me introduce him. This is Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. Perhaps you haven't heard of him, but do you know the theory of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul? That's his masterpiece!"
As Flender introduced Yu Xiaogang, he wished he could heap every virtue onto him.
"Y-you're that useless rank-twenty-nine Grandmaster who was struck off Spirit Hall's rolls?"
Ning Rongrong was surprised at first, then slowly grew angry.
A mere Soul Grandmaster had actually had the gall to say he would destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at any cost?
Seeing Yu Xiaogang being disparaged, Tang San stepped forward and warned Ning Rongrong, "Please show my teacher some respect!"
"Heh, live long enough and you'll see everything. Someone actually took Grandmaster as their teacher. A donkey must have kicked your head!" Ning Rongrong had disliked Tang San for a long time.
"Enough!"
"Keep this up, and get out of the academy!"
Feeling as though his head was about to explode, Flender roared in anger.
At those words, everyone fell silent.
"All of you, go do physical training!" Flender paid no attention to Yu Xiaogang beside him. Right now, all he wanted was complete peace and quiet.
"Everyone, follow me!" Zhao Wuji led the group, preparing to head into the countryside for weighted training.
"See that dirt slope up ahead? Just carry these rocks over there on your backs."
Zhao Wuji spoke so casually that anyone who didn't know better would have thought the task was especially simple and easy.
"Teacher Zhao, isn't this far too heavy? Besides, I'm a food-type Soul Master, not a Battle Soul Master!" After hefting the load, Oscar discovered that it was more than twice as heavy as what he usually trained with.
"Less nonsense. If it's heavy, make two trips, but you must finish within ten minutes!"
"And if you don't finish the task, you won't be eating lunch today!"
After leaving them with those words, Zhao Wuji left.
About a minute later.
Everyone present hurried into action, except Chen An and Xiao Wu.
"Xiao An, aren't you going to do it?" Xiao Wu looked at Chen An in confusion.
Chen An shook his head. "With my body in its current condition, there's no way I can finish within the time limit. If I already know I'll fail, why not give up right from the start?"
"Ah," Xiao Wu exclaimed, then said, "But then you won't get to eat lunch."
Chen An looked unconcerned. "It's fine. I thought I ate too much this morning anyway."
"Then I'll stay with you!"
Xiao Wu thought that skipping one meal of carrots probably wouldn't be much of a problem.
"Hey, no!" Chen An looked a little flustered and said anxiously, "If neither of us goes, we really won't have anything to eat at noon. As long as you finish, I'll have food too!"
After hearing that, Xiao Wu glared at Chen An. "Oh, so you've worked your little schemes around to me!"
"Hehe, Xiao Wu is the best."
After spending so much time with Xiao Wu, Chen An could pinpoint her weaknesses perfectly. As long as he wheedled and pleaded, he could get anything sorted out.
Boom!
An intense sense of pressure swept toward the two of them.
Chen An looked up.
Flender, transformed into his Cat Owl form, was speeding straight toward them.
"Xiao An, I think we've been caught slacking off." Xiao Wu nervously clutched the hem of Chen An's clothes, like a child who had done something wrong.
No!
This is killing intent!
Chen An hurriedly shielded Xiao Wu behind him.
He rapidly circulated his ultimate ice, which had yet to recover.
"Come with me!"
Flender didn't attack. He grabbed Chen An's arm and swiftly disappeared.
"Dean, what exactly happened?"
In midair, Chen An's heart pounded wildly, as though he sensed that he had caused a huge disaster.
"Don't ask so many questions!"
"If you can fix it later, fine. If you can't, go report to King Yama!"
Flender's words were like a bolt of lightning striking Chen An square in the center of his head.
He was dazed, his mind muddled, and his body felt weak.
Holy fucking shit!
That killing intent is real!
But can someone tell me what happened?
Shrek's infirmary.
One minute earlier.
Chen An had been brought here by Flender.
The moment he entered, he shivered from the cold, thinking that winter had come early here.
Suddenly.
When he saw Zhao Wuji lying on the bed, his entire body turned into an ice sculpture, he froze.
Only a few minutes ago, he had seen Zhao Wuji as lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger.
In the blink of an eye, he had ended up like this.
Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and several academy teachers were all crowded into this tiny room.
Their faces were grave, and they sighed repeatedly.
Seeing this situation.
Chen An was so frightened that his mind went blank.
"Wait!"
"I did this?"
"I'm innocent! I figured ultimate ice was powerful, but surely it couldn't be this overbearing? And my Soul Power Level is only twenty-nine?!"