(A beautiful picture of Ning Rongrong)
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Xiao Jue approaching from a distance.
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "Little Xiaozi!"
She trotted over behind Xiao Jue, peeked out from behind him, and made a face at Yu Xiaogang, sticking out her tongue and wiggling it.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. "And who are you?"
Flender looked over with a frown. "Xiao Jue? What are you, a janitor, butting in for?"
Zhao Wuji leaned close to Flender's ear and whispered a few words.
Flender's expression changed. "What? A Soul Master? And he has a special Martial Soul?"
Hearing that, Yu Xiaogang grew even more animated and sneered:
"Even a janitor dares to come out and lecture me? Just any old Tom, Dick, or Harry!"
Xiao Jue rested his hands behind his head and spoke at a leisurely pace:
"Even a janitor is better than a so-called theory grandmaster like you. What, couldn't even a low-level Soul Master Academy find a use for you as a teacher, so you came running to Shrek Academy?"
"You!!!"
Xiao Jue had struck a sore spot. Yu Xiaogang's face and neck turned red, and his lips trembled, but he couldn't get a word out. After holding it in for a long while, he let out several more farts.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had long since pinched their noses and moved away from him. Now they fled toward Xiao Jue too, taking up positions behind him, one on either side.
Tang San grew anxious. He stepped forward and pointed at Xiao Jue. "You dare humiliate my teacher like this? You already have a way to die!"
Yu Xiaogang craned his neck. "They just don't understand my Soul Master theories!"
Xiao Jue scoffed. "Your theories? You mean those superficial theories you secretly learned from Spirit Hall's library? They're only good enough to fool Tang San."
Yu Xiaogang's whole body jolted, and his eyes went wide. "Y-you, how do you know?!"
Xiao Jue continued unhurriedly, "I also know the training method you've prepared is to have them run with stones on their backs, day after day. Am I wrong?"
At those words, the area fell silent for a moment.
Ning Rongrong was the first to explode. "Huh? Then what did I come to Shrek Academy for? I came because I heard it was a Monster Academy!"
Beside her, Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly, arms folded and an unhappy look on her face.
Xiao Wu frowned too. "Who couldn't teach that kind of training? What does that have to do with being some theory grandmaster?"
Even Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun looked at one another, distrust written plainly in their eyes.
Oscar scratched his head. "I thought Grandmaster could teach us something impressive..."
Ma Hongjun was even more direct. "I could do that myself!"
Yu Xiaogang was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his face turning alternately ashen and pale. His chest heaved violently with anger, and he could scarcely catch his breath.
Just then, Xiao Jue's system popped up.
[Ding! Successfully slapped Yu Xiaogang in the face!] [3 Pride Points recovered] [Current Pride Points: 10!] [Martial Soul bonus: mental power increased! Mental resistance increased!] [The higher the Pride Points, the greater the bonus!] [Martial Soul Lucifer, Sin of Pride automatically obtained its First Soul Ring!]
Furious, Yu Xiaogang pointed at Xiao Jue:
"Fine, fine, fine! Since that's what you say, Xiao Jue, let's see who's right! I'll teach Little San and the others. Aren't you capable? You teach those three girls, and we'll have a match in three months. Won't that settle it?"
Oscar's face turned green when he heard that, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "We didn't agree to that!"
Flender said nothing, merely sweeping his gaze slowly over Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun.
The meaning in his gaze was perfectly clear: Just try refusing.
A chill ran down the three men's spines under his gaze. Under the pressure of Flender's oppressive might, they could only droop their heads and nod reluctantly.
Ning Rongrong folded her arms, her face full of indignation:
"This isn't fair to begin with. Your side's average Soul Power Level is obviously higher! Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Tang San are all Soul Elders! On our side, only Xiao Wu has just broken through to Soul Elder!"
Xiao Jue patted her shoulder, his voice steady. "It's all right, Rongrong. I believe in you. Do you believe in me?"
The three girls looked at one another, then nodded in unison.
Tang San snorted coldly and folded his arms. "Xiao Jue, just wait to get slapped in the face!"
Yu Xiaogang stood to one side, his face taut, but inwardly he was already overjoyed:
How could I not know that? Besides, Little San has Twin Martial Souls. If they really fight, those three girls won't be a match for him alone! I've got this wager in the bag!
At that thought, he straightened his back a little, cleared his throat, and addressed the Shrek F4:
"All right, dismissed for now. Rest today, and training starts tomorrow!"
"Okay!" Tang San answered.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jue, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing formed a circle.
Ning Rongrong leaned closer, curiosity written all over her face. "Little Xiaozi, how are you going to train the three of us?"
Xiao Jue folded his arms and swept his gaze over the three of them, the corner of his mouth curling up:
"Targeted training. The three of you belong to different systems: Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, and Support System. You'll each need your own plan. Don't worry, leave it to me."
The usually taciturn Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed slightly in front of Xiao Jue, and she spoke up of her own accord:
"Xiao Jue, whatever you need me to do, just tell me. I'll do my best."
Xiao Jue smiled and nodded. "All right, Zhu Zhuqing. You just need to follow my training plan."
Zhu Zhuqing grumbled inwardly, How come his favorability still hasn't gone up...
She raised her eyes to Xiao Jue and caught him smiling at her. A ray of sunlight slanted down behind him, gilding his silhouette.
Zhu Zhuqing felt a hard jolt in her heart, and it skipped half a beat.
Zhu Zhuqing thought, Looks like I need to take the initiative like Rongrong!
Deep within the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
The crown prince's bedchamber.
"Xue Qinghe" had long since cast off every disguise and returned to her appearance as Qian Renxue.
Her skin was fair, and her features were cool and delicate.
Long golden hair spilled over her shoulders, making her face look even more exquisitely beautiful.
Qian Renxue pressed one hand to her chest and gasped for breath. Cold sweat had soaked her nightgown, making it cling damply to her body and trace the curves beneath.
"Tang San!!!"
She clutched the spot over her heart, where Tang San's Guanyin's Tears had pierced her in the Simulation. It still ached faintly, and even her breathing grew tight.
Only after a long while did Qian Renxue wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her voice was hoarse:
"That Simulation... was it something that will happen in the future, or was the system playing a joke on me?"
She lowered her head and clenched the edge of the quilt. "Did my twenty years of sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall end in failure so easily?"
"Tang San... I actually fell in love with that hateful man. I'm utterly hopeless!"
She raised a hand and slapped herself, leaving a red mark on her face.
"I had so many chances to kill him early on, yet I let him go again and again. It's simply incomprehensible!"
As the words left her mouth, her voice dropped again, and her gaze grew somewhat dazed:
"Bibi Dong... that woman..."