The roots Shrek buried underground had long since rotted

"Want revenge?"

Lu Cheng smiled as he looked at Huo Yuhao, whose face was red and swollen and whose eyes were filled with suppressed anger. He gently patted the latter's shoulder and said, "Then work hard to become stronger. In this world, only strength is the real currency."

"Yes, Brother Cheng... I understand!" Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and nodded with a complex yet respectful expression.

Lu Cheng nodded slightly, then turned and left.

Many onlookers unconsciously made way for him, watching his rather dashing and slender figure until he left, at which point the crowd began to chatter excitedly or gossip.

"Yuhao, you actually know that person..." The teammate supporting him looked shocked before recovering and asking excitedly.

"Is Senior Lu Cheng... very famous?" The thin boy was somewhat taken aback, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the students around him, who had previously been indifferent and disdainful, were now looking at him with a hint of enthusiasm.

"Famous?!" The student's face flushed red, and he began to gesture wildly, but he was quickly interrupted by a sweet female voice.

"Yuhao, do you know Senior Lu Cheng?" A pretty girl with purple hair, wearing a light yellow school uniform and small leather boots approached and blinked her eyes.

"... Hmm, you know him, right?" The skinny boy nodded blankly.

"Could you deliver this letter to him? I'm willing to pay, 100,000 Gold Soul Coin, how about it?!"

Excitement gleamed in the purple-haired girl's eyes.

He carefully handed over an envelope that was clearly elaborately decorated, with " To Lu Cheng" written on it in a playful handwriting. Obviously, this was not Shi Xing, but rather a premeditated plan, only lacking a way to send the letter out.

"..." Huo Yuhao was speechless.

A letter, 100,000 Gold Soul Coin?!

This was nothing short of a collapse and reconstruction of his worldview. You see, his mother used to work in the Duke's Mansion, making a living by sewing clothes. She worked herself to the bone and could barely scrape together seven or eight Silver Soul Coin a month.

It was only at this moment that he truly realized just how terrifyingly popular Senior Lu, who had always seemed calm and composed, was at the Shrek Academy.

This beautiful girl, who would rank among the top in all his memories, blushed shyly when she mentioned Lu Cheng.

"I'm sorry..." But Huo Yuhao still shook his head.

Seeing the girl's disappointed look as she left, he felt a pang of sadness. How many girls must Brother Cheng have broken their hearts...?

Inside the dean's office of the Martial Soul Department.

"Enter."

"Dean Yan." Pushing open the door, Lu Cheng bowed slightly, his manners impeccable, for he truly needed a favor from him.

He originally planned to go find Zhang Lexuan, but the girl had not yet taken up a position. The title of the next generation successor of the Sea God Pavilion was just a hollow one, without any real power, so he could only come to find Yan Shaozhe.

Yan Shaozhe didn't even look up, his pen scribbling over the mountain of files. But after that sentence, there was no more; only the scratching of pen ink filled the room.

Clearly, this was meant to intimidate him. Before Yan Shaozhe spoke, he wanted him to maintain a bowed posture, or even stand still. Only when he told him to sit down could he do so.

Shrek's greatest skill is creating trouble, forcing you to ask him for help, and then using that to manipulate you. Few can escape this kind of PUA.

However, Lu Cheng didn't indulge him. He sat down on the sofa, lazily pulled a book from the bookshelf next to him, and began to read it with relish.

Under the watchful gaze of Blood Pupils, Yan Shaozhe's expression grew increasingly grim, and his hand gripping the pen tightened slightly.

Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with Lu Cheng's audacity in "challenging" his authority, but he was unwilling to reveal his intentions for fear of scaring away this talented disciple.

"Is that Lu Cheng?"

After a long while, Yan Shaozhe pretended to be engrossed in his work and had forgotten about the matter, then said with a smile, "There's dragon beard tea in the cabinet; you can brew some yourself if you want."

"Okay." Lu Cheng smiled.

He turned around, took out a pinch of dragon beard tea, and brewed it in the teacup in front of him...

Yan Shaozhe: "..."

I was just being polite, did you really take it seriously?!

This stuff is extremely valuable; a single ounce costs tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coin. It's something the Heavenly Soul Empire's ruler "offers" to, and he's even reluctant to drink it.

Watching Lu Cheng take a sip without a second thought, Yan Shaozhe's face gradually flushed, but he still took a deep breath and forced himself not to stoop to the level of this brat; he would deal with him sooner or later.

"Is there something you need from me this time?" Yan Shaozhe forced a smile and asked.

"Regarding Xiao Xiao, who possesses Twin Martial Souls, being forced to add Second Soul Ring by her homeroom teacher Zhou Yi, I strongly suspect that Teacher Zhou Yi has lost the original intention of the Shrek Academy teachers to nurture disciples and impart knowledge, and has treated Class 1 as her own private property. She is no longer qualified to continue serving as the homeroom teacher." Lu Cheng leisurely sipped his tea and spoke calmly.

Yan Shaozhe's smile gradually froze.

"I'll think about it. You should go back now..."

"But now..." Lu Cheng frowned.

"The academy will handle this matter." Yan Shaozhe's smile vanished completely. He crossed his arms and looked quietly at Lu Cheng: "Please leave."

This is his Martial Soul Department Academy; not just anyone has the right to interfere.

Twin-type Martial Soul are very strong, and he will make appropriate adjustments, but Zhou Yi will not be punished, after all, she is truly one of the Shrek Academy's... own people.

Three more days passed in the blink of an eye.

The new student assessment is coming to an end.

The top ten were about to be determined, and Huo Yuhao stopped at number 165. He was lucky to have escaped Shrek's elimination line. Only the top 64 could participate in the elimination round, so he could only sit in the audience and cheer.

Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, was in a much worse situation.

Zhou Yi's patience had been exhausted. Not only was she treated extremely badly, but she was also verbally abused in front of almost everyone.

With the finals tomorrow, he still dragged her to the playground for extra training. The girl was wearing heavy armor, her face was flushed from the sun, and all her strength had been drained. Beads of sweat were seeping from her forehead.

Many onlookers watched, some with pity, others with disdain, but the girl alone was already dizzy and on the verge of physical collapse, oblivious to her surroundings...

Run! Run as fast as you can, as long as you don't die!

Zhou Yi glared fiercely at Xiao Xiao.

"Tomorrow is the final round of the knockout stage. Since you've already made it into the top five, you clearly only need to... to break into the top three. But for the sake of Class 1 and your team, you've remained selfish and self-serving!"

"If you're willing, I'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest tonight to add two Soul Ring to your Second Martial Soul. If you're not willing... then run until you die."