The Scavengers' token carried considerable weight, and Shangguan Hong deliberately released a trace of formidable Soul Power fluctuations, mixed with the power of the Void. The sinister chill made the deacon shudder.
Just as I thought! The Scavengers are all lunatics!
The deacon thought this to himself, but it only made him believe Shangguan Hong's identity as a Scavenger all the more.
Just as Shangguan Hong had said, eliminating those Soul Masters in Suotuo City whose crimes filled their ledgers would also count as an achievement for their Spirit Hall Branch. It was a good thing that benefited both sides.
A short while later, Shangguan Hong declined the deacon's enthusiastic invitation and left. Under the gazes of numerous Spirit Hall Branch members, he melted into the darkness once more. His white clothes stood out in the night, but the small amount of Void presence he deliberately released made his figure look indistinct and elusive.
It was not that white could not blend into the night-the night simply had to be deep enough!
That night, someone shouted at a companion, "Stop messing with me, or I'll rape you, kill you, then rape you and kill you again," immersed in the workings of his emotions. Others walked through the darkness, erasing Soul Masters whose crimes filled their ledgers from this world. Of course, accidentally harming a few people was normal too. More than fifty civilians were caught up in it, but their lives bought the execution of no fewer than three evil Soul Masters.
By the time Shangguan Hong returned to the academy, it was already the small hours. Yet the instant he reached the dormitory area, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"You're only getting back now? Where did you go?"
The voice was familiar. Shangguan Hong turned to look and saw that it was Flender. His face was grave, and his eyes were bloodshot, presumably because of Ma Hongjun.
"Dean, isn't that my own business?"
Shangguan Hong's voice was calm, but Flender, as the dean, felt challenged. Ma Hongjun had disappeared, and anxiety burned through him like fire. His mind was not clear at the moment, and his gaze grew increasingly dangerous.
Sneaking around like this... could this brat have something to do with Ma Hongjun's disappearance?
"All right, all right, I'll tell you!"
Sensing that Flender's gaze was becoming increasingly dangerous, Shangguan Hong feigned discomfort and sighed with a face full of reluctance.
"I just went looking for a little fun in Suotuo City... Dean, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else about this. What would happen to my reputation?"
"Hah! I took you all out for a lesson, and you actually left halfway through to go have fun!"
Flender was so angry that he laughed. His suspicions of Shangguan Hong vanished in an instant, and he gave him an exasperated scolding.
"Dean, you really can't hold back with this sort of thing. Besides, my Martial Soul is a little unusual. After every battle, I need to replenish myself with large amounts of food, or I'll fall into a state of extreme weakness! You know what our academy is like. The food in the dining hall is just that awful..."
"Enough. Get back to bed! You still have lessons tomorrow!"
Flender's attitude improved considerably. After all, Shangguan Hong had not gone out solely for pleasure. Thinking of how the boy usually looked like the reincarnation of a starving ghost, he realized it was because of his Martial Soul. That explained it.
Watching Shangguan Hong leave, Flender gradually lost his suspicions of this gifted student. Yes, an eagle's eyes were keen. No matter how well Shangguan Hong concealed himself, his eyes would always betray a hint of something! Flender had caught the occasional flash of greed in Shangguan Hong's eyes and assumed the boy harbored ill intentions. Who would have thought he was merely a big, gluttonous boy?
"What's wrong with me? So jumpy that I nearly attacked my own student..."
Flender rubbed his head, utterly miserable.
"Hongjun, just where have you gone? As my student, you have to hold on. Your teacher won't give up. I'll find you!"
Ma Hongjun's disappearance had undoubtedly cast a shadow over Shrek Academy. Tang San and the others were somewhat better off, since they had never known Ma Hongjun. Dai Mubai and Oscar were naturally worried too, but neither could compare to Ma Hongjun's teacher, Flender, who had raised him single-handedly.
Flender shared some similarities with his good brother Yu Xiaogang. These two old bachelors treated their disciples as sons.
The search for Ma Hongjun had to pause for the time being. The academy still had to keep running. Flender understood this, so he still woke early the next day, ready to teach these newly arrived Little Monsters.
Tang San and Xiao Wu still stood together. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing stood at opposite ends of the line, the former looking grim and the latter calm. Shangguan Hong was the same as ever, casually gnawing on a chicken drumstick...
Ning Rongrong did not stand with the others. She seemed to have been isolated, or perhaps she had isolated everyone else herself.
Flender swept his gaze over them, then frowned.
"Where's Oscar?"
"Here, here!"
Everything was unfolding according to the plot. At Flender's request, the late-arriving Oscar produced a large number of sausages. The lesson consisted of eating the food Oscar created.
This was no problem for Shangguan Hong, but the others needed to mentally prepare themselves first.
Afterward, Flender, who had eaten a sausage along with the students, looked utterly shocked. He had noticed that the sausage provided more Soul Power! This meant Oscar had accomplished something nearly impossible for a food-type Soul Master-a fourteen-year-old Soul Elder!
Such a cultivation speed made him a genius among geniuses, and precisely because of this, everyone at Shrek received a brand-new assignment.
They would head to Star Dou Great Forest and help Oscar obtain his third Soul Ring!
Although Shangguan Hong had known about this long ago, he still could not help grumbling inwardly.
What decent academy sends its new students to compete in a Soul Fighting Arena on their first day, then to Star Dou Great Forest for Soul Hunting on their third? Come to think of it, Shrek Academy doesn't teach any knowledge either. It just relies on powerful teachers to hold up its facade. Cultivation? You can only rely on yourself for that!
[Mission: Head to Star Dou Great Forest and seize the thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider's External Soul Bone!] [Reward: buff · Void Dominance! (Access granted in advance; disappears if the mission is not completed)]
A mission triggered?
Shangguan Hong's steps paused. Without any change in expression, he opened the system panel only he could see and examined this reward in the mission tab.
[Void Dominance: Baron Nashor gains a 10% increase to all attributes and unlocks the Void evolution/devolution pathway! (Void Fish-Rift Herald-Baron Nashor-Voracious Baron)]
Shangguan Hong's first Soul Skill had always been a problem!
In fact, Tang San and the others had already asked him several times what his first Soul Skill was. Shangguan Hong could only laugh it off and muddle through, but this could not go on forever.
Now, the arrival of Void Dominance had perfectly solved that problem.
Baron Nashor could not be revealed, and the Rift Herald was also incomparably evil, but the Void Fish was different.
Just as Tang San's second Soul Skill, Parasite, was also somewhat sinister, Void Fish kept within controllable limits would not arouse anyone's suspicions.