Mingdu Seven Monsters

She could not really be considered ugly. Most of the outside world's impressions came from the assessments within Moon Valley, where beauties were everywhere. That merely made the ordinary-looking Xu Yueyi seem rather ugly by comparison.

Xu Yueyi had evidently been there for a while. She showed little change in emotion, but the girl beside her glared at Xu De with an indignant expression.

The two exchanged glances and nodded slightly by way of greeting. Xu Yueyi then led the girl beside her into the academy. She was a princess, after all, so she naturally did not have to queue for testing and could enroll directly.

Xu De's awkwardness lasted only a moment. He did not consider himself a man of noble character, nor did he want to be a hypocrite like Tang San. People had their seven emotions and six desires; food and beauty were part of human nature. It was perfectly normal to like beautiful women, and what was more, his status meant there would be no shortage of women around him.

"All right, in that case, focus on your tests. I hope we can become classmates." Xu De waved goodbye to Shui Bing'er and her sister. He and Xiao Wu naturally did not need to be tested either. As for Huo Wu, she had been so forward, so he naturally would not refuse her.

He turned, slipped one arm around Xiao Wu, and took Huo Wu's hand with the other, leading them into the academy. As for Huo Wu's test? It would take him only a word. Besides, her talent was already good; she was merely skipping a step.

"Brother Sky Dream, what kind of Soul Beast is that girl, exactly? Why is she so... ordinary?"

Xu De asked silently in his heart. With the Sun Moon Divine Eyes and the added power of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Soul Ring, he could easily examine anyone whose Soul Power was lower than his own. He had checked Xu Yueyi the moment he met her and found that she was not disguised at all. Her looks were ordinary, and she was not pretending to be ugly. The girl beside her was not disguised either.

By all rights, a transformed Soul Beast should not look so ordinary. Xiao Wu, Ah Yin, Wang Qiu'er, and Gu Yuena all proved that transformed Soul Beasts were exceptionally beautiful.

Yet the girl beside Xu Yueyi was not only plain in appearance but also ordinary in strength. At twelve, her Soul Power was level twenty-four, not even as high as Zhu Zhuqing's or Ning Rongrong's. It was not that he looked down on those two, but transformed Soul Beasts had Innate Full Soul Power, while Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong had only possessed level seven Soul Power at birth. Neither reason nor common sense could account for it.

In the sea of consciousness, Tian Meng also rocked his snowy-white, plump silkworm body as he thought hard about what this presence could be. He had lived for a million years, after all, yet this was truly the first time he had encountered it.

"Little Dezi, I know you're in a hurry, but don't be in such a hurry. The thing is, that's how things are, but that might not necessarily be how things are. So, do you know what I mean?"

"Brother Sky Dream, you don't recognize her?" Xu De was somewhat surprised. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was practically a living fossil of the Soul Beast Realm, yet there was actually a Soul Beast he could not identify.

"What are you saying? What kind of talk is that? I, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, am a million-year Soul Beast, and the only intelligent-type Soul Beast at that. There isn't a Soul Beast in this world I don't know. I just have too many seals on me and forgot for the moment. One day-no, give me three days, and I'll definitely remember!"

Tian Meng reacted a little strongly to Xu De's question from within the sea of consciousness. He prided himself on being the cleverest Soul Beast, yet today he had actually been doubted. It was an utterly humiliating disgrace. He refused to believe it; even if he had to stake the dignity of a million-year Soul Beast, he would find out what kind of Soul Beast this was.

Xu De paid no further attention to Tian Meng, who had somewhat lost his composure in the sea of consciousness, because he had reached his destination: the academic affairs office of Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

Outside the office, Xu De did not knock. He merely touched the handle lightly, and the door opened on its own. He led the two women straight inside. The office was large, but there were not many teachers present. It was the start of the school year, and most were busy recruiting students and preparing for the upcoming classes.

In the main seat at the far end, Meng Shu was leisurely sipping tea. This was no ordinary tea, but a special supply reserved for the imperial family. It could clear the mind, calm the spirit, and remove turbid Qi from the body. He was able to drink it thanks to Meng Yiran; ordinary Soul Douluos did not receive such treatment. Xu De was never stingy with his own people.

When Meng Shu saw Xu De enter the office, he hurriedly rose to welcome him. He was no fool. Xu De might not care how he behaved in private, but appearances had to be maintained in public. He could hardly let an old man like himself hold back his granddaughter's romance.

"Director Meng, there's no need to be so courteous. I came here first for that matter, and second, because there are too many people in line. Please have someone handle the formalities for this friend of mine first."

Xu De spoke with a smile, while Huo Wu was once again shocked. She had lost count of how many times she had been surprised today. She knew Xu Wushuang held a high position, but she had not expected even the director of academic affairs to treat him so politely.

"No problem. Since the young master has given the order, I'll have someone take this young lady to complete her enrollment right away," Meng Shu said with a smile. A female teacher beside him reacted quickly, hurrying forward to take Huo Wu by the hand and lead her off to complete the enrollment formalities.

"How old are you this year, young lady? Would you like to join my class? I'm best at teaching..."

Watching the female teacher quickly whisk Huo Wu away, Meng Shu felt somewhat helpless. Every one of these people was shrewd, and each was quicker than the last when it came to snatching up students. After all, there were standards for teachers too. The stronger their students were, the greater their rewards would be in the end-of-term assessment.

After sending Huo Wu off, Xu De slowly removed his mask. He no longer needed to deliberately disguise himself in the time before classes officially began. After all, he did not live in a dormitory, but in his own private villa compound.

After all, he still had to give Xiao Wu and Meng Yiran Soul Skill instruction at night, and, by the look of things, Huo Wu had now been added to the list.

All that remained was to wait for the assessments to end. In a separate room, Xu De lay on a sofa with Xiao Wu in his arms, gently stroking her long hair as his thoughts slowly drifted. News of Gangzi had already spread, and Liu Erlong and Flender would soon arrive.

Ning Rongrong was easy enough. A little demoness? Dealing with that kind was his specialty. As for Zhu Zhuqing, his gaze slowly shifted toward the center of Mingdu. Dai Mubai, oh, Dai Mubai, don't let the effort I've put into cultivating you go to waste.

"Your Highness, the crown prince, they've all arrived. They're waiting outside your villa."

"Teacher, why did you bring us here? Where are our dormitories?"

Outside a magnificent villa, Ning Rongrong questioned the female teacher before her, a little puzzled. The other students had all been assigned dormitories after passing the tests, but the few of them had not. Instead, they had been brought here.

Behind her stood Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena, and the sisters Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.

"Hahaha, those of you here are the most talented geniuses in this assessment. Geniuses naturally receive treatment befitting geniuses. How could they be treated the same as mediocrities?"

Outside the villa, a weathered yet hearty laugh rang out. The newcomer was Meng Shu, with Xu De and Xiao Wu behind him.

"Director, we'll take our leave, then." Seeing Meng Shu arrive, the female teacher at the head of the group greeted him respectfully and left.

"You're Meng Shu, the director of academic affairs, a Soul Douluo expert?"

"That's right. From now on, I'll be teaching you Soul Power cultivation."

All the women present were startled. Titled Douluos were far too rare, so Soul Douluos were generally the strongest fighters active in the Soul Master World. Ning Rongrong and Hu Liena took it better, having weathered great winds and waves before.

Zhu Zhuqing, Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er were different, however. The strongest members of their families were Soul Douluos at best, or not even that. How fortunate they were to receive instruction from a Soul Douluo.

"Let me introduce the two behind me: Xu De and Xiao Wu. Starting today, you will be a team. I've thought of a name for you."

"You'll be called the Mingdu Seven Monsters."