Two figures were already standing on the playground.
Short and heavy, like a city wall, Zhao Wuji still bore some scars on his face.
Beside him was a white-haired boy with peach blossom eyes—Oscar.
Looking at the beautiful women around Ye Qiu, Oscar was incredibly envious.
"Is it just you few who came?"
Zhao Wuji frowned, looking at Ye Qiu and the others.
"Yeah! Teacher Zhao, we just rushed over from the cafeteria, we didn't see anyone else!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong's answer, a smile flashed in the eyes of Ye Qiu and the other two.
She indeed hadn't seen anyone else.
"Hmph! These little brats!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his fist and stretched his thick neck.
"Tch~ Why not Little Bear Blind Man?" Xiao Wu pouted, muttering under her breath.
"Xiao Wu, what are you saying!?" Zhao Wuji glared at her, his scarred face showing a strangely fierce expression.
Ye Qiu instinctively shielded Xiao Wu with half his body.
Ning Rongrong and the other girls stared intently at Zhao Wuji.
His wide eyes glanced subtly at Ning Rongrong.
Thinking of her identity, the wound on his face suddenly throbbed slightly.
Teaching this year's students was truly frustrating!
A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, but he didn't pursue the matter further.
"Alright, I called you here to inform you that all classes are canceled today. Take a good day to rest. Tomorrow morning we'll head to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Oscar's third spirit ring!"
"Oscar has broken through to level 30!?" Ning Rongrong looked at the white-haired boy next to Zhao Wuji, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Yes! He just broke through this morning!" Oscar's face beamed with a smile.
As a commoner spirit master, to break through to the Spirit Venerable level at this age was indeed a monster.
"Xiao Ao, you should tell Tang San and the others to let Mu Bai and the others rest well when they get back, so they don't look like weaklings tomorrow!"
"Understood, Teacher Zhao!"
"That's all for now, everyone disperse!"
Zhao Wuji patted his shoulder, waved his hand, and turned to leave.
He also needed to rest.
As the instructor leading this group of students, he dared not slack off in the slightest.
"Xiao Qiu~ Since there's nothing else, let's go shopping and buy carrots!"
Xiao Wu rested her head on Ye Qiu's shoulder, feeling very pleased with Ye Qiu's care earlier.
"No problem!" Ye Qiu nodded, it was a good opportunity to buy some supplies.
"Rongrong, I..." Oscar, who was standing to the side, hadn't left yet, looking at Ning Rongrong as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Oscar, is there something you need?"
Ning Rongrong was about to say something to Ye Qiu when he interrupted her.
She turned around and looked at him strangely.
"I... I want to talk to you alone!"
Oscar looked at Ye Qiu with some concern.
After all, Ning Rongrong was now his woman, and his request was indeed somewhat inappropriate.
Ning Rongrong frowned slightly, exchanged a glance with Ye Qiu, and sought his opinion.
Seeing him nod affirmatively, she agreed.
"Alright, let's go over there!" Ning Rongrong pointed to a clearing under a large tree not far away.
"Ye Qiu, wait for me here for a while!"
"Understood!" Ye Qiu chuckled. He probably knew what Oscar wanted to talk to Ning Rongrong about.
Oscar followed Ning Rongrong to the tree.
"Ye Qiu, I won't go. I want to master the 'Concealing Spirit Technique' you gave me as soon as possible! Sorry."
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been holding Ye Qiu's arm, released him at this moment.
Her face showed a hint of apology.
"Hmm, it's alright. Just focus on your cultivation!"
Ye Qiu knew that she only wanted to become stronger, so he didn't mind.
He took her small hand, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear.
"When I have time, I can practice combat with you alone."
"Really?" Hearing the word 'alone,' Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up, and she looked at Ye Qiu happily.
"Of course!" Ye Qiu answered affirmatively.
He completely ignored Xiao Wu, who was pouting beside him.
"By the way, how far have you progressed with that secret technique?"
Ye Qiu released her, reached out and touched her pretty face, the warmth from his touch reddening her fair skin. He
brushed aside the strands of hair on her face.
Zhu Zhuqing grabbed his hand, which made her feel itchy, and three spirit rings, yellow and purple, rose from her feet.
"I can already conceal a thousand-year spirit ring, but I'm not proficient yet, I can only conceal one. Rongrong is much better than me!"
There was some joy on her face when she talked about herself, but she became a little disheartened when she mentioned Ning Rongrong.
She had clearly spent much more time than her.
"Why are you making that face? Didn't I tell you? I'll help you!"
"That's right! Zhuqing has Xiao Qiu!" Xiao Wu stepped forward and took her hand. "And Rongrong and I."
"Yes, I believe you!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ye Qiu and nodded slightly.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, directly pinched her chin, and lifted her slightly lowered head. He
gently touched her red lips.
He looked at her earnestly, a warm smile on his face.
His voice was soft and sincere.
"Zhuqing, you should believe in yourself more than me!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at her reflection in those azure eyes.
A soft smile suddenly appeared on her rosy face.
She released Xiao Wu's hand, cupped Ye Qiu's face, and kissed him.
Xiao Wu looked at her in surprise, and could hear the sound of teeth clattering together.
"Alright! I... I'm going to cultivate now." She released Ye Qiu, wiping her lips shyly.
Without waiting for Ye Qiu's reply, she turned and left.
A faint smile remained on her face, and the coldness in her eyes was gone.
Ye Qiu was right.
But... it wasn't necessary. Even if she became stronger, she still wanted to lean on him.
"Xiao Wu, what... what are you doing? Ugh!"
Just as she was watching Zhu Zhuqing leave,
Xiao Wu grabbed Ye Qiu's pale face and, standing on tiptoe, offered her lips to him.
"Oh! Xiao Wu, you're actually trying to rub against me, aren't you cheating?"
Having just sent Oscar away, Ning Rongrong, who was walking towards Ye Qiu, snorted coldly and ran towards him.
"Hoo~ Hey, Rongrong, let me catch my breath!"
Xiao Wu had barely moved her lips when Ning Rongrong grabbed Ye Qiu's collar.
It was a seamless transition.
Oscar, who hadn't gone far, also heard Ning Rongrong's voice
and couldn't help but turn around to look.
He happened to witness Ning Rongrong stepping forward, and a look of envy and bewilderment flashed across his face.
His lips twitched slightly.
It was truly indecent in public.
But in an instant, he withdrew his gaze and slight regret, a
relaxed smile appearing on his face .
He had already joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
From now on, he would receive a large sum of money every month, and he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.
Ning Rongrong also promised to introduce him to the younger generation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School elders.
He wouldn't have to worry about marriage anymore!
...
After a short while, Ye Qiu took the two women into the city.
He didn't spend all day playing with Xiao Wu and the other girl.
After shopping with them and buying some things, Ye Qiu sent them back to Shrek Academy first.
Then, he went alone to the Spirit Hall branch in Soto City and found the Thousand-Pound Demon-Slaying brothers.
He obtained several pairs of mother-and-child glass balls for transmitting messages.
On the way, he finally contacted Xiao Lan.
It turned out that Dugu Yan had taken her along with the Royal Fighting Team to various Soul Arenas for practical training.
After instructing her not to cause trouble or run around, and asking her to pass on a few words to Dugu Yan,
Ye Qiu continued with his own affairs.
After returning to Shrek Academy, he trained with Zhu Zhuqing in practical combat.
Soon the sun was high in the sky.
On the ground, there were small holes pierced by spider spears, as well as pits plowed by fireballs, and claw marks on the tree trunks.
In the sparsely wooded area, Ye Qiu's voice rang out.
"Zhuqing, let's call it a day. I have some things to take care of."
"Okay!"
Ye Qiu put away his martial spirit. Zhu Zhuqing
, who was not far away, also put away the spider spears behind her.
She quickly walked to Ye Qiu and helped him straighten his clothes.
She didn't ask Ye Qiu where he was going.
"Go early and come back early!"
"Okay, I should be back before sunset!" Ye Qiu looked at the pair of cat ears in front of him and couldn't help but reach out and pinch them.
It felt wonderful, warm and soft.
Zhu Zhuqing's heterochromatic eyes trembled slightly.
The cat ears that had grown from her martial soul turned pink and burning hot, just like her face.
The cat tail behind her seemed to be struggling, swaying wildly.
Although Ye Qiu's actions made her very uncomfortable,
she bit her sexy red lips, lowered her head slightly, and silently endured it.
"I-I can wait until you come back..."
Her voice trembled, and the last word, "play," was barely audible.
If she hadn't been so close, Ye Qiu might not have heard it.
"Ahem...sorry~"
Ye Qiu coughed twice, his face slightly embarrassed, and pinched the soft cat ears again before reluctantly withdrawing his hand.
"It's alright." Zhu Zhuqing's cherry lips parted slightly, her breathing a little labored, her face flushed.
Even her legs felt a little unsteady.
"Then, then I'll go!"
"Okay!" He nodded gently.
Zhu Zhuqing watched Ye Qiu disappear from sight, the blush on her face still lingering.
She raised her hand and pinched her cat ears, her body trembling slightly.
The feeling after being touched by Ye Qiu was different from usual
…
The next day.
The sun rose, the dawn broke.
The Shrek Academy assembly bell rang.
Shrek students emerged from their dormitories one after another, heading towards the training ground.
Ye Qiu, under Xiao Wu's care, was also finished getting ready.
It was unclear whether the three girls had planned it in advance, taking turns to raid him at night, but these past three days had truly been different every day.
Although he and Xiao Wu had already had a physical relationship, Ye Qiu had withstood her relentless pursuit and hadn't let her succeed.
Today, he needed to conserve his energy.
On the playground, when Ye Qiu and the others arrived, everyone was already there.
Even Flander, who had disappeared for several days, reappeared before them.
Tang San stared at Ye Qiu with a sinister gaze; the wounds on his face had mostly healed, leaving almost no trace.
"Xiao Wu."
Seeing Xiao Wu, he greeted her as usual, but she responded with a cold snort.
He felt a pang of sorrow mixed with relief.
At least Xiao Wu wouldn't ignore him!
Dai Mubai also stared at Ye Qiu with murderous intent, not just at his exposed hand which was wrapped in bandages, but at his entire right arm.
The flesh inside would likely take a long time to
heal. Even if it did heal, it wouldn't be the same as before.
Ma Hongjun didn't react much, but his eyes became much more subdued.
"Ye Qiu, right?"
Flander adjusted his new glasses, his sharp, eagle-like gaze fixed on Ye Qiu.
"Yes, Dean Flander!" Ye Qiu nodded.
He had also seen the hateful looks in Tang San and Dai Mubai's eyes.
As the dean, he had to say some things.
"It's fine if you come along, but you must cooperate properly during the Soul Hunting process! That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Don't worry, Dean, I know what I'm doing!"
Ye Qiu would certainly spare no effort in hunting souls for Oscar.
After all, he was now a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, so nurturing him wouldn't hurt.
"That's good!" Flander nodded, not saying anything more about Ye Qiu's topic.
"Well then, I have nothing more to say. You can set off with Old Zhao now!"
"Huh? Teacher, we haven't had breakfast yet! And we have to walk such a long way. How can we possibly manage?"
Ma Hongjun immediately complained, rubbing his stomach and frowning.
"Hmph! Isn't there a mobile supply station in the team? If you can't keep going, just ask Oscar for some sausages! This is also a kind of training for you!"
Flander squinted. He should have been in this class much earlier, but Tang Hao had delayed him.
"Yeah, Fatty, as long as I'm here, you definitely won't starve!"
Oscar patted the fat guy, who was a head shorter than him, and waved a sausage in front of him.
"Little Oscar, if you dare to hit my face with your sausage again, believe me, I'll breathe fire and burn it!"
The fat guy snatched the sausage from his hand and pushed him away in disgust.
"Hey! Fatty, you'll have to beg me someday."
"Alright! Stop fooling around, let's go now. I hope you all come back safely! Old Zhao,"
Flander stopped them from continuing their antics.
Zhao Wuji stepped out beside him, hands on his chest, a cruel smile on his face.
"Follow me, we need to run all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed out.
"No way, teacher! Are you serious?!"
"Fatty, stop howling and catch up!"
Dai Mubai smacked him on the back of the head and quickly followed Zhao Wuji's pace.
"Huh? Ye Qiu~ Do we really have to run?" Ning Rongrong ran beside Ye Qiu with a bitter face.
"Let's run first, and when you get tired, I'll let you rest in my Divine Might Space for a while!"
Ye Qiu could indeed take her directly to the Star Dou Great Forest.
However, although Shrek Academy's teaching was incredibly monotonous,
it was undeniable that running was indeed somewhat useful.
Moreover, judging from Zhu Zhuqing's condition, she would definitely keep running, and Ye Qiu had no reason to abandon her.
"Rongrong, if you really can't keep going, we'll help you!"
Xiao Wu didn't seem to care much; as long as she could be with Xiao Qiu, she was willing to do anything.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement.
"Alright then!"
Ning Rongrong wasn't unable to keep going, but she had a more convenient option.
...
The Star Dou Great Forest is located in the southeast of the Barak Kingdom, with a small portion bordering the kingdom's territory.
Soto City is also in the southeast of the Barak Kingdom, only about 500 kilometers away from the Star Dou Great Forest.
With Oscar's help, Dai Mubai and the others were able to replenish their stamina.
Ning Rongrong boosted Oscar's speed, but he was still being supported by Tang San and Dai Mubai.
Ning Rongrong herself was also being supported by Ye Qiu and Xiao Wu.
Without stopping, they ran until nightfall, only a few dozen kilometers from the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Following Zhao Wuji's footsteps, the group arrived at a small town.
"Those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, those who live near the water live off the water."
This small town seemed quite prosperous.
Shops lined both sides of the street, selling mostly things related to Soul Masters.
There were antidotes, armor and weapons, and some people even sold small captured Soul Beasts.
Xiao Wu, who had been looking around, saw the Soul Beasts imprisoned in cages, a hint of sympathy flashing in her eyes, and her mood sank considerably.
Ye Qiu took her hand and squeezed it.
Ahead, Zhao Wuji stopped in front of a very ordinary-looking inn.
The first floor was the dining area, and the second floor had private rooms.
"We'll rest here tonight, and you'll have to pay for your own expenses!"
Zhao Wuji pointed to the inn.
After saying that, he ignored them, booked a room, and went upstairs.
Shrek Academy's financial situation didn't allow for travel expenses.
But they were clear-headed; the teacher wouldn't take advantage of the students while they were away.
The group booked rooms and tacitly agreed to eat first before going upstairs.
"Ah! Finally, I can have a proper meal! I've been eating Xiao Ao's sausages all day; I'm about to throw up!"
Amidst Ma Hongjun's howls, the waiter seated Ye Qiu and his group of eight at the same table.
"Shut up! Hurry up and order!"
Dai Mubai gave him a cold look and tossed the menu to him.
Ma Hongjun, besides being a womanizer, was also a glutton.
He was quite the expert at ordering.
"Boss Dai, this time... I don't know what to order,"
Ma Hongjun glanced at the seven people around him, somewhat embarrassed.
Although the eight of them were around the same table, the atmosphere wasn't good.
They were clearly divided into three factions.
At this moment, Oscar, who had already received a considerable amount of gold soul coins, stepped forward.
He patted his chest, his face beaming.
With money in his pocket, his back straightened a bit.
"Fatty, order whatever you want! It's on me this time!"
"Damn! Oscar, you're not serious, are you?"
Ma Hongjun looked at him in shock.
Usually, when the three of them went out for meals, Dai Mubai would pay the bill.
Although Oscar's life was better than his own, who loved prostitutes, it wasn't much better.
"Of course it's true! Consider it a thank you for helping me hunt souls! Over the years, I've managed to save up a bit!"
"Then I won't be polite!"
Ma Hongjun rolled up his sleeves, as if he was really about to make a big splash, and quickly ordered more than a dozen dishes before turning to look at Ye Qiu.
"Uh, Brother Ye Qiu, is there anything else you need? After all, I don't know your tastes."
"It's enough, thank you!" Although Ye Qiu didn't particularly like this Evil Phoenix, he didn't want to offend someone who was smiling.
"Then bring us one of these!"
Oscar didn't even blink, took the menu, and tossed it to the waiter.
Just then, another group of men and women walked in from outside.
About the same size as Ye Qiu's group, eight people.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man, followed by seven young men and women, all around twenty years old.
They were all dressed in moon-white Soul Master robes, the middle-aged man's robe embroidered with silver threads that shimmered with light as he moved.
Each of them wore a blue circular mark on their shoulder, bearing the words 'Canghui'. Their ostentatious display
upon entering the shop was immediately apparent.
The shop owner rushed over to greet them.
This also caught Ma Hongjun's attention.
His beady eyes scanned the only woman in the group.
"Boss Dai, look! That girl's not bad looking, definitely a good match!"
Dai Mubai glanced at her briefly before looking away.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing wash the dishes for Ye Qiu like a dutiful wife, Dai Mubai, already seething with anger, merely glanced at the Canghui Academy group
and scoffed .
"Just a small Canghui Academy, what's there to be so smug about!"
Both Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun...
None of them deliberately lowered their voices, especially since Soul Masters' hearing is naturally exceptional.
Not only did the female students from Canghui Academy glare at Ma Hongjun, but even Xiao Wu and the others gave him a slap.
The fat man's words were truly vulgar.
"Kid, who do you think you are, daring to insult our Canghui Academy!"
At the next table, a young man slammed his fist on the table,
glaring angrily at Dai Mubai and Ye Qiu.
"Hehe... Fatty and his friends are going to cause trouble again! This is going to be good." Oscar was already used to it, obediently watching the spectacle.
"What good show?"
Tang San, who had been staring at Xiao Wu, also snapped out of his daze, looking at him strangely, somewhat puzzled.
"Hehe... This is what my teacher said: a Soul Master who doesn't dare to cause trouble isn't a good Soul Master. As the saying goes, 'Those who don't dare to cause trouble are mediocre.'"
Ma Hongjun smiled indifferently.
He hadn't chosen his target randomly.
He knew very well that provoking people from Soul Master academies was the safest option; at most, it would just result in a fight.
"Is that so? No wonder it's called Monster Academy, even their training methods are so unique!"
Tang San was stunned for a moment, a slight smile and praise appearing on his face.
Ye Qiu took a sip of the tea Zhu Zhuqing had poured for him, quietly watching this scene, a famous moment about how to become a 'good Soul Master'!
"Hmph! You're not worthy to know our academy's name!" Dai Mubai sneered coldly, completely ignoring them.
At this moment, the dishes Ma Hongjun had ordered were ready.
The waiter was about to bring them over when he passed between two tables.
The people at the Canghui Academy table exchanged glances.
Immediately, someone shoved the waiter, and with a cry of surprise,
the dish, still covered in hot soup, was about to be dumped on Dai Mubai's head…