"Alright then!"
Meng Shenji felt it was such a pity. Such a peerless genius like Zhang Fan just slipped away.
Of course, this was all thanks to those two bastards, Avalanche and Prince Xuexing—absolutely disgusting.
They couldn't very well keep Zhang Fan around either; Prince Xuexing was just way too arrogant and domineering.
Zhi Lin sighed:
"Such a shame. A monster-level talent like that... if he stayed at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, it would've risen to unimaginable heights."
"Exactly, it's all because of that useless Prince Xuexing and his cronies..."
Meng Shenji was furious, but also helpless.
As Zhang Fan and his group left,
Dugu Bo also gradually stopped going berserk, but as for Prince Xuexing and Avalanche? Yeah, they were in real trouble.
They were smashed into bloody messes by Dugu Bo, lying on the ground wailing in agony, with broken arms and shattered legs.
It was like they'd been hit by several dozen horse carriages.
And when Dugu Bo realized he wasn't crazy anymore, he had that "I just survived a natural disaster" kind of look on his face.
But his whole body still hurt like hell. Turning his head, he saw Prince Xuexing and Avalanche had been rammed so hard they were spitting blood on the ground.
He was utterly dumbfounded, no clue how he'd gone so psycho just now. Totally unimaginable.
After that, he went over and helped them up.
"What are you idiots standing around for? Go get the Nine-Heart Begonia soul master to heal them!"
Seeing the three Board of Education members still standing there like statues, Dugu Bo exploded.
"Someone, go fetch Ye Leng Leng!"
Meng Shenji said coldly. If it weren't for Prince Xuexing and Avalanche, all those geniuses wouldn't have been driven away.
Yeah, Meng Shenji was pissed.
Soon after, Zhang Fan and the others arrived at the gates of Heaven Dou City. The walls stood a hundred meters tall, and the patrolling soldiers were all armored and armed with spears, giving off a chilling, murderous aura.
The city gate itself was ten meters high and ten meters wide.
The Shrek group arrived outside the gate.
They noticed a bulletin posted up.
"Hiring Notice:Lanba Advanced Soul Master Academy is recruiting due to internal development needs.Seeking ten or more Soul Sects above level 40.Higher soul power preferred.Excellent benefits offered."
Flender and the others lit up when they saw the job ad.
"Lanba Academy? Weren't they the ones who knocked out one of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's two teams during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Preliminaries? Now that batch graduated, that's why they're recruiting!"
Flender got all excited, "Wanna check it out?"
He looked at Zhang Fan, then at Zhao Wuji.
"Sure!" Zhang Fan nodded. He was kinda curious and a little hyped thinking about what kind of face Yu Xiaogang would make when he met Liu Erlong again.
"Let's roll then!" Zhao Wuji agreed.
Led by Qin Ming, they made their way to Lanba Academy's main gates.
The gate was ten meters tall, with eight massive golden characters:"Lanba Advanced Soul Master Academy."
"Here to apply?"A middle-aged Soul Master in his forties walked over and asked curiously.
"Yeah, we're here to sign up!"Flender stepped forward and pointed to Zhang Fan and the others: "These are our disciples; they want to join Lanba Academy too."
"Of course! As long as they pass the assessment!"The receptionist was straightforward. Usually, talented Soul Masters entered around sixteen to eighteen years old, mostly about twenty—these kids looked young, which was a good sign.
"Ready for the test! Lead the way!" Zhao Wuji smiled.
"Right this way!"The receptionist had been bored out of his mind for days with barely any applicants. Suddenly so many showed up—it was like Christmas.
They entered Lanba Academy. The buildings were three stories high. The academy was set deep within a forest, the surroundings beautifully lush.
Soon they reached a grand hall.
There was a long bench ahead, with three Soul Masters in their forties sitting, faces serious.
"Alright, who's first for the assessment?"
"I'll go first!"Qin Ming glanced at Flender and the others. They signaled for him to go ahead, so he stepped up."How is the assessment conducted?"
"Release your Martial Soul and Spirit Rings. If you're above level 40, spar with one of us. Pass and you're in."
"Well, no need to waste time then. Let's all release our Martial Souls and Spirit Rings at once!"Flender didn't waste a second. Rings of light rose up beneath him—and Zhao Wuji and the others too.
"Buzz..."A heavy soul power shockwave rolled out, making the three examiners' faces twist in pure shock as they leapt up.
"Seventy-eight... seventy-six... Spirit Sages?!"They were all completely stunned. They hadn't expected these applicants to be way above their own soul power levels.
(For the record, those examiners were only in their fifties soul-level wise.)
Getting hit by that kind of pressure was like getting slapped by a truck made of raw power.
"R-Respected seniors, please retract your Martial Souls and follow us to see our Dean. She'll personally decide your levels and benefits."
The three examiners were still in full "what-the-actual-hell" mode.
"Alright! Let's go!" Flender nodded, leading everyone along.
They quickly passed through the forest outskirts and entered deeper into the woods.
Ahead, a soft singing voice floated over, gentle and beautiful.
Yu Xiaogang's face changed slightly the moment he heard it. That voice... it sounded just like someone he knew.
"My heart's too chaotic,I dare not desire more love.I want to cry,But no tears will come..."
...
"Xiaogang, you wrote this song for me... where are you?!"
The gentle female voice carried through the woods.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned again, pale as a ghost."Let's leave. Now."
"Heh, you're not going anywhere!"Flender chuckled evilly. When Liu Erlong saw Yu Xiaogang's sorry face later, she was definitely not gonna be happy.
Which meant opportunity for him! "Still trying to run away?"
"You knew she was here?!"Yu Xiaogang shouted in panic.
"Heh, if I knew, would I have taken you to the Imperial Academy just to get humiliated?"Flender rolled his eyes at him.
"..."Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth, his face an absolute wreck, but he said nothing.
He kept walking forward.
Passing a giant tree, they reached a small lake. In front of a thatched cottage, a woman was watering flowers with a kettle.
She looked around thirty years old, wearing a simple teal cloth dress, yet still incredibly charming. Her features were exquisite, eyebrows like ink paintings, her large black eyes staring blankly at the flowers—but somehow still full of spirit.
"Dean, the newcomers' soul powers are above sixty ranks. We request your decision."
The three examiners bowed respectfully to the female Dean.
"Whoosh—"In the next instant, the beauty appeared right in front of the Shrek Seven Devils.
When she saw the middle-aged man among them, her emotions surged uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face.
"Xiaogang... it's really you... you came to see me..."She couldn't stop crying as she spoke.
The Grandmaster (Yu Xiaogang) stumbled back several steps, saying not a single word.
"Today, the Golden Iron Triangle finally reunites. Erlong-sis, it's been too long!"Flender sighed heavily.
(End of Chapter)