"A bunch of idiots! Do you think evil soul masters are easy to deal with? You're students of Shrek Academy and don't even know that much?" Gu Lingjun didn't bother to hide the disdain in her voice as she scolded Ma Xiaotao's group.
This was common sense for any student in the Sun Moon Empire's academies. Yet these so-called geniuses were arrogant enough to underestimate evil soul masters just because of their own strength. Utter fools.
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen all hung their heads in silence. Even the reserve team members lowered their gazes, saying nothing. Though Gu Lingjun wasn't their teacher, not a single word she said was wrong.
It was their negligence that had led to this disastrous outcome.
Stupid students—and a stupid teacher to lead them. Gu Lingjun shot a cold glance at Wang Yan, then turned to Xiao hongchen and asked, "Didn't you say there was another one with you? Where is he?"
"That guy's a Titled Douluo. He went after the evil soul master to rescue QingTong," Xiao hongchen replied.
Upon hearing this, Gu Lingjun turned her gaze toward Jiang Shengyu. "And you? Why didn't you go?"
"Uh…"
Caught off guard, Jiang Shengyu scratched his head and said awkwardly, "I'm just a four-ring Soul Ancestor. If I went, I'd only get in the way."
Gu Lingjun cast him a sidelong glance and, after cursing out everyone else who needed a scolding, finally focused on treating the most seriously wounded.
Jiang Shengyu heaved a sigh, only to be immediately approached by Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, and Wang Dong. The three looked at him with great curiosity.
Noticing their gazes, Jiang Shengyu frowned. "What are you looking at?"
"Jiang-gongzi, you look so much like Qing Tong!" Xiao Xiao said with a cheerful grin. "If your hair were longer, you could pass for her!"
"Do I?" Jiang Shengyu mused. "I think he's way more annoying than QingTong," Xiao hongchen snorted with his arms crossed. Then, turning back to the trio, he asked, "You're close with QingTong?"
Xiao Xiao nodded quickly. "Yes! We're good friends!"
Wang Dong chimed in, "The three of us—me, Xiao Xiao, and QingTong—are known as the 'Outer Court Demon Kings' of Shrek Academy! During the freshman trials, we held the stage and beat down every other new student!"
Jiang Nannan added, "Qing Tong and I are roommates—we share a dorm room."
Xiao hongchen nodded slowly as he listened, then narrowed his eyes at Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. "QingTong's got incredible talent. I'm not surprised she made a name for herself. But you two… what exactly do you bring to the table?"
His tone carried a faint sneer, and Wang Dong's temper flared at once. "We're strong, too! I mean, Xiao Xiao and I, we—"
"Wang Dong!"
Before he could finish, Wang Yan's voice called sharply from behind.
Wang Dong froze mid-sentence, glanced back at Wang Yan, then turned back to Xiao hongchen with narrowed eyes. "Tch… almost fell for it. You're a sneaky one!"
Xiao hongchen smiled faintly, not denying it.
"What's going on?" Xiao Xiao asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"We're from Shrek Academy. They're from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. No matter how friendly this all seems, we're still opponents," Wang Dong said seriously. "If you want to know how strong we are, let's settle it in the tournament."
Hearing this, Xiao hongchen shifted his gaze toward the severely injured Inner Court disciples, then let out a quiet chuckle. "Even at your full strength, I doubt you could beat us—let alone in your current condition."
Ma Xiaotao couldn't take it anymore. She clenched her fists and glared at him. "You little punk—say that again if you dare!"
"Big sister," Xiao hongchen said mockingly, "you're already taking our medicine. Maybe stop acting so high and mighty? Right now, your pride's worth nothing."
"You should stop taunting," Jiang Shengyu suddenly said, patting Xiao hongchen on the shoulder. "Or you'll regret it in a second."
Just then, Xuanzi had successfully rescued Jiang Qingtong—and flattened the evil soul master into a wall while he was at it. The two were flying back at high speed.
Before Xiao hongchen could react to Jiang Shengyu's words, Xuanzi landed nearby with Qing Tong in tow.
As soon as he touched down, all of the Shrek students who could still move stepped forward and bowed. "Elder Xuan!"
Xuanzi nodded, then turned to Gu Lingjun, who was still tending to the wounded. The healer from the Sun Moon Empire met his gaze with the same frosty expression as before. She didn't even bother to hide her disdain.
To her, a Titled Douluo who'd allowed his students to suffer such injuries was guilty of dereliction—plain and simple. In her opinion, he might as well bash his head against a wall.
"I appreciate you treating these children," Xuanzi said sincerely.
Gu Lingjun didn't reply beyond a noncommittal grunt.
Xuanzi didn't mind her coldness. Instead, he turned toward Jiang Qingtong. "Qingtong, your brother is over there."
Jiang Shengyu looked toward the elder and then to his sister. QingTong also turned to him. The moment their eyes met—one feminine, one masculine—they shared a subtle smile.
Now comes the real test of acting.
Meng Hongchen and Xiao hongchen waved enthusiastically. "QingTong! Long time no see!"
QingTong ran over with excitement, giving Jiang Shengyu a quick hug before looking at the siblings. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're part of the Sun Moon Empire's representative team for the Soul Master Tournament!" Xiao hongchen said proudly. "If you were still with us, you'd definitely be on the main team!"
"I'm on Shrek Academy's team now," QingTong replied.
Though they had expected this, hearing her say it aloud still made Meng Hongchen fall silent. Xiao hongchen frowned slightly. "You really plan to represent Shrek Academy?"
Qing Tong nodded. "I'm a student of Shrek. Of course I'll represent them."
Behind her, Xuanzi and Wang Yan exchanged a meaningful look. In each other's eyes, they saw barely concealed satisfaction. To them, it seemed that their long-term influence on Qing Tong had finally borne fruit.
At the very least, she now identified herself as a Shrek Academy student—and she was even saying it out loud.
Excellent. Truly excellent.
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