Chapter 5: First Encounter and an Acquaintance (1 / 1)
East Gate of Shrek City.
At the entrance of Shrek Academy.
A large number of young people from across the Three Original Empires had already gathered here.
Jiang Li casually glanced around, then smiled at Ning Tian beside him.
"Boss Ning, go register first. I'll wait here."
"Alright," Ning Tian nodded.
With that, she took Wu Feng toward the freshman registration area.
Watching them leave, the smile on Jiang Li's face gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression.
He wasn't stupid—he naturally understood Ning Tian's intentions. She simply wanted to keep him by her side.
But on second thought, Ning Tian really was rich.
Thinking of this, Jiang Li smiled faintly and muttered,
"Making money isn't shameful."
After that, he walked to a roadside bench and sat down.
But just as he sat, his peripheral vision caught sight of three figures.
Two males and one female.
The blue-haired boy looked about the same age as Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
The other two seemed about two years older.
With just one glance, Jiang Li guessed their identities.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya—
And the Child of Destiny of Douluo Continent: Huo Yuhao!
"So this is the Child of Destiny…"
Jiang Li murmured inwardly, then smirked.
"Too bad he's just a poor kid right now—not worth befriending."
With that, he closed his eyes to rest.
However, as Huo Yuhao's group passed by—
Inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, the Skydream Iceworm suddenly spoke.
"Yuhao, pay attention to that person sitting on the bench."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao was startled and turned to look at Jiang Li.
"Brother Tianmeng, what do you mean?"
The Skydream Iceworm hesitated, then said slowly,
"Yuhao, do you know the difference between having soul power and not having it?"
"Isn't that common knowledge?" Huo Yuhao was confused.
But the Skydream Iceworm shook its head.
"That's just what you humans think.
To be precise, all living beings in this world have soul power—it's just a matter of quantity."
"What do you mean?" Huo Yuhao was even more puzzled.
The Skydream Iceworm explained,
"What humans call 'zero soul power' actually means the amount is extremely small—too little to support martial soul cultivation, so it can't be detected."
Huo Yuhao began to understand.
But then he asked,
"What does that have to do with that person?"
"It has everything to do with it!" the Skydream Iceworm's voice rose.
"In theory, there's no such thing as someone truly without soul power.
But that guy has none at all. Even the natural soul power in the environment can't approach him!"
"What? Then isn't he just a normal person without soul power?" Huo Yuhao was shocked.
But the Skydream Iceworm shook its head again, speaking seriously.
"Yuhao, that guy is anything but ordinary."
"Why?" Huo Yuhao was full of questions.
The Skydream Iceworm didn't waste words.
"My instincts tell me he's dangerous—extremely dangerous. Like a hunter lurking in the dark, waiting for prey."
"Gulp…"
Huo Yuhao swallowed and quickly looked away.
At that moment, Tang Ya noticed his reaction.
"Yuhao, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Huo Yuhao scratched his head awkwardly.
Seeing his guilty look, Tang Ya grew curious.
She began looking around, trying to find what caught his attention.
But no matter how she searched, she couldn't find it.
Because she was only looking for girls.
In her mind, only a beautiful girl could catch Huo Yuhao's attention.
If it were a guy… she didn't dare think further.
Failing to find anything, she gave up and continued leading Huo Yuhao to registration.
After they left—
A figure appeared in front of Jiang Li.
"Jiang Li?"
A slightly surprised voice sounded.
Jiang Li opened his eyes.
In front of him stood a beautiful, cold-looking girl.
About his age—around eighteen.
Jiang Li naturally recognized her.
She was one of the current Shrek Seven Monsters—control-type soul master, Ling Luochen.
As for how they met—it was quite cliché.
About a month ago, during a hunting commission, Jiang Li ran into Ling Luochen, who had the same target. That's how they got acquainted.
"Why are you at Shrek Academy? Another commission?" Ling Luochen asked curiously.
Jiang Li nodded, leaning back with a smile.
"Yeah, a big client."
Ling Luochen frowned slightly.
"Same kind of commission as last time?"
There was a hint of concern in her eyes.
Though they had only met once, Jiang Li's strength had deeply shocked her.
She couldn't believe someone born with zero soul power could slaughter a Soul King.
Jiang Li saw through her concern and smiled.
"Thanks, but this time it's just an escort job. No fighting."
Hearing this, Ling Luochen felt relieved.
Not because she doubted his strength—but because she feared he might take on something too dangerous.
If Jiang Li knew her thoughts, he would definitely tease her.
After all, with his physical strength alone, he could handle Soul Douluo-level opponents without martial soul avatars.
And with the arsenal inside Xiao You—filled with system-bought weapons for all situations—
Even hunting a Titled Douluo was possible.
As for Super Douluo, with some preparation, assassination wasn't out of the question.
Of course, Ling Luochen didn't know any of this.
After relaxing, she said,
"Since you're here, how about I show you around Shrek City?"
"No need," Jiang Li stood and waved.
Ling Luochen looked puzzled and was about to say more—
When a voice came from behind.
"Jiang Li, who is this sister?"
Ling Luochen turned around.
It was Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who had finished registration.
At that moment, Jiang Li smiled and introduced,
"This is your senior from the inner court—and also a friend of mine."
Ning Tian was surprised.
She didn't expect Jiang Li to know someone from Shrek's inner court.
After a brief pause, she smiled politely.
"Hello, senior. I'm Ning Tian, and this is Wu Feng. We're freshmen this year."
Ling Luochen nodded calmly.
"Hello. I'm Ling Luochen."
After a brief introduction, Ling Luochen exchanged a few polite words and then left.
…