Just after Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu left, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, and Tuoba Yu came walking up.
Cao Jinxuan chuckled:
"Hey, Class Monitor, what exactly have you been up to these past few days? Teacher Wang avoided mentioning your absence in class, keeping it all mysterious."
"Nothing much. Just spent a few days with some inner court seniors." Xu Zihuang casually made up an excuse.
It wasn't that he wanted to hide the fact that he had obtained his fourth soul ring, but knowing these three, if they found out, they'd make a huge fuss for at least half a day.
It was better to let the facts speak for themselves during the advancement exam that afternoon, saving him the trouble of explaining.
At the words "senior sisters," Zhou Sichen's eyes lit up immediately.
"Class Monitor, were those inner court senior sisters pretty?"
"Sichen, can't you stop being such a pervert every time?" Tuoba Yu said with feigned seriousness, curling his lips.
But his eager expression already betrayed his own thoughts.
Zhou Sichen snapped back:
"Tuoba, you've got the nerve to call me out? Who was it last night that dragged me and Jinxuan into a long talk about Senior Sister Jiang from the sixth year?"
"Bullshit! When did I ever say that?!" Tuoba Yu's face turned red as he glanced around awkwardly at the remaining Class Two students still in the classroom.
Privately, he was quite lewd, but in class, he always minded his image.
And so, the two began their sharp-tongued argument.
Xu Zihuang and Cao Jinxuan just watched with amusement, as if watching a monkey show.
At some point, Cao Jinxuan had even pulled out a bag of nuts from his storage soul tool. He grabbed a handful, then offered some to Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang accepted without hesitation, savoring them as he watched.
Zhou Sichen and Tuoba Yu's quarrel soon escalated to a red-faced scuffle. The other students were hardly surprised. They knew the two wouldn't use martial souls or soul power, but even at rank thirty soul power, their physical strength alone made quite a commotion.
Several girls looked at them with disdain and stepped back, while the boys—those unbothered by the exam and eager for a show—gathered around Xu Zihuang and Cao Jinxuan, snacking on the nuts Xu offered while watching the fight.
The most excited was Huang Chutian, who shouted with enthusiasm:
"Tuoba, you can't handle him! Cut through Zhou Sichen's middle!"
"Zhou Sichen, don't brute-force Tuoba! You're a Tool Soul Master, he's a Beast Soul Master—your strength can't compare!"
Perhaps because his martial soul was the Herculean Ape, he especially loved physical clashes like this.
Gradually, Zhou Sichen and Tuoba Yu realized something was off. They stopped simultaneously, glaring at Huang Chutian.
"Huang Chutian, since you're so good at talking, why don't you fight us yourself?"
"With you two?" Huang Chutian's face showed disdain.
"You think I'm stupid?"
"Alright, everyone disperse. Focus on preparing for the exam this afternoon." Xu Zihuang finally spoke.
As soon as he said this, the others stopped their heckling and went their separate ways.
A few simple words had shown his strong influence.
The next moment, Zhou Sichen and Tuoba Yu—who had just been fighting—acted like nothing had happened, joining Xu Zihuang and Cao Jinxuan as they headed to the cafeteria.
Such quarrels weren't enough to cause discord. In fact, this kind of playful squabble only strengthened their bond.
Both Zhou Sichen and Tuoba Yu were straightforward, carefree types who didn't hold grudges.
The outer court had only two cafeterias—one for the Martial Soul Department and one for the Soul Tool Department. Meals were separated by grade levels.
When Xu Zihuang and the others arrived, they happened to cross paths with Wang Dong, who had already eaten and was leaving.
Wang Dong's eyes burned with even stronger fighting spirit than Dai Huabin's when he looked at Xu Zihuang. Over the past year, had his hard work been any less than Dai Huabin's?
Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, and Tuoba Yu all frowned.
Among Class Two freshmen, Xu Zihuang was clearly the most well-liked. By contrast, Dai Huabin and Wang Dong had the worst reputations.
Both looked down on their classmates because of their talent, treating everyone with indifference.
What's more, Wang Dong and Dai Huabin's team had been utterly crushed by Yu Tianhuang's team during the freshman exam—a fact known by all second-years.
Dai Huabin had at least focused quietly on cultivation this past year, but Wang Dong often boasted to Xiaoxiao and Huo Yuhao that with effort, he would definitely surpass Yu Tianhuang.
To everyone, Wang Dong came across as arrogant and conceited.
Xu Zihuang merely glanced at him once before looking away.
He was here at Shrek Academy to build connections, not to beg for recognition.
In his eyes, Wang Dong's pride was worthless.
Before the exam, Xu Zihuang and his three friends still enjoyed the privileges of core disciples.
There weren't many second-year core disciples, so the four of them quickly received free, top-quality meals from the second-year counter.
One dish was Hundred-Year Earth Dragon Tendon—extracted from the main tendon of an Earth Dragon's back. Among century-level beasts, the Earth Dragon was a powerhouse, a representative of strength-type beasts. Its tendons were especially nourishing for human bones and muscles—particularly for adolescents.
Another dish was Stir-Fried Azure Bird Marrow. The Azure Bird was said to carry a trace of phoenix bloodline. Its marrow was not only delicious but also highly beneficial for human bones.
There was also a large bowl of broth simmered from the bones of hundreds of soul beasts.
Even the rice was crystal-like, pearl-sized white jade grains that replenished energy and strengthened the body.
Such was the generous treatment core disciples enjoyed.
After getting their meals, they sat down casually.
As always, Zhou Sichen couldn't sit still. After a few bites, he leaned in mysteriously:
"Do you know why Huo Yuhao didn't come to class today?"
To his surprise, Cao Jinxuan looked completely clueless.
"Huo Yuhao didn't come?" he asked in shock.
"I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said so." Tuoba Yu chimed in.
Huo Yuhao was practically invisible in class—except for always placing last in tests, he barely had a presence.
Zhou Sichen sighed, then turned to Xu Zihuang, who was eating elegantly but quickly.
"I did notice." Xu Zihuang set down his chopsticks, smiled, and played along.
"What about him?"
Zhou Sichen perked up again, nodding dramatically.
"Huo Yuhao has transferred to the Soul Tool Department. I overheard it outside Teacher Wang Yan's office."
"Looks like he knew he couldn't pass the advancement exam, so he decided early. But honestly, it's strange—how did someone with his level even get into Shrek Academy?"
He bore no ill will toward Huo Yuhao, only mild curiosity.
"How else? Special admission through connections. Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue from Class Two, and Ning Tian from Class Three were all special admits." Tuoba Yu mumbled through a mouthful of food.
At the mention of Ning Tian, Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan exchanged knowing looks at Xu Zihuang.
Cao Jinxuan grinned mischievously:
"Class Monitor, tell us honestly—what's going on between you and Ning Tian? In the past few days you've been gone, she's asked about you more than once."
"I hear Ning Tian is the little princess of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the sole heir to its next Sect Master. A real beauty and a rich heiress. If you win her over, that's fifty years of effort saved." Zhou Sichen smacked his lips.
Just then, the subject of their talk appeared.
Carrying a core disciple's special meal, Ning Tian approached Xu Zihuang with a radiant smile.
"Tianhuang."
Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan awkwardly stood up. Being caught gossiping was never pleasant.
"We'll leave you two to talk."
Before leaving, they dragged along Tuoba Yu, who was still devouring his food.
Ning Tian politely greeted the three, then sat opposite Xu Zihuang, her white legs together, one hand resting neatly on her uniform skirt.
"I heard you only returned this morning. Did something delay you?"
Her voice was pleasant, tinged with concern.
Xu Zihuang smiled warmly, meeting her clear, water-blue eyes, in which his own reflection was visible.
They gazed at each other until a blush crept across Ning Tian's face, then he finally spoke slowly:
"I just broke through to rank forty recently and went with some inner court seniors to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a soul beast."
Unlike Zhou Sichen and the others, Ning Tian was far more composed and mature than her peers. His candidness wouldn't cause her to overreact.
As expected, she remained calm, though the flicker in her beautiful eyes revealed her unsettled heart.
Xu Zihuang picked up his tray and said softly:
"There's the advancement exam this afternoon. I'll be going."
Since his trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he had gained a new goal—Acacia Heartbroken Red, one of the top immortal herbs.
He wanted it, but he didn't think himself capable of such pure, sincere love for a girl. His only option was to make a girl truly fall in love with him.
Ning Tian could be a potential candidate.
Exactly how it would turn out depended on the future. He was still young, with too many uncertainties ahead.
First- to third-years shared one dormitory building, while fourth- to sixth-years lived in the higher-level dorms.
As a new second-year, Xu Zihuang naturally moved to the second floor.
The second-year cohort was only about a third the size of the freshmen, around three hundred students. After the exam, this number would shrink further.
Thus, their dorms were much more spacious. Each student had their own single room, plus a shared thirty-square-meter common area, complete with bathrooms and showers.
Back in his room, Xu Zihuang tidied his bed and then indulged in a long bath.
After so many days of high tension in the Star Dou Great Forest, even his spiritual power felt weary.
He soaked for more than an hour.
Only when Tuoba Yu reminded him that the exam was about to begin did he change into a clean uniform and head to the Beast Battle Zone.
The Beast Battle Zone.
As the largest exclusive area of Shrek Academy, it was also its largest building, covering as much ground as all the Martial Soul Department's teaching buildings, dorms, plus Shrek Square combined.
On the entire Douluo Continent, almost no academies could afford to keep soul beasts. Shrek's Beast Battle Zone was unique—even royal families of the great empires would never attempt such a thing. Raising soul beasts was no simple matter: their wildness had to be preserved, their diverse diets catered to, safety ensured, and they had to be controlled. The investment required was unimaginable for ordinary academies.
A third of Shrek Academy's annual tax revenue from Shrek City was poured into the Beast Battle Zone. That alone spoke of the staggering cost.
New students often complained about high tuition. But anyone who saw the Beast Battle Zone would realize their fees were nothing compared to the academy's spending there.
The Beast Battle Zone was divided into two parts: the Beast Paddock, unseen by students, where the beasts were kept; and the Beast Arena.
The paddock extended underground as well as aboveground. Its construction had involved over a hundred soul engineers, using powerful soul tools to restrain the beasts. Strong soul masters and engineers guarded it year-round. It was rumored even ten-thousand-year beasts were kept there.
The Beast Arena was where students trained and were tested. At that moment, second-year students were filing in for their advancement exams.
The arena was oval, 187 meters long, 150 meters wide, and about 57 meters high. From outside, it had four tiers: the bottom three were arcades with stone pillars, while the fourth was decorated with pilasters. Four massive archways at the cardinal points led into the viewing galleries inside.
Inside, the stands rose in four tiers. Shrek Academy sometimes designated specific sections for special purposes. The scale was magnificent, worthy of words like "splendid" and "grand."
The arena could hold about ten thousand spectators, though much of the space was for the arena floor itself. Like the Soul Battle Zone, it could host multiple matches simultaneously or just one large battle.
Xu Zihuang, Tuoba Yu, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan entered together. Xu Zihuang remained calm, but the other three were dazzled by the spectacle.
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