"Now, all new students, follow your respective class teachers back according to the latest class assignment rules. The first place winners of the New Student Assessment... Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong, you three come with me."
Du Weilun's voice echoed across the plaza. After he finished reading the list one by one, the head teachers of the four classes had already taken their places. Finally, he waved his hand, dismissing all the other new students who had become first-year students and the teachers, only keeping Huo Yuhao and the other two back.
Clearly, this was to fulfill the reward for first place in the New Student Assessment—that secret Spirit Bone.
The three of them exchanged glances, then followed in Du Weilun's footsteps, heading toward the Shrek teachers' office.
Furina stood where she was, watching them walk away. There was still some time before class, and the class monitor election wouldn't start for a while, so she couldn't be bothered to go back to the classroom and sit idly—anyway, she was a Food-type Support Soul Master, so there was no way she would be elected class monitor of Class One. Even if they really wanted her to be, she would never agree; it was troublesome, and there was no benefit.
It would be better to go for a walk and relax.
She turned and walked toward the outside of the plaza, but another thought drifted through her mind.
Ma Xiaotao was gone.
That woman who was supposed to pop up and cause trouble at this time in the original story hadn't even shown a shadow this time. It seemed Yan Shaozhe really had adopted her suggestion and sent someone to escort her to the Extreme North Land to Cultivate.
Furina couldn't help but click her tongue in her heart.
What a crazy woman. She was already in a state where she could lose control at any moment, yet she was still thinking about Cultivating. If you aren't crazy, then who is? If you don't fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master, then who would?
If it weren't for her teacher being the Shrek Dean, having the entire Shrek as a background; if it weren't for her Martial Soul being the Evil Fire Phoenix of the Original Shrek Seven Devils, Ma Hongjun.
If it were anyone else, anyone without a background, she would have long been dealt with as an Evil Soul Master.
However, having said that, even if she went to the Extreme North Land, if she couldn't purify that Evil Fire, or convert it into something like Ultimate Fire, it would ultimately not be a long-term solution.
Furina shook her head, shaking these thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't care that much about other people's business.
After leaving the plaza, she walked toward a small grove not far away. Sunlight filtered down through the leaves, dappled light and shadows falling on the path, and the air held the fresh scent of grass and trees, which was truly relaxing.
It was just a pity that this peace didn't last long.
A figure emerged from behind a tree, blocking her path.
Xu Sanshi.
Furina's footsteps paused slightly, but she wasn't too surprised in her heart.
Huo Yuhao hadn't set up a stall in Shrek City to sell grilled fish this time like in the original story, so naturally, the plot involving Xu Sanshi hadn't been triggered. But she had long anticipated that this person would come knocking sooner or later, and it was definitely because of Jiang Nannan.
After all, this was the Douluo Continent, a place full of love-struck fools everywhere. Villains are love-struck, heroes are love-struck; there isn't one who isn't love-struck. In their eyes, love is the greatest thing in the world, capable of making people throw everything away.
It just so happened that she wanted to see how much of a price "love" could make Xu Sanshi pay.
"Hello, classmate Furina!" Xu Sanshi raised his hand, greeting her with a beaming smile. "Nice to meet you for the first time! My name is Xu Sanshi, a third-year student."
"Oh, nice to meet you." Furina smiled slightly. "I've heard Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei mention you. So you are that... slightly annoying Xu Sanshi."
The smile on Xu Sanshi's face froze.
He coughed twice, scratched his head awkwardly, and laughed it off: "Haha... is my reputation really that bad..."
"Alright, alright, Senior Xu Sanshi." Furina waved her hand, looking at him with a half-smile. "Stop beating around the bush and just get straight to the point. What exactly do you want with me?"
Xu Sanshi chuckled, rarely showing a hint of embarrassment: "Um... I want to join your Axis Cult, is that okay?"
Furina chuckled inwardly: Just as expected.
In the original story, he joined the Tang Sect because Jiang Nannan had joined the Tang Sect, wanting to use that as an opportunity to have more contact and improve her impression of him. Now that Jiang Nannan had entered the Axis Cult, and the Tang Sect had become an affiliate of the Axis Cult, it was completely normal for him to come to the Axis Cult.
She deliberately put on an expression of surprise: "Oh? I've heard that you, Xu Sanshi, are the Young Lord of the Xuanming Sect. As the dignified Young Lord of a Sect, you will definitely inherit the Xuanming Sect in the future. The Xuanming Sect is known for producing profound water pills, has immense wealth, and your Martial Soul is the Xuanming Shield; it is said that you even have the Xuanwu Bloodline, which can evolve into a Xuanwu, making it a top-tier defensive Martial Soul."
She leaned in a step closer: "You want to join my Axis Cult? Won't your old man beat you to death? Or are you... plotting something else?"
Xu Sanshi coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, but he was frank: "Indeed... I am plotting something else. Since you know Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Jiang Nannan, you must know about my relationship with them, right?"
Furina played dumb and blinked: "Oh? What relationship? I don't know. I've only heard them say that you are rather annoying, that's all."
Xu Sanshi: "..."
He coughed twice more: "Cough, cough... well... some things happened between Nannan and me in the past. I feel sorry for her, but I also... like her very much. But she hates me now and doesn't want to see me."
He sighed, his tone filled with a mix of helplessness and sincerity: "But after all, that kind of thing happened, so I can understand her attitude. Sigh... anyway, I heard she joined the Axis Cult, so I want to join the Axis Cult too, or join the Tang Sect that is affiliated with the Axis Cult. I just want to get closer to her, have more opportunities for contact, and let her impression of me slowly improve."
"Oh, so that's how it is." Furina nodded, pretending to suddenly understand.
Of course, it was faked.
She immediately changed the subject: "But my Axis Cult is not a place for you to date. Not to mention anything else, what can you give me? You have an extraordinary status, being a Young Lord, and sooner or later you will have to go back to inherit the position of Sect Master. At that time, will you be a member of my Axis Cult, or will you go back to inherit your Xuanming Sect?"
"Well..." Xu Sanshi scratched his head and admitted honestly: "To be honest, I haven't thought it through yet. I just really want to be with Nannan. But I promise, after joining the Axis Cult, I will never leak any secrets of the Axis Cult, and I don't need the Axis Cult to do anything for me. In fact... every year I can offer the Axis Cult ten thousand gold coins and one profound water pill, as long as... as long as I can be with Nannan."
Furina almost laughed out loud.
Good grief, paying to work? Being rich and imposing is amazing, isn't it?
She shook her head: "That won't do. My Axis Cult isn't lacking in those things."
After a pause, she narrowed her eyes slightly, finally steering the conversation in the direction she really wanted to go:
"How about this, you bring the Xuanming Sect to join my Axis Cult directly, just like the Tang Sect, and become an affiliate Sect of my Axis Cult. How about it?"
Xu Sanshi was stunned after hearing this.
"What?! The Xuanming Sect becoming an affiliate Sect of the Axis Cult?!"
He widened his eyes, his voice changing pitch: "If that happens, my old man will really kill me! Your appetite... is too big, isn't it?"
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