After the evening arena battles concluded, everyone gathered together to head back to the academy.
Flender left the group to visit his shop, leaving Dai Mubai in charge of leading everyone back.
Ma Hongjun prepared to leave the group, planning to vent his demonic fire nearby, and even invited Dai Mubai to join him.
Dai Mubai glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and then at the others. "Fatty, don't drag me into this. Don't ruin my reputation."
Ma Hongjun smirked. "Big Brother Dai, who doesn't know who you are? You're far more experienced than I am. Don't forget about those twins."
Dai Mubai immediately became flustered. "Fatty, if you're going, just go. Why waste so much breath? Or do you want me to beat you up?"
Ma Hongjun's reaction was quick. After glancing at Zhu Zhuqing and the other girls, he took off like a flash.
Xiao Wu, puzzled, asked, "Where is that fatty going? He mentioned something about a 'brothel.' What is that place?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces darkened, especially Tang San, who quickly pulled Xiao Wu aside to whisper an explanation. Xiao Wu's face visibly reddened.
Ning Rongrong was about to say something, but Yang Xiong shot her a glare, and she immediately fell silent, clearly recalling Yang Xiong's earlier words to her.
Xiao Wu frowned indignantly. "Brother San, you absolutely cannot go to such places. If you do, I'll punish you myself!"
Tang San looked extremely awkward and quickly replied, "Xiao Wu, you can rest assured. Someone like me would never go to such places. I'm not like Fatty."
Seeing Tang San and Xiao Wu's exchange, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Ning Rongrong mimicked Xiao Wu's tone. "Xiao Xiong, you seem quite familiar with brothels. Have you been there before?"
Yang Xiong chuckled. "I've never left the sect since I was a child. How would I know what a brothel is? Besides, apart from cultivation, I'm not interested in anything else."
Oscar poked Yang Xiong's side. "Brother Xiong, you seem pretty wealthy. You must have some experience in this area, right? Maybe you've seen even higher-end places?"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong became curious. "Xiao Xiong, confess honestly. When you were in class, we rarely saw you. Did you secretly find girlfriends? Maybe you even sneaked out of the sect to play around?"
Yang Xiong was momentarily speechless. "I didn't go to class because I wanted to focus on cultivation. Even the teachers allowed it. Are you doubting their judgment now?"
Nearby, Xiao Wu suddenly grew playful. She and Ning Rongrong, both mischievous by nature, leaned close together like lifelong best friends.
"Rongrong, were you and Xiao Xiong classmates before? What's the deal with him disappearing from class all the time?"
Ning Rongrong replied, "Yes, Xiao Xiong and I were classmates. That guy has always loved reading books. During class, he'd sit there reading instead of paying attention. Eventually, he stopped attending altogether. He rarely interacted with others. At first, I didn't want to go to class either, but Father said that if I could achieve the top academic score in the grade like him, I could skip class too."
"Unfortunately, it seems the teachers favored him greatly. They allowed him to attend school only once a week. In the past six months, I haven't even seen him. I strongly suspect he's been frequenting brothels."
Xiao Wu nodded, clearly agreeing with Ning Rongrong's assessment.
Yang Xiong rolled his eyes at Xiao Wu. "You little rabbit—no, you should be called an old rabbit. I'm much older than you. You should call me Brother Xiong or Classmate Yang Xiong."
Xiao Wu glared at him. "If Rongrong can call you Xiao Xiong, why can't I? I think everyone should call you Xiao Xiong from now on."
Before Yang Xiong could respond, Ning Rongrong nodded in agreement, looking every bit like two kindred spirits who had found each other late in life.
Yang Xiong felt utterly helpless, internally muttering, 'You hundred-thousand-year-old rogue rabbit, always messing around without a care. Just wait—I'll turn you into a soul ring one day.'
Tang San watched Xiao Wu's playful antics with slight embarrassment, but his eyes were filled with affection for her.
After some playful banter, there were no conflicts, and everyone returned to Shrek Academy together.
---
The next day, Flender was teaching again. However, when class began, everyone except Oscar was present.
Flender's expression turned stern. "Mubai, go fetch Oscar. How can someone so young be so fond of sleeping in?"
Tang San quickly interjected, "Principal, when I left the dormitory, he was still meditating. He must have been deeply immersed in cultivation and didn't wake up in time."
Before Dai Mubai could move, Oscar came rushing out of the dormitory, brimming with excitement.
Flender snorted. "Oscar, it seems you want to run more laps. How dare you be late for class?"
Oscar hurriedly explained, "Principal, please hear me out—I've broken through to level thirty!"
Flender's face lit up with joy. "Good, very good! Oscar, you've truly lived up to my expectations. It seems our academy finally has its second Soul Elder!"
Yang Xiong glanced at Oscar. The plot was unfolding exactly as in the original story. It seemed it was time for him to take action.
Flender then addressed the group. "Today's lesson will focus on Oscar. Everyone must eat at least one sausage made by Oscar."
Upon hearing this, everyone was horrified, especially the three girls, whose faces were filled with disgust.
Yang Xiong, however, appeared nonchalant. "Oscar, make me one sausage using each of your two soul skills."
Oscar, who had been feeling down, brightened up immediately and quickly produced two sausages. The first, from his first soul skill, was the Super Recovery Sausage. The second, from his second soul skill, was the Detoxification Sausage. However, the incantations were undeniably unappealing: "I have a big sausage" and "I have a small sausage."
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong and Oscar with disdain, clearly finding Oscar's incantations disgusting and astonished that Yang Xiong could ignore them so easily.
Yang Xiong paid no heed to their expressions, taking the two sausages and popping them into his mouth. He even nodded approvingly. "Not bad. Truly excellent. The taste is fine, and the effects on soul masters are remarkable. No wonder it's an extraordinary food-type marial soul with full innate soul power."
Oscar, hearing this, felt incredibly encouraged, as if he had finally found a rare kindred spirit. "Brother Xiong, you truly understand me. From now on, you're my big brother for sure."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Oscar, you're older than me. Just call me Little Xiong or Yang Xiong, like my family does."
Ning Rongrong, however, looked utterly repulsed. "Xiao Xiong, how can you not find those incantations and sausages disgusting? I couldn't possibly eat them."
The other six people nodded in agreement, clearly sharing her sentiment.
Yang Xiong sighed after glancing at the six of them. "The soul master world is far crueler than anyone imagines. I once ventured alone into the Soul Beast Forest. The hunger and lack of soul power were almost unbearable. If I'd had Oscar's sausages back then, I would've faced spirit beasts with much more confidence."
"And as for soul battles between soul masters, life and death can hinge on a single moment. Whether it's running low on soul power or being poisoned, these are fatal threats. Oscar's sausages can provide immense help during battle, even turning the tide in critical moments. Compared to that, the incantations are trivial."
"Besides, don't you think Oscar's incantations perfectly match the functions of his sausages? Perhaps this is the artistry that comes with having full innate soul power."
Everyone was left speechless.
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