On the training ground, two figures were already standing there.
The short, heavy, wall-like Zhao Wuji still had some scars on his face.
Beside him was a white-haired young man with peach blossom eyes—Oscar.
Looking at the beautiful girls surrounding Ye Qiu, Oscar was filled with envy.
"Are you the only ones who came?"
Zhao Wuji frowned as he looked at Ye Qiu and the others.
"Yes! Teacher Zhao, we just rushed over from the dining hall, and we didn't see anyone else!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong's reply, a hint of a smile flashed in the eyes of Ye Qiu and the other two.
She truly hadn't seen anyone else.
"Hmph! These little brats!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists and stretched his thick neck.
"Tch~ Why isn't it 'little blind bears'?" Xiao Wu pouted and muttered softly.
"Xiao Wu, what are you saying!?" Zhao Wuji glared over, his scarred face showing a strangely fierce expression.
Ye Qiu subconsciously shielded Xiao Wu with half his body.
Ning Rongrong and the other girls also stared intently at Zhao Wuji.
His widened eyes subtly swept over Ning Rongrong.
Thinking of her identity, the wound on his face suddenly throbbed faintly.
Leading this batch of students was truly frustrating!
A hint of awkwardness appeared on his face, and he didn't pursue the small matter further.
"Alright, I called you here to inform you that all classes today are canceled. Rest well for a day, and early tomorrow morning, we will head to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Little Ao's third spirit ring!"
"Oscar has broken through to Level 30!?" Ning Rongrong looked at the white-haired young man beside Zhao Wuji, her eyes showing some surprise.
"Mhm! I just broke through this morning!" Oscar's face was beaming with a smile.
As a commoner Spirit Master, being able to break through to Spirit Elder at this age was indeed considered monstrous.
"Little Ao, you can inform Tang San and the others yourself. Tell Mubai and the others to get some good rest when they return, so they don't act like soft-legged shrimps tomorrow!"
"Understood, Teacher Zhao!"
"That's it then, you're dismissed!"
Zhao Wuji patted his shoulder, then waved his hand and turned to leave.
He also needed to rest well.
For this group of students, as the leading teacher this time, he dared not relax in the slightest.
"Xiao Qiu~ Since there's nothing else, let's go shopping for carrots first!"
Xiao Wu leaned her head on Ye Qiu's shoulder; Ye Qiu's earlier care made her feel very pleased.
"No problem!" Ye Qiu nodded, it was a good time to buy some supplies.
"Rongrong, I…" Oscar, who was still nearby, looked at Ning Rongrong, wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Oscar, is something wrong?"
Ning Rongrong was about to say something to Ye Qiu when she was interrupted by his voice.
She turned her head, looking at him strangely.
"I, I want to talk to you alone!"
Oscar looked at Ye Qiu with some worry.
After all, Ning Rongrong was currently with him, and his request was indeed a bit inappropriate.
Ning Rongrong lightly furrowed her brows, exchanged a glance with Ye Qiu, seeking his opinion.
Seeing him nod affirmatively, she agreed.
"Alright, let's go over there!" Ning Rongrong pointed to an open space under a large tree not far away.
"Ye Qiu, you guys wait for me here for a bit!"
"Got it!" Ye Qiu chuckled. He probably knew what Oscar wanted to talk to Ning Rongrong about.
Oscar followed Ning Rongrong and walked towards the tree.
"Ye Qiu, I won't go. I want to practice the 'Concealing Spirit Secret Technique' you gave me as soon as possible! Sorry…"
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been holding Ye Qiu's arm, also let go of him at this moment.
Her face showed a hint of apology.
"Mhm, it's alright. Just focus on your cultivation!"
Ye Qiu also knew she only wanted to become stronger and didn't mind.
He took her small hand, pulled her into his embrace, and leaned close to her ear.
"When I have time, I can accompany you for some individual combat training…"
"Really?" Hearing the words 'individual,' Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up, and she looked at Ye Qiu happily.
"Of course!" Ye Qiu replied affirmatively.
He completely ignored Xiao Wu, who was pouting beside him.
"By the way, to what extent have you cultivated that secret technique?"
Ye Qiu released her, reached out to touch her pretty face, the warmth from his touch reddening her fair skin.
He brushed away the strands of hair from her face.
Zhu Zhuqing grasped his ticklish hand, and her yellow and purple spirit rings rose from her feet.
"I can already conceal a thousand-year spirit ring, but I'm not yet proficient, so I can only hide one. Rongrong is much better than me!"
Her face showed a hint of joy when she spoke of herself, but then a touch of disappointment when she mentioned Ning Rongrong.
She had spent much more time than her, after all.
"Why that expression? Didn't I tell you? I'll help you!"
"That's right! Zhuqing has Xiao Qiu!" Xiao Wu stepped forward and took her hand. "And me and Rongrong…"
"Mhm, I believe you!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ye Qiu and nodded slightly.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, directly pinching her chin and lifting her slightly lowered head.
He lightly pecked her red lips.
He looked her in the eyes seriously, a warm smile on his face.
His voice was soft and sincere.
"Zhuqing, more than believing me, you should believe in yourself!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at her own reflection in his azure blue eyes.
A gentle smile suddenly appeared on her rosy face.
She released Xiao Wu's hand, cupped Ye Qiu's face, and leaned in.
Xiao Wu looked at her in surprise, still hearing the sound of teeth clinking together.
"Alright! I, I'll go cultivate first…" Releasing Ye Qiu, she shyly wiped the corner of her mouth.
Without waiting for Ye Qiu's reply, she turned and left.
A faint smile still lingered on her face, and the coldness in her eyes was gone.
Ye Qiu was right.
But… there was no need. Even if she became stronger, she still wanted to rely on him.
"Xiao Wu, what, what are you doing? Mmm!"
He was just watching Zhu Zhuqing leave.
But Xiao Wu, standing beside him, directly pinched Ye Qiu's fair face, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against his.
"Oh! Xiao Wu, you actually snuck a kiss while I wasn't looking…"
Ning Rongrong, who had just sent Oscar away and was walking towards Ye Qiu, snorted coldly and sprinted towards Ye Qiu.
"Phew~ Hey, Rongrong, let me breathe…"
Xiao Wu had barely moved her mouth away when Ning Rongrong was already tugging at Ye Qiu's collar.
A seamless transition.
Oscar, who hadn't gone far, also heard Ning Rongrong's voice.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look.
He happened to see the scene of Ning Rongrong leaning in, and his face flashed with envy and strangeness.
His mouth even twitched.
In broad daylight, it was truly indecent.
In just an instant, he withdrew his gaze and his slightly regretful thoughts.
A relaxed smile appeared on his face.
He had already joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
From now on, he would receive a large sum of money every month, so he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.
Ning Rongrong had also promised to introduce him to the descendants of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Elders in the future.
He wouldn't have to worry about major life events anymore!
…
They didn't linger for long, and soon Ye Qiu took the two girls into the city.
He didn't spend the entire day playing with Xiao Wu and the others.
After shopping with them and buying some things, Ye Qiu first sent them back to Shrek Academy.
Then, he went alone to the Spirit Hall branch in Soto City and found the Qian Jun Jiang Mo brothers.
He asked for a few pairs of mother-child glass balls used for transmitting messages.
Along the way, he finally managed to contact Xiao Lan.
It turned out that Dugu Yan had taken her along to various Soul Arenas with the Royal Fight Team for combat training.
After instructing her not to cause trouble or run around, and asking her to relay a few words to Dugu Yan.
Ye Qiu continued to busy himself with his own affairs.
After returning to Shrek Academy, he also trained in combat with Zhu Zhuqing.
Soon, it was past noon.
On the ground, there were small holes pierced by spider lances, and craters plowed by fireballs, and traces of sharp claws on the tree trunks.
In the sparsely treed area, Ye Qiu's voice rang out.
"Zhuqing, let's stop here for today. I still have some things to attend to."
"Mhm!"
Ye Qiu retracted his Spirit.
Zhu Zhuqing, not far opposite him, also retracted the spider lances behind her.
She quickly walked to Ye Qiu, helping him straighten his clothes.
She didn't ask Ye Qiu what he was going to do.
"Go and return soon!"
"Mhm, I should be back before sunset!" Ye Qiu looked at the pair of cat ears in front of him and couldn't help but reach out to pinch them.
They felt very good, warm, soft, and supple.
Zhu Zhuqing's unusually colored pupils trembled slightly.
The cat ears that grew from her Spirit possession turned pink and hot, just like her face.
The cat tail behind her seemed to struggle with something, waving wildly.
Although Ye Qiu's actions made her very uncomfortable.
But she bit her sensual red lips, lowered her head slightly, and silently endured it.
"C-Can we wait until you come back to…"
Her voice was trembling, and the last word, 'play,' was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
If he hadn't been close, Ye Qiu might not have heard it.
"Cough cough… Sorry~"
Ye Qiu coughed twice, a hint of awkwardness on his face, and pinched the soft cat ears again, reluctantly withdrawing his hand.
"It's nothing…" Zhu Zhuqing's cherry lips parted slightly, her breathing somewhat labored, her face flushed red.
Even her legs became a bit unsteady, pressing together.
"Then, then I'll go!"
"Mhm!" She nodded lightly.
Zhu Zhuqing watched Ye Qiu disappear from her sight, the blush on her face not yet faded.
She raised her hand and pinched her own cat ear; her body trembled along with it.
After being touched by Ye Qiu, it felt different from usual…
…
The next day.
The sun rose, and the dawn broke.
The assembly bell of Shrek Academy rang.
The Shrek Academy students emerged from their dorms one after another, heading towards the training ground.
Ye Qiu also finished getting ready, served by Xiao Wu.
He didn't know if the three girls had agreed to take turns with night raids or what, but these three days were truly different every day.
Although he already had a substantial relationship with Xiao Wu, Ye Qiu resisted Xiao Wu's relentless pestering and didn't let her succeed.
Today, he needed to conserve his energy.
On the training ground, by the time Ye Qiu and the others arrived, everyone was already there.
Even Flender, who had been missing for several days, reappeared before everyone.
Tang San stared at Ye Qiu with a venomous gaze. The wounds on his face had mostly healed, leaving almost no traces.
"Xiao Wu…"
Seeing Xiao Wu, he still greeted her, but his response was a cold snort.
While feeling some pain in his heart, he also felt a bit fortunate.
At least Xiao Wu wouldn't ignore him!
Dai Mubai also looked at Ye Qiu with murderous intent, not only with bandages wrapped around his exposed hand, but his entire right arm.
It might take a lot of time for the flesh and blood inside to heal.
Even if it could grow back, it wouldn't recover to its previous state.
Ma Hongjun, however, showed no reaction, only his eyes were much more well-behaved.
"You are Ye Qiu, right?"
Flender adjusted his new glasses, his sharp, eagle-like gaze directed at Ye Qiu.
"Yes, Dean Flander!" Ye Qiu nodded at him.
He saw the hateful gazes of Tang San and Dai Mubai.
As the dean, there were some things he had to say.
"It's fine for you to follow, but you must cooperate during the Spirit hunting process! This shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Don't worry, Dean, I know what I'm doing!"
Ye Qiu would, of course, spare no effort in hunting a spirit ring for Oscar.
After all, he had now become a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and cultivating him was certainly not out of the question.
"That's good!" Flender nodded and didn't say much more about Ye Qiu.
"In that case, I have nothing else to say. You can follow Teacher Zhao and set off now!"
"Ah? Teacher, we haven't even eaten breakfast yet! And we have to travel such a long distance… How can we manage that?"
Ma Hongjun immediately became unhappy upon hearing this. He rubbed his stomach, frowned, and grumbled.
"Hmph! Isn't there a mobile supply station in the team? If you can't keep going, just ask Oscar for some Sausage! This is also a form of training for you!"
Flender narrowed his eyes. He should have given this lesson earlier, but he was delayed by Tang Hao.
"That's right, Fatty, as long as I'm here, you definitely won't starve to death!"
Oscar patted Fatty, who was a head shorter than him, a Sausage already in his hand, swinging it in front of him.
"Little Ao, if you dare to pat my face with your Sausage again, believe it or not, I'll spit fire and burn it!"
Fatty snatched the Sausage from his hand and pushed him away in disgust.
"Hey! Fatty, there will be a time when you beg me..."
"Alright! Stop messing around, let's set off now. I hope you all return safely! Teacher Zhao!"
Flender stopped them from continuing their antics.
Zhao Wuji stepped out beside him, his hands clasped over his chest, a hint of cruel smile on his face.
"Follow me, we need to run all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed out.
"No way, Teacher! You're serious?!"
"Dead Fatty, stop wailing, hurry up and follow!"
Dai Mubai slapped the back of his head and quickly followed Zhao Wuji's pace.
"Ah? Ye Qiu~ Do we really have to run?" Ning Rongrong said with a bitter face, running beside Ye Qiu.
"Just run for now. When you get tired, I'll let you rest in my Divine Might Space for a while!"
Ye Qiu could indeed take her directly to the Star Dou Great Forest.
However, although Shrek Academy's teaching was monotonous.
It was undeniable that running was indeed somewhat useful.
Moreover, just by looking at Zhu Zhuqing, she would also persist in running, so Ye Qiu had no reason to abandon her.
"Rongrong, if you really can't hold on, we'll help you!"
Xiao Wu didn't feel anything. As long as she could be with Xiao Qiu, she was willing to do anything.
Zhu Zhuqing also nodded in agreement from the side.
"Alright then!"
Ning Rongrong wasn't unable to persist, it was just that there was a more convenient option.
...
The Star Dou Great Forest was located southeast of the Balak Kingdom, with a very small portion bordering the kingdom's territory.
Soto City was also in the southeast of the Balak Kingdom, only about five hundred kilometers away from the Star Dou Great Forest.
With Oscar's help, Dai Mubai and the others' stamina was well replenished.
Ning Rongrong amplified Oscar's speed, and he was still being supported by Tang San and Dai Mubai.
Ning Rongrong herself was also being supported by Ye Qiu and Xiao Wu.
Without stopping, they ran until evening, only a few tens of kilometers away from the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Following Zhao Wuji's footsteps, everyone arrived at a small town.
Living off the mountains, living off the water.
This small town also looked very prosperous.
Shops lined both sides of the street, selling mostly items related to Spirit Masters.
There were antidotes, armor, weapons, and some people selling small Spirit Beasts they had captured.
Xiao Wu, who had been looking around, saw the Spirit Beasts confined in cages, a hint of sympathy flashing in her eyes, and her mood became much lower.
Ye Qiu held her hand and squeezed it.
Ahead, Zhao Wuji stopped in front of a very ordinary-looking inn.
Here, the first floor was for dining, and the second floor had private rooms.
"We'll rest here for the night. You'll have to pay for your own expenses!"
Zhao Wuji pointed at the inn.
After speaking, he ignored them, opened a room for himself, and went up to the second floor.
Shrek Academy's financial situation didn't include business trips at public expense.
But they were clear about one thing: during outings, the teachers would not take any advantage of the students.
The few of them booked their rooms and, with a tacit understanding, decided to eat a meal first before going up.
"Ah! Finally, I can have a good meal. I've been eating Little Ao's Sausage all day, I'm going to throw up!"
Amidst Ma Hongjun's wails, the waiter arranged Ye Qiu and their group of eight at the same table.
"So noisy! Hurry up and order!"
Dai Mubai gave him a cold glance and threw the menu to him.
This guy, Ma Hongjun, was obsessed with women and food.
He was quite an expert at ordering.
"Boss Dai, this time's dishes... I don't know how to order them?"
Ma Hongjun scanned the seven people around him, looking a bit troubled.
Although eight people were gathered around the same table, the atmosphere was not very good.
It was clearly divided into three factions.
At this moment, Oscar, who had already received a considerable amount of gold coin, stood up.
He patted his chest, a smile radiating on his face.
With money in his pocket, he stood a little straighter.
"Fatty, just order whatever you want! This one's on me!"
"Damn! Little Ao, you're not serious, are you?"
Ma Hongjun looked at him in shock.
When the three of them occasionally went out for a meal, Dai Mubai always paid the bill.
Although Oscar's life was better than his own, who enjoyed visiting brothels, it wasn't by much.
"Of course, it's true! Consider it my thanks for everyone helping me hunt for a spirit ring! After all these years, I still have some savings!"
"Then I won't be polite!"
Ma Hongjun rolled up his sleeves, as if he was really going to go all out. After quickly ordering more than a dozen dishes, he turned to look at Ye Qiu's side.
"Uh, that, Brother Ye Qiu, do you need anything else? After all, I don't know your tastes..."
"That's enough, thank you!" Although Ye Qiu didn't particularly like this Evil Fire Phoenix, one shouldn't hit a smiling face.
"Then just give us one portion according to this!"
Oscar didn't even bat an eye, took the menu, and handed it to the waiter.
Just then, another group of men and women walked in from outside.
Their size was similar to Ye Qiu's group, eight people.
Leading them was a middle-aged man, followed by six young men and one young woman, all around twenty years old.
They were uniformly dressed in moon-white Spirit Master robes. The middle-aged man's robe at the front was embroidered with patterns of silver thread, shimmering as he moved.
They all had a cyan circular mark on their shoulders, inscribed with the characters 'Canghui'.
They appeared very arrogant as soon as they entered the shop.
The shop owner also rushed over to greet them without delay.
This also caught Ma Hongjun's attention.
His rat-like eyes darted around, scanning the only female in that Spirit Master team.
"Boss Dai, look, that girl isn't bad-looking, she must be a good bed warmer!"
Dai Mubai merely glanced and retracted his gaze.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing wash the tableware for Ye Qiu like a virtuous wife, Dai Mubai, whose heart was about to explode with anger, merely glanced at the Canghui Academy group.
Then he snorted disdainfully.
"It's just a small Canghui Academy, what are they so proud of?!"
Neither Dai Mubai nor Ma Hongjun intentionally lowered their voices, and Spirit Masters' hearing was already superior to ordinary people's.
Not only did the female student from Canghui Academy glare at Ma Hongjun, but even Xiao Wu and the others gave him a look.
What Fatty said was truly vulgar.
"Kid, what are you, daring to insult our Canghui Academy?!"
At the next table, a young man slammed the table and stood up.
He glared at Dai Mubai and Ye Qiu's group.
"Hehe... Fatty and them are going to cause trouble again! There's a good show to watch..." Oscar was already used to it, calmly watching the commotion.
"What good show?"
Tang San, who had been staring at Xiao Wu, also came back to his senses, looking at him strangely, a bit puzzled.
"Hehe... This is what my teacher said, a Spirit Master who doesn't dare to cause trouble isn't a good Spirit Master. As the saying goes, not daring to cause trouble is mediocrity."
Ma Hongjun smiled indifferently.
His target wasn't chosen randomly.
He knew very well that provoking people from Spirit Master academies was the safest, at most it would just be a fight.
"Is that so? As expected of a monster academy, even their training methods are so unique!"
Tang San was stunned for a moment, and a slight smile and praise actually appeared on his face.
Ye Qiu took a sip of the tea Zhu Zhuqing poured for him, quietly watching this scene, the famous scene about how to become a 'good Spirit Master'!
"Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing our academy's name!" Dai Mubai sneered coldly, not paying them any mind at all.
At this moment, the dishes Ma Hongjun had just ordered were ready.
The waiter was about to bring the dishes over, passing exactly between the two tables.
The people at the Canghui Academy table exchanged glances.
Immediately, someone pushed the waiter, and with his startled cry.
The dish with hot soup was about to spill all over Dai Mubai's head...
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Three-in-one, six-thousand-character chapter.
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