Zhu Zhuqing nodded thoughtfully.
"It looks like he must be Ma Hongjun."
At that moment, Tang San quickly approached from afar.
After casting a wary glance at Long Jian, he walked over to Xiao Wu with a faint smile on his face.
"San-ge, are you all right?"
Xiao Wu looked Tang San up and down, a worried expression on her face.
"I'm fine!" Tang San replied with a reassuring smile.
"If it weren't for Long Jian stepping in to help, I really wouldn't have known how to deal with those flames."
With that, Tang San nodded gratefully toward Long Jian.
"So you're all here!"
Oscar's voice suddenly came from behind them.
The group turned around to see Oscar approaching slowly, slightly out of breath.
Upon seeing the scene before him, Oscar froze in surprise.
"Oscar, do you know that fatty? Is he the last member of your academy?" Xiao Wu asked, pointing at Ma Hongjun.
Watching Ma Hongjun shivering uncontrollably, Oscar nodded blankly.
"Right! That's Ma Hongjun!"
Saying this, Oscar walked right up to Ma Hongjun.
"Hey! Fatty, you alright?"
Oscar subconsciously placed a hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder.
The moment he touched him, a piercing chill rushed up his arm and into his body.
Oscar shivered violently and quickly jumped back.
"What's going on here?"
"Why are you so freezing cold?"
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu all simultaneously turned their gazes toward Long Jian.
"Let me take a look." Tang San stepped forward and placed his hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder as well.
Feeling that intense chill, Tang San drew in a sharp breath.
Yet since he was already here, he couldn't just walk away.
He immediately channeled his Mysterious Heaven Skill inner force into Ma Hongjun's body.
At the same time, the evil fire within Ma Hongjun began to slowly flare up.
Seeing Ma Hongjun's complexion grow ruddier, Oscar let out a sigh of relief. But noticing that Tang San's face was turning paler, he frowned slightly.
"Hah—"
Tang San slowly withdrew his Mysterious Heaven Skill energy and looked at Long Jian with a solemn expression.
"Long Jian, you were a bit too ruthless with your attack."
"Ma Hongjun could easily have been killed."
"My control was precise; I merely suppressed him. Relying on the evil fire within his own body, he will recover on his own within a day." Long Jian replied coldly, his expression indifferent.
"Tang San, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?" Ning Rongrong said, sounding speechless.
"It's not that I'm making a fuss over nothing, it's just... sigh!" Tang San waved his hand and said no more.
By now, Ma Hongjun had almost fully recovered.
He looked at Tang San with a gaze full of gratitude.
"I didn't expect you to be such a good guy!"
"My name is Ma Hongjun, a level-27 Great Soul Master, and my Spirit is the Evil Fire Phoenix!"
Seeing this, Tang San let bygones be bygones and replied, "Tang San, a level-29 Great Soul Master, my Spirit is Blue Silver Grass!"
"What Evil Fire Phoenix? Sounds more like a barnyard chicken to me!" Xiao Wu curled her lips.
Seeing Tang San getting so close to Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu frowned slightly.
"Who are you calling a barnyard chicken?!" Ma Hongjun flared up in anger.
Just then, Long Jian stepped in front of the three girls.
His cold, indifferent gaze made Ma Hongjun's heart skip a beat.
"Next time, remember to call me Phoenix! If you forget, I'll tell you again!" Ma Hongjun muttered under his breath, his eyes darting away nervously.
Seeing Ma Hongjun lash out at Xiao Wu, Tang San prepared to intervene.
Then he saw Long Jian make that move.
In an instant, his slight dissatisfaction toward Ma Hongjun shifted entirely onto Long Jian.
Seeing Long Jian shield her behind him, Xiao Wu's mind raced.
Then, acting a little coy, she said, "Long Jian, don't be so tense!"
"If he dares to make a move on me, I'll show him Big Sister Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Slam!"
Xiao Wu cracked her knuckles, a mischievous smile blooming on her pretty face.
Hearing this, Tang San couldn't help but recall how terrifyingly ruthless Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Slam could be.
"Long Jian, let's go?" Zhu Zhuqing tugged at Long Jian's sleeve, blinking her beautiful eyes.
Long Jian nodded.
"Xiao Wu, let's go!" Ning Rongrong pulled Xiao Wu along.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu glanced back at Tang San. "Little San, come eat!"
With that, she quickly followed behind Ning Rongrong.
Seeing Xiao Wu follow Ning Rongrong and Long Jian away just like that, Tang San felt a sudden, inexplicable pang in his heart.
Oscar felt the exact same way standing nearby.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun looked at the three newly arrived beauties with unconcealed lust in his eyes.
Shrek Academy cafeteria.
As soon as Long Jian, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong stepped inside, they spotted Dai Mubai, who had almost completely recovered.
Dai Mubai watched the four of them walk in together, his fists involuntarily tightening.
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Long Jian, however, didn't care. He calmly served four bowls of white porridge, though his mouth twitched slightly when he saw that the only side dish was pickled radishes.
Seeing Long Jian so considerately getting a portion for each of them, Ning Rongrong flashed him a sweet smile.
Zhu Zhuqing's aloof gaze softened considerably as well.
Beside them, Xiao Wu felt a warmth spreading through her heart.
Who wouldn't like a man who was handsome, immensely powerful, gentle with others, and genuinely sincere?
Besides, Xiao Wu felt that Long Jian was just as gentle as Tang San, yet exceptionally handsome!
He looked even better than that lecherous tiger and that Oscar guy.
"The academy just serves this..." Ning Rongrong pouted as she looked at the white porridge and pickled vegetables.
"It's not bad, as long as there are radishes!" Xiao Wu didn't mind much.
The food here was no different from what she used to eat at the Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.
Although she received a monthly subsidy, Tang San needed a lot of money to forge hidden weapons.
Her money was kept in Tang San's care, and he paid for all her expenses.
Therefore, Xiao Wu didn't feel the food before her was low quality at all.
Tang San, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun soon arrived at the cafeteria as well.
Seeing that the others had already started eating, they hurried over.
"Damn fatty, leave some for me!"
Seeing Ma Hongjun shamelessly hogging the entire basin, Oscar shouted in exasperation and anger.
If he weren't physically outmatched and if there weren't girls present, he would have given Ma Hongjun a couple of kicks for sure.
"You're a Food-system Soul Master anyway, you can just eat your own Soul Skills when you're hungry, why are you fighting me for this?"
"Cuihua and I just broke up, the evil fire inside me needs food to suppress it!" Ma Hongjun shoved Oscar aside with his hip and sat right down next to Dai Mubai.
Once seated, Ma Hongjun immediately noticed the claw marks on Dai Mubai's face that hadn't completely faded away yet, and asked curiously, "Dai Boss, what happened to your face?"
"Don't tell me you played too rough with those twin sisters and got scratched?"
"Damn fatty, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Dai Mubai instantly flew into a rage.
This guy was airing his dirty laundry right in front of his fiancée!
Dai Mubai hastily looked up.
He saw that Zhu Zhuqing was simply sitting quietly beside Long Jian, taking small sips of white porridge from her bowl, her expression as calm and unruffled as if she hadn't heard a thing.