The three girls could not help but gaze with sparkling eyes at Long Jian, who looked tall and imposing, his aura deep and unfathomable, all while encased in azure armor.
"This armor is so cool!" Xiao Wu, with her straightforward nature, could never hold back when she saw something wonderful.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Zhao Wuji looked at Long Jian’s current appearance with unreadable expressions.
"It is indeed quite exquisite," Tang San murmured.
"Is this what you look like after your Spirit manifests?" Ning Rongrong tilted her head, watching the pale blue visor on Long Jian’s face; her heart skipped a beat in spite of herself.
"Yes, it is," Long Jian nodded.
Seeing that everyone’s eyes were on him, Long Jian said, "Everyone, prepare for battle." With that, he charged toward Zhao Wuji.
"Heh," Ning Rongrong chuckled, watching Long Jian’s back.
Seeing that Long Jian was already locked in a standoff with Zhao Wuji, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing also swarmed forward to attack him.
"First Soul Skill—Waist Bow!"
Taking advantage of the clash between Long Jian and Zhao Wuji, Xiao Wu’s long, snow-white legs instantly locked around Zhao Wuji’s neck. She tried to throw him with all her might, but found it impossible.
"Second Soul Skill—Charm!"
A pink light suddenly flashed in Xiao Wu’s eyes as she locked gazes with Zhao Wuji.
Seeing this, Long Jian hurriedly warned, "Xiao Wu, don't use mental-type Soul Skills!"
But it was too late. The moment Xiao Wu’s charm skill hit Zhao Wuji, it immediately backlashed.
"Ah!"
A pained cry escaped Xiao Wu’s lips. The next moment, she plummeted from mid-air. Long Jian’s figure appeared instantly behind her, catching her delicate frame securely.
"Xiao Wu, are you alright?"
Xiao Wu opened her eyes slightly, gazing at the handsome face inches from her own, but she did not speak. A second later, she nestled into Long Jian’s arms and lost consciousness.
Tang San’s figure moved like a ghost, leaving trails of afterimages before arriving at Long Jian’s side. Looking at Xiao Wu lying in Long Jian’s arms, Tang San’s expression turned cold. He slowly crouched down and said in a chilly tone, "Hand her over to me."
"Xiao Wu only suffered a mental backlash; her body is uninjured. I just helped her stabilize her mental state. She’ll wake up after a short rest," Long Jian said calmly.
Suddenly, Long Jian noticed that with Tang San, Xiao Wu, and himself no longer pinning him down, Zhao Wuji was charging straight toward Ning Rongrong, ignoring Zhu Zhuqing’s harassment entirely.
*Whoosh—*
Long Jian’s figure flickered again, blocking the path in front of Ning Rongrong. Looking at his tall figure, Ning Rongrong felt her heart thumping, a wave of safety flooding her heart.
Watching Long Jian zip in front of Zhao Wuji and engage him in combat in the blink of an eye, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and even Zhao Wuji himself were stunned.
"Is he really just a Great Soul Master..." Tang San focused his vision, his eyes filled with purple light, tracking every move Long Jian made.
"Good lad!" Zhao Wuji grinned. Seeing Long Jian attacking again, he met him with another fist-to-fist collision.
Suddenly—
*Crack—*
Zhao Wuji felt a massive force impact him. His entire right arm seemed to go numb. His body was sent flying backward.
"Ah, this..."
Watching Zhao Wuji fly back over ten meters, Long Jian felt he might have used too much strength.
"Ouch, damn it!" Zhao Wuji winced and slowly stood up. Feeling the intense pain in his right arm, he stared at Long Jian with disbelief.
Not far away, Dai Mubai’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San, and Ning Rongrong all stared at Long Jian in a daze, unsure of whether they should continue fighting or not.
"Teacher Zhao, are you alright?" Long Jian stepped forward and asked with concern.
"Don't! Don't come over!" Zhao Wuji raised a hand to stop him, then turned his gaze toward Dai Mubai nearby. "Bai, you handle the rest of the assessment! I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I'm leaving!"
With that, regardless of Dai Mubai’s pale face, Zhao Wuji turned and walked toward the interior of the academy.
For a moment, the eyes of the five students all turned to Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai’s mouth twitched.
"You have all passed the fourth round! Welcome to Shrek Academy."
"Is this too simple? We haven't even really started fighting yet!" Ning Rongrong complained, quite dissatisfied.
Tang San looked at Long Jian with a heavy expression. "Long Jian, are you really just a level thirty Great Soul Master?"
Long Jian glanced at Tang San and gave a faint nod. Tang San looked suspicious; his vigilance toward Long Jian reached its peak. Long Jian was far too mysterious to him. Not only were his Spirit Rings one yellow and one purple, but he had actually sent a level seventy-six Combat Soul Saint flying with a single punch. Tang San felt that even if he gave it his all and used all his trump cards, he would only barely be able to defeat Zhao Wuji, and certainly not with such ease.
"Long Jian, you're so amazing! To have chased off Zhao Wuji so easily." Ning Rongrong walked to Long Jian’s side, circling him and looking him up and down. Seeing the armor on Long Jian’s body glinting in the sunlight, she couldn't help but reach out to touch it.
"Since the assessment is passed, let's go," Zhu Zhuqing’s figure suddenly appeared beside Long Jian, her tone cool.
Ning Rongrong’s smile stiffened, and she withdrew her hand in embarrassment. Long Jian also dismissed his armor, his expression indifferent, showing no sign of excitement.
"Long Jian, which family are you from?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously. "Could it be the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family?"
Long Jian shook his head. "I'm on my own."
"On your own? That’s even better!" If she could pull a genius like Long Jian into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School... Ning Rongrong couldn't help but smile. "Long Jian, are you interested in joining our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School? As long as you join, I guarantee you’ll receive the full support of the sect!"
"There’s no need," Long Jian declined calmly. He then turned his gaze to Dai Mubai. "Can you take us to the student dorms now?"
"Sure!" Dai Mubai smiled. He was no longer like before; his attitude was unusually friendly.
Seeing Long Jian’s direct refusal, Ning Rongrong was slightly surprised.
Xiao Wu woke up at this moment. She let out a soft groan and slowly opened her beautiful eyes. Seeing this, the others showed concern.
"Xiao Wu, how are you feeling?" Tang San asked anxiously.
Xiao Wu shook her head. "I'm fine. Long Jian, thank you."
The energy Long Jian had injected into her earlier had not only suppressed the damage from the backlash but had even helped her break through from level twenty-nine to level thirty. Moreover, that energy was completely different from Spirit Power—she had never encountered it before. She looked at Long Jian with eyes full of curiosity.
Seeing Xiao Wu staring at Long Jian, Tang San felt a pang in his heart, and a trace of gloom flickered in his eyes.
On the way, Ning Rongrong persisted. "Long Jian, are you unaware of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School? Let me tell you, we are one of the three strongest sects on the continent. Our Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Spirit is also the strongest support-type Spirit! We are wealthy enough to rival a nation!"
Long Jian sighed helplessly. "Miss Ning, let me consider it. I have no intention of joining a sect or family right now."
"I see... Alright, then," Ning Rongrong sighed, but she didn't lose heart. Her gaze turned to Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing. Seeing her expectant look, Tang San and Xiao Wu both waved their hands to indicate they had no such plans for now. Zhu Zhuqing, however, did not give a direct answer.
A short while later, they stood in front of several old wooden houses.
"This is where we’re supposed to live?" Ning Rongrong’s eyes widened in disbelief. "This is clearly just a house for villagers!"
"The Headmaster says we come to the academy to study and cultivate, not to enjoy life," Dai Mubai said, shrugging.
"That makes perfect sense," Tang San agreed, nodding. The houses in front of them were actually better than his home in Holy Spirit Village, so he had nothing to complain about.
Dai Mubai pointed to the houses in front. "This side is the boys' dormitory. Besides you and me, there are two other students in the academy. One of them is that guy who was just selling sausages! His name is Oscar, and there’s also a chubby guy with red hair named Ma Hongjun!"
Just then, a door suddenly opened, and a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy with a quite handsome face stepped out.
"Hi, Master Dai!"
Seeing Oscar’s drastically changed appearance, Dai Mubai’s mouth twitched.
"Who is this?" Xiao Wu blinked.
"That’s Oscar," Dai Mubai said, covering his face with his hand.
"Hello, juniors, my name is Oscar! Would you like to eat a sausage?" As he spoke, Oscar held three sausages and walked toward the three girls, a confident smile on his face.
Seeing Oscar about to hand the sausages to Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai’s face darkened. "Oscar, you’d better eat those sausages yourself! Don't bring them out to disgust people!"