"This guy is really thirteen years old? A Soul Ancestor?"
Hearing Flender's words, Zhu Zhuqing no longer doubted it—but she was even more shocked. She stared straight at Xu Yunhan.
Meeting her gaze, Xu Yunhan shrugged, and a black soul ring materialized around him.
He didn't need to reveal all four soul rings. Just the single black ten-thousand-year soul ring was enough to stun Zhu Zhuqing.
"A ten-thousand-year soul ring… Are you not a Soul Ancestor, but a Soul King?" Recovering from her shock, Zhu Zhuqing fixed her wide eyes on Xu Yunhan, her face full of disbelief.
Generally, soul masters who possessed ten-thousand-year soul rings were at least at the Soul King level.
The hierarchy of soul masters was as follows: Soul Master (one soul ring), Great Soul Master, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Title Douluo, and finally, Titled Douluo (nine soul rings).
Based on Zhu Zhuqing's current knowledge, she had never heard of a soul master below the Soul King level possessing a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
Suspecting Xu Yunhan was a Soul King was only natural.
Xu Yunhan shook his head. To avoid unnecessary explanations, he simply revealed all four of his soul rings.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Black!
The four soul rings shimmered brilliantly around him, pulsing with energy—especially the striking black one.
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened further, her lips parting slightly.
"Hahaha..." With no one else in the shop, Flender laughed heartily. "Students of Shrek Academy are either geniuses or monsters—destined to shine across the Douluo Continent!"
Then, turning to Zhu Zhuqing, he smiled and extended an invitation: "Zhu Zhuqing, right? I'm Flender, the dean of Shrek Academy. I formally invite you to join us."
Join Shrek Academy… Still staring at the monstrous Xu Yunhan, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't quite believe it. "You… are really only thirteen?"
Xu Yunhan met her gaze, stepping closer until he stood right in front of her. He stretched out his hand and grinned. "Want to check my bone age?"
Zhu Zhuqing blinked, then—to his surprise—she actually took his wrist and carefully examined his bone age.
Thirteen. It's real.
She looked up at Xu Yunhan, who was now mere inches away, and after a long pause, muttered, "You… really are a monster."
Xu Yunhan "accidentally" took hold of her hand in return. Zhu Zhuqing didn't seem to notice, still lost in her astonishment.
Gently gripping her fingers, Xu Yunhan smiled. "Zhuqing, welcome to Shrek Academy."
Zhu Zhuqing instinctively murmured an "Mhm," but by the time she realized what had happened, it was too late.
Flender, standing nearby, beamed. "Zhu Zhuqing, from this moment on, you are a student of Shrek Academy. Yunhan, take her back with you later and introduce her to the teachers and other students."
Xu Yunhan nodded. "Understood."
Turning back to Zhu Zhuqing, he grinned. "Zhuqing, you're my junior now."
For some reason, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed slightly. Suddenly, this guy didn't seem so detestable anymore.
She still hadn't noticed—Xu Yunhan was still holding her hand.
Only when Flender spoke again did she snap out of it. "Well, there's nothing else here. Yunhan, why don't you take Zhu Zhuqing around Suotuo City for a while?"
He seemed to think the two made a good pair and was happy to encourage it.
As for Zhu Zhuqing's innate talent, martial soul, or soul power level—Flender wasn't in a hurry to ask. He trusted Xu Yunhan's judgment.
"Since the dean said so, let's go explore."
Xu Yunhan tugged Zhu Zhuqing toward the door.
Only then did she realize—her hand was still in his.
She tried to pull away, but Xu Yunhan didn't let go.
Zhu Zhuqing glared at the back of his head, hesitated, then finally gave up and allowed him to keep holding her hand.
Ah, such a naive little kitten.
As Xu Yunhan led her along, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but compare him to him—and the more she did, the more she felt Xu Yunhan was outstanding and kind, while Dai Mubai was just… trash.
"His martial soul is also tiger-type… I wonder if we could achieve martial soul fusion…" Her thoughts wandered wildly.
By the time she regained focus, they were already walking down the street.
A handsome young man and a stunningly beautiful girl—naturally, they drew many gazes.
Embarrassed, Zhu Zhuqing instinctively tried to free her hand again.
This time, Xu Yunhan held on for a moment longer before finally releasing her.
Zhu Zhuqing shot him a flustered glare, then quickly changed the subject to dispel the awkward, ambiguous atmosphere. "When… are you returning to Shrek Academy?"
Xu Yunhan turned to her. "Zhuqing, you can call me Yunhan."
She neither agreed nor refused.
He continued, "Don't you want to look around Suotuo City first?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "I've already seen most of it. There's nothing interesting. Right now, I'm more curious about Shrek Academy. I'd like to go as soon as possible. Do you still have things to do here?"
Xu Yunhan thought for a moment. He had already gathered enough spirit tool materials to last a while. "Well, I'm happy to oblige. Let's head to Shrek Academy now, then."
Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes.
Unconsciously, despite having met only three times, the two had already grown this familiar.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't realize it—but Xu Yunhan had planned it this way all along.
He glanced up at the sky. The sun was blazing. "It's almost noon. Let's eat first before heading back. Shrek Academy is a bit far from Suotuo City—better to travel on a full stomach."
Zhu Zhuqing had no objections. She hadn't even eaten breakfast and was starting to feel hungry.
Just as she thought this, her stomach growled loudly, making her face burn with embarrassment. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Xu Yunhan.
He chuckled. "Come on, I know a place with great food. You can eat as much as you want."
So crude! Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but glare at him again.
Xu Yunhan didn't back down. Instead, he boldly grabbed her hand once more. "I'll hold onto you. The streets are crowded—wouldn't want you getting lost."
Lost? Does he think I'm a child? Zhu Zhuqing grumbled inwardly—but she didn't pull away, letting him lead her again.
Well… it wasn't the first time, anyway.
Zero times or infinite times—truer words were never spoken.
To passersby, they looked like a couple—a dashing young man and a breathtakingly beautiful girl, enviable to all.
"It's her!"
Suddenly, several men pushed through the crowd from the side.
The moment people saw the Balak Academy uniforms they wore, the street erupted into chaos. Shops hastily closed their doors, bystanders scattering to avoid trouble.
Such was the reputation—and tyranny—of Balak Academy students in Suotuo City.
These students had coincidentally spotted Zhu Zhuqing. And when enemies crossed paths, their eyes burned with hostility.
"Ugh, these annoying flies again!" Zhu Zhuqing said, disgusted.
"No need for my junior to lift a finger. Let this senior handle it."
Xu Yunhan stopped her before she could act. Such a perfect chance to show off—he wouldn't miss it.
Zhu Zhuqing smirked and nodded.
"You damn lovebirds, ignoring us?! Brothers, release your martial souls! Beat the guy to death and take the girl for ourselves!"
The Balak Academy students, furious at being ignored, immediately prepared to attack together.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 30 on my patreon, go check it out.
Give me all your power stones