Ning Rongrong originally intended to head straight to Soto City, but somehow she veered off course by several thousand kilometers.
By the time she arrived, the usual enrollment period had long passed. But so what? She was Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Miss Ning herself!
Getting into Shrek Academy? That was a piece of cake.
Li Si glanced at Ning Rongrong, utterly confused. She had been watching the earlier battle, so surely she knew that both Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji were Shrek Academy's students and staff, respectively?
Actually, no—Zhao Wuji was both the vice dean and an instructor, albeit one without a salary.
The group of four parted on unpleasant terms. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing left together, with Zhu Zhuqing remaining silent the entire time, seemingly lost in thought.
After leaving the teahouse, Li Si and Xiao Wu headed straight for the battle arena across the street. They didn't sign up to compete, though—just spectated.
The Soto City Grand Battle Arena resembled the coliseums of a certain 19th-century empire. The central stage was the main arena, surrounded by circular spectator seating.
There were more than just one or two arenas inside; apart from the central main battle arena, there were smaller sub-arenas.
To compete in the main arena, a fighter had to win ten consecutive matches in the sub-arenas first.
"This place is a complete gold mine! Tickets for the sub-arenas cost three silver soul coins per person, and tickets for the main arena are a whole gold soul coin!"
Sitting in the sub-arena's stands, Xiao Wu murmured to herself.
"Li Si, why is it that so many people enjoy watching these battles? They're so violent, and someone's always getting hurt…"
Li Si shook his head and gently stroked her hand.
"My former idol, The Wrestler, once said: 'Everyone claims they dislike violence, but who doesn't enjoy watching it?'"
"The Wrestler?"
"There's some truth to that."
Xiao Wu thought for a moment and nodded.
As a 100,000-year-old soul beast in human form, she had witnessed countless killings in the soul beast world, where the strong ruled.
However, Xiao Wu didn't ask why The Wrestler was a former idol to Li Si. She knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he'd bring it up himself.
The match they watched was a sparring battle where participants stopped short of causing serious harm. For the two of them, with their current level of power, it was just an unimpressive display of mediocrity. Words like "exciting" didn't even come into the picture.
The audience, however, was thoroughly engrossed, cheering loudly from time to time to support their favorite fighters.
"Xiao Wu, do you want to keep watching—"
Before Li Si could finish his sentence, Xiao Wu shook her head. This kind of fight was utterly boring to her.
"Let's go, Li Si. Let's find something to eat instead. Soto City's food scene is supposed to be great, and we haven't tried anything yet!"
"Alright."
The scene shifted.
The day's events in Soto City were quickly reported by spies embedded within the city, who relayed the information to their respective superiors.
A Soul King defeating a Soul Saint? That was the emergence of a peerless genius!
So young, yet so powerful—and possessing a domain ability to boot.
Could this be the child of the heavens?
Of course, such news would take time to ferment. After all, communication methods were primitive—couriers delivered letters by hand.
Back at Shrek Academy, a grim-faced group surrounded Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai.
Ever since they arrived in Soto City, nothing like this had ever happened to them before!
"Old Shao, is there any way to treat the two of them?"
The injuries on Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji weren't the biggest issue—Li Si had gone easy on them, leaving them injured but not incapacitated.
It was the poison in their systems that was truly troublesome.
"Kill me! Just kill me!"
Dai Mubai's face was covered in scratch marks, and his body too. These weren't inflicted by Li Si; they were self-inflicted from his constant scratching.
Zhao Wuji, on the other hand, lay motionless nearby. His body occasionally twitched, his lips trembling as he gritted his teeth in sheer endurance.
"Flender, there's nothing I can do. This isn't a conventional poison—detoxifying soul skills are useless against it."
Shao Xin shook his head helplessly.
"The person who poisoned them said drinking hot water would help alleviate the symptoms. Washing themselves might also reduce their suffering."
"And you believe what the person who poisoned them says? What if the poison reacts with water and makes things worse?"
Flender spread his hands in exasperation.
"I—I'll try it!"
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Wuji managed to force out a few words. If not for his high soul power and natural resistance, he might have been in the same frenzied state as Dai Mubai.
Even so, enduring this poison was pushing his limits.
"Old Zhao, are you sure about this? With your strength, you can probably endure for a couple of days. There's no need to take this risk!"
The poison wasn't lethal to someone at Zhao Wuji's level—it would just make him uncomfortable for a day or two. But drinking the water? That was a gamble.
"I can endure it, yes. But what about him?"
Zhao Wuji gestured weakly toward Dai Mubai, whose current state was far more pitiable.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Even Dai Mubai, who had been frantically scratching moments before, paused briefly.
"Someone, bring Vice Dean Zhao some hot water!"
"Yes, sir!"
Ma Hongjun and Oscar rushed to boil water. Before long, a bucket of steaming hot water was brought over by Oscar—not a cup, but an entire bucket.
Ma Hongjun stayed in the kitchen, continuing to heat more water.
Seeing Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji in their current states had left the two of them dumbfounded. Even now, they were still reeling from the shock.
What kind of opponent could have done this to two such powerful figures?
When Zhao Wuji saw Oscar struggling with the bucket of water, he tried to get up to take it himself—only to realize he couldn't move.
"Oscar, what are you standing there for? Help Vice Dean Zhao drink the water!"
Flender urged from the side. Today's fiasco was a direct result of Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji provoking someone they shouldn't have.
The fact that their opponent had spared their lives was already a show of mercy. Had this happened in the wilderness or a forest, neither would have survived.
"Ah? Oh…"
Oscar snapped out of his daze and quickly approached Zhao Wuji with the bucket of water.
The water was scalding—around 90 degrees Celsius. For an ordinary person, drinking it would cause severe burns. But for a Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji, this temperature was nothing.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
Before long, Zhao Wuji signaled Oscar to stop. He couldn't drink any more!
As a Soul Saint, his appetite was immense—but this was water, not food.
"Teacher Zhao, are you—"
(End of Chapter)