"Damn Xu Ran, you just wait for me," Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly, his eyes coldly fixed on Xu Ran. No matter how ruthless Xu Ran was to him, he could withstand it. After all, he, Dai Mubai, was a man, and such pain meant nothing.
Merely physical torture could never truly break a man.
A man only collapses when he's cuckolded, when his wife runs off with another man, faced with such great humiliation.
Aside from that, nothing can truly overwhelm a man.
And that, Xu Ran shouldn't even dream about. Even if he is a worthless man, Zhu Zhuqing must marry him. The Dai and Zhu Families have been allied through marriage for a thousand years, and no one has ever been able to shake that.
"Xu Ran, Dai Mubai, what's going on here?" Just then, a man about 1.6 meters tall but exceptionally burly, approached with a look of surprise at Xu Ran and Dai Mubai, who was beaten to the ground.
This man was naturally Zhao Wuji.
At that moment, Zhao Wuji stared at Xu Ran in astonishment; only the peerless genius Xu Ran, who had taken leave just after enrolling, could beat Dai Mubai so effortlessly.
"Teacher Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai and I were just sparring," Xu Ran said with a smile, looking at Zhao Wuji, as he pulled Dai Mubai up from the ground. His gaze was cold as he looked at Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai felt a chill run down his spine under Xu Ran's gaze, which was like staring at a dead man. If he dared say anything bad about Xu Ran, Xu Ran would definitely be even harder on him in private.
"Teacher Zhao, that's right. Xu Ran and I were just messing around," Dai Mubai said with a wry smile. He had thought about complaining, but he chickened out in the end. With a genius like Xu Ran, no matter what he complained about, no teacher would punish him, so what good would complaining do?
Of course, it's not entirely useless.
If Xu Ran really made a serious mistake, Flander and the others would still be unforgiving.
But for fighting? They don't give a damn.
"Messing around?" Zhao Wuji looked at the bruised and swollen-faced Dai Mubai.
Could they really mess around to such an extent? But he didn't want to meddle too much either.
"Teacher Zhao, you go ahead with your class, I'm off to cultivate," Xu Ran greeted, then left directly. Xu Ran could freely arrange his own time, a result that many teachers at Shrek Academy had discussed together after learning of Xu Ran's talent.
Because no one could teach Xu Ran.
They had their own teaching philosophies and methods, but none of these were suitable for Xu Ran. A pioneering genius like Xu Ran wasn't someone they could teach.
Xu Ran was able to cultivate to such a state on his own, so he surely had his own methods. Therefore, they eventually decided Xu Ran could ignore the rules and cultivate freely.
Of course, every couple of months, they would also check on Xu Ran's strength.
With such a "Cultivation Level," what if Xu Ran was lured into some temptation like the pleasures of love, and it delayed his cultivation?
"Hmm, off you go. You control your own time," Zhao Wuji said, watching Xu Ran leave.
The teaching at Shrek Academy was relatively simple.
Zhao Wuji only lectured about Soul Master knowledge for about twenty minutes before arranging for the students to run laps around Shrek Academy. No matter how advanced your theoretical knowledge, it's not as good as getting some practical experience.
The teaching methods at Shrek Academy had always been very straightforward, either training or going to the grand soul fighting arena in Soto City to participate in soul fighting competitions.
After dozens of laps, Xiaowu and Zhu Zhuqing were dripping with sweet sweat from exhaustion, while Xu Ran stood at the finish line waiting for them. Once they finished running, he handed them each a towel and a bottle of water.
"Rest for a while before drinking," Xu Ran advised. Observing the sweat-soaked bodies of the two women, each exuded a different kind of seductive aura after the intense workout. One seemed like the girl next door, cute yet alluring; the other's perfect figure unconsciously radiated the charm of a female body.
Zhu Zhuqing took the towel from Xu Ran and turned around to wipe off some of the sweat on her body, but she still felt sticky and uncomfortable.
"I'm going to take a shower first," Zhu Zhuqing said and went straight to the dormitory. There was only one bathroom in the dormitory, so Xiaowu had to wait for Zhu Qing to finish before going in.
"Wait until your body cools down a bit before showering, and don't just use cold water because it feels more comfortable," Xu Ran called out to Zhu Zhuqing.
"I know," Zhu Zhuqing nodded, feeling a tinge of sweetness in her heart. Now that they were at Shrek Academy, there was no need for her and Xu Ran to hold back anything between them. Back in Xingluo City, they had to maintain a certain degree of decorum for the Imperial family, and there was some constraint between her and Xu Ran. At home, there were no such concerns, but outside, they were somewhat reserved.
But now, at Shrek Academy, they were free from that pressure. Here, not many people knew about her and Xu Ran's identities. Only Dai Mubai knew where they came from.
Xiaowu gulped down a few sips of water, feeling envious of Xu Ran.
Xu Ran had received special approval to skip group training, and he didn't even have to attend classes—how could this not make her envious?
However, Xu Ran's talent truly was exceptional, and following their training would be meaningless for him. These laps were beneficial for Soul Masters like themselves with a lower "Cultivation Level," but for Xu Ran, the effect was minimal.
After all, Xu Ran himself was an Auspicious Beast and naturally had the ability to break the rules.
Once Xiaowu finished her water, Xu Ran immediately embraced her in his arms. Xiaowu's body was covered in sweat and completely soaked, her cheeks flushed red—Xu Ran couldn't help but want to bite into her.
"Xu Ran, stop, I'm dirty right now," Xiaowu whispered, trying to push him away. Her body was sweaty and somewhat filthy; she didn't want to leave a bad impression on Xu Ran.
But as a girl, how could Xiaowu know that her sweat-drenched appearance was even more alluring than usual?
"I don't mind, my Xiaowu is not dirty at all," Xu Ran said while wrapping one arm around Xiaowu's slender waist and putting the other hand behind her head, pulling her in for a forceful kiss.
At this moment, Xiaowu's lips tasted slightly salty from sweat, mixed with her unique fragrance—it was even more enticing.
"Xu Ran..." Seeing that Xu Ran didn't find her sweaty, disorderly body off-putting at all and was kissing her without hesitation, Xiaowu felt a tremble in her heart and slowly began to respond.
These past days, ever since Zhu Zhuqing arrived, she's been feeling a bit lost, worrying that Xu Ran's love for her might fade. As a woman, she was fully aware of the temptation Zhu Zhuqing's figure posed for men.
Zhu Qing's figure was the type most men would like.
Her own body was only just beginning to develop some curves. Although she believed she would eventually fill out and not remain particularly small, at least for now, she couldn't compare to Zhu Qing.