Half an hour later, after learning the basic situation of Shrek Academy and receiving their dormitory keys, the two left Principal Flender's office.
"Little Chu, do you think we've fallen into a trap?"
Frowning, Xiao Wu spoke to Chu Chengzhou.
"What's wrong?"
"Principal Flender's strength is decent, but aside from us two, there are only three other students in the entire academy. Isn't this some kind of diploma mill?"
"A diploma mill?"
"Yes, yes, exactly—a diploma mill!"
"Who cares if it's a diploma mill or not? As long as someone can help us obtain soul rings, everything else is a minor issue."
Chu Chengzhou wasn't concerned about the quality of Shrek Academy's teaching. He just needed assistance in obtaining soul rings when he advanced.
Don't assume that because he could idle his soul rings, their years didn't matter.
According to the optimal soul ring configuration, adding a third soul ring with over a thousand years would likely result in a maximum soul power level of 31st-level Soul Elder after advancement.
However, if he added a third soul ring with three or four thousand years, he'd probably reach level 32 Soul Elder. If the soul ring was five or six thousand years old, even level 33 Soul Elder wasn't out of the question.
Each additional level of soul power saved several months of cultivation time—two levels meant at least half a year. Naturally, Chu Chengzhou hoped for the highest possible years on his third soul ring.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu nodded thoughtfully.
Nuoding Academy was a formal primary soul master academy, but after nearly six years of enrollment, what had she really learned?
Aside from progressing from being illiterate upon enrollment to now recognizing most of the continent's characters, she hadn't gained much from the academy's classes.
In the end, on a continent where strength was paramount, everything else was secondary—only one's own power mattered most.
No matter how rich one's theoretical knowledge, it couldn't compare to the strength of their fists.
Take Er Ming, for example. Although his brain was simple and he couldn't even speak, that didn't stop him from bullying spirit beasts below the ten-thousand-year level in the forest.
Not long after, the two found the dormitory Flender had assigned them.
Looking at the two small wooden houses covered in dust, with a rusty copper lock hanging on the door and one of the eaves missing a corner, the two exchanged glances.
"Brother, is this really the student dormitory?"
Xiao Wu pointed at the dilapidated wooden houses.
Although they were single rooms, Xiao Wu felt that this was worse than the shared dormitories at Nuoding Academy!
At the very least, during wind and rain, the shared dormitories at Nuoding Academy didn't leak water or let in drafts.
"How about we make do for a few days while I find someone to build a new one?"
Rubbing his chin, Chu Chengzhou contemplated.
As long as gold soul coins were in place, building a new wooden house wouldn't take long.
Xiao Wu: "..."
Just then, from one of the nearby wooden dormitories, a door creaked open with an ear-grating sound.
Turning their heads, they saw a "middle-aged man" dressed in simple gray clothes, sporting short hair and a full beard, groggily opening the door. It seemed he had just woken up.
"??? Who are you guys?"
Rubbing his eyes and wiping away the sleep from the corners, Oscar looked curiously at Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu.
"Hello, I'm Chu Chengzhou, and this is Xiao Wu. We're new students at the academy."
Chu Chengzhou recognized this person as Oscar, but he couldn't act like he knew things beforehand.
"You're new students?"
Oscar's eyes widened in astonishment.
How could he not know the state of this rundown academy? It wasn't the enrollment period, and yet two new students had arrived at once. What was going on?
Could it be that, like him, they had been duped by Principal Flender and blindly walked into this pit?
"Uncle, are you a teacher at the academy?"
Xiao Wu asked suspiciously.
If he were a teacher, his soul power level was too low—he was only a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.
But if he were a student, he didn't look like one. When had there been such an old student?
Could this uncle be similar to Yu Xiaogang at Nuoding Academy, just here to freeload?
But that didn't seem right either. Shrek Academy was so run-down—if he were here to freeload, wouldn't he be eating northwest wind?
"Uncle?"
Oscar's face stiffened. Did he really look that old?
He was only 13! How did he suddenly become an "uncle"?
"Little Chu, does this uncle have some issues upstairs?"
Seeing Oscar's reaction, Xiao Wu whispered to Chu Chengzhou, pointing at her head.
"He just has a thick beard! Do you have to call him an uncle?"
Chu Chengzhou sighed exasperatedly.
Oscar's looks weren't bad. If he tidied up his beard, he could easily outshine Tang San before he awakened his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. Otherwise, how could a certain wealthy girl in the original story have fallen for him?
"That's right, this brother Chu understands. I'm only 13! You can't call me an uncle just because I have a bit more facial hair, can you?
By the way, my name's Oscar, and I'm a food-type soul master. How about I treat you to some sausages?"
Oscar gestured with a small motion and took the opportunity to promote his sausages.
'A little? More like a lot!'
Xiao Wu silently retorted, but upon hearing that he wanted to treat her to sausages, she immediately became excited.
For the lively and cheerful Xiao Wu, being treated to food was a symbol of friendship.
Why had Chu Chengzhou become her first friend back at Nuoding Academy?
It wasn't anything else—he had simply treated her to a meal!
Seeing Xiao Wu's excitement, Chu Chengzhou opened his mouth but didn't know how to say it.
Xiao Wu might not know what Oscar's sausages were all about, but he certainly did.
If only the shape or the somewhat vulgar incantation for his soul skill were different, Oscar's sausages would definitely be warmly welcomed.
Five copper coins per sausage? Five silver coins would be more appropriate!
After all, these were healing soul power foods created by a two-ring food-type soul master—they couldn't be treated as ordinary food. Their value should be measured in terms of medicinal benefits for healing injuries.
But his sausages were thick and long, and the incantation for creating them was so vulgar that it was hard for anyone who understood to not misinterpret it.
Of course, the reason Oscar's sausages didn't sell well wasn't just because of the vulgar incantation—it was also likely due to a lack of effective marketing.
This indirectly reflected that those unwilling to eat Oscar's sausages were the ones who truly understood?
"Brother Chu, Xiao Wu, wait a moment. I'll go inside and prepare them!"
With that, Oscar prepared to go back into his room to make the sausages.
Why did he need to go inside to make sausages?
If the two saw the process of making them, they might not want to eat them anymore!
If he didn't take advantage of his younger classmates' ignorance, when would his sausages ever gain new customers?
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