Chapter 40: Why Does He Smell Like Xiao Wu?

"Yu Xiaogang, oh Yu Xiaogang, you dared to treat Liu Erlong like that and make a fool of me, Flender…"

Muttering to himself, Flender aimed a particularly vicious kick at Yu Xiaogang.

The place he targeted was rather special—ensuring Yu Xiaogang would never again entertain certain thoughts for the rest of his life.

At Flender's soul power level, controlling his strength was effortless.

With a resounding "Thud!", the earth-shattering sound echoed in the silent night.

"Hiss…"

Li Yusong and the others who were standing nearby couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

They thought they were cruel, but clearly, Flender outmatched them in sheer ruthlessness.

This was why Flender was the Dean, while they were merely teachers.

To think it came down to mere inches… Was it really necessary to leave nothing behind?

"Ahhh!"

The sharp, unbearable pain jolted Yu Xiaogang awake. But before he could make sense of his surroundings, he blacked out again.

From now on, he wouldn't be called Yu Xiaogang anymore—perhaps Eunuch Yu was more fitting.

Time passed, and as the group dispersed, Flender once again soared toward the Star Dou Forest. He still had to assist Dai Mubai and Oscar in acquiring their soul rings.

As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, they could just find some thousand-year soul rings to make do.

The next morning, after having breakfast, the Shrek group resumed their journey into the Star Dou Forest.

Tang San had been observing Xiao Wu for a while and couldn't help but voice his concern.

"Xiao Wu, what happened to your mouth?" Tang San's eyesight was excellent, and he'd noticed something unusual.

"Huh?"

Startled by Tang San's sudden question, Xiao Wu gasped softly. Her unfocused gaze gradually cleared.

"S-San Ge… I'm fine…" Xiao Wu's voice was hoarse, arousing Tang San's suspicions further.

What was even stranger was that Xiao Wu was wearing long pants today, fully covering her slender legs.

This was a rare sight. Xiao Wu hardly ever wore long pants.

"Tss…"

Suddenly, Xiao Wu gasped in pain, her brows furrowing tightly.

For a moment, she didn't know how she was going to endure the rest of the journey.

"Xiao Wu, are you really okay?" Tang San reached out to support her, but Xiao Wu instinctively dodged.

Tang San: "???"

What was going on? Why was Xiao Wu acting like this?

Her reflexive avoidance dealt an invisible blow to Tang San's heart.

Dai Mubai watched this unfold, his face calm and composed, though a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

Originally, he had only intended to give Xiao Wu a scare. But when he found her plotting against him, his anger flared, and he decided to take things one step further—he had "eaten the rabbit" in one decisive move.

In the end, Dai Mubai couldn't help but sigh.

Xiao Wu's legs were indeed deadly…

Standing beside Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly sniffed twice, her feline senses picking up something unusual. She glanced at Xiao Wu, then at Dai Mubai, falling into silent thought.

Why did Dai Mubai smell like Xiao Wu?

Though puzzled, Zhu Zhuqing didn't dwell on it. She assumed they must have had some sort of conflict while she wasn't paying attention.

After all, ever since the start of the semester, aside from their fight, Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu had hardly spoken to each other.

What else could possibly have happened?

What Zhu Zhuqing didn't realize was that she was actually spot on. Something had happened—just not in the way she was imagining.

Meanwhile, Dai Mubai kept a calm expression, though his back was soaked in cold sweat.

Damn… How could I forget Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul is the Nether Spirit Cat? A cat's sense of smell is terrifying!

Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing didn't press the matter. Otherwise, Dai Mubai would have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of his life.

Flender, on the other hand, was in excellent spirits.

After giving Yu Xiaogang the beating of a lifetime, he felt like all his frustrations had been swept away.

As if to prove it, not long after returning to the inn, his soul power broke through to level 79!

Just one more level, and he would reach the rank of Soul Douluo!

In the absence of Title Douluo, a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse was a formidable force to reckon with.

Don't underestimate a Soul Douluo. Even the heads of the Lower Four Sects were merely at the Soul Douluo level.

At that rank, one commanded genuine authority on the Douluo Continent. Few would dare offend a Soul Douluo unless absolutely necessary.

"Boss, you broke through to level 79?"

Zhao Wuji's face was filled with disbelief as he questioned Flender.

Earlier that morning, he had sensed a sudden burst of soul power radiating from Flender's room. Although it quickly dissipated, Zhao Wuji had felt it clearly.

Flender simply nodded, not saying much.

With confirmation, Zhao Wuji's expression twitched.

Damn it! When he was at level 75, Flender was at level 77.

When he reached level 76, Flender had advanced to level 78.

And now, Zhao Wuji was still stuck at level 76, while Flender had surged ahead to level 79!

It wasn't just the younger generation who compared themselves to their peers. Even the older generation loved to compete.

Watching his "brother" soar while he himself lagged behind felt even worse than crashing and burning.

Upon entering the Star Dou Forest, the group's expressions grew more solemn.

This was a true primordial forest where danger lurked around every corner. Nobody could afford to drop their guard.

"Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing—you two will scout ahead and clear the path."

Zhu Zhuqing was an Agility-type Soul Master, and Dai Mubai could fly using his spirit ability. Together, they were perfect for reconnaissance.

"Tang San, Xiao Wu—you two will watch the flanks."

"Oscar, Ning Rongrong—you two stay in the center and don't stray more than five meters from Teacher Zhao."

"Ma Hongjun, you'll stay with me at the rear."

Flender issued his instructions seriously.

The group nodded in agreement and began working in their designated roles.

This was the power of teamwork—every aspect was covered.

No matter how strong an individual was, there were limits to what one person could achieve alone.

With two Soul Saint-level powerhouses sitting at the helm, the group should be able to move through the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest without much difficulty.

In this area, most of the soul beasts were ten-year or hundred-year level. The closer one ventured to the core, the stronger and older the soul beasts became.

After carefully traveling for about an hour, they had already encountered many soul beasts—most of them ten-year beasts, with the occasional hundred-year beast mixed in.

As expected of the largest forest on the Douluo Continent—the Star Dou Forest truly lived up to its reputation.

"Teacher, do we really need to be this cautious? These ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts… I, Ma Hongjun, could handle them by myself…"

Before Ma Hongjun could finish speaking, Flender slapped him across the face.

Countless powerful Soul Masters had lost their lives in Soul Hunts because of carelessness.

Flender wasn't about to let history repeat itself.

(End of Chapter)

Notes-Read advances chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, a total of 313 chapters you can find it in the collections, first 30 chapters is free for all in patreon