Teacher Wuâs battle armor is called Sky Ice, which means heâs Sky Ice Wu Zhangkong. So⌠what should I call my battle armor then?
Tang Wulinâs blood raced at the thought. He looked forward to the day he obtained his own battle armor.
He didnât know when he began meditating, but when he awoke, the sun already shone through the window.
He had meditated longer than usual and missed his chance to train his Purple Demon Eyes this morning.
However, Tang Wulin could clearly feel that his cultivation speed was faster than it was before.
âYouâre up?â Xie Xie said. âCome on, letâs go eat.â
âXie Xie, can you feel that?â Tang Wulin asked suspiciously.
Xie Xie nodded and smiled. âI knew you would ask. I feel it too. This Sea Godâs Island is extraordinary! The energy here is far thicker than outside. I bet this island is connected to how Shrek Academy is capable of producing so many powerful experts. The speed of our cultivation would increase significantly if we could stay here and cultivate! Why donât you go see if Grandteacher will let us stay longer? Maybe heâll let us live here.â
âKeep dreaming.â Tang Wulin wasnât amused. âShrek Academyâs rules are very strict, you know. Anyway, letâs get going. Arenât we gonna eat? Iâm about to starve to death.â
He only had one full meal the day before, and that consisted of the steamed buns from the sixth trial. Those buns didnât pack anywhere near enough nutrition for him!
The wooden table in the living room held a spread of food. The others were already eating when the two boys arrived.
Zhuo Shi pointed at the seat beside him. âCome sit, Wulin.â
âOkay.â Tang Wulin went over to sit.
Zhuo Shi then pointed at a bamboo basket on the table. âZhangkong told me you have a big stomach, so letâs see how much of this basket you can finish.â \nInside of the basket were odorless, black objects. Tang Wulin couldnât figure out what they were, but he knew they didnât look appetizing.
âAlright,â he said.
There were twenty black objects in total. They resembled fist-sized steamed buns. It would be apt to call them black steamed buns.
Tang Wulin scoffed inwardly at the food. This is nothing to my stomach!
He quickly grabbed two buns in each hand. It was now a habit of his to grab as much food as he could at a time. Considering his voracious appetite, he would waste too much time if he ate slowly.
Tang Wulin took a bite of a bun. It was tender and sticky, had a decent texture, gave off the faintest trace of a fishy aroma. No matter how he considered it, this bun could not be called delicious.
However, after chewing it a bit more and swallowing, his expression changed.
He felt a clear wave of warmth travel down his throat and spread throughout his body. His blood essence seemed to react to this and surged toward the source. As it did, that warmth instantly dispelled some of his hunger.
This is good stuff!
When Tang Wulin was at Eastsea Academy, he ate food from the first window every day, so he naturally knew that if he ate more nourishing food, he wouldnât have to eat as much. Yet these seemingly unimpressive black steamed buns were the most nutrient-packed food heâd ever eaten! Although he didnât actually know what they were, he knew for a fact that they could fill him up!
After two more bites, the bun disappeared into his stomach. Several more bites later and his hands were empty. Tang Wulin happily patted his stomach as he smiled at Zhuo Shi and grabbed four more buns. \nâCan you really digest all of that? Overeating isnât good for your body.â Zhuo Shi furrowed his brow.
âI should be able to. Thank you, Grandteacher.â Since Tang Wulin had exhausted his blood essence and only eaten one meal the previous day, there was no way he would let such great food out of his grasp.
Zhuo Shiâs narrowed eyes slowly widened in shock as he observed Tang Wulinâs blood essence grow stronger and stronger with each bun he ate. Zhuo Shi could even hear the pulse of Tang Wulinâs blood and aura strengthening. This change was completely unrelated to soul power.
The cause of everything⌠was his blood essence..
Your bloodline is truly extraordinary, boy!
Only after Tang Wulin swallowed the sixteenth bun did he finally stop eating.
Is he full now? Zhuo Shi thought.
The buns were just too filling. Tang Wulin felt his blood essence surge through his body like a raging river. He was now in peak condition. He felt relaxed as he his soul power circulated throughout his body, unable to eat any more.
If I can eat this stuff every day, itâll be much easier to break my seals!
All of a sudden, Old Tangâs voice echoed in Tang Wulinâs head. These are fantastic. Youâll benefit from them greatly if you can eat them daily. You might even be able to break the third seal without an spirit items.
Tang Wulin looked at Zhuo Shi with shining eyes. âGrandteacher, may I eat these every day?â
Zhuo Shiâs face twitched. âYou can have the rest.â
After saying this, he stood up and left.
Puzzled, Tang Wulin turned to Wu Zhangkong. âTeacher, did I say something rude?â
Wu Zhangkong made a strange face at him. Shen Yi, who was beside him, spoke up.
âThese are Teacherâs monthly rations. He usually only lets himself eat one per day,â she said. âDo you have any idea what those black steamed buns are? Theyâre made from a deep sea fish that lives three kilometers underwater. This fish isnât a soul beast either, so you can imagine how strong it must be to survive at such a depth. Only elders of the Sea Godâs Pavilion are given the privilege of eating these buns, yet you actually ate more than half of Teacherâs monthly share! And you even have the guts to ask if you can eat them every day? Such a thing would only be possible if all of the elders yielded their shares to you!â \nâEhâŚâ Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly. âThen Iâll leave the rest for Grandteacher.â
âTeacher told you to take them, so just take them.â Shen Yi smiled warmly. âAn old man like him wouldnât be upset over something as trivial as this. When you have a free day next week, Wu Zhangkong will bring you over here to visit. It seems your grandteacher is quite fond of you since you two are so similar.â
âYes!â
After eating breakfast, Shen Yi brought the four students off the island on a boat. Wu Zhangkong chose to stay, so they waved goodbye to him before leaving.
Sea Godâs Lake was even more breathtaking during the day. Refreshing air lingered around it, the rippling waters like a giant sapphire embedded into the earth as sunlight reflected off its surface.
After leaving Sea Godâs Lake and the inner court, they ventured back to the outer courtâs school building.
A whole day had passed since they had taken the entrance exam.
âYou will have to work harder than others as working students,â Shen Yi said as she walked. âNormal students only have to pay twenty percent of the tuition since itâs subsidized for them. You, however, will have to pay the entire tuition through doing jobs for the academy. For example, the most basic task could be to sweep the campus. Of course, you could take some jobs related to your secondary profession too.â
âTeacher Shen, is the tuition expensive?â Tang Wulin asked
Shen Yi glanced at him. âVery. Shrek Academy grants you access to resources impossible to obtain anywhere else. These resources are invaluable, so working students will have to take on many jobs to pay off their fees each year. Donât worry, the administration will arrange things for you all.â
Although it wasnât their first time there, the four were still awed by the grandeur of the main school building. \nShen Yi brought them to the administration to handle their registration and enlist them in their class.
A scholarly administrator in his fifties issued each of them a dark-green school uniform after completing their enrollment. âDonât bring shame to the working students,â he said.
Donât bring shame to the working students? What does he mean by that? As clever as Tang Wulin was, he couldnât comprehend the meaning behind the administratorâs words. He sent a questioning look at Shen Yi, but she simply smiled and shook her head. She clearly had no intentions of explaining.
âYour first job is to clean Spirit Ice Plaza. The deadline is before dusk.â The middle-aged administrator spoke in a bored manner.
Clean the plaza? I canât even see the end of the plaza!
âDispose of any trash and mop the floor. Not a single speck of dust is to be seen, otherwise points will be deducted.â
Their enrollment was complete now that they were assigned a job. They were then led to their dormitory.
To be precise, they were brought to the dormitory for working students.\n