Xiao Wu seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
Tang San glanced at her. "Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Xiao Wu shook her head, her tone somewhat evasive. "Nothing. Little San, do you think that crooked merchant uncle will still remember us?"
Tang San smiled ruefully. "It's only been two days. He probably hasn't forgotten. Besides, since he's the dean, he shouldn't hold a grudge over the offense you caused him."
Oscar snickered and whispered, "You've got that wrong. Our Dean Flandre is famous for holding grudges. Of course, his greatest virtue is that he's fiercely protective of his own."
Flandre, who was approaching at that moment, suddenly let his gaze drift in their direction, landing squarely on Oscar. A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
Oscar's face drained of color. "Oh no — he might've heard me. I'm dead meat."
Flandre came to a stop in front of all seven students. His distinctive, slightly raspy voice with its magnetic quality rang out. "This year is shaping up nicely — we've got four more little monsters. I am Flandre, Dean of Shrek Academy, and on behalf of the academy, I welcome you all. Later, each of you will hand over one hundred gold coins to Teacher Li, who handles finances. Mubai."
"Dean." Dai Mubai stepped forward. He seemed genuinely respectful toward Flandre, even showing a hint of admiration.
Flandre continued, "Four new junior students have arrived. You'll brief them on the academy's rules later. After that, everyone go rest and recover to your best condition as much as possible. Tonight's first class will begin after dark. Oscar and Ning Rongrong, you two are exceptions — come with me."
Oscar's expression immediately fell. Reluctant and unwilling, he walked up to Flandre and bowed. His mood improved slightly when he saw Ning Rongrong come to stand beside him.
Flandre waved his hand. "The rest of you may go rest. Remember — get yourselves into peak condition before nightfall. Don't say I didn't warn you. This academy's teaching is different from everywhere else. You may even face real danger."
Zhu Zhuqing walked off without looking back, and this time Dai Mubai didn't chase after her. Ma Hongjun slipped away at impressive speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Tang San wasn't in any hurry to leave. He wanted to see how this dean actually conducted his teaching. Both Oscar's and Ning Rongrong's Martial Souls were support-type, which was presumably why they wouldn't be attending the evening class. What puzzled Tang San was why teaching would take place at night.
Since Tang San wasn't leaving, Xiao Wu naturally wasn't in any rush either. She stood quietly by his side, watching.
Flandre paid them no mind and addressed Oscar and Ning Rongrong. "Everyone has their own method of cultivation. Different Martial Souls mean vastly different cultivation approaches. In Soul Land, there are almost no two Martial Souls that are exactly alike. So what the academy teaches you isn't how to cultivate your Martial Soul, but how to use it — how to better protect yourselves in future battles and support your companions."
Flandre's words sounded somewhat familiar to Tang San. After a moment's thought, the Great Master had said something similar — only in far greater detail.
Oscar seemed to have heard this kind of thing before and simply lowered his head noncommittally, while Ning Rongrong nodded in earnest agreement.
Flandre went on. "You two are both support-type Soul Masters — one provides attribute enhancements, the other produces food-type Martial Souls. Soul Masters like you, whether on the battlefield or in everyday life, need companions to protect you. Otherwise, survival is very difficult. Oscar, tell me — as a support-type Soul Master, how can you best protect yourself on the battlefield?"
Oscar answered without hesitation. "Hide behind our allies as much as possible. Use every piece of available terrain and cover to avoid danger. Stay as far from danger zones as I can."
Flandre nodded. "Very good. But there's something you left out. As a support-type Soul Master, running away is an essential skill. A support-type Soul Master who can't run isn't a good Soul Master. And what does running require? Stamina. Although as Soul Masters you have Soul Power to augment your bodies, making you physically stronger than ordinary people — the enemies you may face will be their Battle Soul Masters. Therefore, as a support-type Soul Master, you equally need to train your stamina. In a critical moment, running just one step further could mean the difference between life and death."
Oscar knew Flandre all too well. Listening to this grand speech from the dean, he couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. It's over — there's no escaping today's ordeal.
Sure enough, after his lengthy lecture, Flandre nodded at Oscar and Ning Rongrong. "Your lesson today is a stamina exercise. Starting now, sprint twenty laps around the entire village. If you haven't finished before lunch, you can skip the meal. You may use your Martial Souls to assist yourselves. Now, move out. Oscar leads the way."
"Yes," Ning Rongrong replied promptly and took off running without a moment's hesitation. Oscar shot a resentful glance at Tang San and the others standing nearby before following after her.
Although the village where Shrek Academy was located wasn't large, Oscar understood that when Flandre said "the entire village," he meant including all the farmland. A single lap was at least three kilometers. Twenty laps — that was a truly terrifying number.
With his current Soul Power at over twenty levels, completing this task before noon was still an agonizing prospect for a support-type Soul Master. Even for a Battle Soul Master of similar level, running that distance wouldn't be exactly easy.
Watching Oscar and Ning Rongrong sprint off, Flandre pointed at Tang San. "You — come with me alone."