Chapter 26: Dai Mubai's Flattery

"If you are headed to Shrek Academy, shall I escort you?"

Dai Mubai offered with excessive courtesy, acting as if his earlier spar with Tang San and Xiao Wu had never occurred.

Xiao Wu, however, had no desire for him to tag along. She flatly refused, "No need. We know where Shrek Academy is; we don't need a guide!"

"Er..."

Being rejected left Dai Mubai feeling somewhat awkward, but his objective was Tang Niannian, not Tang San or Xiao Wu.

"I am a student at Shrek Academy. If you enroll, I will be your senior. My name is Dai Mubai. I apologize for what happened earlier. How about this: I will cover all your hotel expenses for these few days as an apology."

Dai Mubai stated his name directly, showing what he deemed to be sincerity. Even so, Xiao Wu still did not want him accompanying them. Just as she was about to voice another refusal, Tang San spoke up first, "Since Senior Dai is so sincere, we shall not decline your kindness."

"Third Brother!" Xiao Wu frowned, confused by Tang San’s intent. Tang San gave her a look, signaling that he would explain later. Xiao Wu had no choice but to let it go.

Seeing this, Dai Mubai said happily, "Good! Then rest easy and stay for these few days. I will take you over when enrollment begins!"

And so, it was settled, with no one asking for Tang Niannian's opinion.

Tang Niannian, however, had no intention of involving herself in their affairs. Her only reason for coming was to follow them to Shrek Academy and whisk Zhu Zhuqing away. If it weren't for the fact that Guangling had been keeping such a tight watch on her for the past year, she wouldn't have had to go all the way to Shrek to find her.

Alas, the less said, the better.

"Niannian, come with us to Shrek Academy! That way, the three of us can always be together!"

After seeing Dai Mubai off, Xiao Wu brought up the topic again. She genuinely wanted to be with Tang Niannian. She employed every trick in the book, including acting cute and cajoling, and Tang Niannian did not refuse. "I’ll go and take a look with you," she said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly, "Yay!" Once she was there, she would surely stay!

"Speaking of which, Niannian, what is your soul power level? Third Brother and I are both over level twenty, and we should reach level thirty soon. I heard Third Brother say you have innate full soul power just like us, so you must be close to level thirty, right?" Xiao Wu chattered on, wanting to cherish every moment with her.

Being at level twenty-seven or twenty-eight at twelve years old was considered monstrous; naturally, Xiao Wu didn't aim any higher in her assumptions. However, Tang Niannian’s answer left her stunned.

"I’m level forty-one," Tang Niannian said with a smile.

"?! How much?!"

"How much?!"

Xiao Wu froze for a long moment. "How much?!" She couldn't believe her ears.

Tang San, standing to the side, was equally dumbfounded. How much? Level forty-one? Was she joking?

"Niannian, how much?!" Tang San confirmed, suspecting he had misheard.

Yet, Tang Niannian repeated it, "Level forty-one."

"Level forty-one!!" Xiao Wu nearly jumped, her rabbit ears perking up instantly. "No way, Niannian, are you really his younger sister, rather than his older sister?"

"..." Tang San thought: *Please, how could she be the older sister!*

He didn't want to reply, but Tang Niannian did. "Xiao Wu, now that you mention it, perhaps I really am his sister. Third Brother, call me 'Big Sister' and let me hear it!"

Tang San’s face darkened. "..." What kind of nonsense was that?

"Niannian, how on earth do you cultivate? Why is it so fast?" Xiao Wu asked, both curious and worried. Usually, such rapid growth required not only talent but also an endless supply of resources. Clearly, Tang Niannian didn't look like someone who was being force-fed resources. Could she have used some dark art?

Xiao Wu was only worried about this. She hadn't smelled any scent of her own kind on Tang Niannian, meaning she wasn't a spirit beast. If she wasn't a spirit beast, there must be something wrong with how she was cultivating so quickly. Xiao Wu’s mind raced with countless possibilities.

Tang Niannian dispelled her unrealistic thoughts with one sentence: "Because I was born at level twenty."

"Innate level twenty?!" Xiao Wu and Tang San were shocked again. Heavens, innate level twenty?

Tang San asked in confusion, "But isn't innate full soul power only level ten? How can there be a level twenty?"

"God-bestowed martial spirits can result in an innate level twenty. First, the innate full soul power, and second, receiving ten levels of soul power as a divine blessing. Combined, that makes twenty," Tang Niannian explained, saving Tang San the trouble of asking Yu Xiaogang.

Tang San nodded, seemingly understanding. Innate level twenty meant she was at least ten years ahead of everyone else. In that light, Tang Niannian being level forty-one wasn't all that strange.

Having learned two shocking pieces of information, Tang San and Xiao Wu couldn't sleep that night. Over the next few days, the three of them stayed together, enjoying their time.

On the day of enrollment at Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai came to pick the three of them up as promised. Seeing Tang Niannian, his face lit up with a much warmer expression. Along the way, he explained the enrollment requirements and the registration fee.

He had intended to offer money to Tang Niannian to maintain a connection, but she didn't care about such trifles. She simply pulled a pouch of gold soul coins for three people from her pocket and handed it to Dai Mubai. "Since you are already helping, please see it through to the end and pay our registration fees for us."

"Er..."

Dai Mubai couldn't bring himself to take out the bag he was holding. He accepted the coins from Tang Niannian, thinking to himself, *How is she so wealthy?*

Soon, the four of them arrived at the Shrek Academy enrollment desk. The queue was long, but in order to show off in front of Tang Niannian, Dai Mubai took them to cut in line.

"..." Tang Niannian thought: *How uncouth.*

She looked around, trying to see if Zhu Zhuqing had arrived. By the time she finished looking, Dai Mubai had already cut the line for them.

"Niannian, come quickly!" Xiao Wu urged.

Tang Niannian waved her hand, "You go first, I’ll wait a moment."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips but didn't push it. She and Tang San filled out their forms and successfully passed the test to move to the next round.

"Niannian, you can test first," Dai Mubai said, coming over to invite her personally.

Tang Niannian didn't want to talk to him, but since he kept hovering, she gave a perfunctory excuse: "I am a civilized person, I am waiting in line."

"..." Dai Mubai stood there awkwardly. Was she implying he was uncivilized?

Dai Mubai quickly explained, "No, Niannian, listen to me. I only wanted to help you all; I didn't mean to cut the line..."