Walking out of Ying Yanyang's office with light steps, Wang Zhong felt incredibly relaxed, confirming that the other party would not become his adversary due to failure.
Challenges, without difficulty, wouldn't be considered challenges.
Although Ying Yanyang was a Level Seventy-Four Soul Sage, Wang Zhong had a full five years to catch up.
Given Wang Zhong's talent and effort, who could predict his growth in five years?
Exiting the teaching building and walking slowly along the small path towards the dormitory apartments, Wang Zhong saw five figures, four women and one man, standing under the trees on both sides of the path ahead.
As Wang Zhong approached, the five pairs of eyes turned to him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"First-year Class A, Wang Zhong, innate full soul power, spirit is the Tree."
"Honestly, a spirit like the Tree, considered trash, having innate full soul power is truly rare."
The only man among the five, seeing Wang Zhong approach, walked out from under the tree, hands clasped across his chest, and said dismissively with an arrogant expression.
The man before him, judging by his appearance alone, did not seem very old, but should be around Lu Xiaoshuang's age or slightly older. He wore a small tank top, his chest bare, muscles bulging and well-defined. A red string was tied around his left arm and forehead, giving him a rugged and passionate impression.
After scanning the man, Wang Zhong unfortunately found no items that could prove his identity. He had no choice but to shift his gaze to the women. He saw insignia unique to academy students: four long swords.
This meant that the people before him were all fourth-year students.
"Do you need something?"
Wang Zhong stopped, frowning as he looked at them. Their intentions were clearly hostile; unwelcome guests were never good.
Those who stop someone halfway down the road are never good people.
"Hey, your tone is too disrespectful."
"After all, we are your seniors. As a junior, you should at least show some respect to us."
One of the women, with a very refined and pleasing appearance, though not strikingly beautiful, possessed an indescribable captivating aura.
It was as if she were a peerless dancer on a stage, bathed in the spotlight, confident, radiant, even deserving of the descriptor "the center of attention."
Despite her excellent temperament, her tone and attitude were questionable.
Arrogant and accustomed to getting her way! This was Wang Zhong's first impression.
"Seniors, why do you think you have the right to call yourselves that to me?"
"Is it age, strength? Or talent?"
If you want to use seniority to suppress me, Wang Zhong wouldn't be polite. To be my senior, you need to earn my heartfelt and verbal respect. You need to show something.
Heartfelt respect stems from emotion, while verbal respect stems from strength! If neither is present, then stop acting so superior in front of me.
"Heh, you brat."
Her eyebrows shot up, anger filling her face. The woman instantly felt the urge to act and let Wang Zhong experience her strength.
However, two other women behind her simultaneously held her back.
"Big Sis, if you act now, you'll be expelled."
"Exactly, don't be impulsive."
As the two women spoke, Wang Zhong noticed that they bore an uncanny resemblance to each other, even their clothing and accessories were mirrored symmetrically.
Both had tall, shapely figures, wore the same light green long dresses, had the same long, flowing hair, and identical four-leaf clover earrings. Their speech, actions, and expressions were almost like looking into a mirror.
"Twins! But are they too similar? It's like there's a mirror in front of me."
Wang Zhong blinked incessantly, trying to find a difference between them, but to no avail.
Under the persuasion of the two women, the so-called "Big Sis" finally calmed down, but her gaze towards Wang Zhong was still filled with resentment.
"Little fellow, your talent is indeed unparalleled. With the strength of a Rank Two Great Soul Master, defeating Lu Xiaoshuang, a Rank Four Soul Elder, you indeed have the right to be proud."
"But you're not the only one who can achieve things. Any one of the five people here could instantly defeat Lu Xiaoshuang in a one-on-one fight."
As Wang Zhong and the "Big Sis" stared at each other, from the other side, a remarkably ethereal and clear voice sounded, as mystical as a deep valley and as agile as a warbler.
The woman wore a dark, ancient-style long-sleeved dress, upon which a remarkably intricate and divinely spirited landscape painting seemed to be drawn with ink. An ordinary person wearing such an outfit might appear somewhat disheveled, but this woman's tall stature perfectly supported the painting. Her jet-black, lustrous hair was tied at her slender jade neck with a half-foot-long ink jade hairpin.
Her skin was like snow, her features like a painting. Her face, free of any makeup, possessed natural beauty. Coupled with her ethereal and tranquil aura, the woman before Wang Zhong gave him the impression that she had stepped out of a landscape painting as a peerless beauty.
However, as this woman stepped forward, Wang Zhong distinctly took a few steps back.
Because at this moment, Wang Zhong felt an inexplicable chill rising from the depths of his heart, making his hair stand on end. Furthermore, for some reason, Wang Zhong felt that the woman before him possessed a very illusory, almost unreal quality.
It was as if the person he saw before him was not truly herself.
And Wang Zhong seemed to perceive a terrifying aura of bloodlust and resentment emanating from this woman. Most terrifyingly, in Wang Zhong's perception, this bloodlust was on par with Ying Yanyang's!
"Haha, brat, scared now, aren't you?" The "Big Sis" saw Wang Zhong's movement and laughed triumphantly.
In response, Wang Zhong merely gave her a look of an idiot and dismissed her. You don't understand a thing.
Do you think I'm scared by those words? I'm scared by the person before me.
The woman in the ink-wash dress noticed Wang Zhong's subtle glance and lightly shook her head. Her smile was truly world-class, a beauty of an era.
"Little fellow, I must say, your senses are extremely sharp."
"Among the five people before you, I am the most cruel and bloodthirsty."
"Everyone who has died by my hand has met a miserable end. It can be said that their deaths were not quick; every single one was tortured to death by me."
"Everyone who has died has experienced a sense of liberation!"
Her voice was incredibly melodious, yet her words were exceptionally terrifying and bloody.
Perhaps the ink on the woman who stepped out of the painting was not ink, but something solidified from blood!
The thought of this possibility made Wang Zhong's scalp tingle, and his gaze towards her became increasingly peculiar.
She's beautiful, yes, but she seems like a pervert!!