Hidden high within the branches, Zhu Zhuqing narrowed her eyes as she saw DAI mubai's lecherous smile. Her gaze was cold, but her voice carried the sting of betrayal.
"Sure enough," she whispered with a sneer, watching the familiar golden figure below. "Looks like Young Master Dai is really enjoying his life after leaving me behind."
Her voice dipped lower with each word, until it broke into a faint sniffle. But she quickly wiped it away. She didn't come here to cry. She came to see just how low Dai Mubai had sunk.
Not far away, Tang Yin, whose hearing was sharper than most thanks to his enhanced sense, picked up every word.
He blinked, taken aback for a moment. Then he sighed.
"Dai Mubai, leaving such a stunning wife and drowning in brothels... If you hadn't been so adulterous, I wouldn't have had the opportunity. So, I guess… thanks?"
But in the back of his mind, he added bitterly, "Well, I'm a bit of a scumbag too. But at least I don't abandon the people I care about."
He shook those thoughts from his head and turned to Li Yusong, the examiner.
"Teacher," he said, straightening up, "this is my friend, Xiao Wu. She's a level 29 soul master. Can she also be exempted?"
Li Yusong blinked, startled. "What?"
He stood up to get a better look at the cheerful girl beside Tang Yin. Xiao Wu beamed, rocking on her heels.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai's smirk faltered. His eyes narrowed as he began scrutinizing Xiao Wu more intently—too intently.
Tang Yin saw the look.
His blood boiled.
"Oh no, you don't."
While Li Yusong checked Xiao Wu's bone age, Tang Yin quietly activated his telepathic ability—slipping unnoticed into Dai Mubai's subconscious.
Once inside, he grinned to himself. Time to upgrade the prince of scum.
First, he began subtly tampering with Mubai's orientation—reprogramming his attraction away from women. But such a shift needed a trigger, something that wouldn't draw suspicion.
"Huff... Just a little longer," Tang Yin muttered to himself mentally. "Let's give the crowd a show."
Then, inspiration struck.
"Hehe… Dai Mubai, don't you just love going to brothels to 'vent'? Well, next time you do, you'll end up in some dirt-cheap shack and catch a nasty little STD—Chlamydia, to be precise."
He smirked cruelly.
"After that, your view of women will start to twist. You'll grow bitter, resentful... and slowly begin turning your gaze toward men. Poetic justice, don't you think?"
With the trigger planted, Tang Yin sealed the suggestion into the deepest part of Dai Mubai's psyche.
If he feels guilty about abandoning Zhu Zhuqing, he'll avoid temptation. But if he still chases after pleasure even after seeing her again…
"Well, then I'm not sorry for you," Tang Yin muttered.
Just as he slipped out of Mubai's mind, Xiao Wu turned, bouncing toward him.
"Hey, Tang Yin! Why are you just standing there like a statue? Let's go!" she chirped.
He blinked, then smiled softly. "This bunny is always so energetic."
Before the commotion could die down, Ning Rongrong stepped forward, adopting her best noblewoman act.
"Hello, Teacher," she said sweetly, bowing with a smile. "May I ask what the prerequisites are for skipping the first three tests?"
Li Yusong, ever the professional, replied plainly, "Any applicant who's twelve years old or younger and has reached Soul Level 25 or higher may be exempted."
The crowd erupted in whispers.
"Did he say twelve?"
"No way ..."
"She looks like she buys perfume more than she trains!"
Ignoring them, Ning Rongrong pulled out ten gold coins with practiced grace and handed them over.
"I believe I qualify," she said, puffing out her not-so-heavy chest with pride.
She reached for the crystal orb—which lit up to level 26 and just before the light faded from her test, the orb was snatched from her hands.
Everyone turned.
A black blur moved past like a shadow in motion.
Clad in sleek tights and possessing a sinfully graceful figure, Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward and placed her hand on the orb.
Mubai's lecherous grin returned at first… but it twitched slightly as recognition set in.
Level 27, the orb revealed, its glow pulsing like a challenge.
Rongrong, still reeling, hissed, "That was rude!"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't even blink. She only stared straight at Dai Mubai.
Silence.
Then—Li Yusong clapped his hands.
"Well then! All four of you have passed the soul level requirement. As such, you are exempt from the second and third tests."
A rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned to Dai Mubai.
"Dai, take them to the fourth test."
Dai Mubai stiffened slightly.
For the first time in a long while, he was filled with guilt but he quickly shook those thoughts away and stepped forward with a smile.
Tang Yin simply walked past him with a slight grin, Xiao Wu at his side.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't spare a glance. And Ning Rongrong?
She was busy pestering zhu zhuqing for being rude