Chapter 23: Arrogant then respectful — thinking about it makes one laugh

After hearing Luo Ye's words, Zhao Wuji subconsciously glanced at that incense stick; upon seeing the incense had burned down to the end, Zhao Wuji instantly felt stifled.

From start to finish he threw only two punches, and they landed on the ground, causing no harm to Luo Ye and the others at all.

He had been led by the nose the whole time, and just now he was even dazed by the impact, only regaining consciousness after the incense finished burning.

Thinking of himself, the illustrious Immovable Wisdom King Zhao Wuji, a seven-ring Soul Elder powerhouse, actually performing so poorly in this assessment, Zhao Wuji felt he had lost all face.

Zhao Wuji, his face dark as iron, shouted loudly.

"That doesn't count, let's do it again!"

In an instant, everyone was shocked by Zhao Wuji's shameless words, all staring wide-eyed at him, some unable to believe he actually wanted to try again.

It was already bad enough that a seventy-sixth level Soul Elder personally came down to test the examinees, but now that they had already passed the assessment, he actually said it didn't count?

You've completely lost face, huh?

"Teacher Zhao, doing this is a bit inappropriate, isn't it?"

Luo Ye's smile remained unchanged as he looked at Zhao Wuji and spoke, while also quickly writing in his diary.

"Indeed, Shilaike's bunch being thick‑skinned and shameless never exceeds my expectations; from top to bottom they're all like that, so it's no surprise they'd produce students like Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun."

"Most importantly, they've never considered this shameful; on the contrary, they take pride in it, truly deserving the title of a peculiar flower."

"No wonder Tang San could get along with them—they're basically birds of a feather."

Even without Luo Ye's diary, Zhu Zhuqing and the others felt Zhao Wuji's behavior of refusing to admit defeat was extremely shameless, and now this impression has deepened.

Zhu Zhuqing spoke with a cold expression.

"We agreed earlier that as long as we could endure one incense stick's worth of time we'd pass the assessment; are you now refusing to acknowledge your own words?"

Ning Rongrong even more bluntly said.

"Teacher Zhao, it seems Shilaike Academy doesn't want us few students; if that's the case, you might as well say it straight—we don't absolutely have to attend Shilaike Academy."

"With our talents, even if we went to Tiandou Royal Academy, we certainly wouldn't be treated this way."

Zhao Wuji, being pressed, couldn't find words, and the old brother was already sweating profusely.

Because he knew Ning Rongrong was speaking the truth—their five talents were all excellent, especially Luo Ye, who at twelve had already reached three‑ring Soul Elder; such a genius is rare even across the whole Douluo Continent.

If, because of his own nitpicking, they ended up leaving Shilaike, not to mention Flandre, even Zhao Wuji himself couldn't forgive himself.

Thinking of this, Zhao Wuji squeezed out an ugly smile and hurriedly explained.

"I was just joking with you earlier; now I announce that you have passed the assessment and become members of Shilaike Academy."

To change the subject, Zhao Wuji looked at Luo Ye and asked.

"Kid, was that burst of mental power your doing?"

Luo Ye nodded, pointing at his own eyes and smiling as he spoke.

"My martial soul is the eyes, so in terms of mental power I'm a bit stronger than fellow soul masters of the same rank."

"A bit stronger?"

Zhao Wuji's facial expression was quite subtle.

"Is that what you call a bit stronger?"

That this Soul Elder was left dazed for so long after a single strike—even if it was because he had been completely unprepared—is utterly exaggerated.

Zhao Wuji smacked his lips and voiced another doubt.

"I want to know how you found my weakness; every move went straight for it, and you seized the timing so well that I had no chance to react."

Upon hearing this, everyone simultaneously turned their gaze toward Luo Ye.

Seeing this, Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow and spoke in a somewhat strange tone.

"Again, you?"

Luo Ye didn't beat around the bush, again using mental probing and mental sharing to initiate a link with Zhao Wuji.

"Don't resist, Teacher Zhao; just feel it and you'll understand."

Zhao Wuji originally wanted to expel the unfamiliar mental power that had entered his mind when he sensed it, but after hearing Luo Ye say that, he relaxed.

Once Luo Ye's soul skill linked with him, Zhao Wuji instantly felt that, under his gaze, the flow of time seemed to slow down and everything around became extraordinarily clear.

Wherever his gaze fell, a vast amount of information instantly appeared, all minute details presented in his mind.

Even within a three‑hundred‑meter radius around him, he needed no eyes to scan; everything appeared in his mind as a three‑dimensional image, and any change anywhere would be detected by him immediately.

"Holy shit!"

After feeling the effect of this soul skill, Zhao Wuji directly swore, his eyes filled with an expression of doubting life.

It was like a severely nearsighted half‑blind person who had finally gotten the right glasses; this exhilaration could hardly be described in words.

Zhao Wuji's reaction was no surprise to Luo Ye, and even Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong didn't find it unexpected.

Just now, after receiving the boost from this soul skill, they too were utterly shocked.

It's no exaggeration to say that in soul master battles, if one side has the aid of this soul skill, it's essentially no different from using a cheat.

However, while everyone else knows what effect Luo Ye's soul skill has, Dai Mubai does not.

Dai Mubai watched Zhao Wuji's exaggerated reaction, his heart itching like being scratched by a kitten; he really wanted to know what use Zhao Wuji's soul skill had, but couldn't bring himself to ask, so he could only stand aside and stew in silence.

Moreover, the better Luo Ye performed, the more frustrated Dai Mubai felt, making it increasingly hard for him to win Zhu Zhuqing back.

"Gulp."

Zhao Wuji swallowed a mouthful of saliva, looked at Luo Ye with a delighted expression, and said.

"Nice kid, just based on that soul skill of yours, even if you hadn't passed the assessment I'd still let you join Shilaike!"

As a Soul Elder powerhouse, Zhao Wuji understood the magnitude of this soul skill's effect better than Zhu Zhuqing and the others, and instantly realized Luo Ye's importance.

Putting it that way, as long as Luo Ye is present, Shilaike Academy is practically invincible in battles of the same rank.

X‑ray vision plus a headlock, and spotting the enemy's weakness at a glance—who could withstand that?

Faced with Zhao Wuji's praise, Luo Ye remained remarkably calm, even finding time to continue fabricating stories in his diary.

【Arrogant first, then respectful; thinking about it makes one laugh, but this is Shrek.】

(End of chapter)