Salas, followed by three people, walked with slow strides toward the square.
Now that he had removed his mask, his handsome and smooth face glowed under the sunlight, as if touched by a divine presence.
Seeing Salas appear once more in the square, everyone looked at him in astonishment.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, who were now sticking together with Xiao Wu, blinked their eyes in surprise.
Xiao Wu let out a questioning murmur, "Is that... my master?"
She truly hadn't expected her master to look this young and handsome. She'd assumed he wore a mask because of some ugly scars or another reason altogether.
On the other side, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San also stared at Salas in amazement.
Salas's handsomeness was on par with Dai Mubai and Oscar... but his golden, charming eyes and benevolent temperament put him a notch above them.
Flender hurried forward and addressed the students.
"From now on, His Excellency Boxuan will be staying with us at the academy until we leave in two months," Flender said with a smile. His meaning was clear.
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. None of them had expected Xiao Wu's master to be a Titled Douluo... and a handsome, kind-looking one at that.
Among the Seven Devils, aside from Ning Rongrong—who was raised by two Titled Douluos—the others had never met one before. Even Tang San wasn't an exception. Hearing Flender address Salas as "His Excellency," everyone couldn't help but feel awe for such strength.
Titled Douluos were the pinnacle of power in this world. As far as they knew, there were only about ten in existence.
And now, they had met one in person. Even Tang San couldn't remain unaffected by this sense of awe.
Everyone quickly bowed in greeting. "We juniors greet Your Excellency."
Only Xiao Wu, still in a daze, stepped to Salas's side and looked up at him curiously. She hadn't known his cultivation level before, but she'd had some guesses based on the words of her late brothers. What puzzled her most was—why did her master remove his mask now? Hadn't he said he would only show his face when she reached the Soul Emperor level?
And where did the name Boxuan come from? Had he already discovered his true identity? Or had he remembered forgotten memories from his past?
Full of curiosity and doubt, she gently tugged on Salas's sleeve.
Salas patted her head kindly and whispered that he'd explain everything later. Then, turning to the bowing crowd before him, he said:
"You're Xiao Wu's classmates. No need to be overly polite. During my stay here, if you have any doubts about cultivation, you may ask me anytime." Salas smiled warmly and lifted his hand, helping everyone rise with a soft wave.
Grandmaster echoed from the side, having heard Salas's words. "Children, this is a rare opportunity—to receive guidance from a Titled Douluo in person. Not everyone gets such a blessing. Why don't you thank His Excellency Boxuan for his generosity?" Yu Xiaogang said with his hands behind his back. Though his words were respectful, he still seemed to think he was not inferior to a Titled Douluo.
Salas, watching Grandmaster's pretensions, couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
"Liu Erlong… Let her be the first to bear my first child, hehe," Salas laughed wickedly to himself.
Yes! First child!
He had no intention of acknowledging the children born to the original Salas. What did those have to do with him?
Only the seeds he planted in his current self would be considered his children. Of course, taking responsibility was another matter entirely.
"Only one wife… I'll only take responsibility for the child I father with the woman I marry in the future," Salas thought silently.
He had also already made some plans for the future. Before ascending to the God Realm, he would leave many of his children on the Douluo Continent—though those children would never know he was their father. Haha.
One of those children, the one born to his future wife, would serve as his heir and lead the Douluo Continent. That was part of his plan to let a "legitimate" bloodline of his flow through this world.
---
After a few more words with the students, Salas took Xiao Wu back with him and vanished.
Of course, the reason for taking her away was to teach her personally. Even Tang San couldn't find any reason to object—master-disciple relationships were sacred in this world. He himself had a master, so he didn't dare entertain any suspicious thoughts.
Not to mention, in Tang San's eyes, Salas seemed like a kind and noble person. He appeared to be Xiao Wu's only family in this world—at least, that's what Xiao Wu had told him before.
Salas was also the one who encouraged him to cultivate diligently for love and to protect Xiao Wu. So how could Tang San possibly doubt him?
While everyone was still marveling at Salas's sudden disappearance—like teleportation—some couldn't help but feel envious… like a certain big-breasted kitten named Zhu Zhuqing, and a double-pupil white tiger named Dai Mubai.
"Xiao Wu is lucky to have such a master…" Zhu Zhuqing muttered quietly to herself. How wonderful it would've been if she'd had such a powerful master? Then maybe… she wouldn't have had to suffer so much from such a young age.
Dai Mubai had similar thoughts. If he'd had a master like that, then no one could've stopped him from becoming emperor. What a pity. Even as a crown prince, his status was nothing in front of a Titled Douluo.
"Sigh... Now Xiao Wu's identity is worth far more than mine… the prince. Haha…" Dai Mubai laughed bitterly in his heart, filled with a trace of self-deprecation.
---
While everyone had their own thoughts, Salas had already brought Xiao Wu to a distant hillside, far from Shrek Academy.