The Dark Blue Silver Emperor's branches and leaves danced wildly in the air, its golden-red patterns flickering unpredictably like a ferocious beast struggling to break free, exuding a dangerous aura.
"A Yin, calm down. You're still very weak right now. What you need to do is cultivate properly and seek revenge against Tang Hao in the future!"
"Cultivate! Revenge! Yes, I must cultivate properly! I want revenge!"
A Yin unilaterally severed her connection with Su Yu, and the Dark Blue Silver Emperor continuously absorbed energy from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Su Yu watched this scene, a flash of pleasant surprise in his eyes.
He had originally only intended to nurture A Yin and then prevent Tang San from awakening his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
He never expected it would directly lead to her turning dark!
This was truly an unexpected delight!
...
One month later, on the square of Shrek Academy—
Flender looked at the students standing in formation before him, his brows furrowed into a knot, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure:
"Where's Oscar? Did he oversleep again?"
As he spoke, his sharp gaze swept toward Dai Mubai standing nearby.
Dai Mubai quickly explained: "Dean, Little Osc is rooming with Tang San now, so I'm not sure about his situation."
He deliberately mentioned that Oscar had changed rooms to avoid being blamed by association.
Flender's gaze immediately shifted to Tang San, carrying a scrutinizing tone.
Tang San quickly stepped forward and said respectfully: "Dean, when I left this morning, Little Osc was still cultivating in the room. Perhaps he entered deep meditation and couldn't wake up in time."
Hearing this, Flender's frown deepened: "For today's lesson, we can't do without him."
"Tang San, go fetch him."
Tang San had just responded "Yes" and was about to turn back toward the dormitory when he saw Oscar rushing over from the direction of the dorms.
There was still a light sweat on his forehead, clearly from running all the way.
However, instead of showing any panic about being late, his face was filled with barely contained excitement, his smile stretching almost to his ears.
Seeing Oscar's obvious delight, Flender said sarcastically:
"Oscar, you look so happy. Do you already know you're going to be punished with running laps again?"
Oscar was panting from his run. Hearing this, he paused for a moment, then quickly waved his hands, though the excitement on his face didn't diminish at all:
"Dean, no, no! I have good news! Amazing news!"
As he spoke, he ran to take his place in the formation, clearly unable to contain his urge to share.
Flender raised an eyebrow, looking at Oscar's mysterious expression, and deliberately put on a stern face with a hum:
"Now you're being secretive with me? If you can't give me satisfactory good news today, I'll make you run thirty laps around the academy!"
Seeing that Flender was serious, Oscar didn't dare delay any longer. His excitement was almost overflowing as he loudly announced:
"Dean, listen to me! I broke through! Just now, I broke through to the thirtieth rank!"
"What?"
Flender's eyes widened sharply as if he hadn't heard correctly, instinctively leaning forward half a step.
Thirtieth rank? Had he heard right?
Seeing this, Oscar raised his voice again and repeated word by word:
"I said, Dean, I've already broken through to the thirtieth rank!"
This time, Flender heard it clearly. The displeasure on his face instantly vanished without a trace.
He took a few steps to Oscar, grabbed his arm, and sent a stream of Soul Power probing into him.
A moment later, Flender withdrew his hand, his face breaking into an ecstatic smile as he couldn't resist patting Oscar's shoulder:
"Good lad! You've really done it! Level 30! Truly worthy of being someone I, Flender, have my eyes on!"
"Today's training ends here for now. Everyone, go back and pack up. We'll head to the Star Dou Great Forest this afternoon to help Oscar obtain his Soul Ring!"
"Yes!"
The group quickly dispersed, and Flender pulled Su Yu along to his office.
For this trip to help Oscar obtain his Soul Ring, he planned to have Su Yu and Zhao Wuji lead the team together!
Time quickly passed, and it was already afternoon—
Su Yu and Zhao Wuji were waiting in the plaza of Shrek Academy.
Seeing that all the students had arrived, Zhao Wuji cleared his throat and spoke directly:
"What are you all staring at, you little brats? Hurry up and get over here!"
Hearing the words "little brats," Xiao Wu clearly wasn't pleased and muttered under her breath:
"Why not call them little blind bears?"
Zhao Wuji obviously heard Xiao Wu's remark and turned to look at her:
"Xiao Wu, what did you just say?"
"Nothing, Teacher Zhao!"
"Good that it's nothing. Alright, get ready. Teacher Su has rented two carriages. Everyone, board them now!"
Two rather luxurious-looking carriages were parked outside Shrek Academy.
By default, the boys took one carriage and the girls the other!
Zhao Wuji led Tang San and the other three into the first carriage—ah, it was full, so Su Yu had no choice but to ride in the other one!
Su Yu boarded the other carriage, surrounded by Xue Na and Ning Rongrong, a sight that filled Oscar and the others with envy!
Once everyone was on board, the carriages set off directly toward the Star Dou Great Forest!
The Star Dou Great Forest was located southeast of the Balak Kingdom, with a small portion bordering it.
Soto City itself was also in the southeast of the Balak Kingdom, not far from the Star Dou Great Forest—less than five hundred kilometers away.
The Star Dou Great Forest was home to a vast variety of Soul Beasts, covering an extensive area with a rich distribution of Soul Beasts across different age levels.
Most Soul Masters chose to come here to obtain their Soul Rings, and it was also the best place for Shrek Academy students to acquire theirs.
Night fell—
The carriages were certainly faster than running. In just one afternoon, they reached a small town on the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
They weren't far from the forest now—only about fifty li left!
Seeing that it was getting late and they had arrived at the town, Zhao Wuji and Su Yu decided to have the group rest there for the night.
After all, they would be entering the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow, so they needed to ensure a good night's sleep and be fully energized!
Upon entering the town, everyone realized it was far livelier than they had imagined.
The town was about five times the size of the village where Shrek Academy was located.
Though it lacked surrounding walls, its layout and bustling atmosphere made it resemble a scaled-down city.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, with the sounds of hawking and conversation rising and falling, filling the air with a vibrant, lively atmosphere.
A quick glance revealed that most of the shops here were closely related to Soul Masters.
From the blacksmiths came the clanging sounds of hammering, with gleaming armor and various weapons hanging at the entrances;
Apothecary signs swayed in the wind, emitting a mix of herbal and other special potion scents, with labels reading "Antidote" and the like;
There were also shops specializing in beast hides, Soul Beast meat, Soul Beast bones, and other related items.
There was even a teahouse specifically providing information, with many Soul Masters in tight-fitting outfits gathered at the entrance, whispering about something.
Looking at the small town, Oscar couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"This really shows how people make use of local resources - everything sold in these shops is related to Soul Masters!"