Returning to the Balak Kingdom

Xue Tianxing turned to Oscar beside him and said with a smile in his eyes, "It's time to head back. We still need to bring your uncle and aunt to Balak City, Little Ao."

Then Xue Tianxing added specifically to Oscar:

"Once we return to the Balak Kingdom, I'll have someone bring your parents over. Then your family can settle down in Balak City, and you won't have to be separated anymore."

Oscar's eyes lit up at once. He nodded hard, his smile nearly reaching his ears.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Being able to stay with his parents every day without having to miss them from afar was something he had long dreamed of. Hearing Xue Tianxing say it himself made him even happier than absorbing a Soul Ring.

Leaving the Star Dou Great Forest was far smoother than entering it had been.

When they came in, they had needed to search for Soul Beasts, carefully scouting through the forest and stopping along the way. Now that their objective had been achieved, they only needed to head straight out.

Liu Tianfeng simply unleashed his Soul Power, pulling Xue Tianxing behind him with one hand. With a light tap of his toes, he soared into the air. Flender also summoned his Owl Spirit, flapped his wings, and followed with Oscar.

The two Soul Masters traveled at full speed, moving astonishingly fast.

A journey that would ordinarily take a whole day took less than half an hour before they reached the edge of the forest.

As they landed, Xue Tianxing spotted the carriage parked outside the town from afar—the one he had specifically arranged to wait there before setting out.

"Get in."

Liu Tianfeng headed for the carriage first, lifted the curtain, and said, "We'll return directly to Balak City."

Xue Tianxing and Oscar climbed aboard after him, while Flender also hitched a ride. He had planned to escort Oscar part of the way anyway, so they might as well travel together.

The carriage wheels rolled over the stone-paved road as it slowly made its way toward Balak City. Inside the carriage, Oscar held a freshly made sausage and chattered away to Xue Tianxing about his future plans in Balak City, his eyes full of hope for what lay ahead.

Xue Tianxing listened, occasionally responding with a few words, a smile resting on his lips. He had recruited Oscar and gained a suitable Soul Ring as well. This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest had truly been a fruitful one.

The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone streets of Balak City, and before long, they arrived at the palace gates.

The moment they got down, before Oscar could even properly take in the grandeur of the palace, Flender patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"Little Ao, I'll head back to Shrek first. Cultivate well once you're in the Royal Family. Don't waste your talent, and don't let down His Highness Tianxing's goodwill."

Oscar quickly nodded, a little reluctance in his eyes.

"Headmaster, I understand. Travel safely."

Flender gave a grunt in response and was about to turn away when Xue Tianxing called out to him.

"Headmaster Flender, please wait."

He turned around and saw Xue Tianxing take out a purple-gold card from his robes and hold it out to him.

"This is...?"

Flender froze for a moment.

"There are one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in it."

Xue Tianxing said sincerely:

"Consider it the Balak Royal Family's sponsorship for Shrek Academy. After all, Little Ao's current talent could not have existed without the academy's training. We must remember this favor."

"One... one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?!"

Flender's eyes widened instantly, and his glasses slid down to the tip of his nose.

He had never seen so much money in his life. Shrek Academy's annual expenses only amounted to a few thousand Gold Soul Coins at most. With one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, he could renovate the academy ten times over and pay his old companions' salaries for another ten years!

Yet Flender clenched his fists and pushed the card back, waving his hands.

"No, no. I can't accept this money."

The urgency on his face was impossible to hide as he continued:

"It's Little Ao's good fortune to join the Balak Kingdom. As his headmaster, I'm only happy for him. If I accepted this money, it would look like I sold him. Where would I, Flender, put my face if word got out?"

Xue Tianxing had expected him to refuse. He held the card out again and said with a smile:

"Headmaster, that's not right. How can this be called 'selling' him? Little Ao chose to stay of his own free will. This money is the Royal Family's reward for outstanding academies within the kingdom. Shrek Academy nurtured a genius like Little Ao, so it deserves this reward. Please accept it. Improve the academy, let the teachers live a little more comfortably, and then you can raise more talents like Little Ao in the future. Perhaps one day, you can even send a few more to the Balak Kingdom?"

"That's right, Headmaster!"

Oscar also chimed in, tugging on Flender's sleeve as he said to him:

"Just accept it! Look at the academy's roof—it still leaks when it rains. Wouldn't it be great to fix it? And Teacher Zhao and the others eat wild vegetables every day. It's about time their meals improved too!"

Flender's heart warmed as the two spoke one after another.

He looked at the purple-gold card, then at the anticipation in Oscar's eyes. In the end, he sighed and reached out to accept it. The card felt heavy in his hand, so heavy that his fingertips trembled.

"Fine. I'll accept this money on Shrek's behalf."

Flender carefully tucked the card into his robes, patted Xue Tianxing's arm, and looked at him with newfound solemnity as he said:

"I, Flender, will remember this kindness, Your Highness. If there's ever anything you need me for, just come find me at the Shrek Shop in Suotuo City—the general store with the 'Shrek' sign hanging outside. That's where I'll be."

"Certainly."

Xue Tianxing nodded in agreement.

Only after Flender gave Oscar a few more reminders to "cultivate well" and "write home often" did he reluctantly turn away.

He summoned his Owl Spirit, spread his wings, and shot into the sky as a black shadow, flying toward Suotuo City. He was likely in a hurry to return and share the good news about Oscar with his old companions at the academy, while also figuring out how to spend this "fortune."

Oscar watched him fly away until his figure vanished beyond the horizon. Only then did he turn to Xue Tianxing with a smile.

"Your Highness, shall we go in? I can't wait to see my parents!"

"Come on. I'll take you to see Father King and have him send someone to bring your parents here."

Xue Tianxing smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and led him deeper into the palace.

Xue Tianxing led Oscar through the palace corridors, and before long, they arrived at the main hall.

Inside, Xue Zhe was sitting in a red sandalwood chair beside the throne, reviewing documents. When he saw Xue Tianxing and Liu Tianfeng enter with an unfamiliar youth, he immediately set the documents down and rose to greet them, a genuine smile covering his face.

"Uncle Liu, Tianxing, you're finally back! We hadn't received any news these past few days, and your mother and I were worried."

"Yes, we've finally returned safely."

Liu Tianfeng stepped forward and first cupped his hands toward Xue Zhe. Then his tone shifted, and his gaze fell upon Xue Tianxing with a hint of accusation as he said to Xue Zhe:

"But I've got quite a lot to say to you after this journey back. Your boy was outrageously bold in the Star Dou Great Forest—he insisted on absorbing a more than nine-thousand-year-old Ice Flame Roc Soul Ring!"