After taking care of everything, Lan Minghua walked through Dugu Bo's courtyard, preparing to leave.
"Dugu Bo, I should be going."
At the sound of his voice, Dugu Bo appeared before Lan Minghua almost instantly.
He pleaded, "Master, why don't you stay for two more days?"
Lan Minghua glanced at him with amusement, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
He just wanted Lan Minghua to take Dugu Yan as a disciple too, so he could get some benefits from him, didn't he?
If Lan Minghua really took Dugu Yan as his disciple, would she call him senior brother or Grandpa?
"No need. I know what you're thinking. If we're fated to meet, I'll take her as my disciple without you introducing us."
"All right, I should be going. Get back to your own business. I'll let you know if anything comes up."
Without giving Dugu Bo a chance to drag things out, he shot into the sky and disappeared from sight within seconds.
Dugu Bo sighed. "Sigh, I was too greedy."
Still, he was already Lan Minghua's disciple, so he'd have plenty more chances to see him in the future.
There'd be plenty of time to get acquainted then, and Dugu Yan might still have a chance to become Lan Minghua's disciple.
The next day, two letters were quickly delivered to Shrek Academy.
Zhao Wuji and Oscar had each received a letter from Lan Minghua.
In the infirmary, thanks to Zhu Zhuqing's attentive care, Oscar had nearly recovered.
When he heard that Lan Minghua had sent a letter, he sprang up like a monkey.
"Why didn't Master come back himself? I was hoping to surprise him!"
"A surprise? What kind of surprise?"
After the Soul Fighting match, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't as aloof toward Oscar as she'd been before.
Oscar lifted his chin and grinned. "I broke through to level thirty."
"What!"
Zhu Zhuqing stared at him in shock. Reaching level thirty at fourteen, especially as a Support Soul Master, was astonishing.
Food-type Martial Souls were known to be among the most difficult types to cultivate.
In a sense, it was much harder for Oscar to reach level thirty than it was for a Battle Soul Master.
That was why, despite having Innate Full Soul Power, Oscar had only just managed to reach level thirty at fourteen.
"Save the congratulations for later. Let's see what our teacher has to say." As he spoke, he eagerly opened the envelope.
He unfolded the letter, and he and Zhu Zhuqing quickly scanned every word.
"Hey, Oscar, have you broken through to level thirty yet? If you haven't, the first thing I'll do when I get back is give you a beating."
Oscar's mouth twitched at the first sentence.
So Lan Minghua had expected him to reach level thirty all along.
He'd been hoping to surprise him!
Seeing his reaction, Zhu Zhuqing covered her mouth and chuckled, her gaze softening.
Their eyes continued down the page, reaching the most important part of the letter.
"I've spoken to Old Zhao. He'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to get your Third Soul Ring.
"I've chosen your Soul Beast too: a Crested Phoenix Tail Snake over a thousand years old.
"Also, while I'm away from Shrek, I imagine you've been pushed aside, or even envied.
"But remember, only the mediocre are never envied. We don't go looking for trouble, but we don't fear it either.
"Finally, if you're lucky, you might run into your teacher in the Star Dou Great Forest."
That was all the letter said, and the format was extremely informal.
But it suited the image of Lan Minghua that Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing had in their minds.
"What's Master doing in the Star Dou Great Forest? I don't get it!"
Oscar didn't dwell on it. He put the matter out of his mind and dashed out of the infirmary, pulling Zhu Zhuqing along by the hand.
"Come on, Zhuqing. Let's find the Dean and Teacher Zhao. We're going to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Rings!"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't resist, letting Oscar lead her out by the hand.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji had finished reading Lan Minghua's letter.
He was happy to help Lan Minghua out; after all, Lan Minghua had indirectly saved his life.
He headed straight for the training grounds, intending to discuss things with Flender.
The sun was already high in the sky. Flender had called Tang San and the others up early to train.
On the training grounds, Flender stood with a cold expression, his eyes fixed on Dai Mubai and Tang San.
He was furious about Tang San trying to kill Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing during Yesterday's Soul Dueling.
"I can understand why you went after Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San. After all, Lan Minghua crippled your old man. But why the hell would you do that? Were you trying to make sure Lan Minghua found out who you are?"
"And you, Dai Mubai! Why'd you egg him on and encourage him to go for the kill? What, you think things aren't chaotic enough already?!"
Flender raged inwardly, wishing he could slap Tang San and Dai Mubai to death.
He hadn't spent much time with Lan Minghua, but he certainly didn't think the man was easygoing.
If anything happened to Oscar or Zhu Zhuqing, Flender feared he'd lose his own life.
He'd already left Lan Minghua with a bad impression and had been trying to figure out how to make it up to him!
And yet Tang San and Dai Mubai had been so clueless. It would've been bad enough if they hadn't sucked up to Lan Minghua, but they'd actually gone out of their way to oppose him. Were they trying to get themselves killed?
Just as Flender was about to reprimand them, Oscar came rushing over with Zhu Zhuqing by the hand.
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth at the sight, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms without him even noticing.
Yet he never considered what Zhu Zhuqing might have felt when he'd spent the night with other women.
When Tang San saw Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing, a flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes.
But Flender caught even that brief change in his expression, and it left him deeply disappointed.
Your old man couldn't beat Lan Minghua. Did you really think you, Tang San, a mere Soul Grandmaster, could?
Flender cursed inwardly, hoping that Tang San wasn't foolish enough to attack Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing.
Otherwise, no one would be able to save him.
Facing Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing, Flender immediately put on a smile. "Oscar, what brings you here? Have you recovered from your injuries?"
"Dean, I'm almost completely healed. And I've broken through to level thirty. Master told me to find Teacher Zhao and have him take me to the Star Dou Great Forest for my Third Soul Ring!"
The words left everyone present except Zhu Zhuqing utterly shocked.
Ning Rongrong in particular knew just how difficult it was to cultivate a Support System Martial Soul.
Flender had once scolded her, saying that Oscar might one day replace the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda as the greatest support Martial Soul in the world.
At first, she'd thought it was nonsense. But looking at Oscar now, he really did have that potential.
Tang San was next. Learning that Oscar had reached level thirty before him nearly made his murderous intent boil over.
Fortunately, having lived Two Lives, he'd learned to exercise restraint.
Flender burst out laughing. "Excellent, excellent! Oscar, you really are a genius. On behalf of the academy, congratulations! Come on, let's have Old Zhao take you Soul Hunting right away."
Speak of the devil, and he appeared.
Zhao Wuji was still some distance away, but he'd already heard Flender call his name.
"Flender, what are you scheming about me now?"
Flender had spotted Zhao Wuji earlier. He smiled and said, "Xiao Ao's just broken through to level thirty. Sorry for the trouble, but could you take them to the Star Dou Great Forest and help him get his Third Soul Ring?"
"Them? Dean, are the others going to the Star Dou Great Forest too?"
Oscar frowned. Even he, slow on the uptake as he was, could tell from Yesterday's Soul Dueling that Tang San had wanted to kill him and Zhu Zhuqing.
Would it really be safe to go to the Star Dou Great Forest with someone like that?
"Of course. This isn't just about getting your Soul Ring; it's training for all of you. After all, you're a team!"
Flender didn't want Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San's group to become too hostile toward one another. It wouldn't do Shrek any good.
This was the perfect chance to let them patch things up while they were out hunting Soul Rings.
He shot a glance at Dai Mubai and Tang San, then said sternly, "You two, apologize to Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing!"
Dai Mubai and Tang San felt immense pressure. With strained smiles, they apologized to Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, I'm sorry. I was wrong."
Before you continue