"Obedience Test"

Xiao Wu's room.

Xiao Wu was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt Soul Power surging within her.

[Yesterday's diary reading reward issued]

[Reward: Soul Power increased by 1 level]

Xiao Wu opened her eyes and felt the Soul Power that had grown within her. She stared for a moment, then happily rolled over on the bed.

"I'm level 30! I can get my third Spirit Ring now! I'm even a little faster than the three of them!"

She sat up and summoned her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul. Feeling her denser Soul Power, she broke into a radiant smile.

"Yu Tiancheng, you're such a good person! I don't know who you are, but thank you!"

But as she smiled, her expression gradually grew complicated, and her ears drooped slightly without her noticing.

She picked up the diary from beside her pillow and looked through its contents again.

"The Soul Hunting Plan... the fall of the Upper Three Sects... Spirit Hall..."

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form, Xiao Wu had never cared much about the conflicts in the human world. She only wanted to avenge her mother, then live peacefully and cultivate alongside Tang San.

But the information revealed in the diary made it impossible for her not to care.

Spirit Hall—the organization that had hunted down her mother and forced her to flee Star Dou Great Forest.

If Yu Tiancheng was right, and Spirit Hall grew so powerful in the future that it launched the so-called "Soul Hunting Plan"...

"What if one day, their targets aren't human sects anymore, but..."

Xiao Wu bit her lip, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.

She thought of Da Ming and Er Ming, and the powerful Spirit Beast friends in Star Dou Great Forest.

"No, I can't let them grow stronger!"

A look of resolve flashed through her eyes.

"Yu Tiancheng knows the future, and he wants to change those tragedies, too."

If he succeeded and Spirit Hall's plans were thwarted, that would be good for Da Ming and Er Ming, too.

She jumped out of bed and paced around the room, thinking.

"After a while, Shrek Academy should be moving to Heaven Dou City and merging with Blue Tyrant Academy..."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. Then she'd be able to meet this Yu Tiancheng!

"I need to see for myself what kind of person you are. If he's a good person and really wants to oppose Spirit Hall..."

A smile returned to Xiao Wu's face, with a hint of cunning. "Then helping him means helping Brother, helping myself, and helping Da Ming and Er Ming!"

She carefully put the diary away, deciding not to tell Tang San about it for now.

After all, the diary's origins were too mysterious, and explaining them would be a hassle.

"First I'll get my third Spirit Ring and grow stronger!" Xiao Wu cheered herself on, full of energy.

"Yu Tiancheng, see you in Heaven Dou City!"

Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace bedchamber.

Bibi Dong opened her eyes, a flash of brilliance in them.

[Yesterday's diary reading reward issued]

[Reward: First Spirit Ring's age increased by 500 years]

Bibi Dong felt the change in her First Spirit Ring and was shaken.

As the Pope of Spirit Hall and one of the few Super Douluo on the continent, she knew all too well what increasing a Spirit Ring's age meant. It was something only a deity could do!

And now, just by reading a diary, her First Spirit Ring had gone from 423 years to 923!

An increased Spirit Ring age meant greater Spirit Skill power and denser Soul Power. It could even improve one's cultivation speed.

"The power behind this diary is definitely god-level!"

And it might not be any weaker than the Rakshasa God.

Bibi Dong looked at the diary beside her, her gaze growing profound.

She had initially thought the diary might be a scheme cooked up by some faction to disrupt the continent's balance.

But now it seemed things were far from that simple.

A power that could increase a Spirit Ring's age at will...

"Yu Tiancheng, who exactly are you?"

"And what does the being behind you want?"

Bibi Dong rose and walked to the window, looking down at the faithful praying in Spirit Hall's plaza.

"You know about the Soul Hunting Plan and want to change the future."

"Interesting."

A cold smile curled her lips.

"Then let me see how far you can go."

"If your appearance can really change certain fated outcomes..."

A complicated look flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness.

"But if you dare obstruct Spirit Hall's great cause of unification..."

"Even if a god stands behind you, I'll slay that god!"

She turned back to the throne, opened the diary, and read it again.

This time, she read it much more carefully.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan... and he's Liu Erlong's nephew..."

"Looks like I'll have to send someone to Heaven Dou City."

Outside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's main gate.

Yu Tiancheng carried a simple pack.

He looked back at the place where he'd lived for twelve years.

"Goodbye."

"Next time I come back, I'll make every one of you see me in a new light."

He turned and set out for Heaven Dou City.

To save time, he had deliberately chosen a shortcut—through the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest.

It was dangerous, but with the Time-Space Ring, his Soul Power could recover continuously, making travel much more efficient.

Besides...

"There are plenty of Spirit Beasts in Star Dou Great Forest. Maybe I'll break through to level 20 on the way and get my Second Spirit Ring right away."

"The Second Spirit Ring for my Time Dragon Emperor Martial Soul should be at least a thousand-year Spirit Beast."

He felt for the map in his clothes and checked the route.

"At this pace, if I push hard, I can cross the outskirts in two days. Then it'll take a few more days to reach Heaven Dou City."

Hopefully, the journey would go smoothly.

At the same time, on the Shrek Academy training grounds.

Dean Flender stood before the group, his expression stern.

"Today's lesson is simple, but important." His keen gaze swept over every student present.

"Each of you must eat at least one of the two kinds of sausages Oscar makes with his Soul Power."

An awkward silence fell over the training grounds.

Oscar's sausages worked well, but that incantation...

Ning Rongrong bit her lip, remembering what the diary had said.

If she couldn't overcome even this small difficulty, how could she talk about growing stronger? How could she protect the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

She took a deep breath, stepped forward first, and stopped in front of Oscar. "Give me one."

Oscar looked at her in surprise, but still recited the embarrassing incantation: "I Have a Big Sausage!"

A steaming sausage appeared in his hand.

Ning Rongrong closed her eyes, took the sausage, and bit into it.

It actually tasted pretty good?

She opened her eyes, surprise flashing across them. Then, without hesitation, she finished the rest and took a Little Sausage, which she polished off just as quickly.

The whole thing was brisk and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Flender's eyes showed a trace of approval. "Very good, Ning Rongrong. You passed."

With Ning Rongrong leading the way, the others stepped forward one after another.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, Xiao Wu... Each of them ate Oscar's sausages.

Xiao Wu muttered as she ate, "They're actually pretty tasty."

Last came Zhu Zhuqing.

The usually cold-faced girl walked forward expressionlessly, took a sausage, and ate it in small but exceptionally quick bites. She didn't hesitate once, and not even her eyes flickered.

It was as if she were eating ordinary food, not sausages made with such an embarrassing incantation.

"Very good." Flender nodded with satisfaction. "All of you passed today's lesson. This shows you've begun to develop the trust a team needs."

He paused, his voice turning grave. "Tomorrow, Teacher Zhao Wuji will take you to Star Dou Great Forest to get Oscar his Third Spirit Ring."

"Remember, Star Dou Great Forest is nothing like the Soul Hunting Forest outside Soto City. It's full of danger. Thousand-year Spirit Beasts are everywhere, and you might even encounter a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast. Everyone must follow orders."

Oscar rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'm finally getting my Third Spirit Ring. I wonder what kind of Soul Skill it'll be."

Ning Rongrong was a little nervous, but remembering the future mentioned in the diary gave her confidence. She clenched her fist and silently told herself: This is only the beginning. I have to grow stronger.

Xiao Wu was looking forward to it. Returning to Star Dou Great Forest felt like going home.

Tang San patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Teacher Zhao is with us. We'll be fine."

Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly to the side, her gaze resolute.

Grow stronger, get a Spirit Ring, and then... go to Heaven Dou City.

She already had a clear plan in mind.

Night fell. The Shrek students returned to their rooms to rest and prepare for the next day's trip into the forest.

Hundreds of miles away, Yu Tiancheng also checked into an inn in a small town, half a day's journey from Star Dou Great Forest.