"You nine can pack your things and leave the academy."
"Shrek Academy has no need for students who resort to tricks. No matter how talented they are, if they lack a sound and proper mindset, all they will bring to any nation after being trained will be disaster, not help."
Newbie Class Nine had just come downstairs when they saw a stern-faced, white-haired old woman saying this to a group of exhausted students.
Ex... expelled?
The students of Newbie Class Nine were stunned.
She was just expelling students outright!
Everyone could not help looking toward Mu Jin, who was walking ahead of them. Teacher Mu would not do that, would she?
An Zhen's gaze found two familiar figures. The handsome youth was supporting an adorable boy who was gasping for breath and looked ready to collapse at any moment.
What kind of teacher was that?
Seeing his little cutie in such a pitiful state, An Zhen's heart ached. The boy had already been malnourished. If not for the better food he had eaten recently, along with the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Xuan Water Pill, how could he have endured such torment?
Those students really had tried to cut corners.
But these eleven- and twelve-year-old children had not made any serious mistakes.
Teaching knowledge and principles, educating and nurturing people.
Shouldn't teachers correct their thinking and set their attitudes straight?
A truly capable teacher was one who could carve an ordinary stone into an artwork worth a fortune.
A golden statue was valuable only because gold itself was valuable.
All that could be said was that Shrek had been lucky ten thousand years ago. Even under such terrible conditions, it had recruited those outstanding students. It had even picked up a food-system soul master with Innate Full Soul Power. If the principals of other schools had known, they probably would have cried themselves unconscious in the bathroom.
From ten thousand years ago to the present, and then to the era of Ultimate Douluo ten thousand years ago in the future, Shrek Academy had practically monopolized talented students. Schools across the world desperately sent their best students to Shrek Academy. Things were not quite that exaggerated now, but they were not far off either. That was precisely why Zhou Yi and the freshman assessment had the foundation to screen students again beyond the already strict enrollment requirements.
Whatever. It was none of his business. Whatever mistakes Zhou Yi made were toward others. In the original story, she had truly treated Huo Yuhao well enough. She was the one who recommended Huo Yuhao to Fan Yu. And when it came to protecting her students, she really did protect them.
An Zhen caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye.
"Teacher, I'm going to say a few words to my grandpa," An Zhen reported.
"Mm."
Mu Jin nodded lightly. Though it was class time, teachers were still quite tolerant of outstanding students.
But didn't An Zhen's background section say he was an orphan? How did he have a grandpa at the academy?
"Grandpa."
After leaving the group, An Zhen jogged over to the old man basking in the sun. The youth who respected the elderly and cared for the young gently began massaging the old man's shoulders and arms.
"What is it?"
The old man smiled as he looked at the attentive youth beside him.
"Grandpa, we're going to fight later."
"Mm."
"Senior Sister calls you her great-grandfather, so you must be a very powerful soul master. Could you let me use my Second Soul Skill on you and copy your martial soul?"
An Zhen could have secretly used it on the man in the Virtual World. But just as when he had copied Zhang Lexuan before, once he used it, everyone would likely be able to guess that his Second Soul Skill could copy other people's martial souls. Secretly using a soul skill on someone else was extremely rude—provided one got caught.
Second Soul Skill, Tuo Yin.
First Soul Skill, Reflection.
Reflection could reflect a person, so naturally, it could also reflect a martial soul by itself.
It could imprint martial souls and even soul rings, reflecting them onto himself.
In theory, An Zhen could directly reflect the full strength of the person whose abilities he had imprinted. One or two rings were no problem. Three rings were difficult to maintain for more than a few minutes and required recovery afterward. Four rings would leave him seriously injured, while five rings would knock him out cold.
It counted as one of An Zhen's methods for dealing with enemies.
Directly using his own martial soul world could not only end things quickly, but also look impressive. But showing off before others came at a price.
"Very well."
A Golden Yellow Soul Ring lit up.
Holy Light Dragon, acquired!
A super martial soul.
A super martial soul that surpassed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and Xuanming Turtle.
Within the Virtual World, a white-haired old man at the end of his years sat in a wheelchair with his eyes closed. Like a sleeping dragon, he stood at the pinnacle of the world.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Um, is there anything small this junior can do for you?" An Zhen asked somewhat awkwardly.
"You can use copied martial souls?" Mu En asked slowly.
"Mm."
"I heard you beat up one of those Outer Court Twin Stars earlier." The old man seemed to have thought of something amusing, and a kindly smile appeared on his face. "Then use this martial soul to beat up the other one too."
"Understood!"
Beibei, those were your great-grandfather's words. He was only respecting the elderly and caring for the young.
Still, he would need to plan carefully before beating Beibei. He could not hit too hard, or else it would not just be Beibei getting hurt—he would get hurt too.
Mu En was a very good elder.
Just as in the original story, after personally traveling to the Extreme North to confirm that Huo Yuhao's martial soul was not the Ice Jade Scorpion but the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, he had not pressed him for answers. Instead, he had properly guided him.
In a good mood, An Zhen hurried to the Battle Soul Arena.
The Battle Soul Arena was a combat venue exclusively for Shrek students. Though a certain fee was required each time, dedicated teachers served as referees, and support staff were available to treat injuries. Here, students could fight to their heart's content, while the referee teachers were responsible for keeping things within bounds. It seemed to carry on the tradition from Flender's time, when the Shrek Seven Monsters had needed to battle in the Soul Fighting Arena and earn badges before graduating. Upperclassmen also needed to earn enough points here to advance.
"I thought you ran away." The charmingly naive Red Dragon Girl took a single step and rushed in front of An Zhen.
"I wouldn't dare skip class."
The youth, half a head taller than Wu Feng, thoughtfully examined the girl before him.
"What are you doing?"
"I suddenly realized that you're quite pretty, Wu Feng," An Zhen said sincerely.
"As if I need you to tell me that!"
After stomping her foot, the girl turned to leave with a faint blush on her cheeks. Then she abruptly turned back, lifted her fair chin, and curled her lips into a smug smile. "Wait, are you trying to flatter me?"
She looked as though she had already seen through his little trick.
So adorably silly.
Even cuter now.
Though she did seem a little lacking in brains.
"Think whatever you want."
He could not tell whether this girl was simply arrogant or genuinely a little foolish.
"Hmph, hmph."
With her arms folded across her chest, the Red Dragon Girl pointed at an empty arena nearby. "Hurry up."
Mu Jin stood on the platform, chatting with a black-haired, bespectacled man of average build who looked around thirty. Wisdom shone with Spiritual Light in his pale violet eyes.
"I heard from the department head that Teacher Mu Jin has a student in her class with a very unusual martial soul."
"Teacher Wang Yan must mean An Zhen. His file says it's a world, but I don't know the specifics either. After all, students have the right to keep their martial souls and soul skills confidential."
Mu Jin, who had been speaking with him, suddenly brightened. "An Zhen is here."
"Oh?"
Following Mu Jin's gaze, Wang Yan saw a handsome black-haired youth and a red-haired girl standing at the center of the arena.
"You can still surrender now." With her arms folded and pressing against her proud chest, the arrogant girl spoke. The somewhat old school uniform, compressed by her arms, outlined a lovely curve.
Very "arrogant."
"Good luck."
An Zhen blinked and encouraged her.
"Retreat to opposite corners of the arena. You may not release your martial souls until I say begin." Mu Jin descended from the platform, holding lesson plans in one hand and a pen in the other, ready to record everything.
The two retreated at the same time.
"Battle begins!"
"Roar!"
A savage dragon's roar rang out. At the same time, a red-tinted wave of heat surged from Wu Feng's body. In an instant, the girl's delicate body grew larger, tearing through her school uniform and revealing the black bodysuit beneath. It was a full-body suit, and there should have been one or several more layers beneath it, so nothing inappropriate was exposed.
A crimson glow covered her skin, while dense red dragon scales spread from the side of her face down to her left arm and hand, as if turning them into a mass of flames.
Two Golden Yellow Soul Rings rose beneath her feet and lit up in succession.
"First Soul Skill, Dragon's Fire."
"Second Soul Skill, Dragon's Fury."
Blazing flames burned around her left arm. Her long, powerful legs slammed down against the ground, and she shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The fire burning in her scarlet eyes seemed ready to spill out, while molten-lava-like patterns appeared on her fair cheeks.
A rolling heat wave rushed toward him.
"An Zhen, I won't underestimate you!"
The distance was only a little over a hundred meters. For her, it would not even take two breaths.
"Mm."
The handsome youth still wore that gentle smile. Sunlight shone upon his face, making him seem like a child of light walking forth with the dawn.
"Roaaar!"
A high, resounding dragon cry rose.
Holy and majestic.
The warm sunlight seemed to envelop every student's heart at that moment, making them instinctively want to bow in worship before the monarch of light.
"This is!"
Wang Yan leaped to his feet in excitement. His eyes fixed firmly on the figure bathed in sunlight, and he nearly rushed straight down into the arena.
"H-Holy Light Dragon!"
The black strands of hair gleamed with golden Spiritual Light beneath the sun, fluttering without wind. The gentle smile on the youth's handsome face was brilliant and warm, while platinum scales seemed forged from the finest spiritual jade in the world.
It was as though the sun had risen behind him.
First Soul Skill, Holy Light Dragon Claw.
A Golden Yellow Soul Ring lit up, and the hand transformed into a dragon claw seemed to be clutching a mass of light.
"What is going on?!"
Wu Feng felt her mind tremble. The Red Dragon, which had always been invincible against other beast martial souls, seemed to have encountered a higher existence and was gripped by fear.
"I will win!"
Forcibly driving her martial soul and suppressing that fear, she sent her ferocious flaming dragon claw straight into the mass of light.
"Bang!"
The two fists collided.
"Puh—"
Light and the recoil force pierced straight through the girl's arm. Her rosy cheeks instantly turned pale, and even her flame-like eyes dimmed considerably.
"The gap between their martial souls is too great."
Having calmed down a little, Wang Yan gently shook his head. "Their Soul Power is similar. Two boosting soul skills against one cannot bridge the gap between the Red Dragon and the Holy Light Dragon."
This chapter was a little more serious. The next chapter would be "happier."
Before you continue