I was here first!
Graceful as a startled swan, graceful as a swimming dragon.
Bright yellow sword light flowed like starlight, casting an ethereal glow through the dim forest.
With a high ponytail and tight-fitting clothes, the pretty, heroic girl danced amid the wolf pack. Each strike of her sword seemed to carve a star-dusted chasm somewhere beyond the reach of the eye, preventing the rampaging green wolves from attacking together. Again and again, she used their defensive movements against them, thrusting at tricky angles with every stroke and always making a green wolf soul beast howl in pain.
She wasted no unnecessary strength, yet when surrounded, she handled it with effortless ease.
A moment later, the leader of this pack of over twenty hundred-year green wolves had gained a sword mark on its buttocks. Howling miserably, it gave the order to retreat.
The wolf pack scampered off with their tails between their legs.
"Hey, don't run!"
Seeing them flee just as she was getting into the rhythm, Ye Xinglan could not help but shout.
"Who told you to stab the green wolf leader in the buttocks? Now there's nothing left to play with." Nan Liujing walked out from the side.
Ye Xinglan said sullenly, "Can't we find another beast pack?"
Nan Liujing rubbed his chin. "The strong ones will have you begging me for protection after a few exchanges, while fighting the weak ones is boring. It really won't be easy to find one for you now."
"What do you mean, begging you for protection?" Hearing that, Ye Xinglan planted her hands on her hips and huffed. "I remember the Flame Demon Lion was pretty strong. Let's go with that. Later, I'll show you what it means to be swift as a shooting star."
Nan Liujing did not take her words seriously.
After killing Black Mist Xu Sheng, the two had wandered through the forest for over an hour. They had encountered a few people along the way, but unfortunately, none were worth considering as targets.
In the end, everyone passed by peacefully. It was not until they encountered the green wolf pack that Ye Xinglan's hands started itching for a fight and she stepped up to provoke them.
Roar!
Suddenly, a deep tiger roar came from the forest to their right. Countless birds took flight, streaking across the firmament like specks.
"A tiger roar." Ye Xinglan's beautiful eyes lit up as she said eagerly, "Nan Liujing, you know what I want, right?"
Nan Liujing chuckled. "Then let's go see what this tiger-type soul beast is made of."
The two immediately sprang into action, running toward the source of the tiger roar.
Beneath the interwoven trees, a white figure darted continuously through broken logs and rubble. Behind her, faintly visible through a dim sheen, dark yellow silk threads floated in the air like a great net, gradually shrinking the range of movement within the area.
Whoosh.
Just as the white figure leaped over a boulder and landed, a shadow descended behind her. A sharp tearing sound tore through the air, striking directly at her head.
White Tiger Body Protection Barrier!
Amid her brown-red long hair, black-and-white strands could be faintly seen. Their owner had a cold yet beautiful face. The purple Soul Ring in the first position around her lit with a deep violet glow. In an instant, her body swelled slightly, and white fur covered most of her body.
She swung her right hand, and five Golden Claws like blades crashed fiercely against the sharp spider legs striking toward the back of her head.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
An ear-piercing scraping sound rang out, accompanied by sparks from metal clashing against metal. Waves of Soul Power scattered through the surroundings.
Whoosh.
A foul stench drifted over. Two more gleaming spider legs shot forward. Wu Sidao swept them with a cold glance and activated her second soul skill, White Tiger Blazing Light Wave, spraying a blazing white orb of light from her mouth.
When the spider legs collided with it, they visibly slowed.
Hiss.
An alarmed, enraged cry came from the spider-type soul beast that had cast the shadow. It was as large as a millstone. Foul poisonous fumes drifted from its hideous mouthparts, and a beam of dark green poisonous liquid shot out.
However, Wu Sidao had anticipated it. Her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul instantly replaced her White Tiger Martial Soul. Her delicate body changed from robust to slender and agile, and with a tap of her toes, she flashed several meters away.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
The highly toxic liquid corroded the grass, and the surrounding vegetation swiftly withered and decayed.
Having successfully bought time, the Thousand-Year Man Faced Demon Spider immediately changed its strategy. Relying on its astonishing speed, it circled around Wu Sidao.
Though the scene looked ridiculous, Wu Sidao's expression darkened after repeatedly activating two Thousand-Year Soul Skills and switching Martial Souls.
The Man Faced Demon Spider continuously drew long, thin venomous threads from its tail. As they intertwined, they blocked every route by which she could retreat.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's fierce reputation came from the fact that aside from strength, which it was not particularly skilled at, nearly all its other abilities were top-tier—especially its corrosive and neurotoxic venom.
Even the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul could not gain the advantage in speed. Now that she was pinned down, her chances of escape were even slimmer.
Hell Hundred Claws!
Wu Sidao did not sit still and wait for death. She chose a spot where the tangled web was barely weaker. Over a hundred dark purple claw shadows flew out, and the tough strands began to snap. Yet the corrosive poison they carried also frantically neutralized the Soul Power contained within her Soul Skill.
Her attempt to clear a path did not yield effective results, but at this moment, the Man Faced Demon Spider completed its crude web prison, restricting the human before it to an area only twenty-five meters in diameter.
The next instant, its eight armored spider legs violently sprang like springs, launching its massive body into the air. The eight beast pupils on its abdomen, resembling a ghostly face, erupted with murderous desire.
Three-meter-long, slightly curved sharp spider legs descended from above. Wu Sidao had no time to continue opening a path. Her delicate body flashed aside to evade the strike, but this time, the Man Faced Demon Spider's assault came without end. Its eight spider legs slashed down madly.
Every time Wu Sidao dodged, Soul Power light surfaced around her body, making her form appear illusory. Yet under such circumstances, her speed had clearly begun to decline, and her Soul Power reserves were rapidly dropping.
"I can't drag this out any longer."
Determination surged into Wu Sidao's gorgeous heterochromatic pupils.
Hiss. The Man Faced Demon Spider would not give its prey a chance to catch her breath. After Wu Sidao dodged once more, it cautiously chose to spray webbing instead of continuing to suppress her with its spider legs.
The yellow-green web blanketed the sky. The already compressed area in which she could move became even more restricted.
Black-and-white radiance abruptly shone from Wu Sidao's body. She was just about to unleash her Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
But at that moment, a piercing electrical screech came whistling over, accompanied by a voice infused with Soul Power.
"I'm paying back the candy I owed you."
Wu Sidao's pupils contracted. She saw a Dragon Subduing Staff wrapped in dark blue electric arcs and covered in dragon scales forcibly hold the web apart at its center before smashing fiercely into the Man Faced Demon Spider. The astonishing force made the spider cry out in a roar of pain, and even dented its carapace.
The Dragon Subduing Staff dropped to the ground, and a golden candy bearing dragon patterns detached from it.
"It's him!"
Memories buried for years surfaced. Wu Sidao's beautiful eyes brightened. She reached out with her jade-like hand, took the candy without hesitation, and stuffed it into her mouth.
A rich orange flavor!
Vast energy flooded into her limbs and bones. Her blood, already hot from battle, began to boil even more fiercely, while faint golden light emerged from her fair skin.
Feeling the astonishing strength erupt inside her, Wu Sidao's eyes showed surprise, but her thoughts moved quickly. She switched Martial Souls again, and with a tiger roar, the White Tiger possessed her body.
Her First Soul Skill, White Tiger Body Protection Barrier, activated once more. Violent Soul Power Fluctuation spread outward with the force of a tsunami crashing against land. She sprang from the ground, her right tiger claw striking fiercely toward the Man Faced Demon Spider that had collided with the web.
Paralyzed by the current on the Dragon Subduing Staff, the Man Faced Demon Spider had not escaped immediately. By the time Wu Sidao charged in, it had only just regained the ability to move. At this point, running was completely impossible.
It thrust out its spider legs at high speed, blocking the tiger claw aimed at its head.
With a boom, the tiger claw enhanced by Golden Dragon Body bloomed with dazzling golden radiance. Its heavy force poured down like water bursting through a dam.
Crack!
The spider leg that even many three-ring Soul Elders specializing in strength could do nothing against snapped on the spot. At this moment, Wu Sidao was like a boulder crushing the Man Faced Demon Spider, and the web supporting its body quickly broke apart as well.
Bang!
The Man Faced Demon Spider's huge body crashed to the ground with a dull thud. Its broken spider legs could no longer support it, leaving it only able to crawl across the ground.
Its mournful hiss echoed through the forest. Its cold, bloodthirsty beast pupils revealed the terror of a hunter becoming prey.
"Die!"
A cold feminine cry rang out. A dark purple shadow flashed past, its sharp force seeming to pierce space itself and leave behind fine traces.
A layer of sharp blades covered Wu Sidao's right arm. She drove it fiercely into the Man Faced Demon Spider's head, its weakest point of defense. Terrifying power instantly shredded its brain.
The mighty Man Faced Demon Spider, a soul beast killer that had reached the Thousand Year Level, perished on the spot.
Everything had changed in no more than a flash.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Having successfully killed it, Wu Sidao panted heavily. Her Soul Power had been completely drained, but a satisfied smile appeared on her pretty face as she turned to look to the side.
Two figures tore through the remaining webbing and walked straight up to her.
She directly ignored the girl with the golden high ponytail, whose looks did not lose to hers. Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the smiling young man.
"It's been a few years. You've become even stronger." Nan Liujing greeted her with a smile.
Wu Sidao was just about to speak when she suddenly felt the world spin. Her delicate body could not stop itself from falling forward.
Nan Liujing was caught off guard. He hurriedly stepped forward and gathered her into his arms.
Her warm, soft body pressed against him, and his chest inexplicably brushed against a slight softness.
A look of shock flashed through his eyes, and the words he wanted to say were swallowed back down.
As expected of someone who inherited the Zhu Family bloodline. How old was she, and she was already like this?
Quickly casting aside the strange thoughts in his mind, Nan Liujing heard Wu Sidao speak from his arms in a pleasant voice. "I just used too much Soul Power. I'm fine."
Nan Liujing glanced at the Man Faced Demon Spider dissolving into specks of spiritual light and said in a deep voice, "You were lucky to encounter a Thousand Year Level Man Faced Demon Spider."
Wu Sidao said helplessly, "Man Faced Demon Spiders have always been cautious. It only ambushed me after I killed several hundred-year soul beasts and had used up some energy."
The two chatted back and forth, neither noticing that Ye Xinglan stood alone behind them, as though the world had abandoned her.
Her azure blue eyes stared blankly at Nan Liujing holding another girl whose appearance did not lose to hers. She knew their relationship was perfectly normal.
But... why did I feel so uncomfortable?
After a while, Nan Liujing sensed that Wu Sidao's aura had stabilized and said, "Meditate and recover. I'll stand guard for you."
"Alright."
Feeling the contact against her chest, Wu Sidao blushed and left his arms. She immediately closed her eyes, sat cross-legged on the ground, and entered meditation.
"You know each other?"
Only then did Ye Xinglan speak, her tone strange.
Nan Liujing failed to notice it and explained with a smile, "Si Duo and I met when we were six. We awakened our Martial Souls together back then. Oh, right. She's also Uncle Wu's daughter."
After several elders started families, each had their own affairs to attend to and rarely gathered together, much less brought their children to meet. Therefore, Ye Xinglan did not know Wu Sidao.
"She's strong. She's an opponent worth taking seriously." Ye Xinglan stared at Wu Sidao, her voice revealing no emotion.
Nan Liujing thought the girl was itching for a fight again and hurriedly said, "Let's skip the sparring. I still need to finish the task our teacher assigned."
Ye Xinglan shook her head. "There's no rush to spar. I'll wait for a suitable day."
Nan Liujing had just breathed a sigh of relief when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of intersecting figures moving toward them.
Soon, a group slowly appeared within Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan's field of vision.
"They're from Shrek." Ye Xinglan noticed that quite a few people in the group wore dark green clothes.
Nan Liujing's eyes lit up. He saw Yu Jiutian among them. Besides him, Mo Jue, Li Qiankun, and Xu Cang were there as well. This team of more than twenty people included Shrek Academy Students and Soul Masters from other factions. Being able to form such a large group was quite impressive.
On the Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform, unless they encountered a pack of Flame Lions or the Spirit Ascension Platform's guardian, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, they could practically move about unopposed.
At the same time, the group led by Yu Jiutian, Mo Jue, Li Qiankun, and Xu Cang also noticed Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan standing amid the ruined web.
The two sides stood dozens of meters apart, facing each other from afar.
Unlike Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan's calmness, Yu Jiutian and the others could not help but show slight reactions.
The nearby spider webs had not yet lost their toxicity. Anyone who had seriously attended school could recognize them.
A Man Faced Demon Spider—a top-tier soul beast killer. Judging by the color of its silk, it seemed to have been released by one at the Thousand Year Level. An ordinary three-ring Soul Master could only kneel and admit defeat before it.
"I found you!"
While the others were still cautiously examining the spider silk to avoid accidentally touching it and getting poisoned, a fairly handsome young man suddenly stepped forward and shouted furiously at Ye Xinglan.
This immediately drew the attention of the others in the group. In truth, they were not originally one team. Rather, they had all been drawn over by the dying scream of the Man Faced Demon Spider.
After getting a clear look at Ye Xinglan's face, some people obviously remembered something and suppressed their laughter. Others looked confused, including Mo Jue, Li Qiankun, and Xu Cang.
Ye Xinglan stared at the young man and said in realization, "So it was you. Has the hole in your buttocks healed?"
The moment he heard this, veins bulged on Yu Weinan's forehead. There had been so many people nearby that night. In full view of everyone, he, a direct-line member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had been ambushed and stabbed through the buttocks with a sword, leaving blood all over the ground.
At that time, he had sworn that he would not be a man until he avenged this grudge.
Yu Jiutian frowned slightly. Compared with the other Shrek Academy Students, he was noticeably younger. His appearance was ordinary, yet he gave off a steady, mature sense of déjà vu.
Through the spider silk, he said to Ye Xinglan, "Wounding a Shrek Academy Student within Shrek Academy should be severely punished. If you apologize, we can let the matter go. What do you say?"
Ye Xinglan sneered. "Punished according to the rules? That was clearly self-defense. Are you saying that if I buy something in Shrek Academy, you students can just take it without permission? What kind of logic is that?"
Yu Weinan had wanted to say that his identity as a Shrek Academy Student was the logic, but seeing Mo Jue and Li Qiankun, the class monitor and Vice Class Monitor of the first year, present, he could only change his words and retort, "I gave you money."
"You gave me money?" Ye Xinglan snorted coldly. "You mean after snatching my grilled fish, you tossed a few coins at me and said you were rewarding me, that I did not need to give change. That counts as paying me? That was clearly a challenge! I agreed, so I stabbed you in the buttocks."
"If you're not convinced, then let's spar right here and see who wins and who loses!"
"But rest assured. If your buttocks get stabbed in the Spirit Ascension Platform, there won't really be an extra hole when you return to reality."
Pfft. Someone in the group could not hold it in and laughed.
"You!"
Yu Weinan instantly looked as though he had lost a game, his face turning beet red with rage.
"Then it's settled. We'll have another spar."
Yu Jiutian interrupted coldly. As one of the candidates to become the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's next patriarch, he did not particularly want to interfere in such nonsense. His urgent task was to spar with the other ranked contenders, defeat them, and increase his leverage in his future fight for the patriarch's position. But Yu Weinan was his second uncle's son, so he could not simply ignore it.
"Soul Masters should use Soul Master methods to settle grudges."
Though Yu Jiutian was young, his words carried an unquestionable force.
A cold light flickered in Yu Weinan's eyes. He immediately stepped out from the crowd, and three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—lit up around him. A fourteen-year-old three-ring Soul Elder was already quite decent, but he did not possess the pure Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. His was a lower-grade Martial Soul, the Thunder Claw Dragon.
Nan Liujing said quietly, "After you finish fighting, I'll step in."
A faint smile curved Ye Xinglan's lips. Holding the Stargod Sword, she calmly walked out of the area covered by spider silk. Her cultivation was indeed somewhat lower than her opponent's, but in battles below three rings, unless someone had a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring or an absurdly overpowered Martial Soul, skill could make up the difference.
I've noticed that the cultivation levels of Shrek Academy Students in Dou San were generally really low.
In Dou Er, leaving Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng aside, the others were around level fifty-five at nineteen. But in Dou San, third-year students were around eighteen or nineteen, yet there were only two Soul Kings. This Mo Jue was only level fifty-one. The gap was far too large. It made me wonder while writing fanfiction: with such low cultivation among the students, how was Shrek Academy even so powerful without relying on Battle Armor?
It was really baffling.
Could it be that they all directly entered the Inner Court? Because during Sea God's Fate, the Inner Court clearly had over a hundred students, and the weakest were all Soul Kings.
Before you continue