The next day.
Outer Courtyard, Martial Soul Department Dean's office.
Yan Shaozhe sat at his desk, flipping through student files, when a faint ripple suddenly came from outside the window.
He looked up and saw a paper crane fly through the window and gently land on his desk.
The paper crane unfolded by itself, transforming into several lines of writing.
Yan Shaozhe's gaze swept over them, and his pupils contracted slightly.
"Bai Lan... six years old... Contract Book... Innate Full Soul Power... held out against Bei Bei for the time it takes an incense stick to burn..."
He set down the letter and fell silent for a moment.
Mu En had personally sent him a letter, asking him to pay special attention to a new student who had just enrolled.
Even across all of Shrek Academy, something like this had rarely happened.
"The Contract Book..."
"What makes this Martial Soul so special that Mu En would personally bring it up?"
A flicker of curiosity passed through Yan Shaozhe's eyes.
He stood and left the office.
Junior Class dormitory.
Bai Lan sat cross-legged on his bed, meditating with his eyes closed.
After moving in last night, he had unpacked his things, then begun his daily required practice: meditative cultivation.
There were no shortcuts to increasing Soul Power.
Even with his cheat, even with the Contract Book, he still had to put in every bit of hard work.
A knock came from outside the door.
Bai Lan opened his eyes, got up, and opened the door.
A middle-aged man in a long robe stood outside. His expression was stern, and his aura was unfathomable.
"Are you... Bai Lan?"
"That's me."
"I'm Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Outer Courtyard's Martial Soul Department." The middle-aged man looked at him. "Come with me."
Bai Lan paused, then nodded and followed him.
The Dean's office.
Yan Shaozhe sat behind his desk and gestured for Bai Lan to take the seat opposite him.
He studied Bai Lan for a while, then slowly began, "Mu En sent me a letter last night and specifically mentioned you."
Bai Lan's expression remained unchanged as he listened quietly.
"Only a handful of students across the entire Outer Courtyard have ever had Mu En personally speak up for them."
Yan Shaozhe said, "I'm curious. What exactly is so special about your Martial Soul?"
Bai Lan didn't hide anything and explained the Contract Book's abilities again.
Yan Shaozhe fell silent for a long time after hearing him out.
He stood and walked to the window, turning his back to Bai Lan. His voice sounded somewhat distant. "One contract every ten levels... each one evolves independently... shared abilities..."
He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Bai Lan. "Do you know what that means?"
Bai Lan thought for a moment. "It means I'll be really strong in the future?"
"More than that." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "It means your potential has no limit."
He returned to his desk and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on its surface. "An ordinary Soul Master can only have one Martial Soul in their lifetime, with at most nine Soul Rings and nine Soul Skills. If they're lucky, they might get one or two Soul Bones, and a few more Soul Bone Skills."
"As for obtaining a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring... Forget it. That's even harder..."
"But you're different."
"Every ten levels, you can gain another Contract Beast, and each Contract Beast can evolve independently."
"By the time you reach the Titled Douluo level, you could theoretically have nine Contract Beasts, each of which can evolve nine times..."
He paused, his gaze deep. "That wouldn't mean nine Soul Skills. It would mean dozens, even hundreds. And they could all be shared."
"That means you alone are an army."
Bai Lan's lips curved upward, and he nodded. "I thought so too."
Yan Shaozhe stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Mu En was right. You really are worth prioritizing for development, kid."
He stood and walked over to a cabinet. After opening it, he took out a wooden box.
The box was small, jet-black all over, with intricate patterns carved into its surface.
Yan Shaozhe set the box in front of Bai Lan and opened it.
Inside were ten small porcelain bottles, neatly arranged.
"This is the first batch of cultivation resources."
Yan Shaozhe said, "Ten bottles of Soul Gathering Pills, ten pills per bottle. Take one a day to speed up your absorption of Soul Power."
Bai Lan's eyes widened slightly.
Soul Gathering Pills?
He'd read about them in the books in God Soul Village. They were precious pills that aided cultivation, and a single pill cost several hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Ten bottles, a hundred pills...
How much was that worth?
Yan Shaozhe saw his surprised expression and waved a hand with a smile. "Don't overthink it. Shrek isn't short on resources like these. What we lack are geniuses worthy of them. You achieved all this at six years old, so you deserve them."
The younger someone was when their cultivation began, the greater their potential.
Bai Lan took a deep breath, closed the wooden box, and bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Dean."
Yan Shaozhe waved him off and gestured for him to sit.
"This is only the first batch."
He said, "Once you reach level twenty, I'll personally take you on a trip."
Bai Lan looked up. "You'll take me yourself?"
"That's right." Yan Shaozhe looked at him, his eyes carrying a trace of scrutiny. "You can contract a second Contract Beast now, can't you? And the Contract Beast has to be unable to resist. So I'll personally take you somewhere and help you contract one that's powerful enough."
Bai Lan's heart skipped a beat.
A powerful enough Contract Beast?
Yan Shaozhe saw his expression and smiled. He didn't continue the subject, instead changing the topic. "But before that, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Go ahead, Dean."
Yan Shaozhe leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Your Contract Beasts can evolve. I'd like to know how much potential they have after evolving."
Bai Lan fell silent for a second.
That was the crucial question.
Only he could see the Contract Book's evolution paths.
Others knew only that evolution was possible. They had no way of knowing what form the Contract Beasts could evolve into or how strong they'd become.
Yan Shaozhe was testing how much Bai Lan had revealed.
Or, more precisely, he was testing the Contract Book's limits.
Bai Lan thought it over and decided not to keep too much from him.
If he was going to be prioritized for development, he needed to show something worthwhile.
"Dean, my Iron Core Bamboo has only evolved once so far," he said. "I can see the next few stages of its evolution path."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up. "Tell me."
Bai Lan considered his wording. "The second evolution is called Arrow Bamboo. Its leaves can condense energy into an unlimited number of arrows. They'll have greater range and can track their targets."
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "A long-range attacker. Not bad."
"The third evolution is called Blood Jade Bamboo," Bai Lan continued. "It can absorb the Soul Power and life force around it, then convert them into powerful healing effects."
"A healing type. Interesting," Yan Shaozhe murmured thoughtfully.
"The fourth evolution is called Lightning Struck Bamboo," Bai Lan said. "It gains the lightning attribute, and its attacks come with a paralysis effect."
Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted slightly. "An elemental type..."
"The fifth evolution is called Bilu Bamboo," Bai Lan said. "It can control the wind element, greatly increasing its speed."
"The sixth evolution is called Nine-Section Green Jade Bamboo." He paused. "It can switch between attacks of nine different attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, and darkness."
"How powerful!"
Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows shot up.
"The seventh evolution is called Tiangang Bamboo," Bai Lan said. "It can lay out formations to trap enemies and absorb Soul Power."
"It can even lay formations!?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened.
Holy crap, its potential was limitless!
"The eighth evolution is called Immortal Bamboo." Bai Lan took a deep breath. "It has an extremely powerful regenerative ability. As long as even one section of its roots remains, it can be reborn."
Why had he told him all this?
Mainly so the other man would understand his potential.
That would encourage the allocation of more high-level resources to him.
Only then could he rapidly increase his Soul Power in the shortest time and contract more Contract Beasts.
Besides, Guzhu was only his first Contract Beast.
It was like a card he'd played early—as bait.
He wouldn't tell anyone about the Contract Beasts he gained in the future.
After all, he wasn't a fool.
Before you continue