A Long-Overdue Mission

—Xiao Wu? Hadn't she gone to look for Zijun? Why was she interacting with other humans?

"Hmph!" A hostile expression appeared on that naturally imposing face.

The Titan Giant Ape had sensed Xiao Wu's presence as well.

"Er Ming! Don't act rashly! Xiao Wu hasn't been harmed. If you rush over recklessly, you'll only expose her identity."

Sensing Er Ming's emotional fluctuations, Charm Rabbit immediately stopped him.

Hearing Charm Rabbit's voice, the Titan Giant Ape, the forest's overlord, finally gave up the urge to go "rescue" Xiao Wu.

Its mountain-sized head nodded honestly.

At the forest's outskirts, Tang San, who had broken through to the thirtieth rank and become a Soul Elder, sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Phew~"

Opening his eyes, Tang San looked at Zhao Wuji with satisfaction.

"Teacher Zhao, I'll have to rely on you next. After all, a thousand-year Spirit Beast is still a little beyond me."

Zhao Wuji patted Tang San on the shoulder and nodded approvingly.

"No problem. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder... as expected of Shrek's students. You're all excellent!"

Hearing Zhao Wuji's praise, smiles appeared on everyone's faces except Xiao Wu's.

At the edge of the forest's depths, the eight of them finally encountered that Man Faced Demon Spider within a misty grove.

However, obtaining the Man Faced Demon Spider this time was far easier than it had been in the original story.

With Zhao Wuji present, Tang San did not reveal his second martial soul.

The Clear Sky Hammer!

Yet some things simply never went so smoothly. Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, accompanied by Meng Yiran, approached them.

"I won't bring up what happened before, but as for this Man Faced Demon Spider, what else do you have to say now?"

Seeing Dragon Duke and Snake Granny approaching, Zhao Wuji showed a helpless smile. He patted Tang San's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"When Dragon Duke and Snake Granny join forces, they can contend even with a Title Douluo. Teacher Zhao is incapable here. How about yielding it to them?"

Looking at the best possible Soul Ring so close at hand, Tang San clenched both fists tightly.

After struggling internally for a moment and considering it again and again, he finally loosened his fists.

"Alright, Teacher Zhao."

I'm still too weak. Without relying on Tang Sect hidden weapons, I'm simply no match for those two!

Sure enough... no matter what world it was, strength was always the best pass... sigh~.

Tang San thought to himself with some regret.

Seeing Tang San's dejected expression, Zhao Wuji seemed to make some kind of decision!

He turned around and walked back to Dragon Duke and Snake Granny.

"Could... Dragon Duke spare a moment for a private word?"

Seeing Zhao Wuji return, Dragon Duke frowned slightly, gripping his Dragon Head Scepter as he followed him.

The eyes of the remaining nine people were drawn to the two of them as well.

A few meters away, Zhao Wuji did not beat around the bush and directly revealed Tang San's background.

"What I'm about to say bears no ill intent. I hope Dragon Duke will consider it carefully..."

A moment later, after hearing Zhao Wuji's account, Dragon Duke's pupils trembled in shock!

"Is this true?"

"It is!" Zhao Wuji answered solemnly.

I never expected this little brat to be Clear Sky Douluo's descendant!

In that case, it would be best for this old man to do him a favor.

After weighing it in his heart, Dragon Duke put on an amiable smile.

Walking up to Tang San, he praised him, though it was impossible to tell whether he meant it sincerely.

"Who would have thought that you are Grandmaster's disciple? Since that is the case... this old man will give Grandmaster some face and yield it to you."

And so, Tang San obtained ownership of the Man Faced Demon Spider through "Grandmaster's" prestige.

But how could Meng Yiran, a child of a great clan, understand the game being played between adults?

She immediately challenged Tang San again.

In the original story, Xiao Wu had already been taken away by the Titan Giant Ape at this point.

That kid had the nerve to comfort Meng Yiran after competing with her in hidden weapons.

Then he gave her hidden weapons and even taught her the methods for practicing them.

No wonder Zijun did not want Xiao Wu to be with him.

If it were not for the heroine's plot armor and her identity as a Spirit Beast,

Xiao Wu's life would have ended here.

After the contest, Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu beside him and saw that she showed no expression whatsoever.

Tang San put away his hidden weapons. As for Meng Yiran's kiss in the original story,

he did not dare accept it now. After all, the girl who had captured his heart was standing right beside him.

If he really accepted it, his pursuit of Xiao Wu would become even more hopeless.

Although Xiao Wu still did not know that Tang San was in love with her.

And just like that, Tang San made it past level thirty once again.

It was as though even Heavenly Dao was helping him. This guy had actually obtained an External Soul Bone!

This was the rarest kind of External Soul Bone on the entire continent, apart from Main Soul Bones!

Unlike other Spirit Bones, it could even evolve as a Spirit Master's strength increased!

After absorbing the Spirit Bone and Soul Ring, the eight Shrek students left the Star Dou Forest.

At the academy, Yu Xiaogang followed Tang San and found Flender.

"With your teaching ability, there is no one better suited to be these little monsters' instructor. Welcome aboard, Xiaogang."

Tap, tap, tap!

Orderly footsteps rang out beyond Spirit Hall's perimeter.

A squad of soldiers dressed in silver-white armor and standing tall had already begun the new day's work early.

Outside the gates of Martial Soul Academy, Zijun, who had rarely risen early, walked along while yawning repeatedly.

"Can the Spirit Pagoda you mentioned really be built?"

Dressed in a platinum one-piece short dress, Gu Yuena's unadorned face showed a trace of doubt.

Rubbing his eyes, Zijun, who was used to sleeping until late morning, looked unusually exhausted.

"Not now. It will take at least another ten years before we can begin."

"Why?" Gu Yuena, walking to Zijun's left with her arms folded, pressed him for an answer.

Zijun stretched lazily, and the joints throughout his body cracked loudly.

"The continent has yet to be unified. If we act rashly, people will inevitably criticize us."

Qian Renxue, walking to Zijun's right with her hands behind her back, picked up where he left off.

The human powers currently included the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, the Upper Three Sects, and various other clan factions.

"And the clan factions I mentioned all seem hostile toward Spirit Hall."

If Spirit Hall suddenly formed an alliance with the Spirit Beast race, they would likely accuse us of colluding with the enemy.

At this point, Qian Renxue paused and turned to explain to Gu Yuena.

"Though it sounds unpleasant, that truly is how other Spirit Masters currently view the Spirit Beast race. But it won't be that way in the future!"

"Xue'er is right. If Spirit Hall openly allied with the Spirit Beast race, the harm would outweigh the benefits for both sides. At the very least, we should wait until after the Soul Master Tournament before taking action."

Zijun agreed.

Hearing Zijun and Qian Renxue's analysis, Gu Yuena nodded and accepted it.

"Your human world is as complicated as ever."

Changing the subject, Gu Yuena looked at Zijun in confusion and asked.

"Don't you possess the strength of a God King? Wouldn't it be enough to suppress them directly by force?"

Hearing Gu Yuena's simple and straightforward solution, Zijun could not help but laugh.

"The greatest difference between humans and Spirit Beasts is that human thought is complicated and ever-changing. If we suppress them by force, wouldn't that go against the principle of peaceful coexistence?"

After speaking, he raised a hand and rubbed Gu Yuena's head, reassuring her.

"Don't worry. I will keep my word. The big fish has yet to surface; all we need to do is wait with our rods in hand."

Ding!

[Mission issued! Host, obtain the Great Soul Arena's Diamond Soul Fighting Badge within half a month!]